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Success for the LandlordZONE® #HomeforChristmas Appeal
C
harlotte Gould, whose father Matthew, a chartered
surveyor, took part, received her Kindle on Christmas Day
The
LandlordZONE
Christmas
campaign at the end of last year was
a roaring success.
Seven Kindle Fire HDs were given
away to seven lucky winners of the
competition, who simply had to reTweet LandlordZONE’s daily Tweets.
These prizes were delivered by Amazon
in time for Christmas.
In the process, LandlordZONE also
managed to raise £400 across several
selected charities.
Over a two-week period leading up
to Christmas, the appeal reached over
105,000 subscribers on their database,
and a wide-spread UK Twitter audience
of 11,900 followers. Participation
far exceeded LandlordZONE’s most
optimistic expectations.
Winners included: James Kimmitt of
Kimmitt Lettings Tyne on Wear; Martyin
Mead of Wickham Bishops; Selina
Carreno of Optimise Accountants,
Nottingham; Dorian Gonsalves of
Belvoir Property Management (UK) Ltd;
Shelin Hakki of STC Properties Limited,
Waltham Abbey; David Winter of
Corporate Finance Associates, Tenbury
Wells; and Mathew Gould a Chartered
Surveyor of Pontypool.
The appeal this year was sponsored by
eight leading suppliers of key services
to landlords and property professionals,
including LandlordZONE® and AEP
Media Ltd, publishers of this magazine
and organisers of the Landlord &
Letting Shows and Awards and National
Property Investment Expo.
Tom
Entwistle,
editor
of
LandlordZONE®, said: “We’re so pleased
we could bring happiness to some
youngsters this Christmas and help
some deserving charities as well. Thanks
to all who took part.”
Landlords concerned over
immigration check roll out
As landlords in the West Midlands
became the first to operate under the
new immigration pilot scheme at the
end of last year, new findings show
that landlords are far from happy
about the legislation.
The study, conducted by online letting
agent PropertyLetByUs, shows that
nine out of ten landlords don’t fully
understand the immigration checks
they will have to carry out when the
scheme is rolled out next year. A further
nine out of ten landlords believe that the
new immigration legislation places too
much responsibility on them.
The research also reveals that 100% of
landlords intend to rely on their letting
agent or reference agency to conduct the
checks and 93% of landlords don’t feel
confident making the checks themselves.
What’s more, over a quarter of
landlords think that the legislation
will lead to a rise in unscrupulous
landlords renting ‘beds in sheds’; a fifth
of landlords believe it will make it much
harder for immigrants to find a property
to rent; and 10% of landlords think the
new legislation will cause homelessness
for some immigrants. The vast majority
of landlords say they will be much more
wary about taking on immigrant tenants.
Jane Morris, Managing Director of
PropertyLetByUs, comments: “It is clear
that landlords aren’t comfortable with
the legislation and will be relying on
letting agents and reference firms to
help them comply with the new rules.
“The pilot in the West Midlands will
hopefully iron out many of the issues
so that when the new rules are rolled
out nationally in 2015, landlords will
feel more comfortable with what is
required of them.
“It is important that landlords prepare
themselves for the new ‘right to rent’
checks, as any non-compliance will mean
that landlords could face a £3,000 fine.
The Immigration Act requires landlords
to check whether prospective tenants
are in the country legally. Landlords
10 Landlord & Buy-to-Let Issue 55 • January 2015
will have to see ‘evidence’, for example
a passport or a biometric residence
permit – an official form of identification
provided by the Home Office.
“The new rules will require landlords
to check whether potential tenants
and occupants over eighteen have a
‘right to rent’ before entering into a
new tenancy agreement. All adults who
will occupy the property as their main
home, not just named tenants, should be
checked. If they turn eighteen during the
tenancy, no initial or follow-up checks
are required. These rules apply to new
tenancies only. Renewals are excluded if
all parties remain the same and there has
been no break.
“The Home Office will carry out checks
on individual properties and landlords
if they receive information from a
workplace; raid; tip-off from neighbours;
follow up on an immigration
application; and/or if the landlord has
been identified as operating outside the
law in other respects.”