New Housing Act

[Ade]

Could someone please up date me as to when this new act will come in.
As a landlord with a number of properties I would like to know what I am up against so I can plan ahead.

Is there a schedule of works from the local council ( Birmingham) of what standard the properties will need to be in, and what other implications there may be.

Any help on this matter would be great.

Regards

Ade

[Muse]

Are you a member of you local Landlord's association? (I'm presuming of course there is a Landlord's association in Birmingham) If not I would consider joining as my Landlord association have been very helpful regarding theact. Also try contacting your local council they should the people in the know.

Best of luck with it.

[red40]

It is going to be phased in during 2005.

There are lots of implications for private sector landlords, far to many to list on a message board, but some very big issues involving HMO's and the definitions of hazards

Mandatory licensing is based on 3 storey, 5 or more people who form two households. However your local authority can apply in writing to the secretary of state to have it alter depending on what the LA area is like i.e in Brighton they have plenty of big HMO properties where the original category applies, yet our authority is mainly 3 storey, 3 people and the authority have written and been accepted as their standard. There is also limited licensing which I really haven't read much about but that can apply to two storey properties converted into flats.

Then you get onto a property that is converted into flats (purpose built or converted)automatically qualifies for Housing Health and Safety Rating System (HHSRS), this is the unusual bit as the current Housing act is going to be withdrawn and repalced with the new housing act and also HHSRS which deals with an individual dwelling (flat) and that is then split into 24 (possibly) 29 hazards and each hazard is then split into further categories (65, young children), which covers alsorts of things fire, falls, damp, etc, etc and each category has a set rating. After a survey has been done the dwelling is given a rating which hopefully is average rating, although that maybe rare, if the rating is high you will be served with either an Improvement notice, prohibitation notice or hazard awareness notice to do any works.

Then the local authority will have the normal discretionary powers to get you to do any works that dont fall within the new Housing Act.

If you want to read more have a look on the goverments website it is all there in black and white.

[Ericthelobster]

There are lots of implications for private sector landlords, far to many to list on a message board, but some very big issues involving HMO's and the definitions of hazardsAm I right in thinking it only affects HMOs?



If you want to read more have a look on the goverments website it is all there in black and white.Do you know whereabouts? I can't see it at http://www.odpm.gov.uk, which is where I'd expect.

[red40]

:) No eric it doesn't all relate to HMO's, this is a breakdown of what is coming:-

Part 1 - Housing conditions

Part 2 - Licensing of houses in multiple occupation

Part 3 - Selective licensing of other residential accommodation

Part 4 - Additional control provisions in relation to residential accommodation

Part 5 - Home information packs

Part 6 - Other provisions about housing

Part 7 - Supplementary and final provisions

It was my mistake the documents are on the HMSO website

http://www.hmso.gov.uk/acts/en2004/2004en34.htm, the explanations are on the following pages of the HMSO web page and there is a lot of reading ;)

and this is the act http://www.hmso.gov.uk/acts/acts2004/20040034.htm#aofs

[Paul_f]

[QUOTE=red40]It is going to be phased in during 2005. .....err! no it isn't[/SIZE][/FONT]

I've posted lots of information on the old forum about this and as always it's passed most of you by.


There is no earthly chance of it becoming law this year.
The information I have is from a member of the law commission advising the government, and she has stated late 2006/early 2007 at the very soonest.
The earliest of implementations is the tenants deposit scheme and it's likely to take a lot longer than anyone imagines [Remember! it's civil servants who put all this together].
Just carry on as normal as the Housing Act shouldn't frighten anyone yet.
As another post suggests it's all on the odpm website.