The Tenant Fee Ban is the legislation that everyone is talking about for 2019, set to shake up the rental market in England and put an end to unregulated fees and charging of tenants. Whilst many agents are uncertain of the implications of the Act, as independent letting specialists with over 25 years of experience we have been planning and preparing for the fee ban for the past few years and are promoting it as a time of great opportunity for Landlords. Here are Parks’ top 5 predictions on how the Tenant Fees Ban could change the rental market and […]

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In September 2018 Brighton & Hove City Council applied for and received approval for a Selective Licensing Scheme. Initially approved by the Secretary of State at the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government (MHCLG), this would have operated in the twelve wards in Brighton and Hove affecting 27,000 homes. Unexpectedly, Brighton & Hove City Council’s licence has been revoked by the same Secretary of State who originally approved the scheme. On 2nd November Brighton and Hove City Council posted a statement on their website, this reads as below: “The designation for Selective Licensing has been withdrawn by the Secretary […]

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The Government has been improving the standards of Residential Letting & Property Management agents throughout England by introducing legislation over recent years, one such piece of legislation is the introduction of compulsory Client Money Protection. Parks has been a regulated and licensed member of Propertymark since 2004, which already required its members to be audited, hold Client Money Protection (“CMP”) for all clients’ money and have professional indemnity insurance. A Government consultation paper published in March 2017 found that only 60% of Residential Letting Agents protected landlord and tenants money by ring fencing and protecting their clients’ deposits and rents from misappropriation through Client Money Protection.  The consultation does […]

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In March 2015, the government introduced new legislation as a way to encourage Landlords to improve the energy efficiency of their rental properties. The government’s aim is to make rental properties more energy efficient, and in-hand become more desirable, decrease marketing time and void periods, and encourage tenants to stay longer. Minimum Energy Efficiency Standard (MEES) The Minimum Energy Efficiency Standard, known as MEES, was introduced by The Energy Efficiently (Private Rented Property) (England and Wales) regulations 2015. This regulation originated from the Energy Act 2011 and will affect all private rented properties where a tenancy is granted or renewed, […]

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What is an HMO? HMO stands for House in Multiple Occupation. In short, this is a property where three or more tenants are living as more than one household. A family, single person or a cohabiting couple count as one household, so three friends or professionals living together from different families would be classed as three separate households. For a Landlord to let a property to three or more households, they must apply for and be granted an HMO licence from the local authority along with confirming planning permission where article 4 is applicable. How to apply for an HMO […]

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