Poorly worded farcical new regulations

Poorly worded farcical new regulations

8:32 AM, 10th September 2015, About 9 years ago 19

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Responding to today’s announcement from the Department of Communities and Local Government’s (DCLG) on new regulations, due to come into force on 1 October, which introduce new obligations on landlords to provide specific information to their tenants, and restrictions on the use of the section 21 notice no fault possession procedure if they fail to do so. farce

NLA logo colourRichard Lambert, Chief Executive Officer of the National Landlords Association (NLA), said:

“This is just plain farcical. These regulations are poorly worded, badly timed and are being tabled with just days to spare before they are due to come into force on 1 October. As we understand it, there will be no guidance from the Government explaining how to comply before then. How can a landlord about to let a property on a tenancy from the start of October be expected to comply with these new requirements if they’ve not been told what they are and what is expected?

Given that there is no Government budget for marketing these new laws, and so it is relying on industry organisations and professional advisers as the main route to compliance, it’s shoddy, to say the least.

Coming hot on the heels of the Smoke and Carbon Monoxide Alarm debacle in the Lords yesterday, which due to official incompetence looks highly unlikely to come into force this year, this is something akin to a Laurel and Hardy sketch.”

The Assured Shorthold Tenancy Notices and Prescribed Requirements (England) Regulations 2015

http://www.legislation.gov.uk/uksi/2015/1646/pdfs/uksi_20151646_en.pdf

Explanatory Note

http://www.legislation.gov.uk/uksi/2015/1646/pdfs/uksiem_20151646_en.pdf


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Ian Narbeth

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10:13 AM, 23rd September 2015, About 9 years ago

There is also a massive trap for landlords who send the document to the tenant by email. Section 3(3) says that this is OK:

"where the tenant has notified the landlord .... of an e-mail address at which the tenant is content to accept service of notices and other documents given under or in connection with the tenancy, by e-mail". Simply having the tenant's email address and sending the document by email will not do. The landlord will have to prove, if the tenant argues that the s21 notice is invalid, that the tenant had notified the landlord that the tenant was "content" to accept service etc.

Accepting service is a technical legal matter. Someone may receive a notice or document, read it, even reply to it but it does not follow that the notice or document has been served on them. Many legal documents, perhaps even many ASTs specifically state that service CANNOT be made by email. I recommend all landlords using ASTs change their documents to expressly state that the tenant "is content to accept service of notices and other documents given under or in connection with this tenancy by e-mail".

Alternatively, a hard copy of the latest version of the Government's bit of bumf should be hand delivered or sent by recorded delivery immediately prior to the s21 notice,

I sometimes wonder if the Parliamentary draftsmen have any experience of the real world and of the lies that tenants will tell to avoid eviction. Here is an obvious case where all a tenant has to do is to assert at court that he had not notified the landlord that he was content to accept such service and the landlord is ambushed. Absent a clear statement proving that the tenant had so notified the landlord, the judge will postpone the hearing.
Or perhaps this particular draftsman dislikes landlords and is subtly and deliberately causing mischief.

TheMaluka

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11:14 AM, 23rd September 2015, About 9 years ago

I have added the following to my tenancy agreement (sorry the formatting will not be correct but I hope the message will be clear). Any further suggestions would be appreciated.

9. Declarations

I have been given a copy of the EPC for this property Tenants Initials . . . . . . . . .

I have been given a copy of the booklet “How to Rent” Tenants Initials . . . . . . . . .

I have witnessed the fire alarm test and agree to test the device weekly and report faults within 24 hours Tenants Initials . . . . . . . . .

I am content to accept service of notices and other documents given under or in connection with this tenancy by e-mail.

My email address is . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . @ . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Tenants Initials . . . . . . . . .

DonH

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11:38 AM, 23rd September 2015, About 9 years ago

Poorly worded legislation leads to many more court cases in which Judges provide their own "take" on what was implied by the legislation - and we have seen the panic that can result from this.
It is about time that legislators provided clear and concise guidelines as to exactly what they are proposing - unless of course they don't really understand the issues on which they are trying to legislate themselves.

.

Romain Garcin

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12:02 PM, 23rd September 2015, About 9 years ago

Reply to the comment left by "Ian Narbeth" at "23/09/2015 - 10:13":

"Or perhaps this particular draftsman dislikes landlords and is subtly and deliberately causing mischief."

Ah don't be so cynical. 😉

Mandy Thomson

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12:46 PM, 23rd September 2015, About 9 years ago

I'm afraid I haven't had the time to read the new legislation in detail, so I only have a working knowledge of it.

My first impression is that the requirement that only WRITTEN tenant's complaints will prevent the landlord issuing section 21 is a good one. However, is there anything within the legislation that will provide a remedy for trivial or vexatious claims by a tenant that are made in writing (a quick badly written email or a text message count in law as "in writing")?

By the way, if you have an email account that doesn't have a read receipt facility (e.g. free Gmail), there's a handy free Chrome addon called ContactMonkey.

Ian Narbeth

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17:11 PM, 23rd September 2015, About 9 years ago

Reply to the comment left by "Romain Garcin" at "23/09/2015 - 12:02":

I note the How to Rent booklet says on the front:
This information is frequently updated.
Search on GOV.UK for How to rent

The safest course will be to print out a copy and staple it to every AST - just make sure you have the latest version.
The guide says: If you are reading this on a computer or tablet, you can click on the links to
go to other websites with more detailed information. They are coloured blue and underlined like this.

So the tenant will need to find the form online for themselves if they get a hard copy.

Luke P

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20:46 PM, 23rd September 2015, About 9 years ago

Reply to the comment left by "Ian Narbeth" at "23/09/2015 - 17:11":

Much of its content is only relevant to a tenant prior to signing. It's not that much use handing it to them at the moment of signing...not that I care nor will many read it before or after signing.

Romain Garcin

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20:58 PM, 23rd September 2015, About 9 years ago

Reply to the comment left by "Ian Narbeth" at "23/09/2015 - 17:11":

"The safest course will be to print out a copy and staple it to every AST – just make sure you have the latest version."

One would still have to be careful doing that because the required version of the document is the version in effect on the FIRST DAY of the tenancy!

There are not trying to trip landlords up at all, are they?

Ian Narbeth

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9:23 AM, 24th September 2015, About 9 years ago

Yet another defect in the drafting is that section 3 says: "A landlord under an assured shorthold tenancy of a dwelling-house .. must give the tenant UNDER THAT TENANCY..." the information.

Until the AST has been completed there is no tenancy, no landlord and no tenant, just a prospective landlord and a prospective tenant. One would hope that judges will give a sensible construction but there is no guarantee and so the safe course will be to provide a further copy of the bumf just before the s21 notice.

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