Cardiff Landlord Forum27th May 2015

• Emma Robson• Cardiff Council Waste Group

• Anne Rowland

Emma Robson

Student Liaison Officer

Cardiff Student Community Action Plan2015 - 2018

Background

• Student Community Action Plan– Partnership established in 2006 to:

• Improve housing conditions• Target lifestyle issues relating to students and

communities– Strategy implemented and Student Liaison Officer

employed in 2007• Strategy approved by University Quartet• Jointly funded and led by Student Liaison

Management Group

Achievements

• Cardiff Digs - www.cardiffdigs.co.uk • Student housing and living advice for all Cardiff

students• Approx. 2,000 visits a month• Increase of 233% in three years• Social media – Facebook andTwitter

Securing better accommodation

• Annual campaigns with partners about living in the private rented sector

– Halls to Homes, You’re In Now What, Avoid The Pitfalls etc.– Multi agency University housing weeks, advice fairs and surgeries– Joint ‘Unfair Tenancy Agreement’ guidance produced

• Distribution of community living advice sheets to over 1,000 landlords and letting agents for inclusion in student tenancy welcome packs– Moving In and Out checklists, waste collection calendars, damp

and mould prevention leaflets, crime prevention advice etc. • Annual training of frontline University & Student Union officers to

deal with housing and community issues

Securing better accommodation

• 900+ Cardiff landlords trained and supported by Landlord Accreditation Wales. Equates to over 3,000 properties. Has led to Housing (Wales) Act 2014 registration and licensing provisions

• Cathays Additional Licensing 2010 - 2015– 2,163 properties licensed, 1,309 hazards removed, 593 properties improved– Plasnewydd ward declared November 2014

• University Housing lists advertise only licensed properties & accredited landlords – agreed standards between CC & Universities

• To Let Board legislation

Encouraging community respect

• Increased student and community engagement through multi agency volunteering schemes

– Regular community walkabouts & education drives

• Regular PACT meetings

• Bi-annual community newsletter ‘Unity News’

• Joint approach to tackle noise issues

• Increased awareness and understanding by students and non-students through engagement;

– Freshers week, regular outreach events, community noticeboard, social media, www.cardiffdigs.co.uk

• Partnerships with South Wales Police Student Liaison Officers to reduce burglary, prevent crime and increase safety

– Targeted multi agency partnership operations and campaigns

– Burglary Project: 81% reduction in burglary on top 5 streets in Cathays

• Free home fire risk checks and advice provided by South Wales Fire and Rescue Service

• GP registration at key collections & welcome talks

Improving community health and safety

Promoting Environmental Sustainability

• Encouraging recycling and re-use– Diversion of approx. 16 tonnes of waste from landfill annually

at end of term through “Get It Out for Cardiff” campaign– Permanent YMCA re-use banks at halls of residences– Annual education and enforcement drives by Waste

Management

• Encouraged use of sustainable travel methods – Promotion of University sustainable travel schemes including

Cardiff Met Rider and car share schemes – Limit of parking permits to two per household– Increased cycle stand storage, free Dr Bike maintenance

sessions, free cycle training

2015 – 2018 Action Plan

• Changing nature of student population & increasing demand for services mean there are further opportunities for partnership development

• Stakeholder event March 2015– To reintroduce partners to the Plan– To celebrate achievements– And to provide partners with an opportunity to feed into the plan

and submit commitment for delivering objectives

• Workshops to discuss issues and find solutions

Future ideas

• Student volunteering within South Wales Fire and Rescue Service

• Recycling and home security kits• Know your neighbour days & ‘student

neighbour of the year awards’• Student PACT forum• Regenerating unsightly areas (inclu.

improving housing conditions and green spaces)

• Communication is key!

Thank you

Any questions?

Emma Robson, Student Liaison Officer

Email: Emma.Robson@cardiff.gov.uk

Tel: 02920 871808

Web: www.cardiffdigs.co.uk

Craig Owen

Senior Education & Enforcement

Education & Enforcement

• 2 members of the team dedicated to the area

• S46 notices issued in the worst streets

• Fixed penalty notices issued for breaches

• Regular door knocking with Environmental Champions throughout June (including weekends)

The campaign for 2015 – information for residents

• ‘2 in June’• Bulky Waste Collections• Household Recycling Centres• Reuse facilities offered in the community (YMCA, ‘Take

My Junk’) and Students Union• Frontage clearances from Commercial Services, 029

20717501 (chargeable) • Bulk clearances from Education & Enforcement teams

(chargeable)

2 in June

Household collections DATE

General waste (black bins/bags)

  10/06/15   24/06/15

Recycling (green bags) 03/06/15 10/06/15 17/06/15 24/06/15

Food waste (food caddy) 03/06/15 10/06/15 17/06/15 24/06/15

Recycling and Waste Collection Changes

Jennifer SadlerWaste Strategy Manager

Why do we need to make changes to residential collections?

– In Cardiff we are at 52% currently, every 1% we fail to meet, it will cost the council £400k in WG fines based on the tonnages collected in Cardiff

– Disposal costs are high even without fines and Council budgets are reducing further.

What changes are coming?

Bag Areas – Key points•No change of frequency of any collection.

•No change or restriction to recycling and food waste!

•Garden Waste bio-bags are being replaced with reusable garden sacks (2 free for each household)

•Black bags will no longer be collected at all. These will be replaced with bespoke bags that are issued on a quota equal to the capacity of the city’s wheeled bins.

What changes are coming?

Existing Bin Areas – Key points•No change of frequency of any collection.

•No change or restriction to recycling and food waste!

•No Change to garden waste collections!

•240l wheeled bins will be exchanged for a slimmer 140l model. This will reduce the capacity from approx. 4 black bags to 3.

What changes are coming?

New Bin Areas – Key points•No change of frequency of any collection.•No change or restriction to recycling and food waste!•Areas of the city producing large quantities of garden waste will receive a garden bin. Inner city areas are more likely to receive reusable garden sacks.•All properties with safe storage will receive a 140l bin for general waste.

Properties that have safe storage for bins will receive them (front garden/ street access to back garden)

In Summary - General Waste

• Black bags on the street will no longer be collected. This includes extra waste at the side of wheeled bins.

• Houses with striped bags will be delivered a supply every 6 months and will be given enough to use 3 or less, each fortnightly collection.

• If a household runs out of bags early – they will have to buy more from the council.

In Summary – Garden Waste

• Houses with storage for a garden bin will be given one if situated in a garden waste producing part of the city.

• Households in areas of the city that do not historically produce a lot of garden waste can opt in to receive 2 free garden waste sacks.

In Summary – Recycling/ Food Waste

No change!•These collection will still occur every week with no restrictions on quantity.

•Did you know that over 70% of the waste in Cardiff’s black bin bags can be recycled

•If students make full use of these services, they will not be adversely effected by the restrictions to general waste.

Is it going to work?• Monmouth (2 bag/ household/ fortnight)

• 56% reduction general waste, 30% increase in household recycling.

• Swansea (2 bags per fortnight)• 5% increase in overall recycling.

• Trafford & Salford (smaller wheeled bins)• 10% increase in household recycling.

• Falkirk (3 weekly collection)• 26% reduction in general waste.

• Bury (3 weekly collection)• 8% increase in household recycling.

• Gwynedd (3 weekly collection)• 22% reduction in general waste.

What Support will Students Receive?

• Large households (more than 5 people) will be allowed extra capacity for general waste if needs be.

• Increased education for students:– Door knocking– Distribution of recycling equipment– Environmental Champions

Questions?

Title

Name/Date

Part 1 Housing (Wales) Act 2014

Presented by Anne Rowland, Programme Manager

• The legislation• The implementation• The practicalities

• Things I wont be able to answer– How much the fees will be

– How to apply and what information will be asked for

– What the exact training requirement will be

– What conditions will be on licences

• From 2011 Census approx. 14% (185,000) properties in PRS

• No one knows true number of landlords; believe majority one property

• Important Housing Option • Poorest standards of management and conditions; often

due to lack of understanding• National Accreditation Scheme, run from Cardiff Council

since 2008; trained around 3,000 landlords. Model proved to be working well.

• In 2011 National Assembly for Wales granted ability to make new primary Housing legislation

• Housing White Paper for Better Lives and Communities, May 2012

– Introduced on 18th November 2013

– Passed in Assembly 8th July 2014

– Royal Assent 17th September 2014

– Majority of Part 1 to come into force by Autumn 2015

(click on image of Act to be taken to webpage to read it)

• Project Board set up to oversee implementation - WG chair with LA reps

• Lots of work occurring; large project.

• Assuming 131,000 landlords and 800 commercial agents will need to be part of the new regime

• Different leads on certain tasks (via project board)

Main Tasks:– Create Statutory Instruments

– Create and set up Licensing Authority function

– Establish working arrangements between Local Authorities and Licensing Authority

– Communications and Branding

– Transitional Arrangements for Landlord Accreditation Wales (LAW) members

– Evaluation of effectiveness and impact of legislation

•Act introduces a legal requirement for all landlords to register themselves and their rental addresses (each separate dwelling)

•Landlords and agents who act on their behalf who let and/or manage rental properties must become licensed

•Licensing based on training (no property inspection)

•Applicable to Assured, Assured Shorthold and Regulated tenancies within Wales

•Exempts Residential Social Landlords from registration; however if RSL does letting and management work on behalf of a PRS landlord they must be licensed

•Most other exemptions come about from the fact that certain people cannot grant ASTs (e.g. university owned accommodation, owner occupiers with lodgers, etc)

Register is not public; but tenants can verify landlords

On-line process (including fee payment)

Simple, quick and automated

Landlord Must:

•Provide correspondence info•Give address of all rental property•Pay a fee•Identify who does letting and management at each property

Once registered:•Obligation to keep information on register up to date•Every 5 years a fee for continued registration

Once licenced:•Lasts 5 years. Licensee must comply with licensing authority imposed conditions (including adhering to WG Code of Practice) and continue to be fit & proper; otherwise licence can be revoked.•Renewal process, including additional fee

Persons who ‘let’ or ‘manage’ rental property must apply for a licence.

Applicant must : •Be fit and proper•Undertake approved training•Pay a fee

‘Letting’ and ‘managing’ defined in the Act

Applicant could be landlord, commercial letting &

management agent, family member

All staff of applicant doing letting and management work to be

trained

•The Welsh Ministers have designated a Licensing Authority to administer the system

•Cardiff Council Designated (came into force 1st April 2015)

•Licensing authority will maintain register and administer and grant registrations and licences (central website & database)

•Landlords and agents will have one application to cover them for whole country.

•New service being created in Cardiff Council; will be run under a new brand name and will build on LAW systems and team

WG leading communications work and rebranding Critical to not create demand when no

infrastructure to deal with it Brand will be launched by the Minister, Lesley

Griffiths AM and a national campaign will start Communications strategy will include paid for

avenues in order to reach a wide audience e.g. on-line. Also relies on ‘earned and owned’ so including landlords, agents, etc disseminating information

•Marketing of requirements should encourage most people to comply without intervention (whole sector buy-in)

•Lead in time before enforcement can occur; powers will be enacted a year after provisions come in (Autumn 16)

•Enforcement by local authority (or licensing authority)

•Suite of enforcement tools for ‘rogues’:– Prosecutions– Fixed Penalty Notices– Rent Stopping Orders– Rent Repayment Orders– Restriction on terminating tenancies (no s.21)

Not all landlords must have a licence; if agent does all letting and property management work then only agent needs to be licensed.BUT some properties will have a licensed landlord and agent (split of roles, e.g. let only agent then landlord does management)AND all landlords will still have to register (can be ‘lead’ landlord)One licence covers the agent/landlord for any property in Wales; it is the landlord that registers each individual address and states the licensee(s)No Scots Disclosure/DBS check requirement with licence application If property has an HMO licence, landlord still needs to register and have a licensed person in place to let and manage it under new ActNo mention of Accreditation in the Act; it is now licensing.

• People already part of LAW should have little to do in order to register and get a licence (no decision of fee levels yet).

• All training under LAW already done by a landlord (or agent) will be recognised for licensing (update training)

• Information from LAW database will be transitioned into new database for regime

• Training will continue to be run by Cardiff Council even once licensing starts; also will include on-line provision

• But once law changes, LAW will cease to operate in current form

• How much the fees will be– Regulations consulted on (closed 7 May). Proposed

Licensing Authority to set the fees. Info about £50 to register and £100 to licence was indicated during Bill process but not necessarily the fee.

• How do people apply and what information will be asked for– Subject of same Regulation consultation. Certain

requirements in Regulations and Lic. Authority can also ask for additional info. Intended to be very similar to Landlord Accreditation Wales approach (online payment and automated process wherever possible).

• What will the exact training requirements will be– Regulations will state that the Licensing Authority will

set requirements. Likely to be landlord course content (equivalent to LAW syllabus) and agent content (not yet set; likely to be similar to Greater London Standard). Details to be provided after Regulations made on 2nd June.

• What conditions will be on licences– It is for the Licensing Authority to set conditions;

although they must include a condition to meet Code of Practice (consultation closed on 22 May). Potential for agent conditions to include Client Money Protection, Professional Indemnity Insurance and Complaints Procedure (with redress to Ombudsman); akin to membership of ARLA, NALS, RICS, etc

•Housing (Wales) Act 2014 Part 1 provisions will be commenced over coming year; most in place by Autumn 2015 (enforcement year later)

– All landlords will have to register– All letting and managing landlords and agents will have to

licence– Licensing based on suitability and training

•Lots more details to be published; through central brand. Very important wrong messages don’t get out there; timing is critical.

•The legislation should result in: Improved management standards in the private rented sector More useful strategic information for LAs on landlords and

agents and the location of private rentals; and easier means to connect with sector

Raised awareness by landlords, agents and tenants of their respective rights and responsibilities.

•All about greater co-ordination in the sector; improving knowledge and raising tenant confidence (& landlord and agent confidence in tenants)

•On the WG webpages: http://gov.wales/topics/housing-and-regeneration/housing-supply/renting/privately/?lang=en

•By contacting Anne Rowland via PrivateSectorHousingMailbox@wales.gsi.gov.uk

•More information will be publicised once the central Licensing Authority website is up and running

•Tenancy Reform: Further Legislation coming from WG. Renting Homes (Wales) Bill; introduced into National Assembly for Wales in February 2015. Could be made law by early 2016 (longer to implement it). Would replace all ASTs to ‘Standard Contracts’

•Agents Fees: Consumer Rights Act (Consumer Protection is not devolved). All agents will have to publish their fees upfront. Must be commenced in Wales – later this year.

•Fire Alarms and CO Monitors: England only regulations (from Energy Act 2011). Could be asked for under HHSRS and always best to have in place

•Banning EPC F&G Rated Homes: England and Wales Regulations; in parliament. Could come into effect on new tenancies from April 2018

Questions?Questions?

Anne RowlandAnne RowlandTel: 0300 062 8444Tel: 0300 062 8444Anne.Rowland1@wales.gsi.gov.ukAnne.Rowland1@wales.gsi.gov.uk

Douglas Haig27th May 2015

Chair’s Update

Things to do now

• Landlord Accreditation Wales Landlords ensure that your registration and Continuous Professional Development (CPD) profile is up in case you can fast track to the new mandatory licensing system.

Be Aware That...• Mandatory registration and licensing will

be introduced in Autumn 2015! Keep an eye on RLA website.

• Oral evidence to the Welsh Assembly committee scrutinising the Renting Homes bill on 14th May.

• We are still awaiting news on what will happen to the Cathays Additional HMO licensing scheme in Cardiff.

2015 General Election

• The Conservatives gain a working majority of 12 in the House of Commons. Socially conservative Northern Irish parties DUP and UUP have also attained 10 seats, which in some policy areas will ensure that the Government aren’t defeated and Cabinet Ministers don’t have to fly home early from overseas meetings!

• Housing is devolved and the vast majority of relevant legislation won’t apply to Wales, however welfare and immigration is NOT and will apply in Wales.

Impact of General Election Result – UK wide

• The obligation for landlords to check a tenant has a right to reside in the country will be extended from the West Midlands to the whole of the UK. Timetable TBA.

• David Cameron has announced intention to make it easier for to ‘cancel the tenancies of illegal immigrants (and perhaps speeding up of possession proceedings). May not apply to

Wales.

Impact of General Election Result – England only

• ‘Right to buy’ to be extended in England to include tenants who rent a housing association property. Very different approach to the Welsh Government who are drastically limiting eligibility and amount of savings that can be made.

• WHAT WE DIDN’T EXPECT - David Cameron announces intention to create England-wide licensing scheme for landlords.

• HOT OFF THE PRESS – DCLG confirm no national licensing scheme but a possible reduction in what constitutes a mandatory HMO.

Today’s Queens Speech

• Remove ‘red tape’ for smaller businesses –• Affirmed commitment to furthering Welsh devolution, and for the

House of Commons to work on the basis of ‘English votes for English matters’. The latter would mean that Welsh MPs would have less of an influence (if any) on housing legislation affecting England only.

• A ‘Reserved Powers’ model for Welsh devolution

Queen’s Speech 2• English Housing Bill – Help provide more hard

working people with the chance to own their own home.

• Increasing supply of new Starter Homes

• Right To Build – Supporting custom and self-builders registered in their areas in identifying suitable plots of land to build or commission their own home.

Universal Credit• Government's flagship welfare

scheme• Major concern about direct payments• Lack of parity on data sharing• Up to 20% of other benefits can be

used for rent arrears• Arrears will not follow• Currently undergoing general roll-out

Universal Credit

Bridgend 29/06/2015

Swansea 20/07/2015

Cardiff, Merthyr, Blaenau Sept – Nov

RCT, Vale Dec – Apr

• Currently rolled out in Flintshire, Conwy, Torfaen, NPT and Caerphilly.

• New JSA applicants only for now

Other Things

• CLF dates: Tuesday 21st July, Tuesday 15th September. Same time, same place.

• UK Budget – Wednesday July 8th

Thank You

Now to the bar!