The bus stops here for tenants and landlords ….
Staff from Birmingham City Council’s private rented services are catching the bus next week … to help tenants and landlords find out about the support that’s available to them.
Birmingham City Council cabinet member for Health and Wellbeing, Cllr John Cotton, said: “In line with the rest of the country, Birmingham’s private rented sector has increased massively in recent years as people have struggled to take on mortgages.
“We want to ensure that both tenants and landlords are up to speed with the legislation they need to comply with – such as the government’s new landlords’ right to rent checks -  and support them if things go wrong.
“Stockland Green, Sparkbrook and Soho have particularly high private rented sectors so our information bus will be calling there from Monday to Wednesday next week with specialist advisers on hand.â€
Aboard the bus staff will be on hand with information about:
- The government’s new landlords’ right to rent checks which requires landlords to check the immigration status of prospective tenants (Birmingham is one of the pilot areas from 1 December)
- The empty properties team which has helped to bring more than 200 empty properties back into use since April this year
- Let to Birmingham, the West Midlands’ first social lettings agency, offering private landlords a wide range of services including let only, or full property management and matches them with suitable tenants and incentives
- Tenancy rights and obligations – including successful prosecutions against landlords acting illegally
- The Letting Agents and Property Redress Scheme which deals with complaints made by tenants or landlords about agents
- Lettings agencies and property management
- The Tenancy Deposit Scheme which offers a free dispute resolution service for tenants and landlords
- Criminal prosecution cases against landlords who run or manage unlicensed multiple occupancy housing
- Fire safety in privately rented premises
- Unannounced visits to check for ‘beds in sheds’ and over-occupied premises
To find out more, visit the bus from 8.30am to 3.30pm at –
- Monday 10 November – Stockland Green (Slade Road)
- Tuesday 11 November – Sparkbrook (adjacent to Farm Road)
- Wednesday 12 November – Soho (Summerfield Community Centre)
-ends-
For further info, interviews and pics of before and after properties brought back into use by the Empty Properties Team, contact Debbie Harrison on 303 3446
