Monday, April 22, 2013

Letting agents will have to join redress scheme

Landlords and tenants are finally being offered better protection from rogue letting agents after the House of Commons approved an eleventh hour amendment to the Enterprise and Regulatory Reform Bill.
Reference: propertydrum.briefyourmarket.com

The coalition government has bowed to pressure from Labour and industry groups by amending the Bill to allow for a system of redress.

All letting and managing agents as well as those agents engaged in leasehold management must now belong to an approved redress scheme, or ombudsman, which will offer landlords and tenants access to an approved redress scheme in order to deal with complaints when they arise.

Peter Bolton King (left), RICS Residential Director, said, “From now on, should a tenant or landlord experience problems due to poor service, they will be able to register their grievance with an independent redress scheme which, if appropriate, will investigate and award compensation.”

The move has been welcomed by various property professionals and industry bodies as a positive step to raise consumer protection by giving access to an independent disputes resolution mechanism and also an opportunity to raise standards across an industry thought to handle £14 billion a year, earning £1 billion for itself in the process.

Property Ombudsman, Christopher Hamer (right), said, “I have been
pressing for such a change for a number of years and I therefore very much welcome the government's approach to this important element of consumer protection.”

However, while many feel that this is a step in the right direction, there is widespread feeling that further action will be needed to remove all rogue letting agents from the sector, after the Government stopped short of backing an amendment introduced in the House of Lords by Baroness Hayter, the Labour peer who has led the campaign for change.

Caroline Kenny (left), UKALA Executive, commented, “Whilst well intentioned, the previous proposals that letting agents to be brought within the scope of the Estate Agents Act 1979 fell short of providing a genuine solution.”

Nevertheless, the Housing Minister’s announcement that the Enterprise and Regulatory Reform Bill will be used to provide a basis for future, specialised regulation of letting agency standards should ensure that landlords and tenants who choose to use professional letting services receive adequate protection.
The National Landlords Association [NLA] looks forward to working with the Government throughout the forthcoming industry consultation to make sure that any regulation implemented encourages professionalism, provides financial protection and aids the development of a healthy and sustainable private-rented sector,” said Chris Norris, Head of Policy at the NLA. 

Calls for legislation have intensified in the past year or so amid a major shift towards renting in the UK. There are now 3.84 million households privately renting in England, up from 1.9 million in 2001.

Marc Von Grundherr of Benham and Reeves Residential Lettings commented, “Given the increasing move to a renting society with older owner occupiers, we need more rental stock not less and therefore the sector needs to be fully transparent, professional and have redress for all sides. The only way is through regulation.”

Monday, April 15, 2013

The London Coffee Festival 2013

It’s hard to resist temptation when the aroma of rich fresh coffee brew fills your nostrils. It almost gets to your mind!!! If you are one of the millions of coffee lovers in this world then The London Coffee Festival is your celebration. Scheduled from 25th - 28th April 2013 at The Old Truman Brewery, 91 Brick Lane (Spitalfields, London E1 6QL), is the prime event of UK Coffee Week which commemorates the love for this aromatic beverage in London.
http://www.londoncoffeefestival.com/

The anticipated footfall for this year’s event is approximately 15,000 including coffee enthusiasts and gourmets, trained baristas, and cafe owners coming together to make the event promisingly interesting and useful. The onset of the public celebration will be marked by Espresso Martini Launch Party on 26 April (Friday) from 5pm onwards.

You can expect the event to be a wholesome combination of entertainment, knowledge and of course, coffee! There are demonstrations, tasting sessions, brewery tours, live music and a lot of variety of street food. The event emphasizes on good quality coffee being produced all around the world and offers coffee aficionados a chance to know more about this world famous drink.

The event venue, The Old Truman Brewery, is very famous with the residents of Canary Wharf, Shoreditch, etc. particularly on weekends. It is a collective house with 200 small businesses, related by a run of passages and courts across the area. The area is divided into various zones (Soho, Hyde Park, Shoreditch, etc.) for you to figure out which event or stalls do you want to go to.

It’s quite easy to reach there by overground & underground rail network or by bus or on foot. You can take the tube or rail to either of Liverpool Street, Aldgate, Aldgate East or Shoreditch High Street from where The Old Truman Brewery is at a walking distance. The tickets to the event can be purchased either online for £9.50 or you can also buy it from the venue for £12.50.

All other related information and FAQs are there on the event website which can give you a comprehensive insight into the line-up of all the four days. For more information about this festival please click here.