July Newsletter
Quite a diverse range of news items for you this month - from events and activities that may be of interest to checklists and discussions on a range of topics including landlord accreditation (the focus of our July meeting) and the post-election budget. We have a new recommended supplier (Wilts Electrical) and contact details for the various agencies who can help if you have anti-social tenants.
For those who are planning to take advantage of the Green Deal cash back of £1,500 towards a new condensing boiler in Portsmouth, please be aware that the councils chosen contractor is quite expensive (over £1,000 more in one instance) and you may well be better off using one of the local Green Deal accredited providers.
No article on council business this month yet there have been some interesting policy discussions at the Council that may affect many of us as landlords. Apart from the obvious ones - like the resistance to student halls at The Hard by the Planning Committee and the rejection of the latest proposal for 450 student rooms at Brunel House, there has been a proposal to have a consultation on creating ‘food growing spaces’ to allow more food to be grown locally. Also there is an interesting document now on planning policies for oil and gas (fracking?) in Hampshire which may soon be issued for consultation. Probably more directly relevant to us have been the discussions by the Health & Social Care scrutiny committee about housing for young adults and those leaving care and a also, a decision by Cabinet on whether to setup a £30M property investment fund. More on all of these as they develop...