The good news is that the government has finally published its 'Heat and Buildings Strategy' and answered the big question about whether we will use heat pumps or hydrogen. The bad news is that it will cost us all a lot of money (but we always knew that it would)  

Apart from not getting clobbered again in the budget (well, not so obviously as usual of late), more good news in that the renters reform bill and the removal of Section 21 has been delayed again. 

Get your tickets for one of the sessions at this 2 day event at Portsmouth Guildhall on Tuesday & Wednesday, 9th and 10th November, 

Our friends at Portsmouth Mediation Service have a new 'restorative' service for landlords and tenants caught up in disputes. Read on for more detail. 

PCC periodically produce an email newsletter for local landlords. This goes direct to the few landlords registered with their 'Rent It Right' scheme but if you want to receive it directly  then drop an email to  This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. asking to be added to the distribution.

See this months newsletter from the Switched On Portsmouth team at PCC 

Remember as a landlord, you can offer 900Mb broadband with industry leading whole home WiFi in your properties at discounted prices using our solution agreed with Digital Home. This month lots of new roads in the Somerstown area and the 'ladders'

Why are we 2nd worst in Europe for heat pump installations?  Why does the government continue to fund gas boilers? What are Bristol doing that perhaps we should? What should Local Authorities be doing? And why doesn't the Government understand.

We definitely don't have all the answers, but we have some great articles that discuss some of the issues.

We are reprinting here an article by Ray Boydell, Visiting Lecturer in Sustainable Devt @ Heriot-Watt Uni as it summarises well the challenge we all face if we are to bring our properties to 'net zero', including an estimate of cost at £26,000 per property. 

Members may have seen the sensationalist coverage of a possible 'tsunami of evictions' in the local press. Even though several key PDPLA members had their say, the overall feel of the coverage was that landlords were once again portrayed as the villain of the piece. So, what are the facts?  

Having missed the target to get new legislation passed by over a year, HMRC have had little choice but to delay 'Making Tax Digital' for landlords until 2024. Our message to landlords remains unchanged - do nothing until it is clear what is required and even then, do not change the way you do things just to comply with HMRC. 

In their leaflet, "Renting and Universal Credit - A guide for landlords and letting agents" the DWP says "This outdated practice – known as 'No DSS…..'" Unfortunately, it is far from outdated, landlords are reluctant to take benefits claimants for perfectly logical reasons and the list is growing. 

The consultation for the Portsmouth local plan is underway and its findings will affect us all – from now until 2035 – so it is worth spending 10-15 minutes looking at what is proposed and sharing your views.

  After reluctantly approving the 591 student bed development in Arundel Street in August, Portsmouth councillors are now being asked to approve a further 59 bed development in Staunton Street. The good news is that this new development is wholly comprised of standalone 'bedsit' studio apartments, ranging from 28-34 sq metres – so if student demand is insufficient, these units will be perfect for the homeless and most vulnerable that the Council is working so hard to get into appropriate housing in an area already densely occupied with similar residents (as we all know that PCC's definition of 'Mixed and Balanced Communities' typically means everyone in the street having the same tenure as everyone else).

I need to move urgently / I cannot do references because (insert daft reason here) / I just need somebody to give me a fresh start / I have lived in lots of places in the last few years /  I stopped paying my rent at the last place because (insert daft reason here) - If you hear any of these excuses, ever, alarm bells should ring.

If you want to know why, you obviously missed Alwin Oliver's presentation at our September meeting.