Boris Johnson's resignation has drawn speculation around its impact on the Renters' Reform Bill and how this may affect the bill's implementation dates. It's currently set to be introduced in the 2022/2023 parliamentary session, and you can read our last newsletter for a detailed breakdown of the proposals.
We'll of course keep you up to date on any developments or changes to the bill's timelines. Other areas of lettings legislation continue to advance, with guidance published for the changing rules around carbon monoxide and smoke alarms in rental properties and material information in property listings - plus the new energy price cap is expected to be announced on 26 August.
Here’s a snapshot of how our agency performed in July 2022
New smoke and carbon monoxide alarm regulations will come into force on 1 October 2022 in England, and the government has published guidance to support these changes.
From 1 October in England, landlords will need to:
Landlords are also advised to consider these regulations alongside other relevant safety laws, such as the Housing Act 2004, the Fire Safety Act 2021 and the Building Safety Act 2022.
The government has published new guidance for Part A of the three-phase process for improving material information in property listings. Under these rules, property listings need to include details of:
Ofgem has previously estimated that the next energy price cap in October will increase annual household energy costs by £800, to £2,800 on average. However, Cornwall Insights has predicted that it could in fact leap to £3,244 a year, bearing in mind the impact of the "global political and economic uncertainty" on the energy market. The price cap increase will be announced on 26 August, giving your tenants a month to prepare for how this may affect their finances.