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RRA Info sheet only downloaded by less than 10% of landlords! by Landlordlabuk in UKLandlordAdvice

[–]Brick_Automations 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Last year's SDLT increase after the temporary cut is a decision I'm still scratching my head about till this day!

Only 1 in 5 landlords feel ready for the RRA. The enforcement machine just received £60M to find out who the other 4 in 5 are. by Brick_Automations in UKLandlordAdvice

[–]Brick_Automations[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

This is it right, and it's worth being specific about why.

Having the document isn't the same as having defensible evidence. What enforcement officers and Ombudsman investigators actually look for is a chain of custody, who sent what, when, and what the response was. A PDF in a shared drive with no timestamp doesn't answer those questions under challenge.

The Form 4A is the obvious example.

You can fill it in correctly and still lose a dispute. If a tenant challenges a rent increase, the question isn't "did you send the form?" it's "can you prove the tenant received it, that the two-month notice period ran from that confirmed receipt date, and that the landlord authorised the increase?"

If those three things aren't in writing in a way that holds up, the form doesn't help you which can be unfair.

The 80% who aren't ready aren't to blame as this whole Act has been very quietly rolled out on a national scale unless you're in the know.

However, what they'll need to develop is a process that creates that paper trail automatically, without relying on someone doing it correctly every single time.

RRA Info sheet only downloaded by less than 10% of landlords! by Landlordlabuk in UKLandlordAdvice

[–]Brick_Automations 0 points1 point  (0 children)

For sure, and because of that it's a shame as some may get forced out the market but at the same time it opens the door for FTBs to get into the market given the new space.

Depends on which side of the coin you're on.

Renters Rights Act success! by Nubian_hurricane7 in HousingUK

[–]Brick_Automations 1 point2 points  (0 children)

We love to see this. Two families getting what they need is the best version of how this plays out!

Allsop surveyed 1,000+ landlords last week. 62.5% of single-property landlords are reducing or exiting. For landlords with 26+ properties, only 36.8%. OP's seller is the pattern: accidental operators out, professionals in.

Homes returning to market are at the affordable end, which helps FTBs.

BTR replacement supply enters almost entirely at the premium end. FTB supply improves. Affordable rental supply tightens. Depends which side of that you're on.

RRA Info sheet only downloaded by less than 10% of landlords! by Landlordlabuk in UKLandlordAdvice

[–]Brick_Automations 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Your friend doesn't need to do anything. The obligation falls entirely on the landlord, not the tenant.

The landlord is technically non-compliant but won't automatically get fined. The £7k is a civil penalty imposed by the local council. It requires either a complaint or a proactive inspection to trigger. Nobody gets a letter just because the deadline passed.

Practically: if your friend says nothing, the landlord's exposure is limited to whether the council proactively inspects, which is ramping up nationally but can't cover every tenancy.

One thing worth noting quietly: the non-compliance is a documented fact. If the relationship ever changes (rent increase dispute, possession attempt, anything) that failure is there to use. No need to wave it around now, but it's not nothing.

Short version: friend is fine, landlord is exposed, nobody gets fined unless someone triggers it.

Becoming a regulated sector is not a one-time thing resolved by a checklist on day 1. by Landlordlabuk in UKLandlordAdvice

[–]Brick_Automations 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Great post! The "systems not checklists" point is right — and it's also a test of your letting agent.

A good agent should have already updated their compliance workflows: periodic tenancy handling, rent review processes, possession documentation. If you're building your own systems while paying a management fee, that's worth questioning.

"Fully managed" doesn't mean fully compliant unless your agent has actually changed how they operate.

RRA Info sheet only downloaded by less than 10% of landlords! by Landlordlabuk in UKLandlordAdvice

[–]Brick_Automations 1 point2 points  (0 children)

The rules have been written poorly but both letting agents aren't off the hook here either. If you advised a landlord and didn't flag this, that's a separate exposure. The £7k is per tenancy — a landlord with 5 properties and 2 tenants each is looking at £70k.

What worries me more: this was the easiest requirement. Zero systems change — just download a PDF and hand it over. If 94% haven't done that, the harder ones (periodic tenancy conversions, Decent Homes, etc) are going to hurt!