Tag Archives: government
Smoke and carbon monoxide alarms to be legal requirement in rental properties
Landlords in the UK will be required by law to install working smoke and carbon monoxide alarms in their properties from October 2015, it has been announced. According to Housing Minister Brandon Lewis the move will help prevent up to 36 deaths and 1,375 injuries a year after a consultation showed strong support for the measure. Fire and rescue authorities are expected to support private landlords in their own areas to meet their new responsibilities with the provision of free alarms, with grant funding from the government. Lewis explained that it is part of wider government moves to ensure there are sufficient measures in place to protect public safety, while at the same time avoiding regulation which would push up rents and restrict the supply of homes, limiting choice for tenants. ‘In 1988 just 8% of homes had a smoke alarm installed but now it’s over 90%. The vast majority of landlords offer a good service and have installed smoke alarms in their homes, but I’m changing the law to ensure every tenant can be given this important protection,’ said Lewis. ‘But with working smoke alarms providing the vital seconds needed to escape a fire, I urge all tenants to make sure they regularly test their alarms to ensure they work when it counts. Testing regularly remains the tenant’s responsibility,’ he added. According to Communities Minister Stephen Williams it will help to create a bigger, better and safer private rented sector. ‘A key part of that is to ensure the safety of tenants with fire prevention and carbon monoxide warning. People are at least four times more likely to die in a fire in the home if there’s no working smoke alarm,’ he said. ‘That’s why we are proposing changes to the law that would require landlords to install working smoke alarms in their properties so tenants can give their families and those they care about a better chance of escaping a fire,’ he added. The proposed changes to the law would require landlords to install smoke alarms on every floor of their property, and test them at the start of every tenancy. Landlords would also need to install carbon monoxide alarms in high risk rooms such as those where a solid fuel heating system is installed. Those who fail to install smoke and carbon monoxide alarms would face sanctions and could face up to a £5,000 civil penalty. This would bring private rented properties into line with existing building regulations that already require newly built homes to have hard wired smoke alarms installed. New regulations will be laid in Parliament to require landlords to install smoke and carbon monoxide alarms in their properties, and are expected to come into force, subject to Parliamentary approval, on 10 October 2015. The allocation of funding to fire and rescue authorities to offer free smoke and carbon monoxide alarms to local landlords will be announced shortly. The British Property Federation said the crackdown was necessary to force the small number… Continue reading
British govt releases enough unused land for over 100,000 new homes
Enough unused public sector land has been released in England to build over 103,000 new homes, it has been announced. Communities Secretary Eric Pickles said that the amount of land sold by the government surpasses the original commitment set by the Prime Minister, and is expected to rise again by the end of March this year. Now, the government is calling on councils and developers to help turn it into housing as soon as possible, and is urging local authorities up and down the country to follow this example and sell their redundant sites and buildings. ‘House building is at the heart of the government’s long term economic plan. That’s why, rather than leaving surplus public sector land idle, we are putting it to good use by releasing it to build new homes across the country,’ said Pickles. ‘I now want to see councils following Whitehall’s example and explore what they can do to release land and deliver new homes and savings for local taxpayers,’ he added. Housing Minister Brandon Lewis pointed out that housing starts are at their highest annual total since 2007, but acknowledged that more homes are needed. ‘That’s why for the last four years we’ve pulled out all the stops to release formerly used surplus public sector land for house building meaning we have now exceeded our own target,’ he added. On top of this, there are plans to release land with capacity for 150,000 homes between 2015 and 2020. Lewis also pointed out that the government has already taken major steps to boost house building and get more people into a home of their own by simplifying the planning system, making it easier to convert empty buildings into new homes and prioritising development on brownfield land. ‘The results are clear as house building starts are now at their highest since 2007, empty homes are at their lowest level since records began and government backed schemes have helped nearly 192,000 people buy or reserve a property since 2010,’ he added. The land released to date comprises of 899 sites across England, and includes Ministry of Defence land at Aldershot in Hampshire where planning permission has been granted for up to 3,850 homes as well as road improvements, two new primary schools, extensions to two secondary schools, two new pre-schools and day care centres and 110 hectares of new managed green space, play areas, sports and community facilities. At Norton Barracks, site of the former Army archives in Worcestershire, sold by the Ministry of Defence to Rooftop Housing Group in partnership with Wychavon district council, is now the site for 10 new affordable homes for returning services personnel and those who have retired from the Armed Forces. Bexhill former galley sidings, a derelict former oil storage depot with railway sidings site sold by the British Railways Board, now has permission for 64 properties on the site, a mixture of two three and four bedroom properties, including affordable homes. At Stratford City former railway land, sold… Continue reading
Abu Dhabi office market set to weather lower oil prices
Lower oil prices could lead to possible implications for the Abu Dhabi real estate market but commercial property should be able to shrug off such concerns, according to a new analysis. The region’s medium to long term prospects remain strong and there is a limited office supply pipeline which has led to vacancy rates dropping for Prime and Grade A offices in the to 26%. Overall the commercial sector saw a marginal slowdown in the number of enquiries in the second half of 2014, according to the latest Abu Dhabi office research report from international real estate firm Knight Frank. The fall may be due to companies reviewing the impact in falling oil prices and nearly 80% of enquiries were between 100 and 500 square meters, data in the report shows. The overall effect on market rents over 2014 was minimal, but the firm suggests there could be further improvements in headline rents, as little prime or Grade A supply enters the market. Take up during 2014 was still dominated by the oil and gas sector at 16% and government at 15%, which positively impacted the absorption of new accommodation in Abu Dhabi. The leisure and hospitality sector witnessed an increase in the number of enquires, which reflects the government’s efforts in diversifying the economy and growing this sector. Prime office rents edged up in Abu Dhabi in the second half of 2014 to AED1,800 per square meter whilst rental values for Grade A shell and core office space remained steady at AED 1,200 per square meter. Market sentiment through the diversification of the economy continues to improve with mega projects such as Khalifa Port, registering a growth rate of 24% from January to September 2014, compared to the corresponding period in 2013, the report points out. With the Midfield terminal due to be completed in July 2017, this will be expected to positively impact the economy further, in both trade and tourism and the Abu Dhabi Global Market (ADGM), the newly formed international financial centre in Abu Dhabi, announced that it has signed a 50 year lease for the Financial Building, Al Maryah Island which is owned by a Mubadala subsidiary. The report explains that ADGM will be responsible for establishing a legal jurisdiction, registering entities within the freezone and regulating all financial services activity on the island in line with international standards and under English Common Law. ‘The market dynamics continue to change in Abu Dhabi as the city expands further from the main island,’ said Matthew Dadd, head of Abu Dhabi commercial leasing at Knight Frank. ‘Regardless of economic trends, Abu Dhabi real estate continues to offer a good depth and breadth of opportunities for occupiers, although there is a limited pipeline of new office accommodation which will impact the market in the coming years,’ he added. Continue reading
