Two consultations issued by goverment today:

Fuel Poverty Strategy for England

Improving the energy performance of privately rented homes: 2025 update

Links to both consultations can be found in the Consultations from Central and Local Government page of this website

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Amendments to the Renters Rights Bill being debated in Parliament today.
Include
+ banning rent in advance payments other than payment of initial rent (deposits will not be affected so far as I can see although there is provision for a review of the deposit schemes and requirements)
and
+ change of date when a student can sign a lease
(“Signature of lease for student accommodation Where a tenant meets the student test …, the relevant tenancy agreement may not be signed before 1 March in the year in which the tenancy is intended to take effect.” )
Many, many more amendments and landlords are advised to consider the document here

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Damp and Mould Webinar
Cornwall Council are hosting a free Damp and Mould Webinar on Tuesday 28th January at 10-11am to discuss the causes of condensation, damp and mould, the health impacts, actions that should be taken to remove mould and available support. There will also be time for questions.
You can sign up to the free Webinar here.
Damp and Mould Impacts
Damp and mould growth has adverse health impacts, including respiratory effects such as asthma, and serious illness. The presence of damp and mould can also affect mental health due to worries about the health impacts, unpleasant living conditions (sometimes leading to isolation), destruction of property and belongings, and impact on fuel costs.
Cold, damp homes cost the NHS between £1.3 billion and £2.5 billion each winter in England. For Cornwall, this is estimated at between £15 million and £25 million.
What assistance is available?
Cornwall Council’s Private Sector Housing advisory leaflet offers simple tips to try and prevent condensation, dampness and mould growth within the home.
A Winter Wellbeing guide is also available which offers useful advice from organisations providing services and support to help residents. Page 32 of the guide particularly focuses on damp and mould and includes some helpful tips.
A Damp and Mould Toolkit is currently being trialled by front-line staff in the Council and NHS. This toolkit will provide frontline workers with guidance on what to do if damp and mould is identified in the homes of the residents they support.
Case study
‘Sally’ and her partner live in a mid-terrace solid wall cottage in a seaside town in West Cornwall with their two children. Over 12 months, issues of damp and mould became apparent and began impacting the children’s health. Mould was present on walls through the home but was also contaminating the family’s bedding and clothing.
The family’s GP wrote a letter regarding his concerns that the severe respiratory issues of the four-year-old child were directly linked to the living conditions. Sally was reluctant to push the landlord too hard on the state of the property because she was worried that she’d be asked to leave and wouldn’t be able to afford to rent anywhere else in the area as cheaply.
Winter Wellbeing helped Sally with
– Installing a Positive Input Ventilation (PIV) system to combat the damp.
– Professional removal and treatment of the impacted walls (included with the PIV installation).
– A Household Support Fund payment for the family’s energy bills.

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Wishing all members and friends

of the Association

a Very Merry Christmas

and a Happy New Year

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A QUICK SUMMARY OF MEASURES IN OCTOBER 2024 BUDGET

This is not a full summary of the budget, just a few bullet points which may be of interest to CRLA members.

Stamp duty:

  • 2% increase to 5% on second homes and investment properties – from 31 October 2024

National insurance

  • Employers’ contributions by 1.2 percentage points to 15% from April 2025
  • The secondary threshold when contributions are due to be reduced from £9,100 to £5,000.

Income tax

  • Personal tax thresholds on income tax and national insurance to increase in line with inflation from 2028-29

Capital gains tax

  • The lower rate will be raised from 10% to 18%,
  • The higher rate will rise from 20% to 24%.
  • No increase on the 24% capital gains rate imposed on second properties.

Inheritance tax

  • Freeze on the threshold for inheritance tax to remain, allowing £325,000 to be inherited tax free
  • Farms throughout the UK will be subject to Inheritance Tax where they exceed £1 million in agricultural value

Minimum wage

  • For over-21s, to increase by 6.7% to £12.21, equivalent to £1,400 a year for an eligible full-time worker.
  • A single adult rate to be phased in over time to eventually equalise pay for under-21s.

Local Housing Allowance

  • LHA Rates frozen at current levels

Benefits Cap

  • Benefit Cap frozen at current level

Tobacco

  • Taxes will rise by 2% above retail prices index (RPI) measure of inflation for the rest of this parliament,
  • Tax on hand-rolling tobacco to increase by 10%.

Vapes

  • A levy to be implemented, to be increased in line with tobacco.

Alcohol

  • Taxes to rise in line with the RPI.
  • Except for a cut in draught duty by 1.7%, 

Fuel duty

  • Freeze to be extended for a year
  • 5p cut introduced in March 2022 to be maintained

Private school fees

  • To be subject to vat from January 2025

Housing

  • The government will:
    • Spend £5bn on housing, including increasing the supply of affordable housing.
    • Reduce right-to-buy discounts, and local governments will retain the earnings from council housing sales to allow them to reinvest.
    • Hire “hundreds of new planning officers” to accelerate housebuilding.
    • Give £1bn to extend Household Support Fund and Discretionary Housing Payments

Business taxes

  • Lower business rates for retail, hospitality and leisure businesses to be introduced from 2026-27.
    • Until then 40% relief on business rates up to a cap of £110,000.
  • Employment allowance will be increased from £5000 to £10,500, reducing national insurance for smaller businesses.
  • Taxes on carried interest, generally paid by private equity managers, will rise from 28% to 32% from april.
  • Oil profits levy will be increased to 38%, and extended.
  • The concept of non-domicile residents will be abolished from April 2025

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