Listen Up Landlords podcast – Details, episodes & analysis

In this episode of NRLA podcast Listen Up Landlords – hot on the heels of our post-election recording – presenters NRLA CEO Ben Beadle and Richard Blanco speak to the NRLA’s deputy director for policy Meera Chindooroy.

Meera gives us the lowdown on what was – and wasn’t – in the King’s Speech and what we can expect to happen next.

The team is also joined by landlord, investor and developer Charlotte Edwards, who will be addressing this year’s NRLA landlord conference, along with the NRLA’s Rachael Stock to talk more about what the bigger and better 2024 event has in store.

To find out more about the NRLA's key asks of the new government click here. 

NRLA members can also access the recording of an exclusive webinar on the legislative commitments set to be outlined in the King's Speech, which was held on 24 July. To access the recording click here.

More information

·       To listen to the podcast click here and if you enjoy it please spread the word on social media channels using the hashtag #listenuplandlords 

·       To download a transcript of the podcast, click here. 

·       For all podcast enquiries email press@nrla.org.uk   

ACCREDITATION: You can now pick up a CPD point to be used towards NRLA accreditation by listening to the podcast. To log your point, visit the accreditation dashboard in the ‘Your Account’ section of the NRLA website. Select ‘Other’ then ‘NRLA Podcast’ from the dropdown menu.  

In this episode of NRLA podcast Listen Up Landlords – hot on the heels of our June recording – presenters NRLA CEO Ben Beadle and Richard Blanco speak to professionals from across the property industry on Labour’s landslide win in the 4 July election. 

Ben and Richard are joined by Kate Faulkner, managing director of Property Checklists, Russell Quirk, founder and managing director of Proper PR and David Smith, Partner at JMW Solicitors for their initial reactions to the election result – and what they expect to see happen next. 

To find out more about the NRLA's key asks of the new government click here. 

For more information on the content of the King’s Speech, which will follow the state opening of Parliament on 17 July, keep an eye on our news site and social media channels – with the August episode of Listen Up Landlords set to take a deep dive into Labour’s priorities for the coming Parliamentary session. 

NRLA members are also invited to an exclusive webinar on the legislative commitments set to be outlined in the King's Speech. The free webinar will run from 12-1pm on Wednesday 24 July, with more details available on our events page here. 

More information

For all podcast enquiries email press@nrla.org.uk    

ACCREDITATION: You can now pick up a CPD point to be used towards NRLA accreditation by listening to the podcast. To log your point, visit the accreditation dashboard in the ‘Your Account’ section of the NRLA website. Select ‘Other’ then ‘NRLA Podcast’ from the dropdown menu.   

In this episode of Listen Up Landlords, presenters NRLA Chief Executive Ben Beadle (@BeadleBen)  Richard Blanco (@richardblanco_)  look at the Government’s decision to abandon its plan to introduced a minimum EPC rating of C in rental homes.

Ben and Richard talk to James Kent of NRLA compliance arm Safe2 about the decision and what it means, and to landlord Jill Lloyd who had already sold homes over fears they wouldn’t meet new standards, as well as paid for expensive improvements to others.

Danny McKeown-Henshall of the NRLA Landlord Advice Team joins us for our regular update on the hot topics on the support line, and, with the Bank of England estimating that by 2025, 40% of landlords will not have enough rent to cover their mortgage payments, we look at the affordability crisis facing the sector.

Mortgage broker Peter Vandervennin and Andy Ralph MD of Lettings at Leaders Romans Group join the team to discuss just how many people are affected and how they are coping.

If you enjoy the podcast, please spread the word on your social media channels using the hashtag #listenuplandlords. 

For all podcast enquiries email press@nrla.org.uk  

ACCREDITATION: You can now pick up a CPD point to be used towards NRLA accreditation by listening to the podcast. To log your point, visit the accreditation dashboard in the ‘Your Account’ section of the NRLA website. Select ‘Other’ then ‘NRLA Podcast’ from the dropdown menu. 

More information 

To download a transcript of the podcast click here.

If you would like further details on how to become accredited with the NRLA click here.

In this episode of Listen Up Landlords, presenters NRLA Chief Executive Ben Beadle (@BeadleBen)  Richard Blanco (@richardblanco_)  look at the issue of pet friendly lets, and look ahead to Party Conference season, and the work the NRLA will be doing to represent landlords.

We welcome Ben Parker, public affairs manager at Battersea Dogs & Cats Home, to the show to discuss the challenges of pet friendly letting – as well as potential solutions – in light of the Government’s plans for rental reform. He is joined by Frances Boyt of ARLA Propertymark, giving the agents’ views on the issue and shining a light on what they can see happening on the ground.

Joseph Taylor of the Landlord Advice Team joins us for our regular update on the hot topics on the support line, and, as conference season looms, we ask what might we glean from the political parties’ manifestos? NRLA deputy policy director Meera Chindooroy talks about what we can expect to see, and the work the association will be doing at the Conservative and Labour Party events.

If you enjoy the podcast, please spread the word on your social media channels using the hashtag #listenuplandlords. 

For all podcast enquiries email press@nrla.org.uk  

ACCREDITATION: You can now pick up a CPD point to be used towards NRLA accreditation by listening to the podcast. To log your point, visit the accreditation dashboard in the ‘Your Account’ section of the NRLA website. Select ‘Other’ then ‘NRLA Podcast’ from the dropdown menu. 

More information 

To download a transcript of the podcast click here.

If you would like further details on how to become accredited with the NRLA click here.

In this episode of Listen Up Landlords, presenters NRLA Chief Executive Ben Beadle (@BeadleBen)  Richard Blanco (@richardblanco_)  look at the rising cost of building materials and the challenges in sourcing labourers for development and improvement works.

The most recent data from the Federation of Master Builders (FMB) shows that 87% of FMB members said the cost of materials has increased and 75% said that this would lead to an increase in the price they charge to the customer. More than half - 51% - said the lack of available labour had delayed jobs.

Ben and Richard talk Jeremy Gray, Head of Policy & Public Affairs at the Federation Of Master Builders and developer and landlord Charlotte Edwards, about their experiences, and whether things are starting to change.

Joseph Taylor of the Landlord Advice Team joins us for our regular update on the hot topics on the support line, before we talk to Sandy Bastin Head of Tenancy Deposit Services at TDS about outdoor spaces, including where responsibility lies when it comes to tending gardens and common areas of dispute.

If you enjoy the podcast, please spread the word on your social media channels using the hashtag #listenuplandlords. 

For all podcast enquiries email press@nrla.org.uk  

ACCREDITATION: You can now pick up a CPD point to be used towards NRLA accreditation by listening to the podcast. To log your point, visit the accreditation dashboard in the ‘Your Account’ section of the NRLA website. Select ‘Other’ then ‘NRLA Podcast’ from the dropdown menu. 

More information 

To download a transcript of the podcast click here.

If you would like further details on how to become accredited with the NRLA  click here.

In this episode of Listen Up Landlords, presenter Richard Blanco (@richardblanco_)  discusses NRLA calls to reverse the decision to freeze Local Housing Allowance (LHA) rates – a move which has seen more and more tenants struggling to make ends meet.

LHA rates are used to calculate benefit payments for housing costs. Historically rates were set at the average rental price for an area, with the sum regularly reviewed. However the rate was reduced to the 30th percentile in 2011.

They were frozen between 2016 and 2020 when they were realigned to the 30th percentile once more at the outset of Covid, based on rental prices as of September 19.

They have remained at this level despite real-world rents going up by more than 10%.

In just over two years to August 2022 the number of households facing a shortfall in their housing benefit increased by 50%. The NRLA has been campaigning on the issue for some time, asking the Government to reverse the freeze, to support both the 38% of private renters in receipt of housing benefit, and the landlords housing them.

Richard is joined by Leeds Landlord Jessica Reehal who owns 22 properties in Leeds and rents mostly to families in receipt of benefits and Julie Ford, who is a tenancy mediator for the Property Redress Scheme and runs the NRLA course on Tenant Finance.

They talk about the issues they are experiencing on the ground and what needs to change.

Joseph Taylor of the Landlord Advice Team joins us for our regular update on the hot topics on the phonelines, before Richard talks to landlord MaryAnn Richmond-Coggan, who built a successful rental portfolio in South East London, before opening a farm and community garden in Kent, running a charity enabling youngsters from the city to experience the great outdoors.

She talks about buying at the right time, the challenge of refurbishment and giving something back.

If you enjoy the podcast, please spread the word on your social media channels using the hashtag #listenuplandlords. 

For all podcast enquiries email press@nrla.org.uk  

ACCREDITATION: You can now pick up a CPD point to be used towards NRLA accreditation by listening to the podcast. To log your point, visit the accreditation dashboard in the ‘Your Account’ section of the NRLA website. Select ‘Other’ then ‘NRLA Podcast’ from the dropdown menu. 

More information 

To download a transcript of the podcast click here.

If you would like further details on how to become accredited with the NRLA click here.

To find out more about the NRLA campaign on welfare and benefits click here.

In this episode of Listen Up Landlords, presenter Richard Blanco (@richardblanco_)  is flying solo to examine the thorny issue of funding for building safety works. 

In the wake of the Grenfell Tower tragedy new fire safety requirements have left tens of thousands of tower blocks across the country requiring vital remedial works, with the argument over who should fund these works still raging.  

The Building Safety Act was intended to provide financial remedy for blocks of 11m or higher (so called ‘high-risk’ buildings).  In some cases, the developer is responsible for rectifying defects and in other cases leaseholders must contribute, up to a certain amount.  

However no financial help is available for an estimated 1.3 million leaseholders with flats in low rise blocks, and so-called Non-Qualifying Leaseholders in taller blocks, many of whom are landlords. 

The implications are far-reaching for landlords who own more than three properties in the UK, who don't qualify for protections. The NRLA conducted a survey recently to gather data to bolster its campaign for a building safety remediation scheme that would fund all necessary remedial work, irrespective of ownership.  

We are joined by Alison Hills, Senior Associate at Tees Law and Maggie Brodie, co-leader of the Unqualified Leaseholders Campaign Group to examine the issues and potential solutions. 

Danny McKeown-Henshall of the Landlord Advice Team joins us for our regular update on the hot topics on the phonelines, before we look to Wales to examine the impact of the new Renting Homes (Wales) Act. 

New Ministry of Justice figures reveal that since the announcement of the new Act at the start of last year, possession claims in Wales have increased four-fold.   

We speak to the NRLA Operations Manager in Wales, Steve Bletsoe to find out more about what’s going on and, in the wake of the release of new NRLA paper State of the Welsh Private Rented Sector, what the NRLA wants to see happen to boost the supply of homes to rent. 

More information  

If you enjoy the podcast, please spread the word on your social media channels using the hashtag #listenuplandlords.  

For all podcast enquiries email press@nrla.org.uk   

ACCREDITATION: You can now pick up a CPD point to be used towards NRLA accreditation by listening to the podcast. To log your point, visit the accreditation dashboard in the ‘Your Account’ section of the NRLA website. Select ‘Other’ then ‘NRLA Podcast’ from the dropdown menu.  

To download a transcript of the podcast click here.  

In this episode of Listen Up Landlords, presenters NRLA Chief Executive Ben Beadle (@BeadleBen) and Richard Blanco (@richardblanco_)  welcome experts from across the property industry to examine the newly released Renters (Reform) Bill.

Ben and Richard are joined by property and housing commentators Kate Faulkner, MD of Designs on Property and independent property adviser, Ed Mead along with landlord and investor Jamie York.

Together they dissect the Bill, published on May 18th and explore the likely impact on landlords and the wider private rented sector.

This covers everything from the abolition of Section 21 no fault eviction notices to the remodelling of grounds under section 8, court reform, membership of a redress scheme, the property portal and pets.

The NRLA is continuing to campaign for positive changes to the Bill, especially around student lets.

You can read the NRLA response to the Bill here.

If you enjoy the podcast, please spread the word on your social media channels using the hashtag #listenuplandlords. 

For all podcast enquiries email press@nrla.org.uk  

ACCREDITATION: You can now pick up a CPD point to be used towards NRLA accreditation by listening to the podcast. To log your point, visit the accreditation dashboard in the ‘Your Account’ section of the NRLA website. Select ‘Other’ then ‘NRLA Podcast’ from the dropdown menu. 

More information 

To download a transcript of the podcast click here.

In this edition of Listen Up Landlords presenters NRLA Chief Executive Ben Beadle (@BeadleBen) and Richard Blanco (@richardblanco_)  examine the recent Government announcements on anti-social behaviour and look at the latest advice when it comes to investing in property in turbulent economic times.

Ben and Richard talk to landlord Alan Deeley, who used a Section 21 notice to regain possession of his property after suffering at the hands of anti-social tenants. With Section 21 to be abolished by Government as part of its rental reform plans, they ask whether new powers will go far enough to support landlords.

They are joined by Landlord Action’s Paul Shamplina (@paulshamplina)of TV's ‘Nightmare Tenants, Slum Landlords’ who shares his thoughts on the potential consequences of Government proposals.

Catherine Behdad, of the NRLA advice team, looks at the issues concerning landlords calling our support line this month, with property developer and NRLA trainer Henry Davis joining the show to talk about investment.

Henry, who delivers the NRLA’s four investment courses shares his top tips when it comes to investing in property during challenging economic times.

If you enjoy the podcast, please spread the word on your social media channels using the hashtag #listenuplandlords. 

For all podcast enquiries email press@nrla.org.uk  

ACCREDITATION: You can now pick up a CPD point to be used towards NRLA accreditation by listening to the podcast. To log your point, visit the accreditation dashboard in the ‘Your Account’ section of the NRLA website. Select ‘Other’ then ‘NRLA Podcast’ from the dropdown menu. 

More information 

To download a transcript of the podcast click here.

If you would like further details on how to become accredited with the NRLA click here.

Last month an influential select committee announced it would be recommending NRLA proposals on rental reform to the Government.

This month Chair of the Levelling Up, Housing and Communities Select Committee and Labour MP Clive Betts joins presenters NRLA Chief Executive Ben Beadle (@BeadleBen) and Richard Blanco (@richardblanco_)  to explain why the plans – on everything from court reform to a review of landlord ­ tax – are so vital when it comes to reforming the sector.

During a wide-ranging discussion he criticises the lack of a proper strategy for the PRS, arguing that the Government 'should be clearer about what they see as the long-term role of the private rented sector', concluding 'good landlords are important' to the provision of rented housing that so many people need.

With Ministers committed to ending Section 21 repossessions, Betts agrees with the NRLA that there is a 'great danger' the Government’s proposed changes will not work without proper court reform to speed up legitimate possession cases. 

He also brands controversial changes to Mortgage Interest Relief, brought in by former Chancellor George Osborne ‘unfair’.

To listen to the new episode in full click here.

If you enjoy the podcast, please spread the word on your social media channels using the hashtag #listenuplandlords. 

For all podcast enquiries email press@nrla.org.uk  

ACCREDITATION: You can now pick up a CPD point to be used towards NRLA accreditation by listening to the podcast. To log your point, visit the accreditation dashboard in the ‘Your Account’ section of the NRLA website. Select ‘Other’ then ‘NRLA Podcast’ from the dropdown menu. 

More information 

To download a transcript of the podcast click here.