Latest news with #tenants
CBS News
39 minutes ago
- Business
- CBS News
City of Detroit wins legal protections for tenants in Real Token properties
After months of complaints, the city of Detroit wins a major legal protection for hundreds of tenants living in blighted properties owned by a cryptocurrency-based real estate platform. Yolanda Williams and her family have lived in a house on Abington Street on the city's west side for nearly 50 years. "This is the only house I've ever known. This is my neighborhood, my community," said Williams. Their home is one of hundreds that are included in a sweeping lawsuit filed by the city of Detroit against Real Token, LLC. The lawsuit targets more than 400 homes across the city, citing the company's numerous code violations and unsafe living conditions. "It's a security thing because we're scared over here because we don't know what to expect," said Williams. Detroit Corporation Council Conrad Mallett says the company uses a network of 165 different LLC groups to avoid any kind of accountability or recourse for their tenants. "These properties are in such a degraded state that there's no way that interested owners, no matter whom they farmed out the responsibility, would not know that their tenants are living in substandard housing," said Mallett. On Wednesday, city officials announced major legal protections for those residents by safely withholding their future rent payments. "They need to not pay their rent in August to Real Token; they need to put their August rent into an escrow account," said Mallett. This temporary restraining order stops Real Token from collecting rent from any of its impacted tenants until those buildings are repaired and a certificate of compliance is issued to each of them. "Not only are the tenants not to pay rent, once the rent is paid into the escrow account, no evictions can occur," said Mallett. Mallett says this move is designed to push the company to finally address the nearly $500,000 in violations as soon as possible. "The improvements have to occur, and we're not going to accept that it's going to take seven months, eight months, nine months. None of that," said Mallett. City officials say they plan on doing door-to-door canvassing to make sure each impacted tenant knows how to set up an escrow account and gets everything figured out before their rent is due.
UAE Moments
13 hours ago
- Business
- UAE Moments
More Affordable Homes as Abu Dhabi Targets Illegal Partitions
Authorities in Abu Dhabi are ramping up efforts to tackle the issue of illegally partitioned villas — and no, it's not just about evictions. They're actually looking at long-term, realistic housing fixes too. Here's what's happening: Why All Eyes Are on Villa Partitions Following Dubai's recent crackdown, Abu Dhabi has started inspecting older villas and flats where tenants are splitting rooms and sharing space without proper contracts. Think: multiple families in one villa, with makeshift walls and hush-hush rent deals. That's not gonna fly anymore. The Department of Municipalities and Transport (DMT) is stepping in, calling for official tenancy contracts and cracking down on shady sublets. But It's Not Just About Kicking People Out Instead of going full hardline, Abu Dhabi's taking a more balanced approach. The city is working with developers to boost real affordable housing options, including worker accommodations and budget-friendly units under the Value Housing Programme. They're even considering turning older buildings into shared units — legally — as long as they meet safety and regulation standards. What's the End Goal? With Abu Dhabi's population expected to boom by 2040, the city's planning ahead. The goal: safe, formal housing that fits different income levels, not just new shiny apartments for the wealthy. Landlords and tenants are being reminded: register those leases. Campaigns like 'Your home, your responsibility' are making the rounds, and skipping formalities could cost you — with fines and suspended tenancy services. Bottom Line Abu Dhabi's not just cracking down — it's building up. With inspections, awareness drives, and a push for legal shared housing, the city's trying to phase out illegal villa partitions without leaving low-income residents stranded.
CBC
2 days ago
- Business
- CBC
Could a rating system for rental units help Montreal tenants?
Some Toronto city councillors and tenants' groups are pushing to implement a rental unit grading system in Canada's largest city. But affordable housing advocates in Montreal have mixed opinions on whether that would make an impact in their city.
Telegraph
5 days ago
- Politics
- Telegraph
Labour hands councils powers to secretly inspect landlords' properties
'Powers of entry are intrusive by their nature. If they are to be exercised without prior warning, there must be rigorous justification, robust checks and balances and explicit limits to prevent overreach. That bar has not been met. 'These amendments risk tipping the balance too far, undermining transparency and weakening the very safeguards that protect landlords and tenants alike,' he added. It means landlords may be hit with fines from inspections they didn't know were happening. It could leave them footing the bill for tenants' negligence, such as failing to properly ventilate a property to prevent mould. The maximum penalty that a council can issue to a landlord without needing to go to court is £30,000. If the Renters' Rights Bill becomes law, this will increase to £40,000. The British Landlords' Association welcomed the changes as 'in everyone's best interests'. But Sajjad Ahmad, its chief executive, warned against 'sneaky inspections'. He said: 'Inspections should not be done without landlords present. Everyone should be there, as well as the tenants and council officers. This means you can more easily get a solution, rather than issues going on and on.' When the bill passes, Awaab's law will also be applied to the private rental sector. The law forces landlords to take immediate action to remove mould and damp, after two-year-old Awaab Ishak died from respiratory issues caused by exposure to black mould. Baroness Taylor of Stevenage, parliamentary under-secretary of state for housing, told members of the House of Lords that giving notice can lead to 'unscrupulous landlords hiding evidence of breaches'. The Chartered Institute of Environmental Health, which called for the removal of the 24-hour period, has welcomed the news. Mark Elliott, the institute's president said: 'We are delighted that the Government has recognised the need to remove this requirement, which has long been a barrier to effective enforcement of housing legislation. 'The current requirement provides an opportunity for the landlord to appear at the inspection, which can be an intimidating experience for the tenant making the complaint. 'Local authorities should be able to conduct such visits without giving the landlord 24 hours' notice, permitting private conversations with the tenant before the local authority contacts the landlord to notify them if works are required.' Changes for landlords The renters' rights amendments also need to be passed in the House of Commons. The bill – due to come into force this autumn – will also abolish so-called 'no fault' evictions, introduce an ombudsman for the private rental sector and make enforcement against rogue landlords stronger. It also means landlords will be forced to wait three months before taking action against non-paying tenants. Rentals that fall short of energy efficiency standards will be banned by 2030, costing landlords an average bill of £10,000 to bring their properties up to code. The increasingly hostile business environment under Labour is forcing landlords to sell up. The number of UK properties available to let has hit an all-time low of 284,000, falling 18pc in the year to March, according to analytics firm TwentyCi. The National Residential Landlords' Association (NRLA) said that 'the majority of responsible landlords must not be treated as though they are part of the problem'. A spokesman said: 'The amendment passed in the House of Lords raises concerns. The NRLA is supportive of effective enforcement, but it is important that actions taken by enforcement bodies are proportionate to the issue being investigated and seek to work with all involved to achieve the best possible outcome. 'We urge the Government to ensure that any new enforcement measures are applied in a targeted and proportionate way.'
Daily Mail
6 days ago
- Business
- Daily Mail
Househunter compares renting in London to 'the Hunger Games' after revealing bizarre list of 'tips' for tenants from letting agent
A woman revealed the bizarre email she received from an estate agent while looking for a flat - as she compared the London rental market to the 'Hunger Games'. Taking to TikTok, Harriet shared the message a friend got after doing viewings in the capital, which included a series of baffling 'tips' on how to get the landlord to accept an offer - such as paying a year's worth of fees upfront or pledging to increase the price each year. She hit out at the 'out of control' demands being placed on tenants, in a clip that has now racked up more than 288,000 views. The letter also stated they would need a 'bio' about each of the housemates and encouraged offering 'above the asking price'. 'Do you think I would be viewing a flat at this price if I could afford a flat over,' she quipped in the video. 'Anyway, moving along, "long contract length". Fine. Okay, whatever. Both things actually aren't really going to matter once the renters' right bill comes in.' Harriet was then appalled by the third piece of advice, which was to 'stick to the moving date or sooner'. 'Right. So, do you want me to stick to the moving date, or do you want an earlier one?' she questioned. 'Because if you wanted an earlier moving date, why didn't you just put an earlier moving date? I don't really understand this.' She continued: 'This one really got me paying up front from three to six to 12 months if possible. Oh, yes, sorry. Let me just get this £27,000 that sitting in my bank account and give it to you up front for a rental. 'Why didn't I think of that sooner? Oh, my goodness. I'm so glad you gave me these tips and tricks because now, I just feel like I'm going to get every flat I've ever wanted. F***ing idiots. The fifth was to 'offer a rent increase each year if possible'. 'Again, where is this money coming from?' Harriet questioned. 'Rent increase, absolutely fine,' she added. 'I'm not going to offer that. Why the f*** would I offer a rent increase? Landlords grab it from us already. I don't need to be offering that sh**.' She continued: 'These tips were hilarious on their own, but let's carry on. Lastly, "if your offer would be accepted, we will contact you first to give you the good news and then take the holding deposit, which is equivalent to first week's rent". 'First week's rent. Fine. Standard. You're ready for the Ending.' The email concluded: 'Thanks and good luck.' 'Is this The Hunger Games?' Harriet asked, referencing the dystopian fantasy novel series which sees poor people forced to kill each other in an arena for the wealthy to be entertained. 'I mean; to be honest, the rental market does feel quite like The Hunger Games, but this whole thing really made me laugh. 'And I just thought, this person has typed out or copied and pasted or got this email from somewhere and thought, these renters are going to love all of this. 'These tips and tricks are going to be exceptional. They're going to take all of them on board. It's just really made me laugh. God bless estate agents and the rental market in London.' Many rushed to the comments suggesting the 'tips' were 'appalling', with some saying it is 'gangster behaviour'. One person wrote: 'Who in their right SANE mind would OFFER a rent increase?!?!???' 'Estate agents are responsible for all the problems with house prices, price gauging, pitching people against each other,' another added. 'It's all gangster behaviour and seems unregulated.' A third penned: 'Literally if I had 27k I'd get a mortgage.' Many rushed to the comments suggesting the 'tips' were 'appalling', with some saying it is 'gangster behaviour' Elsewhere someone joked: 'They left off point 7 which is actually to kneel at a landlords' feet to kiss them, whilst throwing around £50 notes (which you may not keep).' Meanwhile some estate agents took to the comments to try and explain some of the 'tips'. 'It's obviously not the agents, it's the rental market,' one defended. 'Agents are only the messengers, if landlords weren't selling up there wouldn't be this level of demand.' Another suggested: 'As an estate agent most of the time we are actually instructed by our clients on what to say, sometimes we don't always agree but we must act on the clients' instructions! 'In my opinion I think this email is managing the viewers expectations and making sure that no one's time is wasted on both parties' side. Just remember it's not always the agent's fault!' 'In defence of the estate agent here, they're actually doing what many renters wish agents did: giving fair warning about existing interest before a viewing,' another advised. 'It might not be what you want to hear, but at least you know the situation upfront. 'Agents often get backlash when people view a flat and are later told their offer was too low in a competitive market. This heads that off. 'Yes, the spelling errors are a fair criticism, especially if it's a professional template. But a lot of these roles are filled by younger or less-experienced staff. You ask, "would I be viewing a flat at this price if I could afford more?" 'But yes, people often do. Some are downsizing, relocating, or going through breakups, they might have savings or sale proceeds and want to rent short-term rather than buy. 'As for the request to "offer more if possible" that's not a demand. If it's not possible, don't. But if someone else can and does, at least you know why they got it. Even the "good luck" sign-off, I think that's just human. 'There might be several viewings lined up. Would you rather they wrote "regards" instead? I know plenty of renters who complain when they lose out and say, "I would've offered more if I'd known" but this agent's giving you that chance in advance?' The Renters' Rights Bill is expected to come into effect from Autumn 2025. The bill proposes significant changes to the private rented sector in England, aiming to improve security and fairness for tenants. Key changes include ending 'no-fault' evictions (Section 21), strengthening tenants' rights, and improving property standards. The bill also seeks to ban rental bidding wars, introduce a landlord ombudsman, and create a private rented sector database.
