October 2019
Smoke Alarm and Carbon Monoxide Alarm legislation
As a recent question arose on the regulations for smoke alarms and carbon monoxide alarms, we thought it worth clarifying the current legislation.
The Government introduced the Smoke and Carbon Monoxide Alarm Regulations (2015) to make landlords in the private rented sector in England responsible for ensuring that smoke and carbon monoxide detectors are appropriately installed and are in proper working order at the start of a new tenancy.
The law applies to landlords renting residential accommodation to one or more tenants occupying all or part the property as their only or main place to live.
As from 1 October 2015 landlords have to ensure that a smoke alarm is fitted on every floor of their property where there is a room used wholly or partly as living accommodation. They will also have to put a carbon monoxide alarm in any room where a solid fuel is burnt, such as wood, coal or biomass and includes open fires. It does not include gas, oil or LPG.
Landlords or agents will then have to ensure that the alarms work at the start of each new tenancy. For example, by pressing the test button until the alarm sounds. The start of each new tenancy is the first day of the tenancy and the first day of the tenancy is the date stipulated in the tenancy agreement (even if the tenant decides to actually move into the property on a later date).
Landlords are also required to demonstrate that the alarms were working at the start of the tenancy, so it is advisable to get the tenant to sign a receipt confirming the smoke and carbon monoxide alarms are working or ensure it’s in the inventory at check-in which is signed by the tenant.
During the tenancy it is a tenant’s responsibility to ensure the alarms work and it is their responsibility to change the batteries during the tenancy. However, should the alarms become faulty during the tenancy landlords are responsible for replacing them.
Under the proposals, a bathroom or lavatory is classed as a room used for living accommodation and a room covers halls or landings. Stairways are also included in the regulations. For instance, for maisonettes or flats above shops where the flat is on the first floor but you enter via stairs on the ground floor a smoke alarm will be required in the stairwell.
In addition, landlords do not need to check the alarms when a tenancy is renewed under the same conditions i.e. for the same premises by the same landlord to the same tenant.
An explanatory booklet to help landlords further understand and comply with the Smoke and Carbon Monoxide Alarm (England) Regulations 2015 has been issued by The Department for Communities and Local Government (DCLG) available through the link below:
We are passionate about our beautiful environment in Hampshire and delighted to hear that others are taking the same pride in improving the area.
For years there was widespread concern at the decline of river life associated with the River Meon, sparking the formation of the Meon Valley Partnership (MVP).
The Meon Valley Partnership is made up of volunteers, professionals and local people all with an interest in a healthy river for a healthy community. Their mission is to provide a coordinated, strategic approach to conserving and enhancing the Meon Valley from source to sea.
The Meon is an internationally-important chalk stream and one of only 200 of its kind in the world.
Decades of pollution, modification and invasive species had taken its toll on the river and reduced its biodiversity.
Over the last decade the MVP has:
Re-introduced Water Voles – an important species of river habitat that recorded as locally extinct in 2003, but has now been returned to 30 locations along the river. Over six years, a total of 2,833 water voles were released along the river;
Helped otters to return – There are now thought to be three breeding females.
Worked with The Wild Trout Trust to make the river narrower in places, created deep pools, installed flow deflectors in the form of large tree trunks, and fenced out the cattle to allow plants on the banks to recover from trampling and grazing. The result is there are now lots of plants and insects on the banks and in the river, refuges for fish from predators, and a river that will stay cool in summer.
Together with The Wild Trout Trust have modified a weir, created a new wildlife friendly river bank and continue to manage and improve the river for wildlife.
In conjunction with other associations they have improved the stream as it goes through East Meon creating a more natural looking stream which should greatly improve the number of plants, insects, birds, bats and maybe trout too in this reach of the Meon.
They work with the River Fly Partnership to help monitor the water quality.
For further details see www.meonvalleypartnership.org.uk, www.wildtrout.org , www.gwct.org.uk , www.southdowns.gov.uk
This detached 2/3-bedroom bungalow presents a rare opportunity to acquire a property available for sale for the first time in over 60 years. Nestled in sunny gardens and within a level walking distance of Hambledon village, the property is enviably situated away from the main thoroughfare.
The accommodation is light and spacious with scope for updating and improving and further potential to extend (subject to planning permissions and consents). Accessed from the entrance hall, the sitting room is triple aspect with an open fireplace. There is a good-sized kitchen breakfast/room which is dual aspect, a double bedroom which overlooks the garden and two further bedrooms, currently linked, which could be combined to create a master bedroom suite. In addition, there is a bathroom, detached garage and store.
Accessed via a tarmacadum driveway which serves just two properties, the house is set within its gardens with areas of lawn interspersed with mature planting. To the front is an area for parking and access to the garage.
The house is close to the heart of Hambledon which is famous for its history and strong association with cricket and is surrounded by the South Downs National Park and National Trust downland. It has a combined infant and primary school ranked Outstanding by Ofsted, village store, a church, pub and well-known cricket club. The surrounding countryside provides lovely walks and extensive riding. A good range of local shops and amenities are available in nearby Denmead, and both Winchester and Petersfield are easily accessible, each with mainline stations and more extensive shopping and leisure facilities. The A3
provides a direct link to London, the South Coast and the M27 network to Chichester and Southampton Airport.
For full details or to arrange a viewing please call Kate Porter on 02392 632275
23rd September marks the official start of Autumn in the UK and 2019 marks the 200th anniversary of when John Keats spent a short while in Winchester and was inspired to write one of his most famous and best loved poems To Autumn.
Just as the seasons change with alarming speed and regularity so too have there been constant changes in the economics of property.
In 1818 while Keats was wandering around the water meadows of Winchester, 50,000 protesters were gathering at St Peter’s Field in Manchester, protesting the right to vote. At the time the government believed that unless you owned a significant amount of property and had a stake in the country, you could not be trusted to vote. Most of the land was owned by a tiny number of landlords and the majority of the population rented.
100 years later the 1919 Housing and Town Planning Act came into force and the 1920s saw massive growth in privately built housing. Between 1919 and 1929 just under half a million houses were built.
By 2019, whilst the whole world seems to have changed, there are some comforting constants and ‘An Englishman’s home will always be his castle’. The next 100 years may see a return to the majority renting, but this time with legislation on the side of the tenant and their rights and interests protected. There will always be a demand for property. Prices will continue to fluctuate and during the first half of Autumn we may all hold our breath and wait to see what happens on 31st October. Yet in this glorious county of Hampshire whilst, in the famous words of Keats, “The red-breast whistles from a garden-croft; And gathering swallows twitter in the skies.”, so the team here will be as busy as ever.
If you are looking for a change of lifestyle, an exciting opportunity to explore different income potential or a combination of both then we have two properties new to the market in the South Downs National Park which could be ideal!
West Meon is a sought after village situated on the South Down Way making it incredibly popular for ramblers, cyclists and riders creating a high demand for stop over accommodation for paying guests.
Shafts Farm is family home and an established B&B with DIY livery. Given the enviable location, stables and paddock (approx 8 acres overall) this unique property already offers the opportunity for a lifestyle/income purchase. The accommodation is very well presented and arranged over two floors. On the ground floor is an extensively fitted kitchen/breakfast room with utility, a sitting room with fireplace, a conservatory and a formal dining room which could be opened into the double garage which it adjoins to create further living space.
The first floor has an open plan landing which is an ideal study/library space and there are three double bedrooms each with their own en suite facilities. In addition, there are two further good-sized bedrooms and a large family bathroom.
The grounds are a particular feature of the property; approached via a private driveway which leads to the house and then continues onto the yard and stable block, which has power and water, and to the paddock land beyond.
There is an area where chickens are housed and a further area with attractive planting enclosed by formal hedging. The paddocks benefit from being slightly elevated and there is no additional access to the land so there is a very good degree of privacy and security overall.
Hartsmeon is nestled within superb landscaped grounds and whilst not an established business its layout could easily accommodate this facility with 3 ideal guest suites and the perfect area for guests’ breakfast and leisure, away from the family living space. The property has been thoughtfully designed and finished to a high specification throughout. Arranged over two floors, the principle rooms are on the first floor to maximise the views over the village and south Downs countryside. The accommodation includes a wonderful spacious study/office with fitted shelving plus there is a separate cedar summer house, peacefully set beside the pond at the end of the garden with electricity and therefore offering a perfect private place to work.
The gardens are a particular feature and are fully enclosed and beautifully landscaped to include tranquil areas for dining, entertaining or relaxation. There is extensive outside lighting and attractive water features, architectural structures, mature planting and a pretty pond well stocked with waterlilies and bordered by decked area, lawn and summer house. A garden gate opens to a footpath which leads to Church and village.
For full details on both properties please call Kate Porter on 02392632275
The Country House Company are delighted to be offering for sale this attractive 3 bedroom house centrally located in the picturesque village of Soberton
The property offers light and spacious accommodation. On the ground floor the sitting room has a Victorian style open fireplace and doors to the garden, a fully fitted kitchen/dining room and a cloakroom. A wide hallway provides space which could be used as a study area.
On the first floor is a generous master bedroom with en suite shower room, two further good sized bedrooms and a family bathroom. In addition, there is the potential and precedent set by the neighbouring property to extend into the loft space, subject to planning consents and regulations.
To the front of the house is an area of lawn with pathway to the property. To the rear is a pretty landscaped, sunny and mature garden offering a good degree of privacy. It has an attractive sun terrace immediately adjacent to the house offering great entertaining space plus a garage and parking.
Soberton is situated in The South Downs National Park with the Meon Valley Trail close by offering 11 miles of bridleway, footpath and cycle trail.
There is a public house, church and store nearby at the neighbouring village of Droxford whilst more extensive amenities are at Bishops Waltham or Wickham. Portsmouth,
Winchester, Petersfield and Southampton Parkway are all within approximately 30 minutes’ drive and offer mainline rail services to London.
For full details or to arrange a viewing please contact Kate Porter on 02392 632275
This July The Country House Company has accepted the challenge to radically reduce our plastic usage and take part in Plastic Free July. This week, under the encouragement of the newest and youngest member of The Country House Company team, we as an office took part in a Plastic Free lunch. Everyone was assigned the task of sourcing, making and creating different dishes to bring in with strict instructions that the food must not have been bought with plastic packaging around it. Shopping for our lunch was a sobering reality for us all as it was quickly realized that making lunch for nine people without plastic was a harder task then initially believed. However, the spread we achieved today demonstrates that it can be done! We had several quiches, salads, dips, fresh fruit and vegetables (some of which had been procured from a colleague’s garden) pasties and sausage rolls, cold ham, cheese, olives and bread. We all agreed that it was a healthy fresh lunch, far exceeding what we usually have for ourselves and it certainly beat the boring sandwich usually eaten at our desks. Also, we all gathered a further understanding and appreciation of how pressing the plastic issue is and how heavily embedded this material is in our lives. We also realized that going ‘plastic free’ can be achieved with a little time and planning.
This is just the first step in our ‘green initiative’ for July. Already we have orchestrated a product shift allowing our most prevalent contributors of plastic waste to be supplemented with green products that are made of vegetable-based materials and reusable durable alternatives. We will continue to change our habits towards plastic waste and make strides to implement environmentally conscious initiatives into our company. Apparently four of the biggest single-use plastic waste contributors are plastic bags, coffee cups, straws and water bottles which are now banned from the office!
Look out for more green initiatives as we introduce them and join us as we move towards a greener, cleaner future!
No ifs, no buts, no bags, no cups……………….
A couple of tips from our lunch
Take your own reusable container to the meat counter and cheese counter at the supermarket to avoid plastic wrapping, buy the bread from a baker or bakery counter wrapped in paper or in paper bag, more tips to follow.
Marishelle Gibson
As most will have gathered from the many news reports over the weekend, the Tenant Fees Act 2019 came into effect on June 1st. This means that landlords and agents are no longer able to charge tenants for a range of administration fees and that tenancy deposits have been capped at five weeks rent.
The legislation under this Act will apply to all tenants entering into Housing Act Tenancies; the most common being Assured Shorthold Tenancies, licences to occupy and many student lets.
The Tenant Fees Act 2019 will apply to new tenancies signed on or after 1st June 2019 and renewals of tenancies. As from 1st June in addition to rent, lettings agents and landlords can only charge tenants (or anyone acting on the tenant’s behalf) the following permitted payments:
- Holding deposits (a maximum of 1 week’s rent)
- Deposits (a maximum deposit of 5 weeks’ rent for annual rent below £50,000, or 6 weeks’ rent for annual rental of £50,000 and above)
- Payments to change a tenancy agreement eg. change of sharer (capped at £50 or, if higher, any reasonable costs)
- Payments associated with early termination of a tenancy (capped at the landlord’s loss or the agent’s reasonably incurred costs)
- Utilities, communication services (eg. telephone, broadband), TV licence and council tax
- Interest payments for the late payment of rent (up to 3% above Bank of England’s annual percentage rate)
- Reasonable costs for replacement of lost keys or other security devices
- Contractual damages in the event of the tenant’s default of a tenancy agreement and
- Any other permitted payments under the Tenant Fees Act 2019
The Act also states that agents and landlords don’t have to pay back any fees they have charged a tenant before 1st June 2019. So, if an agent or landlord requires a tenant to pay a fee linked to a contract that started before the ban came into force, such as check-out or renewal fees, they can continue charging those fees until 31st May 2020.
As with all legislation it is not straight forward so please do call or email The Country House Company if there is any aspect of this you wish to discuss.
A unique and versatile detached 4 bedroom home, situated in the heart of Hambledon with stunning outlooks, is offered for sale through The Country House Company.
Whilst in need of some updating and refurbishment, this intriguing home has some exceptional features the most significant being the views which are from the principle rooms, elevated gardens and terrace. In addition, there are large windows, high ceilings and parking on two levels each with separate access.
The accommodation, in our opinion, could be reconfigured but is currently arranged over two floors with the main entrance on the ground floor to the hallway which provides access to the kitchen, dining room, two bedrooms, a cloakroom and bathroom.
Leading on from the dining room is the family room. This room, and bedroom 1 on this level, has doors to the gardens.
On the first floor is a further hallway with access outside and to two further good-sized bedrooms, a large sitting room, cloakroom, internal study area and the terrace.
At street level there is a double garage and store with a further elevated parking area to the side of the house accessed from Back Lane and with a small additional area of lawn with summerhouse.
The gardens are orientated towards the view, with a terrace immediately adjacent to the house, and area of lawn with private patio area beyond plus store.
The house is situated within the popular village of Hambledon along a quiet lane within walking distance of the amenities of the village which include village store, school, church, pub and tea rooms.
The location within the National Parks ensures there are an abundance of bridleways and footpaths whilst the A3, M27 and M3 are all within easy access. Petersfield and Winchester provide direct train services to London, with extensive shopping facilities within approx. 10 mins drive.
Offered for sale through The Country House Company, Guide price £685,000. An Open Morning will be held on Saturday 1st June, 9.30 am to 12 noon, by appointment only. Please call Kate Porter on 02392 632275 for more details or to arrange a viewing, or see www.countryhousecompany.co.uk