The Government has laid The Electrical Safety Standards in the Private Rented Sector (England) Regulations 2020. This means that subject to approval by both Houses of Parliament, landlords and agents will need to ensure electrical installation inspections and testing are carried out for all new tenancies in England from 1 July 2020 or from 1 April 2021 for existing tenancies.
The Regulations require landlords to ensure that every fixed electrical installation is inspected and tested at least every five years by a qualified person.
• The landlord is required to obtain a report which gives the results of the inspection and test, supply that report to each tenant within 28 days and retain a copy until the next inspection is due.
• Upon request the report must be provided to the local housing authority within 7 days.
• The private landlord must supply a copy of the last report to any new tenant before occupation, or any prospective tenant within 28 days of a request from the prospective tenant.
• The Regulations require local housing authorities to enforce the rules and have the power to arrange remedial action.
• Proven breaches of the regulations can result in the local housing authority imposing a financial penalty of up to £30,000.
ARLA PropertyMark, our governing body, is fully supportive of this new legislation, confident that it will create a level playing field for all agents and landlords as well as ensuring improved safety standards for tenants. Mandating inspecting and testing of every fixed electrical installation should have a limited impact on good professional landlords and agents in the market, many of whom already voluntarily undertake these inspections.
If you have any queries regarding this or any aspect of letting a property please do call Claudia or Marishelle at The Country House Company on 02392 632275.
Much has been attributed to the power of positive thought and if ever there is a time to focus on positive thought then the start of a new year, and particularly the start of a new decade, has to be a good time.
Despite our knowledge that The Country House Company is a key business within the industry, realistically our positive thinking is possibly not directly affecting the property market! However, we can have a significant and positive effect on your new year if you choose to work with us.
So, if you are thinking of selling or buying, renting or letting or if you have a property, tenanted or empty, that you would like to know is being looked after by professionals, then take positive action and give us a call.
The Country House Company is proud to be production sponsor of The Petersfield Youth Theatre’s Christmas production; The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe.
So step through the wardrobe this December into the magical kingdom of Narnia. Say hello to a talking faun, meet an unforgettable Lion and join Lucy, Edmund, Susan and Peter on the most mystical of adventures. Experience what and who they encounter as they are taken away from wartime Britain to a mysterious faraway land ruled by the White Witch. Will good triumph over evil? Will it always be winter, never Christmas?
Based on the novel by C.S. Lewis, The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe is a classic family favourite that The Petersfield Youth Theatre, along with key sponsors including The Country House Company, are delighted to be bringing to life this Christmas.
The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe runs for 9 performances from Tuesday 17 – Sunday 22 December at Petersfield Festival Hall. Tickets will be available in person at One Tree Books and online.
Performances December 2019
Tuesday 17 7.00pm
Wednesday 18 7.00pm
Thursday 19 7.00pm
Friday 20 3.00pm & 7.00pm
Saturday 21* 3.00pm & 7.00pm
Sunday 22 11.00am & 3.00pm
A recent article in The Daily Telegraph demonstrated that as boarding schools get more flexible, families are moving within reach of schools, creating competition for homes in nearby villages.
Proximity to a well regarded school is usually a priority for applicants looking to rent family homes. As many boarding schools now offer flexi, mixed or full boarding, many parents are now looking to rent homes near boarding schools.
Jane Gandee, the Headmistress of St Swithun’s School in Winchester, featured in the article with the observation that she has seen families thinking harder about family logistics and was quoted as saying, “What we sometimes see is that with an older daughter they might dip a toe in the water by weekly boarding and then they might have one or two other children and start to think it is actually really nice to have a bit more space away from London, so we find they move down to Hampshire”. Gandee went on to say, “We might even find one sibling boarding and one as a day girl – we can still be pretty flexible and I think that’s really important for a modern parent”.
St Swithun’s is one of many schools in the Winchester area and we have a wide selection of properties within easy reach of the historic city for sale and for rent. See https://www.countryhousecompany.co.uk/lettings/properties-available/ and https://www.countryhousecompany.co.uk/sales/properties-available/ for full details or call 023 92 632275
“Soup puts the heart at ease, calms down the violence of hunger, eliminates the tension of the day, and awakens and refines the appetite.” Auguste Escoffier
Well, that is quite a claim. However, a bowl of Madeleine’s Kitchen Super Orange Soup made with Carrots, Sweet Potatoes, Oranges, Ginger, & Turmeric served with a chunk of locally baked Sourdough bread will certainly warm you up in this wet and windy weather.
Madeleine’s Kitchen cleverly keep their recipes to themselves but we have found a simple version of carrot soup from Delicious Magazine on line
Ingredients
1 large onion
8 medium-large carrots
Small piece of butter
1 tbsp olive oil
1 orange
1 litre vegetable stock or water
Method
Peel the onion, then cut in half. Put the 2 halves, cut side down, on a chopping board and cut each into thin strips. Peel the carrots and cut the ends off. Cut each carrot in half widthways, then lengthways. Put them on the chopping board with the flat sides down, and cut into small pieces.
Put the butter and oil in a saucepan over a low heat, add the sliced onion and cook for 10 minutes. Check and stir the onion regularly. Using a cheese grater, grate the zest off the orange into a small bowl. Add the zest and the carrots to the pan with the onion. Put the lid on and cook for 10 more minutes, stirring occasionally.
Add the stock or water and bring up to a simmer, then put the lid back on the pan and leave to simmer gently. After 45 minutes, test that the carrots are really soft by poking them with a knife or skewer. Turn off the heat.
Carefully ladle the soup into a food processor. Whizz the soup until it is smooth. Cut the orange in half, squeeze the juice from one half and add to the soup.
Return the soup to the pan, heat it gently and taste it. You might like to add a pinch of black pepper or a little chopped fresh coriander, until it tastes just right.
Sections 122 and 123 of the Housing and Planning Act 2016 (electrical safety standards) came into force on 25 October 2019. This means we are finally one step closer to the introduction of mandatory electrical safety checks in the private rented sector in England and will see actual regulations very soon.
An enabling power was contained in the Housing and Planning Act 2016 under Section 122 to allow the Secretary of State through regulations to impose duties on private landlords to ensure that electrical safety standards are met in a property under their ownership, while a tenancy is in place. The Section also allows the Secretary of State to specify obligations that may be required of the landlord with regards to the frequency of checks and the expertise expected of any persons who undertake such checks.
Section 123 provides for the enforcement of any responsibilities introduced under Section 122 including the use of financial penalties and rights of appeal.
Following Royal Assent of the Housing and Planning Act on 12 May 2016, a working group that included representation from ARLA Propertymark and other industry, electrical and tenant bodies was established to provide recommendations on what the requirements for electrical safety in the private rented sector should look like.
Now that the Commencement Order is in place, the Secretary of State has the power to lay actual regulations, which we expect to be laid before Parliament shortly.
Summary of Electrical Safety Working Group recommendations:
Recommendation 1: Five yearly mandatory electrical installation checks should be set out in secondary legislation.
Recommendation 2: Visual checks of the safety of the electrical installation by landlords at a change of tenancy should be encouraged as good practice and set out in guidance.
Recommendation 3: A report should be issued to the landlord which confirms that an EICR has been completed along with confirmation that any remedial work necessary has been undertaken satisfactorily. A copy should be issued to the tenant at the beginning of the tenancy and should be made available to local authorities on request.
Recommendation 4: Landlord supplied electrical appliance testing and visual checks of electrical appliances by landlords at a change of tenancy should be encouraged as good practice and set out in guidance.
Recommendation 5: The installation of Residual Current Devices (RCDs) by landlords should be encouraged as good practice and set out in guidance.
Recommendation 6: A Private Rented Sector electrical testing competent person’s scheme should be set up which would be separate from existing Building Regulations competent person’s scheme.
Recommendation 7: DCLG should commission the Electrotechnical Assessment Specification (EAS) management committee to consider the most effective method of recognising ‘competent PRS testers’ to carry out electrical inspections and tests.
Recommendation 8: Legislative requirements should be phased in, beginning with new tenancies, followed by all existing tenancies.
For further updates please see www.countryhousecompany.co.uk or call 02392632275
Sections 122 and 123 of the Housing and Planning Act 2016 (electrical safety standards) came into force on 25 October 2019. This means we are finally one step closer to the introduction of mandatory electrical safety checks in the private rented sector in England and will see actual regulations very soon.
An enabling power was contained in the Housing and Planning Act 2016 under Section 122 to allow the Secretary of State through regulations to impose duties on private landlords to ensure that electrical safety standards are met in a property under their ownership, while a tenancy is in place. The Section also allows the Secretary of State to specify obligations that may be required of the landlord with regards to the frequency of checks and the expertise expected of any persons who undertake such checks.
Section 123 provides for the enforcement of any responsibilities introduced under Section 122 including the use of financial penalties and rights of appeal.
Following Royal Assent of the Housing and Planning Act on 12 May 2016, a working group that included representation from ARLA Propertymark and other industry, electrical and tenant bodies was established to provide recommendations on what the requirements for electrical safety in the private rented sector should look like.
Now that the Commencement Order is in place, the Secretary of State has the power to lay actual regulations, which we expect to be laid before Parliament shortly.
Summary of Electrical Safety Working Group recommendations:
Recommendation 1: Five yearly mandatory electrical installation checks should be set out in secondary legislation.
Recommendation 2: Visual checks of the safety of the electrical installation by landlords at a change of tenancy should be encouraged as good practice and set out in guidance.
Recommendation 3: A report should be issued to the landlord which confirms that an EICR has been completed along with confirmation that any remedial work necessary has been undertaken satisfactorily. A copy should be issued to the tenant at the beginning of the tenancy and should be made available to local authorities on request.
Recommendation 4: Landlord supplied electrical appliance testing and visual checks of electrical appliances by landlords at a change of tenancy should be encouraged as good practice and set out in guidance.
Recommendation 5: The installation of Residual Current Devices (RCDs) by landlords should be encouraged as good practice and set out in guidance.
Recommendation 6: A Private Rented Sector electrical testing competent person’s scheme should be set up which would be separate from existing Building Regulations competent person’s scheme.
Recommendation 7: DCLG should commission the Electrotechnical Assessment Specification (EAS) management committee to consider the most effective method of recognising ‘competent PRS testers’ to carry out electrical inspections and tests.
Recommendation 8: Legislative requirements should be phased in, beginning with new tenancies, followed by all existing tenancies.
For further updates please see www.countryhousecompany.co.uk or call 02392632275
Colder weather, here we come! It’s time to welcome autumn in all its glory with open arms—and guess what? You don’t even have to leave your house to do so. With great autumn decorating ideas, you can invent the indoor oasis of your dreams and make your home look and feel as cosy as possible. Simple additions like festive wreaths, dining room decor, and plaid pillows and blankets make a huge difference. Or try simple creative centrepiece options, from wheat sprays in classy cloches to a carved-out pumpkin vase or glorious autumn flower displays.
On a budget this year? No problem: You can always cut some leaves, pine cones, or branches from a garden tree, then put them on display in a glass vase.
This season the emphasis is on colour and creating a cosy, comforting scheme. Peacock blues, deep rouge, berry tones and black kitchens, but don’t worry if these sound too dark for you – pretty pink and green is also a trend.
We have taken 6 top tips from House Beautiful for autumn winter decorating ideas worth reading for inspiration!
- Peacock blue
This is a strong look that can be easily managed by teaming it with a lighter colour like millennial pink, which prevents the peacock shade from overpowering. Use a deeper shade of blue for curtains and tableware to add depth and break up the scheme with a pop of mustard and a big blousy floral cushion or two. Pop some fresh blooms and foliage in an oversized vase to bring nature in.
- Black furniture
Black accessories emerged as a trend last year, and a year later, it’s creeping into furniture, especially dining chairs. Pip Prinsloo, Partner & Head of Design, Home at John Lewis & Partners says: “The ‘Little Black Chair’ is predicted to be the style icon of the dining room” Keep the look warm with a cosy rug popped on the back of the chairs and some pinky/blush toned tableware.
- Comforting layers
With the nights drawing in it’s time to cosy up, one of the best ways to do this is to layer up your accessories using lots of beautiful textures and warming tones of amber and navy. Use two or three rugs overlapping each other, it adds a lovely decorative feel to a room.
- All the neutrals
This is one look for those who don’t fancy colour – it’s elegant and sophisticated and oh-so-stylish. Use a mixture of oatmeal tones teamed with rust for a cosy feel and pick pale wood accessories to complete the look.
- Blush and green
This is such a pretty trend and one that will see us through those dark, gloomier winter months. The two shades work so well together, you can use it in the form of wallpaper or invest in accessories like a vase, cushions or throws. And as an added bonus, palm print wallpaper is also a hot trend!
- Purple reigns
“Create a beautiful and eye-catching setting by being brave with colour,” says Clotilde Passalacqua, Interior Design Leader at IKEA UK & Ireland. Purple is one of those colours and it’s going to be a big shade for this season. Choose one key piece like an uber stylish sofa and let it be the star of the show. Use greys and forest greens to ground the look.
The ‘Season of Mists and Mellow Fruitfulness’ is drawing to a close and it’s time to get those last bits of harvesting done.
In our garden we are now down to pumpkins and apples. Pumpkins keep for ages so I don’t have to panic about processing these and the mini ones look great displayed in an earthenware dish. I do look upon the remaining apples with dismay in the knowledge that every time we have tried to store them in a cool dark place it just encourages the dreaded rats!
I should have had them juiced, but I am going to try a tip from a friend in Suffolk who swears by hanging up strings of apples inside old tights – just put a knot between each so they don’t touch each other.
Stewing and freezing damaged eaters (no sugar required) gives you a healthy base for Winter puddings or to dollop on your breakfast muesli.