Welcome to the Information Download Zone
How to reduce the likelihood of cannabis cultivation in private rented properties
West Midlands Police have produced a guidance document on how property owners and managers can reduce the likelihood for their property to be used in the production of cannabis
Please click on the link below to open a copy of the document:
guidence-for-property-pdf1.pdf
Child Safety - Make It Safe Campaign
Reduce the risk from looped blind cords and chains.
Follow the guidelines of the BBSA Make It Safe campaign
Click on the link below to dowload a copy of the brochure:
LANDLORDS - The ‘Valuation Office Agency’ Want YOU!
Many landlords already have contact with rent officers researching the lettings market for the purposes of Local Housing Allowance production. Rent officers do not set the LHA rates; this is done automatically, based solely on lettings information we collect.
From April 2011, new limits will be introduced to restrict the amount of benefit payable. This includes a change in the formula used to calculate LHA rates. The 30th percentile will be used instead of the current 50th percentile or median point. Thus for new claims in April 2011, 3 out of 10 properties will be affordable within the appropriate LHA rate rather than the current 5 out of 10 properties.
Landlord data is the key to ensuring that the 30th percentile LHA is stable and representative of the market. To achieve this rent officers continue to collect lettings information from a range of sources including private landlords and tenants.
The more we collect and the wider the range of that information, the greater confidence you can have that future LHA rates will only change in response to market trends.
Would you like to contribute?
You can upload the VOA ‘Lettings Research Information’ form by clicking on the following link: voa-form.xls
Please contact Filomena Armato on 07747101798 or at filomena.armato@voa.gsi.gov.uk
You can also visit the ‘How Can You Help’ section of their website:
http://www.voa.gov.uk/rent_officer_functions/LettingsResearch/lettings-research-how-can-we-help.htm
The Valuation Office Agency (incorporating Rent Officer Functions) ensures the collection, storage, use and disposal of any lettings information is strictly controlled to comply completely with the Data Protection Act (DPA) 1998. Rent officers do not share this information with anyone else, so any information provided by you will treated with the utmost confidence