Newsletters Total Records:  35 13/02/2006  IDLA AGM 23 Jan 2006 Ipswich and District Landlords Association. Annual General Meeting. Seckford Hall Hotel, 23 January 2006. Attendance: 20 Members and 20 Guests. Introduction: The secretary announced the very sad loss of one of the association founder members and former president, Jim Sperling. The members paid tribute to Jim’s outstanding contribution to the association, and extended their condolences to his family. A minute’s silence was held. The secretary then introduced the executive committee along with guests, and thanked Seckford for an excellent meal. The evening was very well received by all in attendance. Reports: Chairman’s report: Nick Le-Grys presented his report, which was accepted by the AGM. He gave a brief outline of the changes being implemented in respect of proposed deposit schemes, changes in Housing Benefit, & new rules for property assessment. Nick advised the AGM that there were no finite rules available in respect of deposit scheme, but when those become available, the information would be put on our website, (www.idla.co.uk) along with any other information. Secretary’s report: Peter Breitsprecher presented his report, which was accepted by the AGM. Peter emphasised the need for members to read & return paperwork promptly, as this had caused unnecessary additional paperwork & expenditure. Treasurer’s report: Peter presented this report as well, which was accepted. Motion 1: That this AGM resolves to maintain membership fees at £30 per year from 2007, with a concession of £100 for a 4-year membership. It was emphasised that under the concessionary membership, there would be no refunds. The motion was proposed by NBL and seconded by Mr Bean. Motion carried. Peter acknowledged and thanked Hamilton Landlord Solutions for their financial support of the AGM. Election of Executive Committee: Chair Advised the Meeting that the previous Executive Committee had indicated that they were prepared to stand en bloc for another year. The Meeting accepted all members unanimously. The Chair asked if any members wished to join the committee, to make themselves known to the secretary after the meeting. IDLA Insurance: The Chair introduced Eddie Hooker from Hamilton Fraser Solutions. Eddie addressed the meeting; he thanked all the members for there diligence, stating that the present rate was the lowest since the inception of the IDLA. Which was as a result of an excellent claims record. Eddie then outlined the new Deposit Scheme for private landlords, scheduled for 1 October 2006. There will be 3 options for the scheme, (a) customer scheme bank account, held by third party. (b) Deposit to be covered by insurance scheme. (c) Landlords not to take deposits. Penalties for non-compliance would be up to 3 months rent as a fine!! In respect to the insurance scheme, only government-approved agencies could offer such insurance. HFIS have applied for such approval. Lovewell Blake Accountants: Andy Miller addressed the meeting, and gave an overview of the inheritance tax rules, and the implications to landlords, stressing the need for tax planning to avoid some inheritance tax problems. Andy said that there was no solution to avoiding taxation entirely. However, with good planning some tax could be mitigated. It was recommended, that the members take professional advice to cover their own personal circumstances. Next Meeting: Chair advised that, subject to arrangements, it is intended that the next AGM would be held in January/February 2007. Date to be arranged. 16/12/2005  SIPPs unzipped! SIPPs unzipped! The Chancellor’s pre-budget announcement on the 5 December 05 will have brought disappointment for many in the property industry who were looking forward to “A” day next year when a ‘single universal regime for tax-privileged pension savings’ will be introduced. In non taxman speak, the “A Day” announcement simply means a new and simplified regime for self-invested personal pensions (SIPPs) which provided generous tax rebates and tax allowances on any income and capital gains earned within the pension fund. The disappointment for private residential landlords is that the Chancellor has now decided that SIPPs will be prohibited from obtaining these tax breaks if they invest directly in residential property and certain other assets such as fine wines and race horses. The reason given was that it would give too much benefit to those on the highest earnings (who generally have better pension provisions already) and do less for the average person (whom the government wish to target to increase pension provision). You will still be able to put commercial property into a SIPP and, with the introduction of the new rules, you will be able to borrow 50% of the available fund value to help finance any property acquired by the SIPP. It is planned that SIPPs will also benefit from generous tax breaks on income and capital gains tax, and receive tax rebates so that if you were a 40% tax payer, you would receive a tax refund of £40,000 for every £100,000 invested – i.e. a refund on the tax that you have already paid on this money. Compensating for the disappointment of the SIPP announcement, Gordon Brown did give the go-ahead for Real-Estate Investment Trusts, or REITs in Monday's pre-Budget Speech, and this is an interesting story for the property industry. REITs will be able to invest into residential as well as commercial property, and will avoid double taxation, as rental income is remitted straight back to shareholders - provided that they stay within the rules. This will give REIT property companies big tax breaks in return for paying 95 per cent of their income to shareholders. Government has also indicated that it intends to allow SIPPs to invest indirectly in residential property using the REIT structure. REITs, which have been the subject of discussion and negotiation with the UK's Treasury for some years, are already established in many countries including the US and Australia. They have proved popular with investors and are likely to prompt rapid growth in the UK stock market listed property sector. The creation of a tax efficient and transparent investment vehicle will expand investor choice by giving pure exposure to the property market without the complications and restrictions of holding property directly. Detailed rules have not yet been published, but the announcement said that REITs companies would have to be listed vehicles, and resident in the UK. More detail is to be published by the Treasury at the end of this month, and in the Spring Budget announcement. 13/12/2005  New Housing Health and Safety Rating System (HHSRS) New Housing Health and Safety Rating System (HHSRS) Housing fitness standard (existing requirements) A dwelling house should: be free from serious disrepair be structurally stable be free from dampness prejudicial to the health of the occupants have adequate provision for lighting, heating and ventilation have an adequate piped supply of wholesome water have an effective system for the drainage of foul, waste and surface water have a suitably located WC for exclusive use of the occupants have a bath or shower and wash-hand basin, with hot and cold water have satisfactory facilities for the preparation and cooking of food including a sink with hot and cold water Housing Health and Safety Rating System (new requirements) THE HAZARD PROFILES A PHYSIOLOGICAL REQUIREMENTS Hygrothermal Conditions 1 Damp and mould growth 2 Excess cold 3 Excess heat Pollutants (non-microbial) 4 Asbestos (and MMF) 5 Biocides 6 Carbon Monoxide and fuel combustion products 7 Lead 8 Radiation 9 Uncombusted fuel gas 10 Volatile Organic Compounds B PSYCHOLOGICAL REQUIREMENTS Space, Security, Light and Noise 11 Crowding and space 12 Entry by intruders 13 Lighting 14 Noise C PROTECTION AGAINST INFECTION 15 Domestic hygiene, Pests and Refuse 16 Food safety 17 Personal hygiene, Sanitation and Drainage 18 Water supply for Domestic Purpose D PROTECTION AGAINST ACCIDENTS Falls 19 Falls associated with baths etc 20 Falls on the level 21 Falls associated with stairs and steps 22 Falls between levels Electric Shocks, Fires, Burns and Scalds 23 Electrical hazards 24 Fire 25 Hot surfaces and materials Collisions, Cuts and Strains 26 Collision and entrapment 27 Explosions 28 Ergonomics 29 Structural collapse and failing elements 09/12/2005  Brown does another U-Turn BROWN DOES YET ANOTHER U-TURN!!!! In a major u-turn Chancellor Gordon Brown has decided that residential property investment will not benefit from tax relief when the new pensions regime comes into effect on April 6th. Prior to Monday's Treasury note, published after the pre-Budget Report, residential property would have been allowable as an investment for tax relief purposes inside a Sipp (self invested personal pension). After Monday's change the only way left to invest in residential property will be indirectly through a fund such as a real estate investment trust (REIT). A similar clampdown on fine wines, classic cars, works of art and antiques is also being implemented. 05/12/2005  IDLA AGM 23 January 2006 AGM Seckford Hall Hotel. 23 January 2006 7pm. for 7.30 pm. AGENDA. 1. Welcome and introductions. 2. Executive Chairman’s Report. . 3. Secretary’s Report. . 4. Treasurer’s Report. Motion 1.That this AGM resolves to maintain Annual Membership fee at £30 for the year 2006-7. With a concession of £100 for a 4 year membership. 5. Election of Executive Committee. 6.Presentation by Landlords Solutions 7. Presentation byLovewell Blake. 8. Secretary to close AGM. Chairman’s Report: 23 January 2006. Firstly, may I thank you all for attending our second AGM at Seckford Hall, with kind thanks to Michael Bunn and his staff. The Association has had a quiet year, as last year we decided to keep paperwork to a minimum, and we hope this has not had a detrimental effect on the membership. Members have contacted me during the year with problems, and I have made best efforts to ease their situations, where possible. I will of course continue with this role, of help and advice. I sit on various committees with Ipswich Borough Council, representing the IDLA, and will continue to do so this year. Our website is now up and running, www.idla.co.uk, this will give more information and advice on a wide range of topics related to our business. Would all members with email addresses please advice us of said address, as correspondence via email is now our objective! The executive committee stands at 6, and we hope you have appreciated our efforts during the past year!! May I wish you all a healthy and prosperous new year! Nick Le-Grys. Secretary’s Report : 23 January 2006 Membership: Taking into consideration non-renewals, membership stands at 84. 25 of our members have taken advantage of our 4 year discounted renewal package. Shame about the rest!! As this represents good value for money. Correspondence: Paperwork, has again, been kept to a minimum this year. Thus allowing for a reduced number of meetings involving our busy committee members, but still allowing us to continue our standard of commitment to our members. Could I please request that all members return paperwork promptly in future, and not wait for reminders! Insurance: Members will be pleased to know this year’s claims experience has been yet again relatively low. Our insurance brokers are here tonight, to answer any questions you may have, and we would like to thank them for their continued support, and their kind contribution towards tonight’s events. Peter Breitsprecher. IDLA Accounts Treasurers Report 2004-5 Opening Balance 5267.19 Receipts Payments Membership Fees & AGM 3991.00 Interest 100.86 Hamilton Fraser AGM cont 350.00 Red Cross Charity collection 170.00 Office Expenditure 232.21 Eastern Landlords Ass 60.00 AGM 2005 Expenses 1004.90 IDLA Website 314.30 Meeting Expenditure 239.97 Honorariums 500.00 Red Cross Donation 200.00 TOTAL 4611.86 2551.38 Year end Surplus 2060.48 Closing Balance 7327.67 The increased year-end surplus is due to members taking advantage of the 4 year discounted membership. Peter Breitsprecher. First Prev   1234567of 7  Next Last