Events

Whether it's to keep abreast of changes in Housing Legislation, network with other landlords or collect those ever important CPD points, this page lists upcoming events. Unless otherwise stated, events are open to all landlords.

An important part of your membership of the scheme is the completion of CPD points. MLAS encourages that process by working with various agencies to provide CPD events. Due to ongoing financial pressures affecting many organisations MLAS has had to review the Business plan for the scheme to make sure the scheme remains viable for the long term.

One element of that business plan is to introduce a small charge of £15 per CPD event from April 2011. Any bookings made for these events after 24th January will be charged at the above rate.

CPD Available:

Cost	Date	Time	Location	Course	Pts value
£15 per person	TUES 21^st February 2012	3pm - 6pm	Birmingham City University	Tenants Deposit Changes Under the Localism Act	5pts
£15 per person	WED 14^th March 2012	3pm - 6pm	Pritchatts Park Village. UOB	Managing a Student Tenancy	5pts
£15 per person	THURS 26^th April 2012	3pm - 6pm	Sandwell Council	Possession Made Easy	5pts
£15 per person	TUES 15^th May 2012	3pm - 6pm	Walsall Council	Tenancy Agreements	5pts
£15 per person	TUES 19^th June 2012	3pm - 6pm	Pritchatts Park Village. UOB	Inventories and Guarantees	5pts
£15 per person	TUES 17^th July 2012	10am - 1pm	Pritchatts Park Village. UOB	Fire Risk Assessments for Landlords and Property Managers	5pts

Please email mlas@contacts.bham.ac.uk or call 0121 414 6438 to secure your place

Landlord and Letting Show

MLAS would like to bring to you attention the Landlord and Letting Show at the Birmingham NEC on Wednesday 16th and Thursday 17th November 2011.

The show is the UK's largest and longest established event for the private rented sector. Landlords, prospective landlords, letting agents, government representatives and a host of industry suppliers have flocked to the show in their thousands at venues around the UK.

Visitors are able to book free tickets, through the following link: www.landlordshow.info Please make sure you visit the Homestamp stand on the day and register with myself to obtain 5CPD pts for your attendance.

FREE CPD SESSIONS!

Would you like to get booked onto one of the many MLAS CPD sessions that are available to our members free of charge?

Its Easy! Introduce a colleague to the MLAS scheme and gain your next CPD session on us.

Your free sessions are endless - the more people that book onto a Development Seminar through your recommendation, the more CPD sessions you will receive absolutely free of charge. It's that simple.

Nearly 2,000 of you have chosen to "get it right" lets get that number up and start giving Landlords the knowledge they need and reassurance tenants want!

Please contact Michelle for more details.

Tel: 0121 414 6438. Email: mlas@contacts.bham.ac.uk

Joint Landlord Forum/Launch of the National Landlords Association Wolverhampton Branch on 24 November 2011

As a landlord or agent managing property in Wolverhampton, you are invited to attend our forthcoming Joint Landlord Forum/Launch of the National Landlords Association Wolverhampton Branch:

Date: Thursday 24 November 2011

Time: 1.00pm - 4.00pm

Venue: Student's Union Venue, University of Wolverhampton,

City Campus South, Wulfruna Street, Wolverhampton, WV1 1LY

This is a free event and refreshments will be available during the afternoon. Please click here for agenda.

If you are an MLAS Accredited Landlord, attendance at this event will count towards your continuous development points which are required for your membership renewal.

In order to book your place, please return the enclosed booking form by Wednesday 16 November 2011 or alternatively telephone or email:

Urmila Patel. 01902 554746. urmila.patel@wolverhampton.gov.uk

MLAS is currently working in partnership with the West Midlands Police and Fire Services to develop additional training modules...

How to carry out a fire risk assessment in an HMO - It is a legal requirement that landlords carry out and record a fire risk assessment in all properties that are occupied by more than two unrelated people sharing facilities
Don't let your rented property be used as a cannabis factory - Did you know that private houses of all sizes are being used and it can be very dangerous to approach a property where this is happening
The cost effective way to prevent break-ins in HMO's - HMO's, particularly where groups of students live, are often the target of burglary this results in upset to your tenants and damage to your property, come and find out what you can do to prevent your property being targeted

Do you let any of your properties to 3 or more tenants? If the answer is yes then you let a shared house or HMO

Valuation Office Agency

LANDLORDS - WE 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 30^th percentile will be used instead of the current 50^th 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 30^th 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?

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 our website:

http://www.voa.gov.uk/rent_officer_functions/LettingsResearch/lettings-research-how-can-we-help.htm

Here you will find our lettings research form which is easy to complete.

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..

ATTENTION LANDLORDS! To collect CPD points for attending local authority landlord forums please ensure you register your attendance with a Council Officer.

DID YOU KNOW? you can collect CPD points by attending training events organised by the RLA and NLA, points awarded depend on the courses undertaken, for further details visit their websites at: http://www.rla.org.uk/landlord/courses/courses.shtml http://www.landlords.org.uk/index.htm

Walsall Council Events Page

http://www.walsall.gov.uk/index/housing/housing_news_events.htm