SEAL Achievements Why SEAL got together in 2012

SEAL Achievements Why SEAL got together in 2012… Vociferous attenders to the Landlords Forum, and the empowered Members of ‘Ladies who Let’ became active to stop Selective Licensing. SL proposed charging all landlords, good and bad, £ 600 per property, as well as introducing some draconian laws. These active Landlords and Agents attended meetings with Councillors, Council Officers and the Residents. We proposed that by working together, using our expertise, much more could be gained for the town than by having an adversarial scheme. So the professionally minded Landlords and Agents formed The Southeast Alliance of Landlords, Agents and Residents, and their aims were to focus on solutions to the issues that Selective Licensing was intended to resolve. Thus SL has been shelved for 4 years, and that is where we need to keep it!

The 4 Aims Working parties were arranged on the 3 main issues that selective licensing was targeting, and after the research findings of the Street Blitz project, a 4 th point was added to what became the aims of SEAL. The SL targets were : 1. Reduction in Anti Social Behaviour. 2. Raise the standards of rental property. 3. Improve the street-scene, including the management of rubbish. 4. Plus Support Residents to be Active Citizens and as the only way to improve and sustain the improvement of their own streets by setting up Street Groups, and moving on to belong to Neighbourhood Watch schemes.

Produced a Tenant Pack to inform new tenants regarding how to manage their new home. Produced a Code of Conduct for Members, which includes 6 monthly inspections, resulting in guidance and raised standards, Members now covering all aspects of HHSRS. It is all explained in a Landlord Pack. Developed a collective voice that is heard locally and nationally. What has SEAL Achieved? SEAL has… For Members only, their regularly emailed Bad Tenant List. Held working parties, including relevant Council Officers and Agencies, on each of the issues above, resulting in SEAL procedures and open communication between Council Officers, the Agencies and Landlords, a complete turnaround. Among other things identified the important issue of Tenancy Sustainment, through joint action when notice to quit is served, and preferably before. The Council now has a Tenancy Sustainment Officer.

Provided a useful fast response helpline dealing with the 4 points above, for Councillors, Officers, Residents, Police and Landlords. Tina resolves issues on ASB and drugs, often SEAL Members have more information than the Police; issues of rubbish and fly tipping; provides mediation between tenant and Landlord and gets Agents working together to resolve issues. SEAL has… Engaged a Monitoring and Compliance Officer part-time, who had to structure the whole set-up, the information gathering and respond to the requests for help or advice, as well as collecting subscriptions and many other duties. Decided to encourage ‘Probationary Members’, landlords who could not reach the SEAL standards but wanted help to improve, in order to keep the desperately needed accommodation available, but more closely monitored by the Council. An Early warning of complaints system with the Council.

As an OFFSHOOT of SEAL AIMS • • Our SEAL Spokesperson began to be invited to speak nationally, to standing ovation. Steering Group Members provided presentations to inform and influence outside the membership, giving guidance to Landlords and Agents on what to aim for, such as maintaining the fronts of the property and providing bin storage. SEAL Membership has become a quality marque – we know this as nonmembers claim membership to enhance their promotion. Selective Licensing is evolving nationally, other Councils and local Landlord networks follow our footsteps, use our experience for their research.

Started to develop our support and empowerment of Residents by helping in getting Active Citizens and Councillors together in Heygate, and later supporting ARK(Association of Residents of Kursaal) With York Road West Residents decided it was an ‘Official ‘ project. The Police ‘Operation Stonegate’ is now concentrating on this area, as well as the rest of York Road L A SE s a h … o s l a Through emails and meetings worked out ways to help Members to protect themselves throughout the deluge of legislation showered on us recently. Set up website and Facebook page www. mystreetsouthend. com to inform and support Residents(tenants and owners)so that they can easily access the Agencies and Services who deal with the 4 points above. Each subject area has guidance and access to leaflets, for example regarding conditions of rental property, and contact numbers.

SEAL Projects • • www. sealsouthend. com website for members. Street Blitz, clean up of 9 streets, where research informed us what residents wanted, and how to achieve it. Bin store subsidy and support, especially to multiple ownership sites where the freeholder is not active. www. mystreetsouthend. com website to support Residents. Partners on both sites and facebook for businesses we work with to raise some funds to support SEAL beyond the yearly subscriptions. Benefits of being a SEAL Agent for promotional use. and of being a SEAL Landlord for promotional use.

SEAL Bin Store Promotion SEAL has identified the management of rubbish and front gardens as one of the main issues that we need to improve on, particularly in the densely populated areas of the town, and the central streets that we have identified as particularly special streets that we all use. Seal is now subsidising bin storage units, with a focus on these streets. The decision on where the subsidised bins storage is awarded will be at the discretion of SEAL.

CAN YOU BE SEAL APPROVED PARTNER? Be one of only a few per Trade or Profession to advertise to owners of 7000 properties and to the wider Resident’s Community of Southend. Your advert will appear on the SEAL website for Member Landlords and Agents and the mystreetsouthend community website and Facebook network. £ 300 p. a. - £ 80 p quarter Potential customers will know that you have been recommended by professional landlords and Agents who use you because you are reliable, knowledgeable and do a good job which is value for money.

SEAL – The future… Raise Funds to maintain our Officer so that we can operate • • Keep Selective Licensing on the shelf through continuing to work on the 4 aims of SEAL and our projects. Protect ourselves through high standards of property management. Support Residents with information on how to look after their own streets through a paid manager of www. mystreetsouthend. com Educate Landlords, Agents and Tenants to reduce evictions and ASB. Work with the Council and local Teams to produce common sense processes which will improve our management techniques, enhance the tenant experience, and save the tax payer wasted money. Fight the Tenant Tax, work nationally with the new Landlord Union (Property 118) as well as our National Associations the NLA and RLA etc. Make it very clear that Members are among the best Landlords and Agents in town. End 02/11/2016