The Government has issued new advice about property guardians – people who live cheaply in properties that would otherwise be empty and give the buildings some security.
The advice makes it plain that the Government neither endorses nor encourages the use of property guardian schemes as a form of housing tenure.
It warns that guardian companies are not required to protect deposits if there is a licence to occupy, rather than a tenancy agreement.
It also warns that the properties may be industrial or commercial buildings in poor, unsafe and unclean conditions.
However, property guardian companies and building owners do have a duty of care to ensure reasonable safety.
Properties may also be subject to HMO licensing or selective licensing schemes.
Guardians may also be given short notice to quit, but the new advice says that notice periods of under four weeks are likely to be unlawful.
Despite its obvious disapproval of guardianship tenures, the advice does not mention whether the Government is considering a ban.
Comments (1)
Not all guardian companies are the same and shouldn’t be tossed in the same basket together with the cowboys!
Those that are registered with the British Security Industry Association (BSIA) should comply with British Standard 8584:2015 and there is a new Code of Practice in development with the BSIA which all ethical and responsible guardian companies should comply with. Compliance to all regulations in this sector is key… and ensures property owners are covered and guardians are treated with respect and looked after. Global Guardians (www.global-guardians.co.uk) is the leading guardian company in London and a standard bearer to clean up the industry… so advice such as this from the Government shouldn’t be necessary in the future. If you want your vacant property protected properly, at little or no cost to yourself with added financial benefits on top, and provide a social benefit to the community in the process by offering people low cost, properly maintained accommodation, talk to them.
As I said, not all guardian companies are the same!