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Over 40,000 homes in the
North West infested with vermin
NEW research by housing charity Shelter
has found that over 40,000 private rented homes in the North West equivalent to
1 in 13, have suffered from animal infestations such as mice and cockroaches in
the last year alone.
The Shelter and YouGov poll of over 3,700 private renters in England revealed
that bad living conditions are rife in rented homes, with 47% of renters in the
North West reporting that they had experienced problems with poor conditions or
disrepair in the last year.
Over a third of private renters surveyed by the housing charity said they had
lived in a property with damp or mould (33%), 22% suffered with poor insulation
and excess cold, while electrical hazards were reported by 17% of renters.
Last year, almost 6,000 private renters called the Shelter helpline and nearly
400,000 people visited the website for expert advice on conditions or disrepair
in their homes.
The findings come as no surprise, with recent government statistics showing that
1 in 6 private rented homes in England contain a health and safety hazard. The
housing charity is warning that huge numbers of renters are stuck in homes which
are not fit for purpose, often not knowing their rights or where to go for
support and advice.
Shelter helpline adviser Nadeem Khan said:- "Every day at Shelter we speak
to people desperate for help, after being forced to live in appalling conditions
for months on end.
Some of the housing horrors we hear are truly shocking; from people who are
forced to live in flats crawling with fleas or rats, or with water pouring out
of the toilet waste pipe, to those who've been through the ordeal of a fire in
their home caused by faulty wiring.
No one should have to live in a home which is unsanitary or unsafe, and that's
why it's crucial to know your rights as a renter. Shelter is here to help anyone
putting up with bad conditions, and our free expert advice is available
online
or through our helpline:- 0808 800 4444."
Campbell Robb, Shelter's chief executive said:- "It's shocking that
renters in the North West are stuck living in properties riddled with problems,
often paying sky-high rents for the privilege.
Imagine trying to raise a child in a home crawling with vermin or falling apart
at the seams, with a rogue landlord who refuses to fix it and nowhere else to go
because of there's nothing else you can afford. It's just not right. The
government must to do more to protect renters from the rogue landlords who let
out these shoddy properties, so that every renter can feel safe in their own
home."
Anyone having problems with their landlord can get free and independent expert
advice from Shelter at:-
Shelter.Org.UK/Advice or by calling the helpline on:- 0808
800 4444.
Readers Book
Offer - 'PEIG'
THIS is a limited offer to our readers, with Christmas
approaching and only a few books left in stock! 'Peig, Cultural
Heresy' is an unusual book that is easy going, but full of
entertainment. This book that has just 340 pages, but it is all
totally original writing, that you will want to read over and over again...
This is now a truly limited offer, as the book was 1st published back in
2009 and if you order now, you will get a 1st Edition copy. Plus
we have arranged for it to be signed and posted directly to you by the author
himself, Aidan J Collins! Peig, Cultural Heresy is a darkly comic novel by
comedy writer Aidan J Collins. It includes a foreword by (disgraced former
minister) Jack McGillicuddy. The story is set during a summer holiday, in
a seemingly idyllic rural village in Southern Ireland. All is at 1st
normal and things are going well for 3 teenagers, but things soon go
horribly wrong. The teenagers find themselves, not just fleeced and
stranded, but knee deep in a murder plot! At the heart of this shadowy community
is their kleptomaniac landlady Peig, a rancorous old biddy, who seems intent on
turning their stay into a baptism of fire… and while Irish hospitality is said
to be the stuff of legend, this is 1 legend they'd easily rather forget. To
order please click
here to go to our
Online Shop Page.
The above is a promotional advert by
Southport Reporter. This promotion is only valid until 1 January 2016 and is
limited to stock availability. |
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Get set for 'Brick or
Treat' this Halloween
IF you're looking at how you can keep the kids
entertained this ½ term or want to treat the children to some Halloween
festivities, without the scares, then take a look at going to:- 'Brick
or Treat'. At this activity event there's even free entry for little
monsters in costume on 31 October 2015!* The event will take place at
Manchester's LegoLand®
Discovery Centre, where on arrival, you'll be given a special Halloween Hunt
Card, that needs to be completed during the journey around the attraction.
You'll come nose to brick, with not 1, but 3 Giant Spooktacular Castles,
which have been built by the resident Master Model Builder and his Creative
Crew, but be warned, they're each haunted by Lego®
zombies, ghosts and skeletons.
Guests who take part in the Halloween Hunt will be given the chance to win
some scarily good prizes including a LegoLand® Discovery Centre family
annual pass (for 4 people) worth over £120.
If pumpkin scooping and carving sounds like messy business
with little ones in tow, fear not, you can build your own special Lego®
pumpkin in the designated Halloween building area. But that's not all, as an
extra treat you're invited to get hands on and help to theme the spooky Lego®
ghost train that will be chugging its way past the haunted castles.
Children that get into the Halloween spirit and dress in costume on All
Hallow's Eve, itself (31 October 2015), you will get free entry into the
attraction when accompanied by 1 paying adult! Once inside they can
seek out the spooky monsters lost in haunted Miniland®.
To guarantee your entry and save up to 40% book your tickets
online.
* Valid on 31 October 2015 only. Free entry is available for all children
aged under 11 that are wearing a full Halloween costume and accompanied by 1
paying adult. Masks will not be accepted as costumes. 1 free child only per
paying adult. HMRC's
landlord campaign brings in more than £50 million
A campaign aimed at helping residential landlords get
their Tax Affairs in order has brought in more than £50 million, HM Revenue and
Customs (HMRC) announced. 'The Let Property Campaign', was HMRC launched back in
September 2013, is now 1 of the Tax authority's most successful voluntary
disclosure opportunities. More than 10,000 landlords have come forward to
disclose Tax on previously undeclared income under the campaign. To help
landlords further, HMRC also announced that it will be running a Twitter Q&A
evening from 6pm to 9pm on Tuesday, 20 October 2015. The Twitter Q&A will be run
in partnership with a number of landlord professional bodies. These will each
have 30 minutes to answer questions relating to wider aspects of renting out
residential property, providing a 1 stop shop for landlords to get rental advice
throughout the evening. HMRC's section on Tax is from 6pm to 7pm and hosted on:-
@HMRCcustomers.
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