News
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TRS Annual Report and Accounts 2007 - 2008 |
| TRS Performs Well Against Targets - view annual report | |
| News Release 17 July 2008 | |
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Chartermark |
| TRS continues to meet the Charter Mark standard | |
| News Release 10 July 2008 | |
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New TRS General Enquiry Number |
| New TRS General Enquiry Number | |
| News Release 07 July 2008 | |
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List of Rents published by TRS |
| List of Rents Published by TRS | |
| News Release 17 June 2008 | |
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TRS Publish BRMA Information |
| The Rent Service Publish BRMA Information | |
| News Release 23 May 2008 | |
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TRS Business Plan Launched |
| TRS Business Plan Launched | |
| News Release 25 April 2008 | |
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LHA-Direct now available |
| 07 April 2008 – Local Housing Allowance goes live nationally | |
| News Release 07 April 2008 | |
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Doors Open at the Central Processing Unit (CPU) |
| TRS has officially launched a Central Processing Unit (CPU) | |
| News Release 18 February 2008 | |
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TRS rolls out new IT system to enhance customer service |
| TRS rolls out new IT system to enhance customer service | |
| News Release 12 November 2007 | |
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LHA goes electronic |
| Local Housing Allowance (LHA) goes electronic | |
| News Release 9 November 2007 | |
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Indicative Local Housing Allowances (LHAs) |
| TRS provide Local Authorities with indicative LHAs | |
News Release 6 November 2007 |
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Office restructure |
| TRS restructures office network as part of its overall service improvement and efficiency programme | |
| News Release 5 November 2007 | |
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New head of legal services |
| New Head of Legal Services for The Rent Service | |
| News Release 1 November 2007 | |
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Transform programme |
| TRS launches major change programme to support its transfer to the VOA | |
| News Release 30 OCTOBER 2007 | |
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Submit Lettings Information Online!
A New 
Lettings Research team has been created to further improve our lettings database. Our aim is to gather lettings information from all areas of the Private Rented Sector across England. This will ensure that stable and accurate Local Housing Allowance figures are produced from April 2008. Read more...
COURT OF APPEAL JUDGMENT OF 13 JUNE 2007: SUMMARY
The Queen (on the application of Daniel Heffernan) v The Rent Service:
The Court of Appeal (CA) found in favour of The Rent Service (TRS) in the Heffernan judicial review case.
This case was about the meaning of ‘locality’ as defined in the Rent Officers (Housing Benefit Functions) Order 1997.
Mr Heffernan rented a property at the top end of the private rented market and claimed Housing Benefit to help with his rent. The level of his benefit was limited by the local reference rent (LRR) set by the rent officer. The LRR is the mid-point in the range of non-exceptional rents in the locality. Mr Heffernan claimed that the locality used by rent officers to decide his LRR in 2004 and 2005 was ‘too wide’ and unlawful. The locality used was the whole city of Sheffield and its rural hinterland.
The CA has overturned the earlier High Court judgment (October 2006). The CA concluded that the rent officers involved had in fact provided sufficient evidence and assessments to demonstrate they had followed the law. The Sheffield locality used was lawful.
The CA noted that the legal definition of ‘locality’ does not favour a “narrow geographical restriction”. It rejected Mr Heffernan’s arguments for limiting a locality to an area in which services and facilities were all of a very similar quality. This would have the effect of segregating ‘deprived’ and ‘more prosperous’ areas into different localities. This was not Parliament’s intention.
For full text of CA judgment is freely available at:
http://www.bailii.org/ew/cases/EWCA/Civ/2007/544.html
From 6 April 2007, all deposits taken by landlords and letting agents must be protected by a government-authorised Tenancy Deposit Protection Scheme
Information For Tenants:
From the 6th April 2007, the new tenancy deposit law will be introduced to give more protection to tenants by preventing landlords and letting agents from unfairly withholding a tenants deposit. The scheme protects all Assured Shorthold Tenancies in England and Wales (covering most tenancies since 1997).Information For Landlords and Lettings Agents:
The Tenancy Deposit Scheme comes into force on the 6th April 2007. If you have not protected a tenant’s deposit you will be ordered to repay three times the amount to the tenant so find out how you can protect deposits and resolve disputes.
Further information
Changes to the Housing Benefit Regulations (3rd March 2006)
On Monday 6 March the existing Housing Benefit and Council Tax Benefit Regulations will be consolidated into two sets of regulations, collectively called The Housing Benefit and Council Tax Benefit Regulations 2006. These new regulations bring Housing Benefit (HB) and Council Tax Benefit (CTB) together and are divided into:
- regulations for people who have reached the qualifying age for state pension credit
- regulations for those who have not reached that age (in other words, everyone else)
The policy and effect of the existing regulations remain unaltered but the numbering of the individual regulations has been changed. Likewise the requirements and effect of The Rent Officer (Housing Benefit Functions) Order are unaltered but references within it to the HB Regulations are being amended to reflect the new regulation numbering.