Tag: Shelter Scotland

Sold! Celebs to help Shelter raise funds in online auction

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TOP celebrities – including Olly Murs, Alan Carr, Chrissie Hynde and Plan B – have raided their wardrobes to donate some of their fashion favourites for an online pop-up shop in aid of charity Shelter Scotland.

Fans of music, fashion and comedy will have a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to bid on signature items including an Olly Murs signed trilby hat and Chrissie Hynde’s Stella McCartney boots.

Other items include an Alexander McQueen jacket worn by comedian Alan Carr, fashionista Louise Roe’s 2013 Emmy’s red carpet dress, and a dress worn by former EastEnders actress Jo Joyner in her role as Tanya Branning.

Pop star and TV presenter, Olly Murs, said: “I’ve donated one of my trilby hats to Shelter Scotland this summer. It’s a great charity so get bidding guys!”

EastEnders actress, Jo Joyner, said: “Taking a bag of pre-loved clothes to a Shelter Scotland shop is a fantastic way to help a great cause. Shelter Scotland has never needed your support more, so I’m proud to donate my dress. Let the bidding commence!”

The online auction will open on Shelter Scotland’s website from 9.00pm on Tuesday 23 July and bidding will end at 9pm on Sunday 28 July.

Shelter Scotland is urging members of the public to take inspiration from its celebrity supporters and donate their own pre-loved clothes, home wares or books to their nearest Shelter Scotland shop, where every penny raised goes towards helping families and individuals facing homelessness and bad housing.

Graeme Brown, Director of Shelter Scotland, said: “We’re so grateful to our celebrity friends for their outpouring of support and hope the public will get behind us too and donate any old or unwanted items to their nearest Shelter Scotland shop.

“It costs just £10 for one of our experienced housing advisors to help a family in need through our free national helpline. We can raise that money by selling an unwanted dress, jumper or pair of shoes. No donation is too small and every penny will go towards helping people in housing need.”

Shelter Scotland helps over half a million people a year in Scotland struggling with bad housing and homelessness. The charity’s free national helpline receives over 60 calls per day from desperate families and individuals. Shelter Scotland says this represents a 43% increase over three years, up from 42 calls per day in 2008/09.

Graeme Brown added: “We have never needed the public’s support more, and are relying on their kindness and generosity to ensure that we can continue to offer vital services to people who desperately need our help.

“Unlike our famous friends, your donations don’t have to include a designer label. Whether they’re as good as new or have seen better days – all donations are welcome. There’s no easier way to help people across Scotland who are facing homelessness or living in bad housing.”

Everyone who donates to a Shelter Scotland shop between Monday 15th and Saturday 27th July can enter a free prize draw to win one of five Fujitsu tablet PCs. The charity has also recently launched a new donation loyalty card. Each donation of stock will be rewarded with a stamp, with those collecting five stamps being rewarded with a £5 discount to spend in store.

Shelter Scotland has over 40 shops across Scotland, selling a range of good quality new and second-hand clothes, books, home wares and specialist items.

The online auction can be accessed via www.shelter.org.uk/sheltershops and will be open for bids from 9pm on Tuesday 23 July – 9pm on Sunday 28 July.

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TIPping point – Tenant Information Packs launched

Tenants and landlords in the private rented sector are to benefit from a new Tenant Information Pack (TIP) which will improve access to information on renting and help ensure that accommodation is good quality and well managed.

Launched by Minister for Housing and Welfare Margaret Burgess yesterday, landlords have a legal duty to provide the TIP to new tenants. The easy to read document, which has been made available on the Scottish Government website, contains a summary of legislation relevant to private tenants and landlords.

During a public consultation on its introduction, the TIP received broad cross-sector support as a means of providing consistent and reliable information to tenants, and the TIP will be reviewed on a regular basis to ensure that it provides an accurate, user friendly, summary of housing law.

The launch of the pack is supported by a new website which offers practical renting guides for tenants and landlords in Scotland’s private rented sector. Funded by the Scottish Government, the Renting Scotland website has been created by Shelter Scotland and industry partners and contains key tenant and landlord information on renting in the private rented sector.

Mrs Burgess said: “The Tenant Information Pack provides vital information for tenants and landlords in an easy-to-read format. There is already a lot of good information available to tenants and the pack is not intended to replace existing material, but to create a benchmark for information available across the whole sector.

“The introduction of the pack will contribute towards ensuring that the private rented sector provides good quality and well managed accommodation, where both landlords and tenants understand their respective rights and responsibilities. The Renting Scotland website, which went live today, is another important form of support, offering crucial advice to tenants and landlords.”

A spokesperson for the Scottish Association of Landlords said: “We are encouraged by the possibility offered by the Tenant Information Pack to improve and maintain landlord-tenant relationships. The pack is a helpful resource which will raise awareness of both landlord and tenant rights and responsibilities.”

Graeme Brown, Director of Shelter Scotland, said: “The introduction of the Tenant Information Pack by the Scottish Government is a positive step forward for tenants and landlords alike, who will be clear on their rights and responsibilities from the day a tenant moves in. By improving access to key information, Tenant Information Packs will build trust and respect on both sides. It will help avoid problems at an early stage and empower tenants as consumers should something go wrong.

“An informed tenant is a good tenant, and likewise a landlord who is aware of their rights and responsibilities can better manage their property to anticipate and avoid problems, allowing both parties to get off to a good start.”

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New protection for tenants’ deposits comes into force

Housing Minister Keith Brown today confirmed that a compulsory scheme to safeguard rent deposits for households in Scotland has come into force. Deposits amount to more than £75 million in the majority of the 273,000 households that make up the private rented sector in Scotland.

The tenancy deposit scheme will be free for landlords and letting agents to participate in, and ensure that landlords can legitimately access deposits where justified.

Tenants will no longer have to take legal action to seek recovery of a wrongly withheld deposit. This will mean that tenants will have access to a free and independent dispute resolution service, where agreement over the return of a deposit cannot be agreed by the tenant and landlord.

SafeDeposits Scotland, Letting Protection Service Scotland and Mydeposits Scotland will take deposits from landlords or their agents for safekeeping and provide information about the tenancy, the deposit and the scheme to the tenant.

Landlords can submit deposits to schemes from July 2 voluntarily, if they wish. However, by law, they will need to submit deposits to an approved scheme from between November 2012 to May 2013, depending on when the tenancy started.

Keith Brown said: “The Scottish Government has estimated that between 8,000 and 11,000 tenants annually have £3.6 million of their deposits wrongly withheld. These new regulations are historic because they offer, for the first time, a fair, cost effective approach that safeguards tenancy deposits. It is important to stress that the majority of landlords behave responsibly. This legislation is aimed at tackling those who continue to tarnish the image of the private rented sector.”

Graeme Brown, Director of Shelter Scotland, said: “Monday 2 July starts the clock ticking towards the point when all tenants’ deposits will be protected by law in Scotland.  Shelter Scotland has been campaigning for this scheme for eight years now and we are delighted to see it becoming law. But it will only work properly if tenants are diligent and know their rights and landlords and agents embrace the scheme fully. Then and only then, will the unfair withholding of millions of pounds from deposits by landlords and agents be a thing of the past, as will the hardship it causes to tenants. Our hope is that the tenancy deposit scheme achieves a transparent and fair system for all.”

Robin Parker, President of NUS Scotland, said: “This is a great day for tenants and good for landlords. We’ve worked for many years to get better protection for tenants in private flats and houses, including of course the tens of thousands of students who live in the private rented sector. Too often we’ve heard of deposits being withheld or deducted unfairly by a few unscrupulous landlords, and the tenancy deposit schemes launched today should go a long way to putting an end to this.”

Marieke Dwarshuis, Director at Consumer Focus Scotland said: “Getting a deposit back has often been an uphill struggle for many tenants in the private rented sector and we have championed the need for better protections for years. “The new safe house for deposits and the independent dispute resolution service are great news for tenants and will ensure there is a fair, clear and efficient system in place for everybody concerned. “The key to success now is to ensure tenants and landlords are informed about the scheme and everyone clearly understands what their rights and responsibilities are.”

New protection for tenants' deposits comes into force

Housing Minister Keith Brown today confirmed that a compulsory scheme to safeguard rent deposits for households in Scotland has come into force. Deposits amount to more than £75 million in the majority of the 273,000 households that make up the private rented sector in Scotland.

The tenancy deposit scheme will be free for landlords and letting agents to participate in, and ensure that landlords can legitimately access deposits where justified.

Tenants will no longer have to take legal action to seek recovery of a wrongly withheld deposit. This will mean that tenants will have access to a free and independent dispute resolution service, where agreement over the return of a deposit cannot be agreed by the tenant and landlord.

SafeDeposits Scotland, Letting Protection Service Scotland and Mydeposits Scotland will take deposits from landlords or their agents for safekeeping and provide information about the tenancy, the deposit and the scheme to the tenant.

Landlords can submit deposits to schemes from July 2 voluntarily, if they wish. However, by law, they will need to submit deposits to an approved scheme from between November 2012 to May 2013, depending on when the tenancy started.

Keith Brown said: “The Scottish Government has estimated that between 8,000 and 11,000 tenants annually have £3.6 million of their deposits wrongly withheld. These new regulations are historic because they offer, for the first time, a fair, cost effective approach that safeguards tenancy deposits. It is important to stress that the majority of landlords behave responsibly. This legislation is aimed at tackling those who continue to tarnish the image of the private rented sector.”

Graeme Brown, Director of Shelter Scotland, said: “Monday 2 July starts the clock ticking towards the point when all tenants’ deposits will be protected by law in Scotland.  Shelter Scotland has been campaigning for this scheme for eight years now and we are delighted to see it becoming law. But it will only work properly if tenants are diligent and know their rights and landlords and agents embrace the scheme fully. Then and only then, will the unfair withholding of millions of pounds from deposits by landlords and agents be a thing of the past, as will the hardship it causes to tenants. Our hope is that the tenancy deposit scheme achieves a transparent and fair system for all.”

Robin Parker, President of NUS Scotland, said: “This is a great day for tenants and good for landlords. We’ve worked for many years to get better protection for tenants in private flats and houses, including of course the tens of thousands of students who live in the private rented sector. Too often we’ve heard of deposits being withheld or deducted unfairly by a few unscrupulous landlords, and the tenancy deposit schemes launched today should go a long way to putting an end to this.”

Marieke Dwarshuis, Director at Consumer Focus Scotland said: “Getting a deposit back has often been an uphill struggle for many tenants in the private rented sector and we have championed the need for better protections for years. “The new safe house for deposits and the independent dispute resolution service are great news for tenants and will ensure there is a fair, clear and efficient system in place for everybody concerned. “The key to success now is to ensure tenants and landlords are informed about the scheme and everyone clearly understands what their rights and responsibilities are.”