Although many companies who relocate staff using a GSP scheme will self-fund, a large number have relied on their relocation agent to provide a funding stream. Industry sources tell us that those funding streams have dried up and companies are finding they simply cannot depend on their relocation agent for a funded GSP scheme anymore.

The good news is that HCR are still offering a fully funded GSP relocation scheme (the small print – subject to credit status). We have a long and well-established relationship with our funding bank, and this is proving very beneficial to existing clients. New clients are also getting access to this funding at competitive rates.

If you are looking to obtain GSP funding and interested in combining it with excellent individual service, please give Natascha Clark a call on 01256 313839 and see how HCR can help you minimise your risks and look after your staff.

Essentially, a GSP scheme allows employers to value an employee’s home and then offer a Guaranteed Price through a relocation company. The employee can then seek for a new home in the destination area knowing what price they have guaranteed for their departure home. Funds are released to buy the destination home and the employer pays the interest until the departure home is sold.

This tax allowance provides an excellent opportunity for you to increase the A-G energy efficiency rating of your residential property.

It is now mandatory for private landlords letting residential property to provide potential tenants with an Energy Performance Certificate (EPC) stating A-G efficiency ratings, prior to viewing.

We are currently offering a £99 plus VAT per EPC service to undertake a survey using approved Energy Assessors and to generate a valid EPC for private landlords, delivered in electronic format. HCR will maintain a copy on file for 10 years.

If you would like more information, or to book your EPC, contact Rachel Blyth on 01256 313770 or email her at rblyth@hcr.co.uk or visit www.hcr.co.uk/EPC/EPCInfo.htm.

Work Wise UK (www.workwiseuk.org), a Government backed campaigning body suggests “smarter commuting” by getting people to travel outside peak periods and urging employers to allow flexible working for employees. They note “the average commute will produce one tonne of CO2 per person per year”. Work Wise even quote that 20 people are killed and 250 seriously injured every WEEK, in crashes involving someone who was driving or riding for work purposes.

The BBC quoted a study by the University of the West of England, that the average commuter spends 139 hours a year getting to and from work, and the Guardian (02-09-05) noted that “Long distance commuting is up by one third”. They go on to say “800,000 workers now travel more than 30 miles to work and that most of long distance commutes are in the London & South-East region”. Managers and senior business officials make up 30% of this long-distance group and interestingly those with higher education qualifications spend 50% longer travelling to work than others.

What does all this add up to? Government want more people off the road. As a society we need to reduce CO2 emissions and top executives are travelling further than ever before. The solution is to move people closer to their work so they do not clog up the roads, so Why not encourage the long-distance commuting executives to relocate nearer to work? The benefits are substantial - less stress on arriving at work, probably more hours spent at work, less CO2 emissions, more time with the family, better physical health, reduced risk of death & injury, improved personal wealth, less congestion on the roads improving traffic flow and reducing travelling downtime, and so on.

So how can Government begin to leverage these benefits? Re-evaluate the Relocation Tax Allowance for a start. The current 15 year old allowance of £8000 is now only worth the equivalent of £5954.09 after inflation. If Government just wanted to keep pace with inflation then the allowance should already be £10,678.06 If the Government just wanted to keep pace with their increases in Stamp Duty, then they should reset the Allowance to well over £40,000. Maybe then business would use the economic encouragement to relocate their staff and help reduce the amount of long-distance commuting.

I believe that the Chancellor needs to address this issue at the next budget. Let me know what you think and I will pass on your views.

Adrian Leach - Director. aleach@hcr.co.uk

The allowance was originally introduced to promote labour mobility to develop talent. The allowance also provided a method for companies to support the employee without tax penalty and without having to engross the financial relocation assistance they offered.

There has undoubtedly been a considerable increase in the financial burden associated with relocating since 1993. Stamp Duty is now a considerable income stream for HM Treasury, Home Information Packs are now part of selling property and even rental properties will be required to have Energy Performance Certificates. With increased Estate Agent fees due to increased property values (don’t forget this is over the last 15 years), Land Registry Fees, Legal Fees and many other costs involved in relocation, the relocation expense outlayed by corporations has dramatically increased in 15 years.

Anecdotal evidence indicates that corporations are asking less employees to permanently relocate to meet a business need. More and more employees are being asked to travel further, often staying in Serviced Apartments, nominations or just spending more time in the car or on the train. With new restrictions on immigration, high fuel prices and the real issues concerning Global Warming it seems to me that the Government should readdress the need to encourage relocation and employee mobility. By increasing the Relocation Tax Allowance to sensible levels, more companies may be encouraged to move key employees nearer to their work, cutting down on journey times and fuel usage. The added benefits of reduced employee stress, more family time and the development of key employee talent through increased experience at different locations will positively affect the country, the company, the employee and their family.

If you want to comment on these views, please drop me an email at aleach@hcr.co.uk If I get sufficient positive support, I will start to lobby Government. Thank you.

Adrian Leach - Director Business Development & Marketing of the HCR Group

The requirement is set out in regulation 5 of the Energy Performance of Buildings Regulations 2007, which demands that a prospective tenant be provided with an EPC at the earliest opportunity and certainly prior to entering into any contract to rent out the property. The regulation states that the certificate must be provided before the prospective tenant is provided with written details about the property or before the prospective tenant views the property. If the prospective tenant consents the certificate can be provided electronically.

No other part of the HIPS (Home Information Pack) regulations applies to rental property, landlords only need an EPC. EPCs remain valid for 10 years or until another certificate is produced for the same property. Consequently, from 1st October 2008 agents and landlords will need to get EPCs for properties that they are marketing to new tenants, but there should be no need to get EPCs for current tenancies or renewals to the same tenants.

The general experience gained from the introduction of HIPs suggests that there will be no need to produce EPCs for properties already on the market, but the regulations are unclear. The enforcement will come from the Trading Standards departments and failure to have one is a criminal offence, but most observers believe that they will warn and caution prior to legal action.

HCR are offering a £99 plus VAT per EPC service to undertake a survey using approved Energy Assessors and to generate a valid EPC for private landlords, delivered in electronic format. HCR will maintain a copy on file for 10 years. A button will appear on our home page in early September linking you with our Legal & Maintenance Team who are managing this service.

If you want more information or to book your EPC , contact Rachel Blyth on 01256 313770 or email her at rblyth@hcr.co.uk

Carefully vetted and Borough approved residents are being given a chance to move to any location in the UK where they and their families can find a chance to start a new life. HCR provides the relocatee with 2 choices of property within the Local Housing Allowance budget in their target area and then views the choices with the Borough resident. Once the resident has chosen a property, HCR takes out a 2-year tenancy and gives the resident a ‘licence to occupy’. HCR takes on the responsibility for the rent payments to the Landlord.

“This system is the perfect blend of private and public partnership”, said Richard Mills, RBK&C’s Housing Options Team Leader. “HCR provides the Royal Borough with a proven system and 26 years of experience in relocation. By using the respected HCR Tenancy scheme, it allows the Borough to manage their risk and meet their obligations. It is an innovative scheme that gives our residents the best possible range of Housing Options”. Richard noted, “we have a waiting list of 8000, and we believe that many of the Borough’s residents would like the chance to find somewhere to live out of the city; this scheme gives us the practical and cost-effective way to make it happen”.

HCR are leveraging their status as the largest independent corporate tenant in the UK with over 6,000 properties in their portfolio to work with private landlords and agents in providing suitable accommodation. As HCR pays the rent and offers an impartial dilapidation process, the landlord and agent can be assured they will have a long-term, reliable occupant at local market rent.

The relocating resident will have the opportunity to start a new life in an area they may have friends or family, knowing they are supported by HCR. The accommodation is secured for 2-years and the occupants are assisted throughout by the dedicated HCR maintenance team.

With 33 London Boroughs with substantial waiting lists, HCR feel confident that the ‘Out of London’ scheme will prove to be a valuable option in the constant battle to provide everyone with suitable accommodation.

For further information, please contact: Adrian Leach – Assistant Direct Business Development & Marketing on 01256 313751 aleach@hcr.co.uk

The UK is in the process of revamping its immigration system, this includes the work permit scheme. The primary changes are that:

• Migrants will be required to satisfy a points based immigration process
• Companies will need to be licensed by the UK Border Agency (UKBA) if they wish to apply for work permits
• Work permits will be known as Certificates of Sponsorship
• Companies will be faced with an increased compliance burden.

The changes are being implemented in a phased approach.
• 1st phase was implemented on 29 February 2008
• Full implementation is scheduled to be completed by the second quarter 2009.

To understand “WHAT YOUR COMPANY NEEDS TO DO NOW” please click here

At HCR we can provide a fully complete Sponsorship application ready for your submission, complete with required supporting materials, plus activation of on-line Sponsorship management tool.

For details about our support service please click here

For further information and no obligation contact Natascha Clark on:
e-mail: nclark@hcr.co.uk or tel: +44 (0) 1256 313839

Led by Special Projects Manager, George Dawes, the Environment Project Team reviewed every aspect of our processes and delivery mechanisms in order to seek reductions in our waste and the impact on our environment.

The Business Development Director, Adrian Leach, commented, “achieving this standard was important not only to demonstrate our commitment to minimising our impact on the environment, but also to deliver tangible savings”. “George and the team can already point to savings in fuel and energy, decreased paper usage and increase recycling of consumables. They have set realistic targets and systems for continuous improvement based on processes that meet the standard.”

ISO 14001 is the internationally recognised standard for the environmental management of businesses. It prescribes controls for those activities that have an effect on the environment. These include the use of natural resources, handling and treatment of waste and energy consumption.

HCR do not know of any other relocation specialist and rental accommodation provider who has achieved the prescribed standard. They are now working on a sustainable relocation project that will work in conjunction with many of their clients’ own environmental policies.

If you would like to know more about HCR’s commitment to the environment, please contact George at gdawes@hcr.co.uk

The quality of the conference was very high as were the attendees, who came from all over the world. It provided training seminars and panel discussions about the latest relocation trends. The speakers and presenters were mainly blue chip corporate clients i.e. Nike, Microsoft, Bank of America and Intel etc. They gave factual feedback about how they manage their international relocation and what their expectations are internally and externally

“The knowledge exchanged during these conferences ensures that HCR is informed of big corporations’ international relocation practises. This enables HCR to advise and educate our clients with the latest developments and changes in approach,” enthused Natascha.

She went on to say, “The conference was also a great place for corporates to highlight shortfalls in relocation services. Once issue pointed out was lack of a program to take care of all documentation/paperwork and household set up. A second issue was refurbishing and repairing housing prior to move-out - thus reducing the overall claims of the landlord. I was pleased to confirm that HCR could provide both of these services.”

Corporate clients were represented by their top people: i.e. Managing Directors, Vice Presidents, Directors, CEO’s, Global Relocation Managers, Head of International Assignment etc. from companies such as Novartis, Atos, PepsiCo, Tata Power, Mercer, Eli Lilly, Intel etc.

For further information on HCR’s Global (UK and International) relocation solutions please contact Natascha Clark on:
e-mail: nclark@hcr.co.uk or tel: +44 (0) 1256 313839

o Regardless of the date when an existing dwelling is placed on the market, from 30th June 2008, the relevant person (the seller) has a legal duty to make available free of charge a valid EPC to the prospective buyer or actual buyer a valid EPC at the earliest opportunity (i.e before entering into a contract to sell). This must be given free of charge. (www.epb.dfpni.gov.uk)

o From 30th December 2008 the relevant person (the landlord) of a building which is to be rented out has a legal duty to make available to the prospective tenant or actual tenant a valid EPC at the earliest opportunity (i.e. before entering into a contract to rent). There is no need to obtain an EPC for an existing tenancy. (www.epb.dfpni.gov.uk)

o From 30th September 2008 the relevant person (the builder) of a new building (dwelling and non-dwelling) has the same legal duty as the home seller and landlord above. When the construction of a new building is completed, the builder or person responsible for the construction is responsible for obtaining the certificate and providing it to the owner. (www.epb.dfpni.gov.uk)

“As an employee relocation specialist sourcing both permanent and temporary rented accommodation for employees we view the the new legislation as a very positive move. Employees will be able to understand the energy efficency of a property (and how to make improvements) prior to purchasing or renting a property in Northern Ireland. The down side for the seller or landlord is that it will increase their costs and take additional time and stress,” stated David Jannetta, Mover Adviser, HCR.

David went on to highlight, “The good news is that HCR will arrange the EPC on an employee or landlord’s behalf.”

For further information on HCR’s Energy Performance Certificate service, please contact David Jannetta on: e-mail: djannetta@hcr.co.uk tel: +44 (0) 1256 313763

Or for relocation solutions please contact Natascha Clark on:
e-mail: nclark@hcr.co.uk or tel: +44 (0) 1256 313839

For more information on the EPC legislation please visit www.epb.dfpni.gov.uk