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Renters (Reform) Bill - we take a first look at the radical new legislation

Renters (Reform) Bill - we take a first look at the radical new legislation

News

The Renters (Reform) Bill has finally had its first reading in Parliament, promising a fair deal to renters, faster redress for landlords and giving more details on how 'pets with lets' will work. Heralded as a once-in-a-generation overhaul of housing laws�, the government

Purplebricks sold to rival for �1 after senior team throw in the towel

Purplebricks sold to rival for �1 after senior team throw in the towel

News

Purplebricks, which at one stage was used by thousands of landlords to manage their properties, has announced that its assets and business are to be sold to rival Strike for �1, pending approval by its shareholders. Any funds remaining in the firm some �5.5 million are

Gove to approve looser rules for HMO landlords housing asylum seekers

Gove to approve looser rules for HMO landlords housing asylum seekers

News

Housing Secretary Michael Gove is set to push through new rules on HMO safety for housing asylum seekers with little fanfare on the same day that the Renters Reform Bill is published. The changes outlined in the proposed https://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukdsi/2023/9780

BLOG: 'Reform bill will solve the problem of pet damage for landlords'

BLOG: 'Reform bill will solve the problem of pet damage for landlords'

News

The long-awaited Renters (Reform) Bill will finally be introduced in parliament after Prime Minister's Questions today. Setting out plans for 12 key reforms to the private rental sector, the 11th pledge - to give tenants the right in law to request a pet, which should not be unr

Agents who lack licencing law know-how 'putting landlords at risk'

Agents who lack licencing law know-how 'putting landlords at risk'

News

Bungling letting agents with a lack of legal understanding are putting landlords at risk of prosecution, it has been claimed. One landlord expert has advised caution when signing up with a firm in the current climate of increasing legislation and falling profits, particularly fo

Opinion: does Michael Gove know something we don't?

Opinion: does Michael Gove know something we don't?

Opinion

It would seem that successive Tory governments have waged an ongoing and progressively more vicious war on buy-to-let landlords, but this latest layer of legislation goes much further. Yes, this latest iteration, and one thats https://bills.parliament.uk/bills/1768/s

EXTRA red tape, scams and repairs drive more landlords to use agencies

EXTRA red tape, scams and repairs drive more landlords to use agencies

News

Almost two thirds (63%) of private landlords who manage their own properties are tired of sorting out repairs and dealing with red tape and considering using a letting agency or property manager instead.  A Uswitch poll of 2,000 landlords found that the most common reason t

Labour to 'go further than Tories' with harsher Decent Homes Standard

Labour to 'go further than Tories' with harsher Decent Homes Standard

News

Labour has promised to ramp up the pressure on private landlords by introducing a legally binding Decent Homes Standard 2. Its latest draft policy programme a provisional blueprint likely to shape the next general election manifesto includes a proposal to take the

Starmer 'set to U-turn on rent controls' as London Mayor pleads for more powers

Starmer 'set to U-turn on rent controls' as London Mayor pleads for more powers

News

Keir Starmer is set to rebuff previous calls by London mayor Sadiq Khan to bring in a rent freeze, it has been reported. Khan has been banging his rent freeze drum for months now as the cost-of-living crisis has hit many tenants personal finances, telling the BBC in Oct

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More money needed to support disabled tenants say landlords

More money needed to support disabled tenants say landlords

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Ministers must commit to uprating grants available to disabled people or many will miss out on vital adaptations, warns the NRLA.

Too many tenants facing eviction lack access to legal aid, say lawyers

Too many tenants facing eviction lack access to legal aid, say lawyers

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The government’s failure to increase housing legal aid has weakened the justice system and robbed those who face eviction and repossession of help, warns the Law Society of England and Wales.

Shelter slams landlords over increasing Section 21 notice evictions

Shelter slams landlords over increasing Section 21 notice evictions

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Shelter has attacked landlords for ‘kicking out’ over 26,000 tenants using a Section 21 ‘no fault’ eviction since the Government revealed it would ban this method of regaining possession of a property five years ago.

Asylum seeker HMOs WILL be included in licencing schemes, says Government

Asylum seeker HMOs WILL be included in licencing schemes, says Government

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News
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The government has performed a U-turn over its plans to exempt accommodation for asylum seekers from HMO licensing requirements.

Landlord licencing launches to be 'highest number ever' in 2024

Landlord licencing launches to be 'highest number ever' in 2024

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News
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This year is on track to break 2023’s record for the most additional and selective licensing schemes launched across the UK.

Eviction court system is now 'in crisis' says leading expert

Eviction court system is now 'in crisis' says leading expert

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The evictions process is in crisis with many landlords who are seeking to remove problem tenants facing huge court delays, it has been claimed.

'It's still a landlords' market' reveals RICS in latest report

'It's still a landlords' market' reveals RICS in latest report

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Letting agents have revealed continuing strong demand for rental properties but no let-up in weakening supply.

Calls for reforms to EPCs to help decarbonise UK homes

Calls for reforms to EPCs to help decarbonise UK homes

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Inconsistencies in the existing EPC calculation mean that property owners can currently pay out thousands of pounds for work that, when they come to sell, they find actually lowered their EPC rating.

Tenants facing rent rises call for 'lower energy bills in return'

Tenants facing rent rises call for 'lower energy bills in return'

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Most renters expecting a rent increase this year believe their landlords should make energy efficiency improvements to help offset the rise.

Landlords to get access to 'expanded boiler upgrade scheme'

Landlords to get access to 'expanded boiler upgrade scheme'

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Landlords could get more choice about what type of energy efficient upgrades they fit in their properties under the government’s Warm Homes Plan.

HMRC warns landlords off CGT avoidance schemes and closes loopholes

HMRC warns landlords off CGT avoidance schemes and closes loopholes

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News
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HMRC has made the unusual step of warning landlords not to use widely-routed tax avoidance schemes which it says are being marketed to buy-to-let investors as a way to save Capital Gains Tax.

Seven out of ten tenants haven’t heard of the Renters’ Rights Bill

Seven out of ten tenants haven’t heard of the Renters’ Rights Bill

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A whopping 69% of renters haven’t heard of the Renters’ Rights Bill and 75% don’t understand how it might impact them, a new survey has revealed.

Bailiffs under pressure: The ripple effects of the Renters’ Rights Bill

Bailiffs under pressure: The ripple effects of the Renters’ Rights Bill

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The Renters' Rights Bill is set to to overhaul the eviction process, with bailiffs increasingly under pressure.

House prices dropped in April as buyers paid thousands more in stamp duty

House prices dropped in April as buyers paid thousands more in stamp duty

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House prices dropped in April as buyers paid thousands more in stamp duty, it has been revealed.

Courts are not ready for the Renters’ Rights Bill, it was declared in the House of Lords this week

Courts are not ready for the Renters’ Rights Bill, it was declared in the House of Lords this week

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The court system isn’t ready for the Renters’ Rights Bill, it was declared in the House of Lords this week.

Two out of five landlords to leave the market, survey predicts

Two out of five landlords to leave the market, survey predicts

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A worrying 39% of landlords will probably exit the market within the next five years, according to the latest poll.

Only 9% of properties sold by landlords in Scotland return to the private rented sector

Only 9% of properties sold by landlords in Scotland return to the private rented sector

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Only 9% of properties sold by landlords in Scotland in a recent 12-month period returned to the private rented sector, a new survey has found.

Only a fifth of landlords are prepared for new mandatory sanctions checks

Only a fifth of landlords are prepared for new mandatory sanctions checks

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News
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Only a fifth of landlords and letting agents feel prepared for the new mandatory sanctions checks on all landlords and tenants.

Landlords investing in mixed-use property in bid for higher returns

Landlords investing in mixed-use property in bid for higher returns

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News
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More landlords are investing in mixed-use properties in their quest for more robust returns.

Average asking rent of a property outside of London jumps to new record £1,349 a month

Average asking rent of a property outside of London jumps to new record £1,349 a month

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The average asking rent of a property outside of London has increased to a new record £1,349 a month, new data reveals.

Housing market begins to "cool" amid higher number of properties for sale

Housing market begins to "cool" amid higher number of properties for sale

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The number of homes for sale has reached a new height as demand among house hunters “cools”, it has been revealed.

COMMENT: How do you get started investing in property?

COMMENT: How do you get started investing in property?

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How do you get started investing in property? A recent post on our LandlordZONE Forums got me thinking about this question

Tenants in Buckinghamshire fork out for the highest rents in the country

Tenants in Buckinghamshire fork out for the highest rents in the country

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Tenants in Buckinghamshire fork out for the highest rents in the country - even more than those living in London’s prime SW7 postcode.

Paragon Bank launches cheapest buy-to-let five-year fix in almost three years

Paragon Bank launches cheapest buy-to-let five-year fix in almost three years

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Paragon Bank has launched its cheapest buy-to-let five-year fix in almost three years, becoming the latest lender to offer landlords more attractive deals.

London Renters Union protest against “slumlords”

London Renters Union protest against “slumlords”

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London Renters Union protested against “slumlords” in the capital at the weekend, calling for housing justice for all.

Older tenants set for less financial security in retirement compared to homeowners

Older tenants set for less financial security in retirement compared to homeowners

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Older renters are heading for a bleak retirement with significantly less financial security than their homeowning peers.

Flawed grounds for possession will reduce the supply of student housing, NRLA warns

Flawed grounds for possession will reduce the supply of student housing, NRLA warns

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A flawed grounds for possession will reduce the supply of student housing, the NRLA has warned.

Landlords left with £30K bills after cannabis gangs took over their properties

Landlords left with £30K bills after cannabis gangs took over their properties

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Landlords were left with bills of up to £30,000 after cannabis gangs took over their properties and left them unliveable.

More firms look to rent office space than at any time since before the pandemic

More firms look to rent office space than at any time since before the pandemic

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More firms are looking to rent office space than at any time since before the pandemic, new Rightmove research has found.

Judge criticises First-tier Tribunal in a hearing over a dispute about services charges at London block of flats

Judge criticises First-tier Tribunal in a hearing over a dispute about services charges at London block of flats

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A judge has given a First Tier Property Tribunal a ticking off for unfair conduct during a hearing over a dispute about leaseholder service charges.

The importance of increasing the availability of pet friendly homes

The importance of increasing the availability of pet friendly homes

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Battersea is taking a stand to ensure tenants have the right to keep their pets while renting.

HMO market valued at £78billion and generates annual rental income of £6.3billion

HMO market valued at £78billion and generates annual rental income of £6.3billion

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he HMO market has been valued at £78billion and generates annual rental income of £6.3billion.

New YouTube channel for landlords promises it “won’t sugar-coat the industry’s realities”

New YouTube channel for landlords promises it “won’t sugar-coat the industry’s realities”

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Landlords looking for some no-nonsense straight talking about property can tune into Paul Shamplina’s new YouTube channel.

Landlords in Scotland urged to give their view on rent controls as part of consultation

Landlords in Scotland urged to give their view on rent controls as part of consultation

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Landlords in Scotland are being asked for their views on rent control exemptions and where rent could be increased above the rent cap.