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EXCLUSIVE: More tenants failing reference checks as cost-of-living bites

EXCLUSIVE: More tenants failing reference checks as cost-of-living bites

News

The number of tenants passing referencing checks has dropped off drastically as the cost-of-living crisis bites. Rent guarantee firm Housing Hand reports that about 35% previously passed checks, but that the number is dropping and could now be as low as 25%. Another 40% will get

UPDATED: consider these things before you increase your tenant’s rent

UPDATED: consider these things before you increase your tenant’s rent

Information

With interest rates rising and this reflected in mortgage rates, landlords are being forced to contemplate rent increases. If you go down this road you need to be aware and follow the rules.

Powerless councils could make or break reforms, says Labour MP

Powerless councils could make or break reforms, says Labour MP

News

A Labour MP has called on the government to extend notice periods from two to four months to prevent landlords from unjustly evicting tenants. <figure id="" class="w-richtext-figure-type- " data-rt-type="" data-rt-align=""><div><img src="https://cdn.prod.website-files.com/63bef2f3c329eff8e3

Licencing scheme off to weak start after only a third of landlords register

Licencing scheme off to weak start after only a third of landlords register

News

Only one-third of Oxfords private rental properties have been registered for its city-wide selective licensing scheme and could soon face steeper fees or a hefty fine. The scheme, which launched last September, has received more than 10,500 licence applications from the 3

Landlord pleads with council to consider HMO tenants as housing shortages bite

Landlord pleads with council to consider HMO tenants as housing shortages bite

News

An https://www.landlordzone.co.uk/news/braverman-under-pressure-to-reverse-outrageous-new-hmo-rules-for-asylum-seekers/" HMO landlord says desperate new tenants are moving in hours after the previous tenants leave due to a dearth of available properties. In he

'Despicable fraudster' gets eight-year ban for stealing landlords' deposits and rent

'Despicable fraudster' gets eight-year ban for stealing landlords' deposits and rent

News

A letting agent who ripped off dozens of landlord clients has been banned from being a company director for eight years. https://www.landlordzone.co.uk/news/letting-agent-who-stole-80000-from-dozens-of-landlords-admits-fraud/" Frank Smart , 46, the owner of Sma

UPDATED: consider these things before you increase your tenant's rent

UPDATED: consider these things before you increase your tenant's rent

News

With interest rates rising and this reflected in mortgage rates, landlords are being forced to contemplate rent increases. If you go down this road you need to be aware and follow the rules.As landlord you can't legally increase your rent whenever you like, or by any amount you see fit. You need

Landlords encouraged to sell this month as property prices rise by 0.2%

Landlords encouraged to sell this month as property prices rise by 0.2%

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In a market where interest rates are sky high, tax bills are extortionate and mortgage payments are higher than rents, coupled with a backlog of refurb costs and difficult tenant situations, landlords are rushing to cash in and sell their property portfolios. If you were a landl

REFORM: 'We need legislation that works with landlords, not against them'

REFORM: 'We need legislation that works with landlords, not against them'

News

With one in five households now renting, the private rented sector is an essential part of the housing market. As the government has reduced its housebuilding strategy for all local authorities from mandatory to advisory, with some councils scrapping targets all together, the ho

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Letting agencies join forces to create franchise supergroup

Letting agencies join forces to create franchise supergroup

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The Property Franchise Group (TPFG) and Belvoir Group have agreed to a merger to create a wide-reaching property franchise business.

Drugs gang hid behind student lets firm to make millions

Drugs gang hid behind student lets firm to make millions

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An organised crime group which used a student letting firm as a front for their multi-million-pound empire have been guilty of drug offences.

Wales on track to license all holiday homes

Wales on track to license all holiday homes

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All short-term lets in Wales will soon have to be registered and licensed under plans announced by the Welsh government.

New year heralds brighter BTL mortgage outlook

New year heralds brighter BTL mortgage outlook

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Mortgage market drama should subside this year, thanks to stable property prices, strong rental demand, rising rents and softening mortgage interest rates.

Warning: New-look Scottish rent controls risk backfiring

Warning: New-look Scottish rent controls risk backfiring

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A new adjudication process for rent controls in Scotland could add further layers of bureaucracy without benefitting landlords or tenants.

Legal case: rent repayment orders - honesty the best policy

Legal case: rent repayment orders - honesty the best policy

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A Rent Repayment Order (RRO) is an order that allows a tenant or local authority to reclaim rent or housing benefit where a landlord rents out an unlicensed property such as a house in multiple occupation (HMO). Rent Repayment Orders are obtained through a residential property t

Landlords forced to take a hit on costs by asking lower rents

Landlords forced to take a hit on costs by asking lower rents

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More landlords are being forced to reduce advertised rents in the cost-of-living crisis.

Council bids to buy more private rented homes

Council bids to buy more private rented homes

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A council plans to buy 65 private rental properties through its housing company in a bid to address the shortage of homes.

Disgruntled landlords threaten licensing scheme boycott

Disgruntled landlords threaten licensing scheme boycott

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Landlords in Middlesbrough have vowed to fight plans to expand selective licensing and a fee hike.

WARNING: Abolishing ASTs will push landlords into short lets sector

WARNING: Abolishing ASTs will push landlords into short lets sector

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Removing fixed-term tenancies will drive up rents as landlords switch to short-term lets, warns Propertymark.

Landlord fined £22,600 after ignoring tenant safety warnings

Landlord fined £22,600 after ignoring tenant safety warnings

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A landlord with multiple properties in Bootle has been ordered to pay £22,630 for ignoring safety risks that left his tenants facing imminent danger.

Many tenants are becoming 'unrentable' says leading figure

Many tenants are becoming 'unrentable' says leading figure

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A significant number of people seeking properties to rent are finding themselves excluded and forced to live in temporary accommodation, it has been claimed, as landlords be become more risk averse.

Environmental health officers call for stronger landlord licencing

Environmental health officers call for stronger landlord licencing

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The Chartered Institute of Environmental Health (CIEH) has backed calls for better funding of councils’ housing enforcement and stronger selective licensing.

Landlords slam Labour's plan to tighten arrears eviction rules

Landlords slam Labour's plan to tighten arrears eviction rules

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Landlords have criticised the Government’s plan to raise the minimum period of rent arrears from two to three months before they can be served notice to repossess.

'Lease us your rented homes', Welsh Government urges landlords

'Lease us your rented homes', Welsh Government urges landlords

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The Welsh Government wants landlords to lease their empty properties to local councils in a bid to boost the number of affordable homes within its private rented sector.

New housing committee chair promises to 'hold Government to account'

New housing committee chair promises to 'hold Government to account'

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Labour MP Florence Eshalomi has promised to hold the government to account in her new role as chair of the Housing, Communities and Local Government Committee.

Big Midlands town reveals selective licencing plans

Big Midlands town reveals selective licencing plans

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Mansfield is the latest major district council to reveal plans for a large selective licencing scheme.

Don't increase CGT for landlords, auctioneers urge Chancellor

Don't increase CGT for landlords, auctioneers urge Chancellor

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Auctioneers have urged the government not to increase Capital Gains Tax at a time when confidence is returning to the housing market.

'System is skewed in favour of tenants, not landlords'

'System is skewed in favour of tenants, not landlords'

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A landlord struggling with an eviction has spoken out against the system which he says is heavily skewed in favour of tenants.

Number of landlords selling up gathers pace, says sobering report

Number of landlords selling up gathers pace, says sobering report

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Almost half of landlords have sold a property in the last year or plan to do so, according to the latest sobering industry survey.

Tenant campaigners call for landlords to pay compensation for evictions

Tenant campaigners call for landlords to pay compensation for evictions

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Tenants’ groups want the government to also introduce longer protected periods.

Can landlords afford property refurbishments and EPC upgrades?

Can landlords afford property refurbishments and EPC upgrades?

Information
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Property refurbishments are becoming increasingly important for landlords as the Government prepares to force the sector to upgrade properties to minimum levels of energy performance by 2030.

Banning Section 21 evictions will be 'catastrophe' say 75% of landlords

Banning Section 21 evictions will be 'catastrophe' say 75% of landlords

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The majority of landlords (75%) are very concerned about plans to abolish no-fault evictions, labelling it “a catastrophe”.

More must be done to stop rogue tenants, says exiting landlord

More must be done to stop rogue tenants, says exiting landlord

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A fed-up landlord wants the government to legislate for more stringent referencing after being hit by rent dodging and criminal tenants.

Compliance – can you afford to get it wrong?

Compliance – can you afford to get it wrong?

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Landlords and agents could face fines of up to £40,000 for breaching new rules set to be introduced as part of the Government’s Renters’ Rights Bill.

Landlord wins battle with council over leasehold survey costs

Landlord wins battle with council over leasehold survey costs

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Nottingham Council has been told to hand back more than £2,800 to landlord Mick Roberts after a court ruled it had overcharged for lease extension surveys.

Shelter boss and architect of Section 21 ban to stand down

Shelter boss and architect of Section 21 ban to stand down

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Shelter chief executive Polly Neate is to leave the homelessness charity next March after more than seven years.

Could this £15 box help reduce damp and mould in rented homes?

Could this £15 box help reduce damp and mould in rented homes?

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A trade association’s new tech solution aims to help landlords identify and resolve the root causes of damp and mould in rented properties.

Should I think about passing on wealth before the budget?

Should I think about passing on wealth before the budget?

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Will you be passing on your hard-earned wealth to the next generation before the budget, you don't have long

Cut NOT increase red tape for landlords, say mortgage lenders

Cut NOT increase red tape for landlords, say mortgage lenders

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Reducing red tape for landlords would boost the supply of private rental properties, curb rent increases and create better quality housing for tenants, according to lenders’ trade body UK Finance.

Labour's EPC upgrade plans will cost landlords £21.4 billion

Labour's EPC upgrade plans will cost landlords £21.4 billion

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Private landlords face a £21.4 billion bill to bring their properties up to the proposed EPC C rating by 2030.

Rent repayment order fines to double under Labour

Rent repayment order fines to double under Labour

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Rogue landlords face being forced to pay back up to 24 months’ rent as part of a shake-up of Rent Repayment Orders under the new Renters’ Rights Bill.

CLAIM: 'Future of portfolio landlording is HMOs and multi-unit blocks'

CLAIM: 'Future of portfolio landlording is HMOs and multi-unit blocks'

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News
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Aspiring portfolio landlords are increasingly targeting higher yielding multi-unit blocks (MUB) and HMOs rather than traditional flats and semis.

Welsh clampdown on holiday lets and second homes 'not working'

Welsh clampdown on holiday lets and second homes 'not working'

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The Welsh government's attempts to persaude second home owners to sell up isn't working and instead is damaging local tourism economies, a leading tourism figure has claimed.