Date

Library

Thank you! Your submission has been received!
Oops! Something went wrong while submitting the form.
Thank you! Your submission has been received!
Oops! Something went wrong while submitting the form.

UK's only city-wide licencing scheme 'gets tough' on landlords

UK's only city-wide licencing scheme 'gets tough' on landlords

News

Landlords in Oxford who fail to sign up to the city’s licensing scheme are being threatened with fines and enforcement action after a year of relative ‘grace’.

REPORT: Will lower inflation lead to lower BTL mortgage rates?

REPORT: Will lower inflation lead to lower BTL mortgage rates?

News

Falling UK inflation could herald some good news for BTL landlords over the coming months, according to mortgage experts.

A reminder for landlords that electrical safety checks are mandatory

A reminder for landlords that electrical safety checks are mandatory

Information

Until recently landlords only had to concern themselves gas safety checks - but now all residential landlords or their agents must arrange for regular electrical safety checks (every 5 years)

Court approves tough bankcruptcy limits on 'property guru'

Court approves tough bankcruptcy limits on 'property guru'

News

Infamous property guru Glenn Armstrong, who misled dozens of investors by promising to make them rich, has been handed tough bankruptcy restrictions lasting 12 years.

Tenant pockets £5,000 from Tribunal after realising HMO was unlicenced

Tenant pockets £5,000 from Tribunal after realising HMO was unlicenced

News

A tenant who discovered that his landlord had not licenced the HMO in which he lived is to pocket £5,000 after winning a rent repayment order (RRO) during a Tribunal hearing.

Spring Budget shortfalls: What was missing for landlords?

Spring Budget shortfalls: What was missing for landlords?

Opinion

In what was likely his last Budget Statement before the next General Election, Jeremy Hunt announced his plans for tax, housing, and cost-of-living measures. Where did the Budget fall short for the private rented market (PRS)?

Murder conviction bars landlord from running rental properties

Murder conviction bars landlord from running rental properties

News

A landlord who was jailed for culpable homicide in 2008 has been refused permission to rent out flats in Glasgow, despite claiming he has taken ‘responsibility for his actions’ and moved on.

Escalating 'housing emergencies' are Government's fault, say Scots letting agents

Escalating 'housing emergencies' are Government's fault, say Scots letting agents

News

Letting agents have blamed poor Scottish government policies for the growing number of councils declaring ‘housing emergencies’.

Heat pumps still 'too expensive' warns national spending watchdog

Heat pumps still 'too expensive' warns national spending watchdog

News

Heat pump sales continue to be hampered by high costs, lown awareness and a lack of long-term financial support, the government’s spending watchdog has warned.

Thank you! Your submission has been received!
Oops! Something went wrong while submitting the form.

Shadow chancellor backs selective licencing expansion

Shadow chancellor backs selective licencing expansion

News
News
Podcast
Opinion
Sponsored
Information

Labour’s shadow chancellor Rachel Reeves has backed the expansion of a selective licencing scheme within her local constituency.

The compulsory registration of leases with the Land Registry

The compulsory registration of leases with the Land Registry

News
News
Podcast
Opinion
Sponsored
Information

Since October 2003 tenants have been obliged, as a tenant of a commercial or residential leasehold property, to formally register the lease with the Land Registry

2.8m bookings in three months! Official data reveals hottest holiday let areas

2.8m bookings in three months! Official data reveals hottest holiday let areas

News
News
Podcast
Opinion
Sponsored
Information

Short-let property owners in Cornwall, Edinburgh and Westminster had the most bookings in the UK last summer.

Smaller landlords 'need protection from rogues too' says Trading Standards

Smaller landlords 'need protection from rogues too' says Trading Standards

News
News
Podcast
Opinion
Sponsored
Information

Smaller landlords need as much protection as tenants, a Lords committee inquiry into the regulation of property agents has been told.

'Squeezing holiday lets will not solve housing crisis'

'Squeezing holiday lets will not solve housing crisis'

News
News
Podcast
Opinion
Sponsored
Information

Holiday let owners are being unfairly scapegoated in the guise of controlling rising house prices and availability, according to one holiday rental agency.

Council and police step in to help landlord evict nightmare tenant

Council and police step in to help landlord evict nightmare tenant

News
News
Podcast
Opinion
Sponsored
Information

Liverpool City Council and Merseyside Police have stepped in to help a landlord evict his nightmare tenant.

Student housing sector 'in crisis' warns coalition of providers

Student housing sector 'in crisis' warns coalition of providers

News
News
Podcast
Opinion
Sponsored
Information

The Government is doing too little to support the student landlords and many places are short of accommodation for second- and third-year graduates, a new poll has found.

'Hostility to landlords has cost Scotland 22,000 rental properties'

'Hostility to landlords has cost Scotland 22,000 rental properties'

News
News
Podcast
Opinion
Sponsored
Information

Almost 22,000 homes may have been lost in Scotland during the last year due to perceived hostility towards landlords and concerns over increasing regulation.

Landlord must pay back £20,000 to posh tenants, says Tribunal

Landlord must pay back £20,000 to posh tenants, says Tribunal

News
News
Podcast
Opinion
Sponsored
Information

An absentee landlord who used the excuse of not speaking good English and delegated property management to a family member has been stung with a £20,700 rent repayment order.

Landlords angry over council's property licencing U-turn

Landlords angry over council's property licencing U-turn

News
News
Podcast
Opinion
Sponsored
Information

A big NE of England council is considering supplementing its landlord-led scheme with selective licensing in large parts of the town.

Landlord home buying slumps to lowest level for 13 years

Landlord home buying slumps to lowest level for 13 years

News
News
Podcast
Opinion
Sponsored
Information

Landlords are selling more homes than they’re buying, according to Hamptons’ monthly letting index, although the sell-off is slowing down.

Debate rages: Will banning Section 21 evictions reduce supply?

Debate rages: Will banning Section 21 evictions reduce supply?

News
News
Podcast
Opinion
Sponsored
Information

Fears that banning section 21 will harm the PRS in England are entirely misplaced, based on contradictory evidence in Scotland, according to The Social Market Foundation (SMF).

Tax liability – how to minimise it as a landlord

Tax liability – how to minimise it as a landlord

Sponsored
News
Podcast
Opinion
Sponsored
Information

As a landlord, you want to ensure your property business is as profitable as possible – and that means minimising your tax liability, so you don’t pay HMRC any more than you need to. Here are some options that can help you do that.

Tenants using the home to run a business - how safe are you?

Tenants using the home to run a business - how safe are you?

News
News
Podcast
Opinion
Sponsored
Information

The Landlord and Tenant Act 1954 Part II provides security of tenure to tenants of premises occupied for business purposes, or mixed residential and business purposes. Under the provisions of the 54 Act, it is possible for a lease or tenancy of a property, used for both resid

A new wave of investors rush in to buy properties off landlords looking to sell

A new wave of investors rush in to buy properties off landlords looking to sell

Sponsored
News
Podcast
Opinion
Sponsored
Information

After a slew of bad news, this week’s headlines come as a welcome relief for landlords looking to sell. The Telegraph reported that despite higher rates and regulatory risks around rentals, a wave of new investors had entered the market, stepping in to take portfolios off landlords’ hands.

Airbnb service for landlords raises £1.75m but still isn't profitable

Airbnb service for landlords raises £1.75m but still isn't profitable

News
News
Podcast
Opinion
Sponsored
Information

A business that rents out properties via Airbnb on behalf of landlords has raised another £1.75 million from investors, taking its total raised since 2016 to £12 million.

Record year for build-to-rent construction, says Savills

Record year for build-to-rent construction, says Savills

News
News
Podcast
Opinion
Sponsored
Information

The Build-To-Rent (BTR) sector now accounts for 10% of all UK real estate investment after a record-breaking year.

Gove reveals plans to slash ground rents for ALL leasehold properties

Gove reveals plans to slash ground rents for ALL leasehold properties

News
News
Podcast
Opinion
Sponsored
Information

The government has launched plans to slash ground rents on existing leaseholds as part of a consultation into widescale reform.

Evictions taking over six months on average, says MoJ

Evictions taking over six months on average, says MoJ

News
News
Podcast
Opinion
Sponsored
Information

County courts are taking over half a year on average to process legitimate evictions by landlords and agents, it has been revealed.

Student landlord slams council over 'unfair' £45,000 licencing fee

Student landlord slams council over 'unfair' £45,000 licencing fee

News
News
Podcast
Opinion
Sponsored
Information

A property management company has slammed its local council for charging a student accommodation block nearly £45,000 under the selective licensing scheme.

LibDems promise to give landlords tax breaks for green upgrades

LibDems promise to give landlords tax breaks for green upgrades

News
News
Podcast
Opinion
Sponsored
Information

Landlords should be allowed to offset spending on insulation and energy-saving improvements against tax, according to the Liberal Democrats.

Landlord mortgage arrears jump by 29%, official figures show

Landlord mortgage arrears jump by 29%, official figures show

News
News
Podcast
Opinion
Sponsored
Information

The tough economic conditions bearing down on landlords are starting to push up mortgage arrears, latest data from lenders’ trade body UK Finance has revealed.

Mystery shopper research 'proves landlords racially profile applicants' - claim

Mystery shopper research 'proves landlords racially profile applicants' - claim

News
News
Podcast
Opinion
Sponsored
Information

New research by Generation Rent reveals that white people are 36% more likely to receive a positive response when applying to rent on SpareRoom than black people.

Agents report fewer landlord instructions as 'unintended consequences' kick in

Agents report fewer landlord instructions as 'unintended consequences' kick in

News
News
Podcast
Opinion
Sponsored
Information

Signs that the Government’s assault on landlords coupled with higher mortgage costs are chasing more out of the market than usual have come from the Royal Institute of Chartered Surveyors (RICS) this morning.

Tory MP says court delays MUST be fixed before Section 21 is abolished

Tory MP says court delays MUST be fixed before Section 21 is abolished

News
News
Podcast
Opinion
Sponsored
Information

Tory MP and former cabinet minister Theresa Villiers (main picture) has warned her own Government that the ongoing delays within the court system risk persuading more landlords to leave the sector and worsen the already acute rented home supply problem.

New way to control HMOs revealed in Coventry - but will rest of UK follow suit?

New way to control HMOs revealed in Coventry - but will rest of UK follow suit?

News
News
Podcast
Opinion
Sponsored
Information

Coventry Council is hailing its crackdown on unlicensed HMOs a success after it fined landlords more than £100,000 in just two of the city’s streets.

Notorious landlord to pay staggering £480,000 fine over damp HMO

Notorious landlord to pay staggering £480,000 fine over damp HMO

News
News
Podcast
Opinion
Sponsored
Information

A notorious rogue landlord and his property management company have been handed a staggering £480,000 fine for renting out an HMO so damp that mushrooms were growing on the upper floors.

Property market 'past peak pain' but values still down 7% in 12 months

Property market 'past peak pain' but values still down 7% in 12 months

News
News
Podcast
Opinion
Sponsored
Information

The UK’s housing market is past ‘peak pain’ after a rollercoaster 12 months and is forecast to grow by 17.9% – equivalent to a £45,521 gain on the average home – within five years.

Airbnb 'irresponsible' for encouraging tenants to sublet rented homes

Airbnb 'irresponsible' for encouraging tenants to sublet rented homes

News
News
Podcast
Opinion
Sponsored
Information

A legal expert has warned that landlords face prosecution for running illegal HMOs if tenants follow Airbnb’s suggestion that they sub-let their homes.

Landlords WILL get eviction certainy from reform Bill, King tells MPs

Landlords WILL get eviction certainy from reform Bill, King tells MPs

News
News
Podcast
Opinion
Sponsored
Information

King Charles has heralded the government’s commitment to the Renters Reform Bill in his first King’s speech as monarch.

'Short-lets offer returns of up to five times traditional rents'

'Short-lets offer returns of up to five times traditional rents'

News
News
Podcast
Opinion
Sponsored
Information

Homes bought by landlords to rent out via short-let contracts create gross returns of between 12% and 20%, an estate agency has claimed.

The Section 21 Ban, will it progress?

The Section 21 Ban, will it progress?

News
News
Podcast
Opinion
Sponsored
Information

Will the Renters (Reform) Bill progress and ban Section 21, despite mounting opposition from Conservative back-benchers?

Landlord fined thousands AGAIN for same offence in same building

Landlord fined thousands AGAIN for same offence in same building

News
News
Podcast
Opinion
Sponsored
Information

A rogue landlord firm has been handed a £18,300 fine for letting out an unsafe, unlicensed property - only three months after being fined for the same offence in the same building.

Concern mounts over Government's 'weak' leasehold reforms

Concern mounts over Government's 'weak' leasehold reforms

News
News
Podcast
Opinion
Sponsored
Information

New leasehold reform legislation faces tough scrutiny from MPs and leasehold groups who are frustrated by an expectation that it will only cover houses, not flats.