Tenant Agreement: The Law of Property Act 1925 talks about having a maximum of 4 tenants on an agreement. So what to do when you have 5, 6 or more tenants sharing a house?There is a common misunderstanding of the rules here. Landlords and agents sometimes think or have heard
Advance Rent: Piggot v Slaven and Johnson v. OldThere are two important cases which clarify (though not necessarily decisively) the position on landlords accepting rent payments in advance. One concerns the accepting of the final two months rent in advance, a common devi
Following some confusion and debate about a deferral for the new standards following the MEES* deadline in April 2018, the new government has confirmed that changes to the EPC rules, preventing landlords from renting out homes below rating E, will definitely be introduced from April 2018.Accordin
Responsibility for Repairs: Who is responsible and who is obliged to pay for repairs to leasehold blocks and flats? What is the procedure if repairs are unnecessarily delayed or not carried out to the leaseholders satisfaction? What is the Section 20 procedure?T
Essential guide on how to conduct a rent review, covering key clauses and best practices to protect landlord and tenant interests.
Test Case Yeomans v Newell [2016]:When a landlord is in breach of the tenancy deposit rules he or she is prevented from serving a valid s21 notice for possession proceedings. Despite the fact that the tenancy deposit legislation has been in force since April 2007, landlords
Test Case: Superstrike Ltd v Marino. RodriguesThe case involved a landlord who had taken a deposit from the tenant before the deposit protection rules came into force in April 2007, since changed by the Deregulation Act 2015 see below. When the tenancy later became a st
Test Case: Leeds City Council v Broadley [2016]This case and the subsequent High Court ruling has brought some clarification about who is liable to pay council tax, tenant or landlord, when a rental property is vacant due to a tenant vacating early, that is, before the tena
Ending a Tenancy: What are the rules governing the ending of a statutory periodic tenancy (SPT) by the tenant, especially when the periods of the tenancy are not the standard 1 month?The answer to this question is not easily defined as it is not covered by one rule or a sing
Deposit Scheme Scam: Mydeposits says it is aware of a new scam being used by a fraudulent company imitating mydeposits and targeting landlords and letting agent members of the mydeposits Custodial scheme in England & Wales.The scam uses an email which imitates one from m
Freezing Pipes: This time of year, as we head towards colder weather and freezing conditions, buy-to-let properties and indeed all rental properties are vulnerable to potentially expensive winter water damageIn this article digital inventory app developer Imfuna Le
Guide to commercial tenancy rent-free periods and full repairing leases, explaining tenant obligations on lease expiry or termination.
Landlords and letting agents should by now be conversant with the 2014 regulations on blinds and curtains and the measures necessary to prevent accidents with children. It is particularly important to ensure that blinds and curtains supplied in rental properties meet these regulations, otherwise,
Changes to the law on Section 21 and in particular how landlords deal with reported repair issues is now of crucial importance if section 21 claims for possession are to be successful. Careful pre-planning is now essential at the time of setting-up Assured Shorthold Tenancies (AST).The Section 21
Understand how to assess tenant covenant strength and why it’s key to commercial property investment decisions.
I have always found the holding deposit (an initial retainer paid to the landlord or agent to reserve a tenancy) is a very useful device to commit the tenant to your letting. But is it legal to withhold the advance deposit you take from a prospective tenant if they back out?In my experience a pro
What do I need to do when I protect my tenant/s deposit? If you take a deposit from your tenant/s you MUST protect the deposit and serve your tenants with the correct documentation within 30 days or face having to pay a fine and the prospect that you cannot use the s21 evict
There are said to be over a million British houses using wood burning stoves. Some of these are in rental properties and owners and tenants will want to be aware of the law changes on wood burning which were introduced this year. You could be penalised if you own or buy a wood-b
Facebook Marketplace has come under fire once more for helping facilitate rental scams, this time during a BBC One Rip-Off Britain investigation aired this morning. The programme highlighted two examples of rental scams, both of whic
A portfolio landlord and property educator has vowed to keep posting on social media despite receiving hundreds of spiteful troll messages every day. Rick Gannon, who has a �7 million portfolio with 140 tenants mainly around Worcester and also runs a training company which teac
Landlords selling up or re-letting is now the biggest cause of homelessness among renters in England and not rising rents. New Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities data reveals that 31,090 households were threatened with homelessness be
Oxford has received Secretary of State approval for its controversial new selective licensing scheme covering half the city, after it was first announced in August 2020. All private rented homes (49.3% of the citys housing stock) will need a licence from 1st September. Oxford
A new government consultation aims to study whether its planned Energy Bills Support Scheme (EBSS) will treat all tenants fairly. The scheme, announced in February as part of a package of support to help domestic energy customers with the costs of rising energy bills, starts in
Rent rises should be banned and Section 21 and Section 8 evictions suspended until the cost of living crisis subsides, says tenants advocacy group Generation Rent . The organisation also wants to see landlords banned from requestin
Durham Council waited three weeks after launching its selective licensing scheme to share the news on its website potentially leaving some landlords in the dark. Despite announcing it had won approval back in December for a launch on 1st April, the council
As reported by Bdaily's Members' News, Coventry-based commercial property agent Bromwich Hardy says that the market in key parts of the midlands is now becoming highly competitive and just as active are markets further south. Across the regions agents are finding that demand is running ahea
Scots Conservative Thomas Heald bangs the drum for the private rented sector and rejects rent controls as solution to high rents.
Landlords face rising taxes, regulations, and costs - prompting many to sell up. Is government policy pushing small landlords out of the
We explore what happens next to the Renters’ Rights’ Bill following Monday's debate in parliament.
A heavily contested selective licensing scheme is to go ahead in Scunthorpe after landlords lost their High Court battle to stop it.
Tariq Mahmood Khan faces the ultimate sanction after being convicted for failing to comply with a prohibition order - again.
More than one million extra renters might get a pet when the Renters’ Rights Bill takes effect, according to new research.
PRS REIT enters £631.6M sale, highlighting growing institutional interest and potential shifts in the UK rental market.
Renters' Rights Bill is to get Royal Assent very soon unmolested by any major amendments, last night's Parliamenatry debate revealed.
Thurrock landlords will be hit by a pricey new HMO licensing scheme as number of new schemes this year hits record
New housing secretary's critical views of landlords revealed by previous speeches and voting record in parliament.
Southampton's former Lord Mayor has made controversial comments about some of city's landlords.
With the impending implementation of the Renters’ Rights Act, Section 21 evictions are now on borrowed time
Landlords have a new housing secretary after Steve Reed was confirmed in the role following the resignation of Angela Rayner.
Sticky back plastic tiles have been singled out as the biggest scourge faced by landlords at the end of a tenancy.
Three quarter of property investors have not welcomed the Government's planning reforms, saying they won't get Britain building.
Landlords in Scotland are encouraged by the new Housing Secretary’s willingness to collaborate but remain concerned abou rent controls.
Housing secretary has resigned from her three roles, admitting her actions didn't meet the highest standards given her senior position in Government.
Seven in ten landlords are now open to tenants personalising their homes, while a third of tenants get involved in decoration plans.
Leaks, alarms and boiler breakdowns are the most common problems facing tenants and property managers, according to new research.
The chance of Angela Rayner losing her job overseeing the housing market are growing following new revelations.
LandlordZONE's Nigel Lewis looks at Labour's odd obsession with landlording 'not being real work'.
Landlords who operate HMOs collect rents almost twice as much as those who operate ‘family homes’, new research shows.
The Renters’ Rights Bill is now almost certain to become law before the political parties break for the party conference season.
HMRC spot checks – “fishing expeditions” – what they mean for you and how to be prepared
Battersea Cats and Dogs Home has warned Labour not to allow landlords to demand that tenants take out pet deposits.
