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
A clear explanation of ITZA and rent review zoning — why old ITZA measurements may not always apply in new rent reviews.
Learn how a Calderbank offer can help landlords settle disputes and avoid costly rent review referrals.
According to research from the NLA, 4 in 10 landlords are either seriously considering forming a limited company or looking into the option in the coming months.Can you - and more importantly should you - set up a company to pay less tax? Heres my complete guide on becoming incorporated.<stron
What heating system should you use in your rental property? Is there a heating system that could solve landlords condensation claims problems?Its one of the most important questions to ask when letting a property for the first time. Whatever system you choose carries implications for the ef
The Residential Landlords Association (RLA) and the National Landlords Association (NLA) have called on the classified online listings service Gumtree to issue clear guidance over possible scams involving bogus letting scams.The warning has been issued to Gumtree by the NLA and the RLA after f
At rent review, the phrase 'going to arbitration' is often bandied about during negotiations as a means for one party to get its own way. Whether or not the parties can agree the rent without involving the dispute resolution procedure, it is common for a represented or experienced party to inv
From the 1st of October 2015 it became a statutory requirement that landlords issue all new tenants after that date with the latest edition of a Government publication The How to Rent Guide�, along with a current Energy Performance Certificate (EPC) and a current Gas Safety
From 1st February 2016 all new tenants in England must be given Right-to-Rent (Immigration) Checks to determine their "right-to-rent" or "right-to-reside" in the country, BEFORE they can be given a tenancy. Landlords or letting agents must do the checks - letting agents where the
This is a Guide to Tax Deductible Letting Expenses for Landlords under the new tax rules following the Summer Budget 2015. These may be subject to change and you are advised to consult a tax specialist before making any decisions.From April 2016 landlords will no longer be able to automatically d
An Edinburgh landlord set-up hidden cameras in the bedroom and bathroom of his flat, to film people in bed and in the shower.The cameras were discovered by a young couple, friends of the landlord who allowed them to use the accommodation. The couple found a box on the living room table with a cam
Amongst the ways to agree or ascertain the (open) market rent at rent review or on renewal of a lease, (per s.34-s35 Landlord and Tenant Act 1954), is the use of comparable evidence.At rent review, the market rent for the premises is not what rent the actual tenant would agree or could afford, bu
There are two instances of section 20 notices in property in England:(1) is the notice served in relation to early shorthold tenancies under the Housing Act 1988, and the other,(2) refers to section 20 of the Landlord and Tenant Act 1985, as amended by the Commonhold and Leasehold Reform Act (CLR
Who pays for maintenance and repairs in a residential letting, landlord or tenant?Is it, for example, a tenants responsibility once they occupy my building to look after most of the regular house maintenance items? If the fridge stops working does the tenant or the landlord need to repair it?Y
With commercial property, rent reviews are generally to the open market rent, but sometimes the rent would be adjusted to the Retail Price Index (RPI). RPI is generally considered more favourable to landlords than CPI or other methodologies.There is no link between open market rent and inflatio
Amongst the thorny issues in the relationship between landlord and tenant is the building insurance premium. Unlike residential property where the landlord has a vested interest in making sure the premium is competitive, because more than likely the premium would not be recoverable from the tenan
Theres recently been a spate of press reports and political wrangling about the existence of Zero-Hour Contracts. This has become something of a hot political issue as we approach a general election, and one surprising development is recent attempts to embroil landlords in the issue, as if the
Traditionally, with commercial (business) leases, a contractual provision within the lease specifies the use, or uses to which a property may be put and the uses which are prohibited.The formal classification of Uses� are set out in the Town and Country Planning (Use Classes) Order 1987 as a
A landlord firm which tried to argue that its agent was responsible for failing to organise an additional HMO licence has been handed a £19,753 rent repayment order.
A holiday lets platform used by thousands of landlords to generate income has come under fire over ‘ghost’ properties.
There is some uncertainty to what it actually means in practice until the details are written down but could the proposed hardship test mean even if your tenants won’t pay their rent, you will not be able to evict them if that makes them homeless or financially disadvantaged?
North Yorkshire Council has adopted a new housing enforcement policy to ensure all private rental properties across the county are up to scratch, the first time this has happened.
A tenant accused of murdering her landlord and stabbing his cat to death has been remanded in custody.
A property raffle has just handed out another £500,000 to a lucky winner to buy their dream house.
Hackney Council has been called out for continuing to process additional and selective landlord licence applications five months after both schemes ended.
The UK commercial real estate sector has faced significant challenges recently due to changing trends, will recent signs of a turnaround continue?
A rogue landlord and also letting agent who let out grotty and overcrowded properties has been handed the first banning order in Essex.
Exeter is considering extending its Article 4 direction to help manage the impact of the citys student population. The current Article 4 restricting landlords rights to convert properties into HMOs is in an area close to the University of Exeters Streatham and S
Leading figures on both sides of the private rented sector have agreed that the Renters Reform Bill, along with the Governments other changes including tax relief, are driving landlords into the short lets market. The comments were made during a debate chaired by former North
The Minsitry of Justice has blamed a 23% jump in the number of private landlord possession during the first three months of the year on the Welsh PRS reforms, although volumes are still below pre-Covid levels. Quarterly figures from the Ministry of Justice show that claims
Experts Sean Hooker and Kate Faulkner discuss the Renters (Reform) Bill and its impact on landlords and tenants in the private rented sector.
Running a storage rentals business, supplying and letting space for inanimate objects, as opposed to people, is potentially far more lucrative and a lot less troublesome than operating as a residential landlord. The UK self-storage industry has grown steadily over the last twent
At least 410 buy-to-let mortgaged properties were repossessed in the first quarter of 2023, 28% higher than in the previous quarter - the highest level since the start of the pandemic. https://www.ukfinance.org.uk/" UK Finance reports that 970 buy-to-let mortg
A https://www.landlordzone.co.uk/news/court-fines-unlucky-but-rogue-landlord-12000-over-unlicensed-hmo/" rogue landlord who illegally subdivided his property into seven separate flats has been ordered to pay back more than �110,000 through the Proceeds of Crime Act.<br><
Buy-to-let landlords could add the cost of making properties more https://www.landlordzone.co.uk/news/landlords-rush-to-offload-their-energy-poor-properties/" energy efficient onto their mortgage in an initiative to make more UK homes greener. https:/
In the second in a series of blogs for LandlordZONE on rental reform, Sean Hooker , Head of Redress at the https://www.theprs.co.uk/" <e
Tenants could effectively move in and give notice the same day under proposals in the https://www.landlordzone.co.uk/news/renters-reform-bill-we-take-a-first-look-at-the-radical-new-legislation/" Renters (Reform) Bill . The draft legislation scraps assured shor
Private landlords across the UK have found themselves in hot water, and its no surprise that many are rushing to sell their property portfolios. A recent article by the BBC reported that private landlords had expressed critical concerns that their rents wont cover the cost
Court reforms and extra funding are needed if the governments overhaul of the evictions process is to succeed, warn landlord groups and eviction specialists. It has promised to abolish section 21 no fault evictions as part of the https://www.landlordzone.c
A new ombudsman known as the landlord redress scheme - and property portal would be compulsory for all private sector landlords.
First look at the Renters (Reform) Bill: groundbreaking tenant protections, streamlined landlord redress & flexible ‘pets-in-lets’ rules.
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
Michael Gove approves relaxed HMO rules for asylum seeker housing, exempting safety standards and licensing; critics warn of potential exploitation.
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 lacking landlord licensing know‑how put landlords at risk — vital compliance gaps exposed.
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
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 pledges stricter Decent Homes Standard 2 for private landlords, raising property quality and accountability ahead of next general election.
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
The much-delayed Renters Reform Bill is rumoured to be getting its first reading tomorrow after Prime Ministers Questions, although the 'full meat' of the proposals will come later. Rumoured to be renamed the Rented Homes Bill or Renters (Reform) Bill, landlords are waitin
The Government is to finally introduce its long-delayed renting reforms into parliament later today following Prime Ministers Questions (PMQs) in the Commons. The Bill, which is to be called the Renters (Reform) Bill, will get its first reading just aft
A tenancy deposit affordacility crisis is looming as new data reveals that nearly a third of renters are borrowing money to pay for them, new research shows. The poll of 1,000 tenants reveals how they are using credit cards, personal loans, overdrafts and family loans to scrape
