Bristol has approved plans to extend landlord licensing in Brislington West, Bedminster and Horfield wards in a bid to raise PRS standards. The scheme includes additional licensing - HMOs with three or more unrelated people sharing facilities and selective licensing - privat
Durham County Council's selective licensing scheme covers 29,000 homes, requiring landlords to apply by 31 July for a £350–£500 licence fee.
This is a Local Government and Social Care Ombudsman case involving an unnamed landlord (LandlordX or MrX) and Brentwood Borough Council. The case revolves around a common situation where the landlord required possession of the property after serving a valid section 21 notice un
I've been in the property investment business for almost 30 years and during this period opportunities have come and gone but I've yet to discover an asset class that perf
Ever since I started to market one of my commercial buildings around 10 years ago now, I began to doubt the efficacy of the EPC rating system. The guy that came along to do the inspection told me himself he had just completed a 6 week course, or whatever it was, to train to be a
Social and private landlords are to face tougher new rules which make it mandatory to fit smoke alarms in all rented accommodation regardless of tenure, and widen the conditions under which they must be fitted. Revisions to the smoke and carbon monoxide detector regulations also
If you had �50k to invest right now, where would you put it, buy-to-let property or stocks and shares? Certainly leaving it in a traditional savings account, with interest rates as they are at rock bottom, thats out of the question. And with the threat of rising inflation ea
Research carried out by LandlordZONEs insurance partner, Hamilton Fraser Total Landlord Insurance, revealed that the vast majority of landlords, https://hamiltonfraser.co.uk/knowledge/good-landlord-quiz-results/?utm_source=landlordzone&utm_medium=article&utm_campaign=lz_november
The move to provide home heating and hot water by this method is part of a Government strategy aimed at making deep cuts to greenhouse gas emissions and decarbonizing the UK's power sector by 2035. Prime Minister Boris Johnson says the scheme was designed to bring low-carbon hea
Tenants facing eviction in England are to be protected from losing their homes during the Christmas and New Year period, HM Courts and Tribunal has confirmed. Between 13th December and 10th January no evictions should be s
Some holiday lets owners are gaming the system to claim business rate relief, comments made by the Housing Minister Lord Greenhalgh suggest, who has promised action to clamp down on the practice. In a Lords debate on second homes, peers voiced concerns that second homeo
A company that houses asylum seekers has been fined more than �60,000 for HMO offences in Newport. Clearsprings Ready Homes, which has the contract for operating accommodation for asylum seekers in Wales, was found guilty of letting an HMO in Redland Street (pictured), in the B
The Minimum Energy Performance of Buildings Bill, which aimed to advance the governments energy efficiency commitments, is in doubt following the tragic death of David Amess MP. He was the presentation bills main sponsor in the Commons, launching it at the same time as Lor
However, Carol Lewis writing for the Sunday Times newspaper thinks that holiday let owners should be paying council tax. Given that levelling up is the government's buzzword du jour, it is time to level the playing field and bring holiday-home owners in line wi
Landlords and letting agents hit by the collapse of Ash Residential Property Management Limited (ARPM) have been left struggling to claw back deposits and fees after it ceased trading last month with debts of almost �1.5m. At least 8,000 properties and their landlords are affec
HMRC warns that owners must accurately declare these earnings on their self assessment tax returns or face criminal charges if in default. A boom in bookings The Covid pandemic has stored up excess demand for stay at home Britains under the foreign holiday restrictio
Scottish landlords have until 2028 to meet energy efficiency standards but can access interest-free loans of up to �15,000 to help them spread the cost. The Scottish government has published its Heat In Building Strategy setting out that, by 2030, greenhouse gas emissions from
The so called Pandora Papers is a financial services leak of nearly 12 million documents that reveal an international treasure trove of hidden wealth, tax avoidance and money laundering, by some of the world's richest individuals. The secret files were unearthed by a Washington
Over recent years, governments have tightened lettings legislation and increased the tax burden on landlords. Add on the current cost-of-living crisis, high mortgage rates, and the Renters (Reform) Bill making its way through Parliament, some landlords are understandably beginning to wonder if it’s
Landlords and industry professionals have been invited to share their thoughts on a new professional standard aimed at helping surveyors provide useful retrofitting advice. The Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors (RICS) has launched a consultation on its draft <strong id=""
A contrite landlord has apologised to the tenant he tried to illegally evict after being rapped on the knuckles by Coventry Council. The landlord sent text messages telling his tenant to leave when they told him the rent would be late. He then visited the property and took the t
Section 21 is the biggest headline grabbing element of the Renters Reform Bill but will be the least effective pieces of the legislation. Thats according to letting agent Kristjan Byfield (main picture), co-founder ofhttps://www.baseps.co.uk/"
Shelter has this morning launched a campaign in partnership with the Co-operative Bank to persuade the Government to press ahead with its proposal to abolish Section 21 evictions. The two organisations have launched a PR stunt on Parliament Square today covering it with 172 card
New data reveals the extent of the landlord exodus prompted by the current mortgage rate surge with 36% of landlords polled revealing they plan to sell a property over the next 12 months. The proportion intending to sell some properties was at 30%, up from 28% the last tim
Landlords are increasingly likely to be renting to older tenants in the coming decade with the proportion of renters in private rented accommodation over 65 years old doubling to 11.5%, it has been reported. Letting agency Hamptons says its research reveal
A council crackdown has uncovered four unlicensed HMOs and one being used as a cannabis factory in Kettering and Corby. North Northamptonshire Council joined forces with Northamptonshire Police in a week-long inspection of 76 HMOs, four of which are still being investigated.
HMO owners and associations are being urged to support calls for a rethink of plans to remove licensing requirements for HMOs used as asylum accommodation. Property lawyer at JMW, David Smith , wants the High Court to agree to a judicial review of changes o
Former housing minister Lord Greenhalgh has expressed doubts that leasehold reforms will be included in the Kings Speech this autumn. In an interview with Leasehold Knowledge, he said that despite being very complex legislation, the background work had been don
Edinburgh council boss Cammy Day (main pic, right) has admitted that introducing licensing and new planning application rules will result in fewer holiday properties. Speaking to Australian news channel SBS, Day explai
A landlord in Buckinghamshire is the latest to receive a large fine for operating an unlicenced HMO. Ahmad Kamal Younus, who owns a rental property on Ellsworth Road in High Wycombe, was recently found guilty of five offices Wycombe Magistrate Court by District Judge Sharma, inc
A good Samaritan landlord is bucking the national trend by not raising his rents for more than 25 years. Mick Musson, who owns eight flats at the former Blue Horse Pub (inset), in Great Ponton, Lincolnshire, hasnt increased the rent since he took over the property, and now co
A new 'mechanical ventilation with heat recovery' (MVHR) system aims to provide the solution to landlords damp and mould problems. Ebacs self-managing, hands-off eco-system is designed to be installed in a loft opening and works to continually extract polluted, humi
Government acknowledges private rental sector shortage, pledges action to boost housing supply amid growing demand and affordability concerns.
In the case of B&M Retail Ltd v HSBC Bank Pension Trust (UK) Ltd [2023], The Central London County Court was asked to rule on a claim for possession by the landlord under the rules of the Landlord and Tenant Act 1954. The landlord was seeking possession against the tenant
Thousands of landlords who entered the private rented sector following the introduction of dedicated buy-to-let mortgages in 1996 are now retiring in increasing numbers, it has been revealed. Research by estate agency Hamptons reveals that some 140,000 landlords retired in 2022,
Barrows and Forrester reports UK landlords' mortgage costs rose 20–45% since 2021, outpacing rent increases, squeezing rental yields.
Plans to bring in a vast new selective licencing scheme within Brent have been given a resounding thumbs down from both landlords and, surprisingly, the London boroughs residents too. <figure id="" class="w-richtext-figure-type- " data-rt-type="" data-rt-align=""><div><img src="https:
Michael Goves plans announced yesterday to require owners of holiday lets in tourist hotspots to get planning permission for their properties has not gone down well in some quarters of the Conservative party. The https://www.landlordzone.co.uk/news/breaking-governmen
Landlords locked in a battle with Porsmouth council over its approach to shared houses have branded its recent planning decisions an anti-HMO campaign. Trouble has been brewing the city since councillors on its planning committee began overriding the councils own planni
Experts highlight widespread non-compliance with the Tenant Fees Act 2019, with many landlords and agents unlawfully charging prohibited fees.
Government to curb Airbnb boom by introducing planning permission for short‑lets in England’s holiday hotspots.
I have lost track of the number of firms offering property investment courses and investment vehicles that have gone bust in my own experience, some offering dodgy training courses or imaginative investment schemes of one sort or another, and right down to those plying outright scams. <p
TV star Paul Shamplina has defended landlords who ask tenants to provide additional referencing information such as copies of their CV or LinkedIn profiles. Appearing on TV this morning (watch below), he told presenters Eamon Holmes and Isabel Webster from GB News that in a high
A big council in the South East of England has warned landlords who dont licence their HMO properties that they face stiff fines for non-compliance. <figure id="" class="w-richtext-figure-type- " data-rt-type="" data-rt-align=""><div><img src="https://cdn.prod.website-files.com/63bef2f3c
Paragon Bank survey shows 62% of landlords support Decent Homes Standard; 74% frustrated by lack of action against substandard housing.
There have been many articles in the media stating that it will cost £5,000 to £6,000 to improve a residential landlords EPC from D to C. James Tanner, whose family operates a London-based PRS portfolio, and who also runs a https://www.jtannerproperties.c
New research within the private rented sector has unearthed surprising attitudes to rent increases among tenants. Uswitch asked 2,000 renters whether they would accept an increase when renewing their rental contract and found that on average 36% would accept an increase while 50
Private landlords face a combined bill of �17.9 billion to upgrade their properties to a minimum EPC band C by 2025, with landlords in the capital facing the largest bill at �3.2 billion. Knight Franks figures highlight the looming crunch within the private rented sector pr
Leading landlord and evictions figure Paul Shamplina has warned those seeking property investment training to be wary of courses which seem to provide easy shortcuts to success�. His comments were made over the weekend within an investigation by The Telegraph newspaper into
The UKs largest holiday home rentals website has published shocking figures that reveal the average income earned by property investors on its platform. Sykes Holiday Cottages Holiday Letting Outlook Report 2023 reveals that its average owner saw an income of �24,000 last
A First Tier Property Tribunal has slammed Nottingham Council for covering large swathes of the city with licensing schemes rather than targeting rogue landlords, a 'temptation' it says is faced by other local authorities. Justice for Tenants brought a case on behalf of a tenant
As landlords continue to exit the buy-to-let market, to the detriment of their tenants, could this rout also lead to buy-to-let mortgage lenders following their lead? This is a question posed by Chloe Cheung writing for the FT this last weekend. Its a serious question, a deve
