

Obtaining Possession Using Section 21 Notices Updated October 2016This article explains how to gain possession of your residential rental property in the most efficient way possible. You may just want your property back for your own use, or to sell, or you may be having prob
Winter Condensation: Its that time of year again, a time when tenants are most likely to complain about the mould appearing in those corners of the property where the walls and ceilings are really cold, and hot air with moisture always rises to the top. If its black mo
Tax Relief: Starting from 6th April 2017, those landlords with mortgages will have tax relief on their buy-to-let mortgage costs gradually reduce over a 4-year period.Many landlords dont have a mortgage (up to 50% it is said), so this change does not affect them, but many
Rent Arrears: At this time of year, soon after the Christmas spending spree, inevitably rent payments begin to suffer. If you are having problems with rent arrears, this article should help.As in most areas of life,prevention is better than cure . To re
Tax Return 2016-2017: As a general rule, and as outlined in the previous articles in this series on tax returns, landlords can claim the expenses of running and maintaining their rental properties.If the rent you charge includes additional services like water, or council tax
Tax Return 2016-17: With some costs its very easy to decide: a repair to a drain, downspout or roof tile are all allowable expenses, but what about replacing a broken single glazed window with a new plastic frame and double glazing, what about decorating and installing a
Penetrating damp, just as its name implies, is where water leaks into a building from outside the structure, through the walls or roof. Less common is where an internal leak from a water or drain pipe leaks into the structure of the building.Common causes of penetrating damp are: <ul <l
Fire Regulations in Rentals: There are several regulations relating to fire safety within rental dwellings; some affect all dwellings whereas others apply mainly to Houses in Multiple Occupation (HMO).This looks complicated, but fire safety management in reality boils down t
Damp & Mould: You may have seen or heard of the 1970s TV series Rising Damp, which featured a landlord and his tenants (lodgers in this case) which rather implies that all rental properties are troubled with this kind of damp.Far from the case, but some are. In fact the
Renting Standards: Specialist residential property solicitor Amanda Sutcliffe of Bray & Bray looks at the importance of keeping a rental property in good condition.Research conducted by Endsleigh Insurance and TrustMark claimed that over 75% of landlords s
Sub-Letting Licenses: (SOLITAIRE) LIMITED Appellant and CHERRY LILIAN NORTON and other cases [2012]Landlords of leasehold buy-to-let flats are often asked to pay a fee (sub-letting licence or registration fee) to the freeholder when seeking permission to sub-let their flat,
Validity of Section 21 Notice: Amak Property Investments v Laura Sonny [2016]This case was an appeal by the tenant following a county court judgement relating to the validity of a s21 notice on the basis that the landlord had not complied with the deposit protection (MyDepo
Essential guide to rent reviews: why reading the lease is crucial for landlords and tenants to navigate rent adjustments effectively.
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
A landlord who tried to claim that he was the superior landlord of an unlicensed HMO has failed in his bid to avoid paying a Rent Repayment Order. In the first RRO case since the landmark�
The British Property Federation (BPF) has called on the government to zero rate VAT on building repair and maintenance to incentivise essential upgrades across the residential sector or risk missing its 2050 net zero target. In the run-up to next weeks Budget, it says the
A Suffolk councillor has spoken out against targeting private landlords with tougher regulations when authorities face similar problems with their own housing stock. Both Babergh and Mid Suffolk councils have agreed that civil penalties of up to �30,000 should be used to deter
NRLA boss Ben Beadle clears his name, confirming he did not mislead MPs about private rental supply shortages.
The Property Redress Scheme annual report 2022 has just been released and reflects on
Refurbishing, or in the jargon - retrofitting - older commercial and residential buildings, according to the Government, is desirable and necessary, given that energy efficiency standards that will need to be met under the Governments legal commitment to net zero by 2050. But
A property investor who falsely claimed a �45,000 Bounce Back Loan before dissolving his firm has been banned by the Insolvency Service. Simon Gorgin, 63, from Kings Langley, was sole director of P3 Estates Ltd until it was dissolved in December 2021. In May 2020,
Hackney Council has launched a major enforcement drive against private landlords who ignore complaints about serious damp and mould, signalling an unofficial application of 'https://www.landlordzone.co.uk/news/opinion-should-awaabs-law-to-be-applied-in-the-private-rented-sector/" i
Leaders of a campaign seeking to change the law on unfair HMO property council tax re-banding are urging landlords to input into the ongoing Government consultation on the matter due to end on the 31st March. As https://www.landlordzone.co.uk/news/exclu
Housing Secretary Michael Gove has dropped plans to abolish leaseholds in England and Wales after Downing Street officials argued there was not enough time to enact such major reforms. Despite describing it as an outdated feudal system� and pledging to get rid of h
Five more https://www.landlordzone.co.uk/news/latest-big-city-to-go-live-with-controversial-selective-licensing-plan/" selective licensing schemes have opened in https://www.landlordzone.co.uk/news/new-devolution-deal-gives-manchester-more-rogue-landlord-powers/"
https://www.shelter.org.uk/" Shelter has strenuously denied that it is involved in any https://www.landlordzone.co.uk/news/rent-to-rent-craze-adding-to-uks-renting-crisis/" rent-to-rent schemes after it was claimed that the charity was either acting as
Government delays Renters Reform Bill due to procedural issues, raising concerns over potential dilution of tenant protections.
If you're a landlord who needs to sell their properties and is struggling, keep reading, because we have the best solution for you. No catch, no fuss, we simply know exactly what to do to help you. <figure id="" class="w-richtext-figure-type- " data-rt-type="" data-rt-align=""><div><img
https://www.skipton.co.uk/" Skipton has launched a new mortgage specifically for renters who can now buy a house without needing a deposit. Tenants who can evidence affordability and have a strong track record of rental payments can borrow up to 100% of a prop
Thousands of private landlords have started selling their properties ahead of government changes to Energy Performance Certificate (EPC) regulations. More than 65,000 rental properties went up for sale in the first three months of the year, 36,460 of which had an EPC rating of
Public information campaigns are needed to raise awareness of the consequences of not turning the heating on as often in rented properties, says the NRLA. When quizzing 2,000 tenants in England and Wales about the impact rising utility bills have had on their household budget, t
A survey of almost 700 landlords, carried out by BVA BDRC for Paragon, reveals that that 67% of landlord respondents had experienced higher than usual tenant demand during the first three months of this year. This, according to Paragon, represents a new all-time high and up from 65% reco
According to the findings of recent research commissioned by infinitSpace, in partnership with The Instant Group, the majority of UK office landlords have not made any concrete plans to improve the energy efficiency ratings of their buildings they do not have any form of sustainability
In https://www.totallandlordinsurance.co.uk/knowledge-centre/propertymarks-perspective-on-lettings-the-property-cast-total-landlord-insurance?utm_source=landlordzone&utm_medium=article&utm_campaign=propertymark+podcast+may+2023" target="_blank" this episode of T
Buy-to-let mortgage searches were down 23% in April compared to the previous month, while investors have been putting down larger deposits as high-interest rates bite. Research by https://www.twenty7tec.com/" target="_blank" Twenty7tec shows that average loan-
Government policy should move away from thinking that social housing and home ownership are good while private landlords are bad if it is to solve the rental stock and rent costs crisis. That's the view of a new report from Cambridge University Land Society which says this mi
Nearly one in five Conservative MPs are currently landlords, according to research by campaign group 38 Degrees, a surprising figure given the Government's anti-landlord stance in recent years. The study counted 87 MP landlords more than 13% of the Commons of whom 53 cla
Renters Reform Bill due next week, says Gove — draft law arrives four years after discussion, just days after King’s Coronation.
A rogue landlord whose failure to fit a smoke alarm contributed to his tenants death has been jailed for 13 months. Humraz Pinnu Shahid, 43, of Oakwood Lane, Leeds, spent years denying he owned the basement flat on Berkeley Grove (pictured) where Philip Sheridan
As the largest accredited supplier of properties to local authorities in London and Essex, Leigh Young (pictured), Co-founder of the Elliot Leigh Guaranteed Rent Scheme, talks about how a shift in mindset could help some landlords navigate the current and future market challen
Nathan Emerson of Propertymark discusses lettings reforms, agent standards, and landlord redress in The Property Cast with Sean Hooker.
Airbnb is going back to its roots by launching Airbnb Rooms, an updated version of its original aim to let guests stay in a room within someone elses home. The platform explains that in the current cost-of-living crisis, and years of being isolated, visitors are looking for
The Scottish Government has followed its https://www.landlordzone.co.uk/news/clamp-down-on-letting-second-homes-planned/" target="_blank" English counterpart and revealed plans to manage the number of second homes and holiday rentals more aggressively within the country
A 'lack of understanding' about the build-to-rent (BTR) sector is preventing it from offering a speedy solution to the housing crisis, according to one trade association boss. https://ukaa.org.uk/" target="_blank" UK Apartment Association </a
Rent-to-rent is a controversial property investment model now being promoted by many property investment trainers and online influencers. Simply put, it involves would-be property investor landlords (as well as some rogue property companies) renting off a legitimate property own
The average monthly rent in the UK is now a record-breaking �1,199, according to HomeLet, which advises landlords to prepare for more tenants being unable to pay. Its rental index figures for April - using data on achieved rental values from 5,000 letting agents - show rental p
Increasing numbers of landlords are reporting damp and mould problems after forking out for energy efficiency work, it has been claimed. <figure id="" class="w-richtext-figure-type- " data-rt-type="" data-rt-align=""><div><img src="https://cdn.prod.website-files.com/63bef2f3c329eff8e3a4af45
Britains first womens-only https://www.landlordzone.co.uk/news/breaking-flat-owners-in-medium-towers-hit-by-cladding-crisis-will-not-have-to-pay-acm-costs/" tower block for renters has been given the green light by planners in west London. The scheme for