The Liberal Democrats have vowed to address the power imbalance between tenants and landlords by introducing national licensing and standards, longer tenancies, rent smoothing and empowered councils.
An elderly landlord’s long-standing failure to carry out roof repairs has resulted in a £5,000 win for his long-standing tenant.
A rogue landlord faces a possible jail sentence for harassment and failing to comply with a banning order.
A key member of the recently disbanded Energy Efficiency Taskforce has expressed regret that it failed to launch any effective ideas.
As the Bank of England’s base rate continues to ride high at 5.25% it has been revealed that a much higher proportion of landlords own properties via mortgages than was previously thought.
Estate agent chain Winkworth has waded into the debate on how to fix the broken property market by calling for an end to infighting around housing delivery and the reinstatement of landlords’ mortgage interest relief.
A landlord has been ordered to pay £5,312 for unlawfully evicting his tenant, leaving the renter with nowhere to stay and without access to his belongings and medication.
Nearly a quarter (23%) of people without a smart meter say it’s because - incorrectly - they live in a rental property that can't have one installed.
Scotland’s minister for tenant’s rights is oblivious to the havoc he’s wreaking in the PRS and the harm being caused to tenants, says Tory MSP.
New research from the consumer campaign group paints a grim picture of renters facing tough financial conditions as they struggle to pay the rent.
Welsh Housing Minister Julie James has warned that Rishi Sunak’s green U-turn means many tenants will continue to rent draughty, inefficient homes and face high energy bills for years to come.
A lack of public money to back landlords keen to upgrade their properties islikely to have been a major factor behind Rishi Sunak’s decision to scrap changesto minimum energy standards, an expert has claimed.
Increasing regulation of the private rented sector, the pain of finding tradespeople to do property repairs and increasing fraud are pushing more landlords into the arms of letting agents, it has been revealed.
London renters can flag up breaches of the Tenant Fees Act to Trading Standards by using a new reporting tool.
The Conservatives have put housing high on the agenda at their upcoming party conference, with at least 30 fringe meetings scheduled to discuss the topic.
Homeowners are buying the vast majority of rental properties being offloaded by landlords, reducing local rented supply.
Many landlords have spent thousands of pounds on energy efficient upgrades in readiness to meet regulations that have now been ditched by Rishi Sunak.
A ground-breaking ‘rent to buy’ service that helps tenants get on the property ladder has been expanded to include private landlords.
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
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
A void energy solution and switching service for 'end of tenancy' promises to trim pounds from landlords bills. Empty rental properties incur a range of standing charges that average between 10p and 80p per day for electricity and from 5p to 60p per day for gas, averaging out
Landlords should do their homework before voting in the local elections next week and take the chance to quiz candidates on issues affecting the PRS, advises Leaders Romans Group (LRG). It points to a number of pressing local issues which can be determined
Landlords have until 1st June to comply with the new and relatively convoluted Rented Homes Wales legislation following its introduction last December. Under the new law, standard contracts have replaced assured shorthold tenancies a
Companies selling multi-occupancy insurance will have to act in leaseholders best interests under new proposals from the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA). It is demanding new rights and protections to improve the transparency of the multi-occupancy leasehold buildings insura
Jersey has launched a consultation into sweeping reforms including rent controls and open-ended tenancies, prompting fears that they could force more private landlords to quit the sector. The islands government aims to increase protections for both tenants and landlords
A new law to crack down on predatory landlords who exploit vulnerable people for sex in return for free or discounted rent is being considered, Home Secretary Suella Braverman (main picture) has announced. Her department is seeking the views of victims, the police and charities
There are heavy fines for those landlords who fail to have their rental properties tested by a qualified electrician before letting, and for existing tenancies, or if they fail to comply with any of the important recommendations made in a test report. The landlord will ordinarily have 28 da
Tribunal judge warns landlords to include licensing update clauses in agency contracts to avoid fines for non-compliance with licensing requirements.
The number of VAT and/or PAYE enterprises operating in the UKs residential and commercial rental sectors climbed 2% in the past year, despite the governments best efforts to deter investment. Analysis of government data by debt advisory firm https://siriusfinance.
Luton Council is making yet another attempt to bring in two new licensing schemes after a string of false starts amid landlord opposition. Its overview and scrutiny board has agreed to recommend a town-wide additional scheme as well as a selective scheme in South ward, which now
Durham citys parish council has taken the unusual step of asking student landlords to make a voluntary donation towards the cost of cleaning up street waste and discarded furniture. It will ask for a contribution of �52 towards its precept from student landlords to match the
Two-thirds of private landlords might sell up if they are forced to make EPC upgrades, new research finds. The Mortgage Advice Bureau says 59% would consider selling their property due to not being able to afford the changes needed to meet the minimum level. With an
NRLA boss Ben Beadle has urged the government to learn from the awful implementation� of Renting Homes Wales which he labelled a car crash of epic proportions�. Speaking on The Guild of Property Professionalshttps://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/guildprop
The Mayor of London has accused private landlords across the UK of taking rent worth �9 billion for homes that are non decent, �1.6 billion of which is paid for via housing benefit. The figure is highlighted as, this morning, Sadiq Khan reveals his PRS research generated
Legal expert warns that exempting asylum seeker HMOs from licensing could lower accommodation standards and encourage subpar housing provisions.
Housing Secretary Michael Gove meets with private rented sector leaders to discuss upcoming reforms, including the Renters Reform Bill.
Landlords and letting agents have told a new poll that the Government must reverse its Section 24 mortgage interest relief tax changes as a priority to get the private rental sector back on track. Rent tech platform Goodlord conducted the research among some 1,500 agents,
Talk of AI is all the rage right now, but have you thought about how you could use this revolutionary new development? ChatGPT is what is known as a natural language processing tool� driven by artificial intelligence (AI) technology that allows human-like conversations. Thi
Landlords criticise Minister Mims Davies for lacking data on LHA freeze impact; NRLA urges urgent action to address housing affordability gap.
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.
