The NRLA says Government measures to abolish Assured Shorthold Tenancies (ASTs) will decimate the student housing sector if they go ahead unchanged. Featured within the Renters (Reform) Bill, this will see ASTs replaced with more flexible open-ended periodic tenancies
Commercial property is an important part of the UK economy, but the retail and office sectors as still suffering and rising interest rates present a real threat. A recent https://bpf.org.uk/media/6294/cl16688-01-bpf-economic-footprint-may23-v5-hi-res-single-pages.pdf" t
Electric vehicle charging expert Matthew Gibbons (main picture) explores the pros and cons of installing the different equipment at rental properties. Rented properties with EV charge points are a rare thing, so installing one makes a home more desi
In the Spring Budget, the Chancellor announced a raft of measures that the Government intends to help level up the UK. Specifically, they're pledging to prioritise employment, education and enterprise
Better transport links to the capital have boosted the number of Londoner commuters happy to spend time on the tube or bus. Renters are living further away from the office than they did seven years ago because this doesnt necessarily equate to longer journey times due to impr
A debt charity is calling on the government to introduce stronger protections for tenants who fall behind on their rent. StepChanges survey found that private renters struggled to afford their homes more than any other housing tenure, with one in six (1.2 million people) rely
More than one in three tenants in the UK spend at least half their salary on rent, according to new data from flat-share site SpareRoom. Its poll of 11,000 private renters reveals that 81% spend more than 30% of their take-home pay on rent, leaving them rent burdened, mean
Rent inflation continued to climb last month up by 0.1% to 4.7%, the Governments latest data for England shows. The Official for National Statistics (ONS) reports the annual increase, which compares the 12 months to the end of April 2023 to the previous months rent data.</
In this bonus episode of The Property Cast, Sean Hooker, Head of Redress at the Property Redress Scheme, and leading property expert Kate Faulkner OBE, share their initial reactions to the Renters (Reform) Bill. In perhaps the biggest shake-up of the private rented sector in ove
Large portfolio landlords are feeling upbeat despite the tough economic climate, with many eyeing the commercial sector for their next property purchase. The https://www.handelsbanken.co.uk/en/about-us" target="_blank" Handelsbanken </a
Labour has vowed to abolish the leasehold system as soon as it comes to power following Michael Goves U-turn earlier this month. The Housing Secretary dropped https://www.landlordzone.co.uk/news/new-gove-sets-sights-on-scrapping-leasehold-ownership/" target="_blank"
Environmental health bodies are to press the government on why it omitted plans for a Decent Homes Standard in the Renters (Reform) Bill. Despite including most of the promised draft legislation, the expected standards were missing and only mentioned in an accompanying press rel
A proposed ban on fixed-term tenancies could penalise students amid an already heightened rental crisis in many cities. According to student rentals platform StuRents�
The increasingly rancourous debate between Airbnb landlords and legislators will come to a head in York this week as the city's MP convenes a public meeting to discuss the growing problem of short lets within its walls. MP Rachel Maskell (main picture) is one of six mostly Labou
Property management professional David Goldberg recently revealed that in the long term, investing in so-called build-to-rent developments will prove to be more profitable for investors than buy to let. He claimed that built-to-rent looks to be a win-win for both tenant
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
Durham Council has warned landlords covered by its new selective licensing scheme to brace themselves for inspections next month. At least 29,000 properties, 42% of the countys PRS, are covered by the scheme which launched in April after winning government approval. <p id
Nearly one-fifth of private rented homes would need work costing more than �10,000 to bring them up to an EPC Band C, according to the latest PRS figures. The English Housing Survey Private Rented Sector report for 2020-21 found that these were more likely to need larger sums o
The latest figures available from Rightmove show that London rents jumped by around 14 per cent in the last year, with some property experts calling it the most competitive market on record Matt Hutchinson, a director at SpareRoom, the flat sharing website, has said: <p
The pandemic has had a devastating impact on commercial property, with lockdowns, social distancing, working from home (WFH), all accelerating the move to online and home deliveries. The likes of Tesco, Ocado and the other big supermarket deliveries were the saviour of the public during the
Welsh politicians have reaffirmed their desire to consider rent controls in the PRS while announcing plans to crack down on the holiday let sector. Plaid Cymru leader Adam Price (main pic, right) suggested rent controls could be on the table when the long-awaited but now <a href
Michael Gove, arguable the best housing secretary for some years, has been sacked from his job after joining a chorus of Tory cabinet ministers calling on the PM to resign. During a fast-moving day in politics which has seen over 40 MPs quit the government or withdraw their supp
Welsh government leaders have revealed radical plans to licence holiday lets in a bid to get tough on the causes of long-term rental shortages. The region is to introduce a cap on the number of second and holiday homes while bringing in measures to put more homes into common own
HMO landlords face paying thousands of pounds for https://www.landlordzone.co.uk/news/safety-peer-asks-why-private-landlords-must-do-electrical-checks-when-social-ones-are-exempt/" electrical equipment when new regulations kick in later this year. An amendment
Manchester aims to double the size of its selective licensing scheme by adding another 1,884 properties in eight areas. The council has given it the go-ahead to the https://www.landlordzone.co.uk/news/manchester-mayor-vows-to-launch-1-5m-landlord-licensing-across-city/"
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
Letting agents have backed the Governments decision to reform the way HMO properties are banded for council tax. Propertymark, which represents the estate agency sector, says in its submission to a consultation by the Department of Levelling Up, Housing and Communities that p
Landlords wanting to back the eco movement may want to pause for thought after the Green Party today vowed to bring in an immediate rent freeze and no-fault eviction ban to tackle the housing crisis. During an election campaign visit to Suffolk, party co-leaders Carla Denyer and
A rogue landlord has been jailed for 10 months after he failed to comply with conditions set by a court concerning his rat-infested property. Martin Ambler admitted four counts of breaching a criminal behaviour order in May 2022 but sentencing was deferred so that he could instr
There is a lot of talk at the moment about how rents are up by 11% across the UK and although I know its tough on renters, landlord costs have, in many cases, doubled. This includes mortgage premium payments following interest rates rises from 0.5% to 4% in just 12 months, an
The government should introduce three-year tenancies to protect tenants from uncertainty and rising rents, according to a liberal conservative think tank report. The Bright Blue group has teamed up with Shelter to publish, <strong id
