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When does a tenancy legally commence?

When does a tenancy legally commence?

News

A tenancy agreement between the landlord and the tenant is just like any other contract, it is legally binding on both parties.

Letting agent's contract renewal email spurs author to write book

Letting agent's contract renewal email spurs author to write book

News

A private tenant has been inspired to pen her first novel by a contract renewal email sent by a letting agent - and has even named it after the letting platform involved.

Irony of ironies: Gove 'evicted' from his Ministerial home!

Irony of ironies: Gove 'evicted' from his Ministerial home!

News

Housing Secretary Michael Gove faces eviction from his government-owned mansion on 5th July, the morning after the election.

HMO group wins gong for changing official tax policy

HMO group wins gong for changing official tax policy

News

HMO Reform Group won a Lifetime Achievement Award at this year’s annual HMO Awards for its campaigning work to change the law on council tax being imposed on individual HMO rooms.

Next Government 'must fund better enforcement of rogue landlords'

Next Government 'must fund better enforcement of rogue landlords'

News

Rogue landlords continue to give the sector a bad name because many councils enforce private rented sector standards weakly or not at all, a new report reveals.

Labour to help thousands of tenants get on the property ladder

Labour to help thousands of tenants get on the property ladder

News

Labour has revealed an uncosted plan to help 80,000 young renters get onto the property ladder, assuming his party gains power atthe General Election.

WARNING: 'Bashing landlords will make PRS as bad as social homes'

WARNING: 'Bashing landlords will make PRS as bad as social homes'

News

Standards in the PRS will soon fall to those in the social sector if regulation and licensing continues to push smaller landlords out, a leading letting agent and landlord has warned.

Landlords must update their home address or face fines, says judge

Landlords must update their home address or face fines, says judge

News

Landlords need to update their home address with their local council’s property licensing department or risk a penalty, an appeal judge has ruled.

Landlords take council to High Court over 'rapacious' licensing fee

Landlords take council to High Court over 'rapacious' licensing fee

News

Disgruntled landlords have started legal action against Middlesbrough Council in a bid to squash its upcoming selective licensing scheme.

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EXPERT: Number of councils seeking to stop HMO conversions is on the rise

EXPERT: Number of councils seeking to stop HMO conversions is on the rise

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More councils are set to introduce Article 4 directions in a bid to clamp down on HMO development, with six currently waiting for approval. There are already about 45 local authorities in England partly or entirely affected by Article 4 which means planning permission is nee

Unintended consequences of plans to ban Section 21 evictions 'already happening'

Unintended consequences of plans to ban Section 21 evictions 'already happening'

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News
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A new landlord survey has revealed the effects of the Government's proposals to ban Section 21 evictions already feeding into the private rented sector. Evictions specialist Landlord Action canvassed some 1,500 landlords and found that 26% of those who had evicted a tenant over

Speculation grows that Rees-Mogg will be Housing Secretary if Liz Truss wins

Speculation grows that Rees-Mogg will be Housing Secretary if Liz Truss wins

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News
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Its known as silly season when the media focuses on light-hearted stories, but news that Jacob Rees-Mogg (pictured) is being mooted as the new Levelling Up Secretary has been seen by some as no laughing matter. As the leadership contest draws to a close, preparations fo

Making tax digital as a landlord: What you need to know

Making tax digital as a landlord: What you need to know

Information
News
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Making tax digital (MTD) for income tax is part of the governments long-term strategy to digitalise tax and will have implications for how landlords pay tax on their income. For those used to self-assessment, it will represent a change, but providing digital records will give businesses

What are the special rules for VAT on commercial property?

What are the special rules for VAT on commercial property?

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VAT on Commercial Property is a complex topic and anyone wishing to understand these complexities in relation to their own situation should seek specialist advice. This article should give a broad brush general overview but you really should seek advice because errors can be irredeemable an

Landlord banned from letting properties in England for five years

Landlord banned from letting properties in England for five years

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News
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A rogue portfolio landlord has been banned from letting properties for five years after she admitted multiple offences relating to fire safety issues. Naomi Knapp, a landlord with 34 properties in Bristol, was convicted of eight banning order offences and will now be added to th

'Spray foam must be regulated to stop properties becoming un-mortgageable'

'Spray foam must be regulated to stop properties becoming un-mortgageable'

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News
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Urgent regulation of the spray foam industry is needed to prevent making thousands of homes un-mortgagable, warn leading property groups. Sprayed polyurethane expanding foams are often used in lofts, either to stabilise a failing roof covering or to provide extra insulation. But

EXCLUSIVE: Landlords battle city council over HMO council tax re-valuations

EXCLUSIVE: Landlords battle city council over HMO council tax re-valuations

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Portsmouths HMOs are in the firing line again as growing numbers are being referred to the Valuation Office Agency (VOA) to have their council tax bands reassessed. Rather than paying tax on the whole property, each room can be classified as a band A at a cost of �1,200, wit

LEGAL LATEST: Can the eviction of a disabled tenant ever be fair?

LEGAL LATEST: Can the eviction of a disabled tenant ever be fair?

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A severely disabled tenant and his family have barricaded themselves into their home in a bid to prevent a controversial eviction. Quadriplegic Harvey Cowe, 62, and his wife Sheree, 55, have lived at the house in Brittany Road, Hove, for 25 years after Brighton & Hove C

OPINION: Landlords and agents had a chance to avoid licensing, and blew it

OPINION: Landlords and agents had a chance to avoid licensing, and blew it

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News
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It is not unusual to hearletting agents and their landlord clients complaining that operating within theprivate rented sector is has become increasingly tangled with red tape.

WARNING: Money lost to 'investment scams' rises to £144 million

WARNING: Money lost to 'investment scams' rises to £144 million

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News
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The public has been warned to be vigilant following a new report that shows the number of people relieved of their savings by ‘investment scams’ has increased by value for the first time since 2021, reaching £144 million.

'Blue-rinse' seaside resort seeks to restrict number of HMOs

'Blue-rinse' seaside resort seeks to restrict number of HMOs

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The borough council’s planning committee will vote on whether to introduce an Article 4 direction next week.

Council secures criminal conviction for landlord over unlicensed HMO

Council secures criminal conviction for landlord over unlicensed HMO

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A West Sussex landlord has been prevented from letting out HMOs after he admitted operating an unlicensed property.

Landlords WILL be allowed to raise rents to pay for EPC upgrades

Landlords WILL be allowed to raise rents to pay for EPC upgrades

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News
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Despite Energy Secretary Ed Miliband’s insistence that rents hadn’t increased when standards were raised during previous initiatives, Justice Minister Sarah Sackman has now said there are grounds for “higher market rents”.

Landlord £10,000 out of pocket as DWP rules complicated payments

Landlord £10,000 out of pocket as DWP rules complicated payments

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A tenant has built up more than £10,000 in rent arrears after the Department of Work and Pensions (DWP) refused to accept her landlord’s word that the rent had increased.

Number of planning permissions for HMOs declines across UK

Number of planning permissions for HMOs declines across UK

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Report from digital planning portal suggests public fight-back against HMOs and higher taxes for landlords are beginning to bite.

US activist urges British tenants to withhold rents and resist 'despotic landlords'

US activist urges British tenants to withhold rents and resist 'despotic landlords'

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Radical renting campaigners have written a new book that aims to inspire the end of UK landlords’ “despotic control” over tenants.

Famous seaside town plans enlarged £784 landlord licensing scheme

Famous seaside town plans enlarged £784 landlord licensing scheme

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The Norfolk seaside town of Great Yarmouth has revealed plans to introduce a five-year selective licensing scheme for rented properties in three key wards.

Landlord jailed after stealing from lettings agency

Landlord jailed after stealing from lettings agency

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A landlord who worked as an estate agent assistant has been jailed for stealing more than £167,000 from her employer, it has been reported.

Bailiffs urge frustrated landlords to take eviction survey

Bailiffs urge frustrated landlords to take eviction survey

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Landlords have been urged to share their experiences of being hit by County Court delays when evicting tenants.

Big land owners say leasehold reform 'incompatible with their human rights'

Big land owners say leasehold reform 'incompatible with their human rights'

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News
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Leaseholders have failed in their attempt to stop freeholders from challenging the Leasehold and Freehold Reform Act.

Landlords welcome report critical of Welsh regulator

Landlords welcome report critical of Welsh regulator

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A critical report on the performance of Welsh landlord and agent regulator Rent Smart Wales has been welcomed after it highlighted both uneven enforcement levels and its ‘abrasive’ communication style.

Why are landlords failing to invest in buy-to-let?

Why are landlords failing to invest in buy-to-let?

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News
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Why aren’t buy-to-let landlords growing their portfolios when rent demand is through the roof, and while build-to-rent investors are so optimistic?

Campaigners and student landlords cross swords over rent reforms

Campaigners and student landlords cross swords over rent reforms

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Tenants' campaigning group Generation Rent has slammed the NRLA for pushing the government to include one and two-person student shares in the new possession ground under the Renters’ Rights Bill.

Raising EPC upgrade cost cap for landlords 'inappropriate'

Raising EPC upgrade cost cap for landlords 'inappropriate'

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News
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Estate agents have urged the government to reduce its proposed £15,000 cost cap for landlords to make EPC upgrades to £5,000.

Industry boss slams Labour's EPC reform plans

Industry boss slams Labour's EPC reform plans

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A retrofit firm boss has warned that ill thought-out EPC reforms risk misclassifying millions of homes, misdirecting public funds and delaying action on cold, inefficient homes.

Big Midlands town gives green light to selective licensing

Big Midlands town gives green light to selective licensing

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Mansfield is the latest major district council to give the green light to selective licensing within its borders following a consultation last year.

Build more homes? Britain can't afford it, Rachel tells Angela

Build more homes? Britain can't afford it, Rachel tells Angela

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News
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Labouir's promise to build more homes including those for renters is in jeapordy as Rayner and the Chancellor battle it out over money.

'More private landlords will quit and we'll replace them' - says big corporate

'More private landlords will quit and we'll replace them' - says big corporate

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The UK’s biggest private corporate landlord has predicted that rental housing shortages will worsen in the coming years – while it takes the place of smaller landlords.

Westminster green-lights huge selective licensing scheme for landlords

Westminster green-lights huge selective licensing scheme for landlords

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Westminster City Council has given the go-ahead to a huge new selective licensing scheme covering 15 of the London borough’s 18 wards.

EXPERTS: Inflation rise to delay interest rate cut until August

EXPERTS: Inflation rise to delay interest rate cut until August

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Landlords could face higher mortgage rates for longer after inflation jumped by more than expected last month to 3.5%.

OFFICIAL: 24% of landlords looking to sell up this year

OFFICIAL: 24% of landlords looking to sell up this year

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News
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A data gathering exercise by the Government has highlighted new and sometimes surprising facts about the UK’s landlords and their properties, including why a quarter are plannig to sell of properties over the next 12 months.

Making commonhold default tenure will have 'unintended consquences'

Making commonhold default tenure will have 'unintended consquences'

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A leading leasehold expert has warned that commonhold reforms will hit property values and shift costs onto individual flat owners including those belonging to private landlords.

Landlord's electricity meter switch off 'nightmare' highlights big problems

Landlord's electricity meter switch off 'nightmare' highlights big problems

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A Glasgow landlord fears his tenants could be left without heating or hot water after his energy supplier delayed replacing their Radio Teleswitch Service (RTS) meter.