Just as residential landlords are contemplating the costs of bringing older properties up to the proposed new standard - very likely EPC band C� required by December 2025 - so too are commercial landlords.<br> See: https://www.landlordzone.co.uk/news/compulsory-epc
Compulsory EPC band C by 2025 causing confusion There have been recent confusing reports put out that from 2025, all newly rented properties in England & Wales will be required to have an EPC rating of band C or above. This is somewhat misleading and jum
LandlordZONE sits down with one of Londons most prolific but little-known landlords who has spent 30 years amassing a huge portfolio in the East End and West End areas of the capital. For reasons of privacy, and a desire to remain behind the scenes, he doesnt want to
So, we ended 2021 after twenty-one months since the first Covid lockdown with the new variant, Omicron, spreading fast, and with Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland putting in stricter measures and speculation that England may follow with an announcement early in the New Year.
An example of the difficulty of prediction is the conclusion to a detailed study recently published on the private rented sector by the London School of Economics (a study commissioned by the NRLA) Individually and cumulatively, the recent tax changes
A lettings agency boss and landlord has been slapped with a �40,700 Rent Repayment Officer despite claiming that his failure to licence an HMO was an honest mistake. A First Tier Property Tribunal handed five former tenants the maximum award for the period from September 2019 t
Scotland’s Housing Bill proposes rent controls, winter eviction bans, pet rights & tougher eviction penalties in private sector overhaul.
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
An online service has been launched that helps protect landlords from property fraud.
Lettings Document Checklist: When setting up a new Assured Shorthold Tenancy (AST) it has always been important to pay attention to the paperwork, which provides vital evidence should there be a dispute during or after the tenancy.But since the Deregulation Act 2015, with me
The government has reassured landlords that it is forging ahead with plans for court reform in readiness for abolishing section 21.
Government plans to abolish assured shorthold tenancies and replace them with periodic lets could put landlords’ properties at risk, according to inspection specialists NoLettingGo.
Two letting agents in the South West has claimed that landlords are leaving the private rental market in droves.
The Scottish government has backtracked on plans to force the private rented sector to meet energy efficiency deadlines by 2025.
A First Tier Property Tribunal has criticised Barking and Dagenham Council for failing to support a landlord who mistakenly failed to get a selective licence.
A new Online Fraud Charter aims to thwart property rental scams including fake accommodation listings on Facebook Marketplace used to lure in unsuspecting tenants.
Landlords have been warned that a Court of Appeal decision issued late last week will mean that in future they will have to settle their differences with tenants via an ombudsman before going to court.
Sunday Times economics editor David Smith has expressed sympathy for private landlords who he believes feel bruised by increasing regulation in the sector. He says higher mortgage rates might be the straw that breaks the camels back for many, with some alrea
First time buyers remain better off owning than renting an equivalent home, Lloyds Bank says, but the gap is narrowing. Its latest Owning vs Renting Review reveals that owning a first home now costs �971 a month, four percent less than renting at �1,013.
The government failed to offer long-term support for energy efficiency improvements or increase the Local Housing Allowance in a Budget which instead focused on getting the country back to work. Chancellor Jeremy Hunt extended support for energy bills at current levels of �2,50
Youve made the decision to sell, and beat the market drop and increased costs. But where do you turn? Estate Agents can get you a high price, but theyll take far too long. Auctions can sell super-fast, but you might be compromising on price. <figure id="" class="w-richtext-figure-t
In this in-depth private rented sector legislation special, Eddie and Paul are joined by David Smith, head of property litigation at JMW Solicitors. The discussion kicks off with the recent landmark Rakusen v Jepsen rent repayment order case, where David represented the NRLA and which, he e
Generation Rent is calling on the government to extend Awaabs Law to the PRS after its survey found 1,106 private rented homes in England with dangerous levels of damp and mould. A Freedom of Information request by the campaign group found that the 65 councils which reported
Eddie Hooker, Chief Executive of insurance company the HFIS Group, has called for action to combat the murky end of the rent-to-rent market. Talking during an video interview with LandlordZONE , Hooker said action was needed to increase transparency w
A tenancy mediator has warned landlords that they or the experts they hire - risk being jailed for contempt of court by not using a regulated solicitor to fill in possession notice claim forms. PRS Mediations Julie Ford (pictured) says that under the L
An 80-year-old disabled woman is being evicted from her home after more than 60 years because her property wont pass tighter new EPC rules, a case which is believed to be the first of its kind. Thoresby Estate which owns Anne Marshs property in Edwin
Increasing the Local Housing Allowance would be the quickest way for the government to improve access to affordable homes, say housing charities. According to analysis by the Institute for Fiscal Studies (IFS), in 37 local authorities, the gap between market rents for three-bedr
The director of a property management firm has been fined more than �25,000 after dangerous electrics were discovered at an HMO in Northampton. West Northamptonshire Council issued a warrant in May 2022 after tenants raised concerns about the property in Lutterwor
Landlords in the North East have complained that a rubber stamped selective licencing scheme is a pure waste of time� and that they are fed up being taxed in this way�. The comments concern Middlesborough councils plans to extend its licencing scheme in the ce
Landlords will be looking for more government support to make energy efficiency improvements while hoping for some tax burden relief in the upcoming Budget. With EPC deadlines looming, many want greater incentives to back up the https://www.gov.uk/apply-boiler-upgrade-s
A new How to Rent guide will come out on Friday (17th March) which landlords in England must serve at the start of any new tenancy or renewal. The new guide forms part of the prescribed information landlords must issue, and if they dont
Scottish MSPs have voted through a rent cap and extension of the eviction ban until 30th September. The rent cap for private sector tenancies will increase to 3% from 1st April under the amendment to the https://www.gov.scot/publications/cost-living-ten
All HMO landlords in Worcester will soon have to buy a licence if councillors back a new additional licensing scheme. The city has operated an additional scheme since September 2015 but amended it in 2020 to cover only the wards of Arboretum, Bedwardine, Cathedral and St Clement
Landlords have been left out of measures announced today designed to support mortgage holders during the cost of living crisis. The guidance, which has been issued by the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) updating borrowers responsibilities to their existing mortgage holders,
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
