Scottish rent cap removal and Gwynedd's Article 4 Direction spark landlord concerns over housing supply and market stability.
A paltry nine cases were mediated in the governments pilot Rental Mediation Service - nowhere near the 3,000 cases it expected, it has been revealed. The Department of Levelling Up, Housing and Communities and the Minister of Justice had hoped that the pilot, which offered te
Landlords and letting agents need more information and financial help if the Boiler Upgrade Scheme is to succeed, according to Propertymark. In its evidence to the Lords Built Environment Committee inquiry into the scheme, the group says 48% of Propertymar
New leaseholder protections in the Building Safety Act 2022 came into force on 28 June 2022, with new financial protections for leaseholders in buildings above 11 metres or five storeys, those with historical safety defects. The new Building Safety Act 2022 was introduced follow
Facebook is facing mounting calls to more effectively police its Marketplace classified listings platform after numerous investigations by national media outlets. The most recent was last night (23rd February)https://www.itv.com/news/channel/2023-02-23/prolific-scammer-
A landlord pair who assaulted one of their tenants while trying to illegally evict her from their unlicensed HMO have been handed a rent repayment order totalling more than �22,300. Guangyu Chen and Xing Guo argued that their poor English and understanding of the PRS was an exc
Evictions expert Paul Shamplina has revealed that hes stepping back from his long-running role in TV series Nightmare Tenants, Slum Landlords. <figure id="" class="w-richtext-figure-type- " data-rt-type="" data-rt-align=""><div><img src="https://cdn.prod.website-files.com/
Yorks Residential Landlords Association (York RLA) wants to clarify why it decided not to proceed with further legal action over the city councils proposals to bring in an Additional Licencing scheme for HMOs. Both local media and LandlordZONE recently reported that it had
Council leaders, unions and renters groups have urged Housing Secretary Michael Gove to bring in an immediate rent freeze in a bid to prevent widespread homelessness. In an open letter, the 34 groups and individuals including London Renters Union, mayor of London Sadiq Kh
A disgruntled landlord has convinced a judge to have his rent repayment order case re-heard after arguing that council systems hindered his ability to apply for an HMO licence during the pandemic. Paul Fashade was told to pay three tenants a total of �11,
The government should raise the stamp duty surcharge on BTL purchases to favour those buying their own home, according to a new report from Joseph Rowntree Foundation (JRF). The social change group believes the surcharge should at least double to effectively disincentivise specu
Citizens Advice has urged the government to extend Awaabs law to the PRS to help the estimated 1.6 million children living in damp, mouldy or excessively cold privately rented homes. Awaab Ishtak died aged just two years old after living in a mouldy and
A new survey has downplayed the scale of landlords ready to quit the sector due to heavy-handed government regulations and upcoming legislation. Leaders Romans Groups poll of 271 landlords found that only 7% plan to sell up in the next year while 12% aim to reduce their portf
Nottingham councillors have voted through a contentious additional HMO licensing scheme. The current scheme, covering central areas of the city, will soon come to an end and the council plans to introduce a new citywide scheme in January 2024. It says this would pre
Peers have slammed the governments Boiler Upgrade Scheme for attracting a disappointingly low� take-up of grants. Launched in https://www.landlordzone.co.uk/news/latest-official-boiler-upgrade-scheme-launches-today-but-is-it-enough/" target="_blank" <stron
A BBC investigation has uncovered a new property rental scam that uses Facebook Marketplace and then fake accommodation booking sites to lure in unsuspecting tenants. Called an advance rent payment scam, a technique that has been around for many years, this version of it is more
The Government has now committed to delivering Awaabs Law in a new amendment to the Social Housing Regulation Bill. But does the Government intend to place the same onus on private landlords, and is this law totally fair? I cant help feeling perplexed as
Landlords in Bradford and Leeds are enjoying the UKs best rental yields, with those in Exeter seeing the largest annual growth last year. Yields have increased by as much as 2.5% in the past 12 months, according to Sirius Property Finance, which reports that as rent values ou
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
Landlords have heavily criticised the Scottish governments decision to implement its evictions freeze and rent cap without a proper consultation. The measures, which were widely criticised earlier this year for being rushed through, are now being fought by a coalition of orga
A BTL mortgage provider has pledged to invest £50 million in a fund to help landlords enhance their property's energy efficiency.
Evictions expert Paul Shamplina warns landlords and letting agents of increased responsibilities under the Renters Reform Act.
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
The landlord of a property dubbed a house of horrors� has been ordered to pay more than �8,000 by the courts. Barking and Dagenham Council enforcement officers discovered water leaks, broken windows and doors, a lack of fire protection, exposed electrical wiring, and rat a
Explore Asia’s prime property hotspots—from Singapore and Kuala Lumpur to Tokyo—for strategic, international investment opportunities.
BTL mortgage options broaden as lender confidence returns—more competitive deals appearing for landlords.
The Court of Appeal has dismissed the case of a landlord who tried to evict a tenant in arrears after getting the date wrong on a Section 13 notice. Tenant Victoria Whiteland had lived in her cottage in Llanbydder, Carmarthenshire, since May 1991 but although the rent was due ev
Estate agents have told politicians that Government-backed interest-free loans or grants to cover the cost of looming EPC upgrades are the only way many landlords will be able to fund the work. The comments have been made by industry association Propertymark
Haringey Council has been hauled up for not completing fire and electrical checks at thousands of its properties, despite handing a private landlord �2,500 for the same failing. The https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/london-borough-of-haringey/regulatory-notice
The government should restore tax relief for mortgage interest and extend the deadline for proposed EPC energy improvements if it is to avert a looming rental property crisis. Buy-to-let sales platform Vesta Property has already seen a surge in properties for sale as many privat
Property and construction industry software and data company Zutec aims to improve the quality of buildings data so that people can make better decisions and work more productively. The company provides a full suite of digital solutions, including construction management software for archit
A Luton landlord has been fined for the unusual offence of failing to provide documents relating to safety issues at his property. Sarfraz Yousaf , of New Bedford Road, the director of Poplar Homes Ltd (pictured), was prosecuted by Luton Council after it re
An experienced landlord who left a family with a baby without water or adequate heating in their rented property over Christmas and New Year has been fined. Anthony Wardrop , 79, of The Parade, Hartlepool, had denied a charge of failing to comply with an Im
Nottingham has revealed it will charge non-accredited, less compliant HMO landlords an eye-watering £1,993 fee to join its proposed additional licensing scheme a £273 increase on the current schemes fee. Accredited landlords will pay �1,118 - up from �990 - in a city
A landlord in London has learned the hard way not to complain about bad tenants on social media after one of her TikTok videos went viral and was featured within The Sun's website. The woman, who doesnt give her name on the social media site but uses the handle https
One in three landlords could be forced to sell up after failing their lenders affordability test to re-mortgage, it has been claimed. The stark warning comes from buy-to-let specialist https://www.mortgagesforbusiness.co.uk/" Mortgages for Busines
Landlords in Northern Ireland fear new legislation to give private renters greater protection could herald further sweeping changes that force more to quit the sector. Sections 1-6 of the Private Tenancies Act (Northern Ireland) 2022 take effect on <strong
A canny landlord who stood up to council inspectors has successfully challenged a licence condition to install a new fire door at his student HMO. Roger Braithwaite, a career and expert environmental health officer, was told by Coventry Council that he could only have a licence
Readers concerned by the looming Renters Reform Bill should make their way to the National Landlord Investment Show on 14th March were Paul Shamplina will be leading a debate on its radical measures. Panellists on the stage with him will i
