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
A company that houses asylum seekers has been fined more than �60,000 for HMO offences in Newport. Clearsprings Ready Homes, which has the contract for operating accommodation for asylum seekers in Wales, was found guilty of letting an HMO in Redland Street (pictured), in the B
The Minimum Energy Performance of Buildings Bill, which aimed to advance the governments energy efficiency commitments, is in doubt following the tragic death of David Amess MP. He was the presentation bills main sponsor in the Commons, launching it at the same time as Lor
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,
Smaller portfolio landlords quitting UK rental sector, says Bank of England: mounting costs & regulation driving exits, reducing rental supply.
Letting agents and their landlords who advertise properties as 'no children' face being accused of breaking discrimination rules, it has been claimed following a campaign by Shelter. The organisation says agents who advertise properties as no children are now breaking The
Eviction expert Paul Shamplina warns of a social housing crisis post-Section 21 abolition, citing court delays and landlord uncertainty.
Short-term holiday lets platform Your.Rentals is raising on the crowdfunding site Seedrs as it seeks to expand its reach in the UK, raising some £1.3 million so far. The Copenhagen-based company, which is headed up by founder Andrew Martyn (main picture),
It has been reported this week that housing minister Rachel Maclean (main picture) told a meeting in Westminster that fellow Conservative MPs and the property sector (i.e. the NRLA and other trade associations) are wrong to claim that landlords are leaving the sector. This
Manchester students occupying a university-owned building in a protest over rent costs and living conditions have been ejected by bailiffs. Manchester University says their action was illegal and that it was granted a possession order by the High Court. When the 20 strikers refu
Housing Secretary Michael Gove has dropped a hint that he could be willing to consider tax concessions for landlords. Speaking in the Commons during a Budget debate, he told MPs that the government needed to make sure there was fairness in the tax treatment of landlords before l
Tax changes in the private rented sector have lost the Treasury �1.5 billion in revenue, according to new research commissioned by the NRLA. https://www.capitaleconomics.com/" target="_blank" Capital Economics fou
A landlord in Derby has been convicted of an illegal eviction and ordered by a court to pay a �1,600 fine. After initially agreeing a 12-month rental for an unfurnished house with a young family, landlord Grace Young of Pear Tree Street, Derby then attempted to illegally evict
A new devolution deal will give the 10 Greater Manchester councils powers to approve larger selective licensing schemes. The pact, signed by Levelling Up Minister Dehenna Davison (pictured, below), Greater Manchester Mayor Andy Burnham (main pic) and the council leaders, will al
A landlord whose properties are caught up in the cladding scandal faces a bill of up to �50,000 unless the government changes the rules about who it will subsidise. Neera Soni rents out a number of leasehold properties and says she and at least a quarter of those owners at
London Mayor Sadiq Khan has been urged to clamp down on rogue exempt accommodation providers who exploit the housing benefit system and put vulnerable tenants at risk. An investigation by the London Assembly Housing Committee found some rogue providers wer
The Isle of Wight Council has vowed to charge owners of second homes and empty properties more council tax as soon as it gets the go-ahead from the government. Its ruling Alliance Administration had suggested putting a 100% tax premium on second homes and empty properties, howev
A senior figure from the banking world has claimed that institutional investment is the golden ticket to solve the UKs supply and quality problems within the private rented sector (PRS). Cedric Bucher (main image), who heads up Hearthstone Investments </st
Another First Tier Property Tribunal has confirmed that a superior landlord cannot be held responsible for a Rent Repayment Order (RRO), following the landmark Rakusen case. Tenant Riaz Moola had tried to argue that landlord Khalil Mbarek was responsible for the property in t
The Government must stop its ongoing and irresponsible attempts to curry favour with tenants via its looming reform of the private rented sector, a buy-to-let lender has said. Mortgages for Business boss Gavin Richardson (main
A landlord couple have been convicted of a �1 million benefit fraud stretching over 20 years. Emmanuel Bay , 68, and Nancy Bay , 67, of Sudbourne Road, Brixton (pictured), were found guilty of 21 offences between 1999 and 2018 under t
Home Reit, an investment trust landlord, was set-up to house Britains homeless. But the company has found itself running into increasing difficulties, with tenants' complaints and failed rent payments, a negative short-seller's report, a financial squeeze with falling stock prices and al
A boost in court resources as well as measures to fast-track the most serious possession cases related to anti-social behaviour and rent arrears will be vital post-Section 21, says NRLA chief executive Ben Beadle . Without reform, a rise in cases will add t
Councillors in Reading are set to rubber stamp plans to extend restrictions on the number of HMO conversions. An Article 4 direction already covers parts of the town where HMOs are prevalent, in much of Park, Redlands and Katesgrove wards, as well as Jesse Terrace.
Propertymark has called for a set of standards for developers and clear guidance for local councils as a way to effectively convert empty commercial properties into affordable homes - an increasingly popular path for some bigger PRS landlords. Responding to an inquiry from all-p
Converting commercial buildings to residential use would seem an ideal solution to a housing shortage, especially with and a glut of underused commercial buildings, but how easy is it? The planning regulation changes have made it easier to convert commercial buildings to residen
The new How to Rent guide due to come out today (17th March) has been delayed for a week, according to industry sources. The new guide forms part of the prescribed information that landlords in England must issue at the start of any new tenancy or renewa
John Lewiss build-to-rent strategy appears to be stalling amid local opposition to its plans for large developments in West Ealing and Bromley. The retailer has just announced pre-tax losses of �234 million as sales dipped 2% last year, making it even more vital to find new
Landlords, estate agents and surveyors have all given yesterdays Budget an unqualified thumbs down after the Chancellor chose to focus on economic growth but ignore several problem threatening to engulf the housing market. All have said the budget was disappointing and a m
