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
Despite new research showing that one in four people plan to invest in property to generate retirement income, Chancellor Jeremy Hunt's scrapping of the 'lifetime pension fund limit' could dampen demand for BTL property, says Cornerstone Tax. The impact of inflation on savings a
Shelter has slammed the Chancellor for failing to raise Local Housing Allowance (LHA) rates in his spring Budget. The homeless charity says Jeremy Hunt could have put an end to spiralling homelessness, but instead, he has stuck his head in the sand. Yet again we
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
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
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.
Airbnb landlord Talha Abbasi faces £102,000 court bill after judge classifies long-term let as assured shorthold tenancy, granting tenant protections.
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
Propertymark criticises licensing schemes for punishing compliant landlords with delays, fees and red tape due to under-resourced councils. S
An influential new report has slammed the Governments lack of progress on its much-heralded desire to see the property sector reach net zero by 2050. Published today jointly by the British Property Federation and property giant JLL, the report is critical of Government
The Government has launched its https://www.landlordzone.co.uk/news/latest-council-tax-crisis-for-hmo-tenants-averted-after-commons-statement/" target="_blank" promised consultation on its plans to reform the way HMO properties are valued for counci
It's not just landlords who can be fined heavily - an estate agency now faces paying a �35,000 penalty for failing to licence three properties in the town of Edmonton in London. Enfield Councils licensing and enforcement work officers investigated Green House Estate Agents L
With the likelihood of Section 21 evictions being abolished all eyes are on the 17 grounds for possession under the existing Section 8 procedure. In the near future these are to be the main tools landlords will use to evict tenants who dont pay the rent. As it cur
A new property platform aims to help private landlords target buy-to-lets and find potential HMOs. Propalt contains details of more than 250,000 landlords so that investors can connect directly, as well as the details of two million properties. Available information
Small HMO landlords in York will need an additional licence in eight of the citys wards from 1st April after the council gave a new scheme the go-ahead. <figure id="" class="w-richtext-figure-type- " data-rt-type="" data-rt-align=""><div><img src="https://uploads-ssl.
Landlords in Nottingham are preparing to fight an extension of the citys https://www.nottinghamcity.gov.uk/additionalhmo" target="_blank" additional licensing scheme , weeks after the council was warned that a second selective licensing scheme wou
Scottish landlords hope that Nicola Sturgeons resignation may lead to a less aggressive approach towards the buy-to-let sector. The SNP leader has presided over a range of anti-landlord legislation since becoming first minister in 2014, including the recent rent and eviction
A landlord has lost his appeal against a fine for renting out unlicensed properties after arguing that the sellers solicitor had failed to tell him about a selective licensing scheme. City Estate Holdings bought two houses in Westbourne Avenue, Gateshead, at auction in April
The number of landlords whose tenants are in rent arrears has fallen to its lowest level since 2017, according to new research from Paragon Bank. Its poll of more than 750 landlords found that less than one third (32%) of landlords have had at least one tenant in arrears during
A rent-to-rent landlord operating a flat in central London has been ordered to pay rent back to his tenants totalling just over �11,000 via a rent repayment order or RRO. The case highlights the challenges faced by rent-to-rent agreements, as the case involved a freeholder, lea
Ballooning mortgage costs will make an already tight rental market even harder for tenants seeking affordable homes to let, landlords have warned. Their representative body the NRLA has published research that shows nearly two-thirds of landlords, based on
Landlords & agents test the new England property portal ahead of launch: central database for landlords, properties, compliance & disputes.
Half of all fraudulent tenancy applications involve fake or doctored pay slips, according to rent-tech platform Goodlord, which has warned landlords to be on their guard. Its anaylsis of more than 300,000 tenancy applications last year found that while only one in
Trading Standards has released new guidance to help landlords and leaseholders get to grips with the Leasehold Reform (Ground Rent) Act. The law https://www.landlordzone.co.uk/news/advice-are-you-ready-for-the-leasehold-reform-act-going-live-on-30th-june/" target="_
A landlord in Wales has set a cat among the legal pigeons after winning a landlord Japanese knotweed compensation case in the Court of Appeal. Its three judges have agreed that Marc Davies, 38, must be paid just shy of �5,000 by his local authority Bridgend council which, it wa
