The Supreme Court is debating a key legal case around rent-to-rent operators today to decide if the superior landlord, or any landlord in the chain, should be responsible for a rent repayment order. <figure id="" class="w-richtext-figure-type- " data-rt-type="" data-rt-align=""><div><img
Barclays has been rapped on the knuckles for a radio advert that urged tenants to rack up credit card debt and increase their credit score to help them rent a flat. The adverts voiceover explained: Using my Barclaycard Forward credit card to pay for the stuff I need now co
The most pressing questions on LandlordZONE readers minds were revealed during a recent webinar hosted by Chief Commercial Officer of the HFIS group, Paul Shamplina (main pic). He joined forces with industry figure David Coughlin
Minister warned that tenancy reforms may reduce student housing supply, urging exemption to protect access to higher education.
Suffolk Building Society has launched a new mortgage aimed at expat landlords with properties that boast a high EPC rating. Its five-year fixed expat buy-to-let product for properties with an Energy Performance Certificate rating of A to C is available on
Tenants union Acorn has pledged to continue targeting letting agents in the city until they stop encouraging 'bidding wars' to help landlords achieve higher rents. Members launched a noisy protest outside a number of branches; some agents which had started talks with Acorn ab
Leading Tory MP Anthony Browne (main pic) has urged the government to ditch stamp duty for home buyers but increase the tax rate for investors. The chair of the 1922 Backbench Treasury Committee says people buying homes to live in are over-taxed while those buying properties for
A landlord has spoken out to defend a substantial rent increase after its tenant complained about his eviction to the local newspaper. Richard Symonds told https://www.sussexexpress.co.uk/" target="_blank" Sussex World tha
Damp and mould has always been a very difficult issue to deal with for landlords, but the recent case of Awaab Ishak and the rapid and direct involvement of Government has really brought matters to a head. The death of a Rochdale social housing tenants son, Awaab Ishak, has l
The boss of housing charity Shelter has repeated the organisations previous assertion that tenants seeking properties in the private rented sector (PRS) too often face racism from both landlords and letting agents. Polly Neates comments have been published by the BBC withi
The government has vowed to expedite a proposed law forcing landlords to respond quickly to complaints about damp and mould. Housing minister Felicity Buchan (pictured) told MPs that proposals were being worked through, after it announced plans last week t
Birmingham council has concluded its consultation into an additional licensing scheme across the city that would include 9,500 properties in all 69 wards. Following a full cabinet meeting report on the scheme's consultation which included several landlords sessions organised by
A rogue landlord who let out an unlicensed HMO with no working kitchen, unusable toilets, blocked drains and rats, has been fined a whopping �175,000. Adam Ali had turned the former Anchor Hotel in Cobham Road, Westcliff-on-Sea (pictured), into an HMO whe
Four former housing ministers have backed a Tory thinktank policy paper that urges a radical rethink of government housebuilding policies. The Centre for Policy Studies report, The Case for Housebuilding , explains how the UKs massive shortfall in homes
Big Issue founder John Bird has called on the government to help landlords prevent rent rises. The magazines editor-in-chief - a crossbench peer in the House of Lords - says it needs to stop households who cannot pay their rent from being evicted, warning of a surge in homele
Scottish government replaces controversial rent freeze with 3–6% cap from April, after landlord backlash.
A serial rogue landlord has become the first in the North West region to be served with a banning order after he failed to improve poor housing conditions in his unlicensed properties. Wirral Council had previously prosecuted Frank Morrow from New Brighton
A coalition of landlords and letting groups is seeking a judicial review of the Scottish governments rent control and eviction ban legislation. The Scottish Association of Landlords , Scottish Land and Estates and <strong id=
The activities of a huge HMO renting scam gang has been uncovered following a four-year investigation, with the five key individuals and three companies involved fined a total of �434,000. Following an investigation by West Northamptonshire Councils Private Sector Housing Te
Private renters who complained to their landlord, letting agent or local council in the last three years were two and a half times (159%) more likely to be handed an eviction notice than those who kept quiet. New research from Shelter compiled by YouGov using online survey r
A landlord and her letting agency have together been fined more than �45,000 for illegally running an HMO. Barking and Dagenham Councils private sector housing team first discovered that professional landlord Husna Patel had not applied for, or been gr
Property firms using their own inventory services are undermining the sectors integrity, according to the Association of Independent Inventory Clerks. It wants the government to include measures in the Renters Reform Bill to guarantee more transparency
The Government has made several changes to how income and profits are taxed in recent years and some of these will take effect from the new tax year on 6th April, with higher earners and those letting via a limited company most affected. Heres the six changes
More than a quarter of people in some local communities dont have a passport, raising questions about their ability to pass Right to Rent checks. Research by digital identity firm, https://www.idcrypt.global/" target="_blank" ID Crypt Global, reveals that 1
Government's Anti-Social Behaviour Action Plan empowers landlords to evict unruly tenants in two weeks,enhancing eviction grounds and court processes.
How to evaluate real estate investment opportunities with key metrics, risk checks, and ROI strategies for property success.
Generation Rent has appointed charity boss Ben Twomey as its new director, replacing Baroness Alicia Kennedy. Twomey joins the campaigning group from his current role as director of policy and communications at the National Youth Advocacy Service and has p
The UKs competition watchdog is to launch an investigation into consumer rights for those rent their homes and the activities of landlords and letting agents. This announcement, which has been made by the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA), reveals that it intends to she
A cross-party group of MPs and peers has suggested that landlords who dont upgrade their properties should be liable for mortgage penalties. The All-Party Group on a Green New Deal believes there should be a 1% mortgage interest rate premium levied on all buy-to-let propertie
The government has announced support for thousands more households including tenants living in HMOs - to help pay their energy bills. Households without a direct relationship to an electricity supplier are covered by thehttps://www.gov.uk/get-help-energy-bills/getti
As part of the Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities (DLUHC) levelling up� fund the money is to be used by the council to work proactively and engage with landlords�, in particular with those landlords who rent out houses in multiple occupation (HMOs) and own con
Property expert Kate Faulkner (main pic) says new rules to introduce professional qualifications for social housing managers are a slap in the face for the PRS� after years of lobbying for similar standards. The government has a
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
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
