Leasehold properties are becoming harder to sell due to escalating ground rents and limited lease terms, despite recent reform efforts.
Loopholes in the Renters Reform Bill around alternative possession grounds leave it open to abuse by unscrupulous landlords, claims a Labour activist and lawyer. A landlord will simply need to demonstrate an intention to use the property to live in or sell before they can
British landlords who use rental platforms to let holiday homes in the European Union will soon have to pay VAT on their rental income. Under the EUshttps://taxation-customs.ec.europa.eu/taxation-1/value-added-tax-vat/vat-digital-age_en" target="_blank" <strong
Most tenants want their landlords to be green and digital, a poll of some 2,000 renters has revealed. Despite debates about rental supply and rocketing rents dominating the public debate about the private rented sector, software firm MRIs poll found that two thirds want to in
The Scottish and UK governments are working together to prevent landlords banning children from properties after a BBC investigation revealed the practice was still rife. Following the launch of thehttps://www.totallandlordinsurance.co.uk/knowledge-centre/renters-refor
Paul Shamplina says the key reason why tenants with children are struggling to find rented accommodation is the ongoing supply crisis created by Government intervention in the sector, and the huge competition for properties that it is creating. Speaking to BBC Radi
The NRLA recently reported that 1 in 3 landlords are going to trim down their portfolios. A whopping 33% of landlords currently selling throughout the UK. Of that 33%, most landlords agreed that they would be willing to take 80% of the value just to get rid of them because mortgage payments
Property PR expert Russell Quirk has been defending private landlords from a torrent of vile abuse on social media. <figure id="" class="w-richtext-figure-type- " data-rt-type="" data-rt-align=""><div><img src="https://cdn.prod.website-files.com/63bef2f3c329eff8e3a4af45/64cb9a556b542a2d3a2d
The new Housing Loss Prevention Advice Service could result in more landlords fighting and potentially losing - expensive court battles. There are fears that the threat of a �15,000 legal bill if they lose their possession claim hearing could be enough to dissuade some from
A Bristol Council report has urged caution when introducing rent controls for the city. Councillors have been calling for central government to put the brakes on rent rises for months and set up the https://www.bristolonecity.com/one-city-bristol-living-rent-commission/
The BBC has revealed that 24% of adverts it examined listed by landlords via online letting agency OpenRent showed said no families. Of some 8,000 adverts by landlords listed on the site over a recent four-day period, 1,800 said no families while 73% of the listings
Pro-tenant campaigners have claimed that the Governments looming overhaul of the private rented sector will cost landlords a meagre �10 each per annum. The https://www.rentersreformcoalition.co.uk/" target="_blank" Renters Reform Coaliti
Tax increases on private landlords are reducing supply but not increasing owner occupation, making it difficult for the PRS to be commercially viable, according to a housing sector academic. Giving evidence to the Pensions and Work Committee on benefit levels, Prof
A major Midlands council is considering a selective licencing when its additional licencing scheme for HMOs finishes in 2025 as it seeks to answer critics who believe this type of property is damaging social cohesion in many areas. The Cabinet committee of West Northamptonshire
Living in an era where the UK has concerns about the security of energy supply, rising energy costs, and the need to meet environmental considerations, looking to innovative energy back-up alternatives makes sense. Since the shock of the war in Ukraine, it has become increasingl
Housing secretary Michael Gove has moved to reassure private landlords that the Government backs them, describing their work as vital to a functioning rented sector. His column for the https://www.nrla.org.uk/" target="_blank" NRLA </a
Strange proceedings have been reported at Bristol Magistrates Court after a landlord was fined �44,000 over serious fire safety issues at an HMO he operates. Joe Sutera attended the court hearing but refused to identify himself saying he was a man and that Joe Sutera h
A rogue landlord has been handed a hefty fine for renting out a dangerous and mouldy property his second in two years. Hazmar Fauz, of The Avenue in Welwyn, admitted several serious defects at the house in London Road, Luton, when he appeared before magistrates and was fined
Nearly one-fifth of private rented homes would need work costing more than �10,000 to bring them up to an EPC Band C, according to the latest PRS figures. The English Housing Survey Private Rented Sector report for 2020-21 found that these were more likely to need larger sums o
The latest figures available from Rightmove show that London rents jumped by around 14 per cent in the last year, with some property experts calling it the most competitive market on record Matt Hutchinson, a director at SpareRoom, the flat sharing website, has said: <p
The pandemic has had a devastating impact on commercial property, with lockdowns, social distancing, working from home (WFH), all accelerating the move to online and home deliveries. The likes of Tesco, Ocado and the other big supermarket deliveries were the saviour of the public during the
Welsh politicians have reaffirmed their desire to consider rent controls in the PRS while announcing plans to crack down on the holiday let sector. Plaid Cymru leader Adam Price (main pic, right) suggested rent controls could be on the table when the long-awaited but now <a href
Michael Gove, arguable the best housing secretary for some years, has been sacked from his job after joining a chorus of Tory cabinet ministers calling on the PM to resign. During a fast-moving day in politics which has seen over 40 MPs quit the government or withdraw their supp
Welsh government leaders have revealed radical plans to licence holiday lets in a bid to get tough on the causes of long-term rental shortages. The region is to introduce a cap on the number of second and holiday homes while bringing in measures to put more homes into common own
HMO landlords face paying thousands of pounds for https://www.landlordzone.co.uk/news/safety-peer-asks-why-private-landlords-must-do-electrical-checks-when-social-ones-are-exempt/" electrical equipment when new regulations kick in later this year. An amendment
Manchester aims to double the size of its selective licensing scheme by adding another 1,884 properties in eight areas. The council has given it the go-ahead to the https://www.landlordzone.co.uk/news/manchester-mayor-vows-to-launch-1-5m-landlord-licensing-across-city/"
Owners of second homes in many coastal and holiday locations could face a ban on renting using lettings websites like Airbnb. Tourist hotspots such as coastal towns in Cornwall and Devon are particularly affected. Communities being eroded In many of these towns, loca
Tenants group Generation Rent has backed the DLUHC select committees call to close a loophole in proposed Section 8 reforms. It says the governments plan to ban Section 21 evictions but still allow landlords to evict tenants when needing to sell or move back into a prop
A government minister has admitted that landlords could quit the market unless upcoming changes to EPC rules are implemented carefully. In a Lords debate to discuss the challenges of achieving net zero, https://www.landlordzone.co.uk/tag/lord-callanan/" target="_blank"
Peterborough plans Article 4 Direction trial to curb smaller HMOs, following Leicester’s expansion of similar controls across more city neighbourhoods
A Rugby councillor is trying to drum up opposition to HMOs with an online petition calling for an Article 4 direction in the town. John Slinger (main picture) believes too many family homes are being turned into HMOs by landlords who often dont have the communitys best int
Redditch MP Rachel Maclean is the latest housing minister to arrive through the revolving door at the Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities. The newcomer replaces previous housing minister Lucy Frazer, https://www.landlordzone.co.uk/news/breaking-housing-
Spreadsheets. Theyve been around since 1979 and have served the property industry well since their inception. However, with legislation like Making Tax Digital coming into play in 2026, were seeing Landlords slowly transition from using outdated equipment to more modern an
Economic headwinds facing the construction industry put the brakes on the build-to-rent sector last year. Build cost inflation and labour shortages meant that it only grew by 14% in 2022 adding up to 242,548 homes in planning, under construction or completed - compared to a
Arun Council introduces Article 4 direction in Marine, Hotham, River wards, requiring planning permission for small HMOs to maintain housing quality.
A leading ethical repair firm has shamed a rogue plumber who charged an 85-year-old woman £1,500 to repair a water pipe.
Falling house prices and rising mortgage rates, coupled with a cost of living crisis, which inevitably results in higher incidences of rental arrears, are scaring off potential new investors in buy-to-let. But new investments in the right locations could be an astute move for ne
A former Generation Rent campaigner is now working as an advisor shaping private rented sector policy at the Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities. Caitlin Wilkinson - policy advisor for the private rented sector - was policy and public affairs manager at the camp
Landlords and the wider rented sector face more uncertainty after it was announced this morning that housing minister Lucy Frazer, who has only been in post since October last year, is to become secretary of state at the new department of Culture, Media and Sport. In private at
The Tories should take the blame for the landlord exodus and crisis-hit private rental sector, according to one leading investment guru. Financial columnist and author Matthew Lynn says that for the last decade, the party has been in an all-out war against buy-to-let landlords,
A rogue Liverpool landlord has been fined £30,000 for failing to get licences for two student HMOs three years after it was fined 45,000 for similar offences. Trophy Homes, which claims to operate within the 'luxury' student, co-living and general rental sectors, admitted
Bank of England warns landlord exodus from rental sector as taxes and policies drive investors away, worsening housing supply crisis.
The future of new rented accommodation in the UK will be developments where all facilities including transport, shops and services including schools are all within 15 minutes of a tenants property, it has been claimed. This comment was made during a https://www.savil
Landlords are calling on the Government to review how they are taxed after new figures reveal the devastating impact higher levies are having on the private rented sector. The National Residential Landlords Association (NRLA) says new research conducted on its behalf by co
Two out of three HMO landlords in Portsmouth plan to call it quits this year, largely prompted by the launch of an additional licensing scheme in September. Portsmouth & District Private Landlords Associations survey found that this would mean a loss of 348 rooms which, e
A Government investigation into damp and mould in the social housing sector has disclosed initial findings which show a significant number of homes in the social sector are affected by this problem. On Thursday (2 February) the Regulator of Social Housing (RSH) published a <a hr
The property industrys Rumble with the Agents charity event is to host its eighth evening of boxing and fund-raising in North London on Thursday 22nd June, it has been announced. <figure id="" class="w-richtext-figure-type- " data-rt-type="" dat
The Bank of England has raised interest rates for the 10th consecutive time as it battles inflation - a move likely to hit thousands of investors with variable rate mortgages and those forced to renew fixed-rate deals. The base rate has gone up by half a percent to 4%, the highe
Englands HMO market has shrunk by more than 21,000 properties in the last two years as local councils ramp up planning rules and licensing schemes. Numbers were down by -2.4% to 489,701 last year, having already seen a -1.7% drop in 2021, according to figures from Octane Capi
The boss of online lettings platform lettingaproperty.com is determined to overcome landlords inertia to switch from using high street agents. Jonathan Daines admits its a challenge as 95% of landlords still use agents, with the ingrained belief that the online process wil
House prices have fallen for the fifth month in a row, with the average property now worth �258,297, almost �4,000 less than in December, reports Nationwide. January saw a -0.6% monthly dip which left prices 3.2% lower than their August peak, while annual house price growth al
If you were due to submit a self-assessment tax return and pay your dues by yesterdays deadline and you missed it you should do so now without delay, otherwise you will face a penalty. Anyone with rental income must submit a self-assessment income tax return, completing the property inco
