Minister defends exempting student housing from new tenancy rules to keep in step with academic year agreements/
Landlords with empty properties are being urged to take advantage of council cash to help fight the housing shortage. About 300 councils currently offer a scheme mainly loans to carry out repairs - although some provide grants, usually ranging from �5,000 to more than �25,
Letting out property abroad can be a great way of generating extra income. The property might have been bought primarily as an investment but for others or it could be second or holiday home let out when not in use. There are plenty of things to think about, though.
Leicester is going ahead with its selective licensing extension in three areas of the city, charging landlords �1,090 per property - the highest fee in the Midlands. The council is introducing the scheme in parts of Westcotes, Fosse, Braunstone Park and Rowley Fields wards, whi
Durham Council has warned landlords covered by its new selective licensing scheme to brace themselves for inspections next month. At least 29,000 properties, 42% of the countys PRS, are covered by the scheme which launched in April after winning government approval. <p id
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
Brighton and Hove has its sights set on being the first city to slap a ban on second homes and holiday lets. The Green-controlled council is looking to clamp down on landlords profiting from the staycation boom amid fears that the rapid growth has impacted on the availability of
Prepare for the Leasehold Reform Act on 30 June: what landlords need to know about new ground rent rules and leasehold fairness.
The long-awaited Government White Paper, https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/1083378/A_fairer_private_rented_sector_web_accessible.pdf" target="_blank" A Fairer Private Rented Sector ,
According to recent research buy property agents Hamptons International, for the last 11 months its been cheaper to buy a home with a 10% deposit than rent. This is because to rental growth was tearing away before and mortgage rates were near their record lows. In May this ye
Paragon Bank survey shows 62% of landlords support Decent Homes Standard; 74% frustrated by lack of action against substandard housing.
There have been many articles in the media stating that it will cost £5,000 to £6,000 to improve a residential landlords EPC from D to C. James Tanner, whose family operates a London-based PRS portfolio, and who also runs a https://www.jtannerproperties.c
New research within the private rented sector has unearthed surprising attitudes to rent increases among tenants. Uswitch asked 2,000 renters whether they would accept an increase when renewing their rental contract and found that on average 36% would accept an increase while 50
Private landlords face a combined bill of �17.9 billion to upgrade their properties to a minimum EPC band C by 2025, with landlords in the capital facing the largest bill at �3.2 billion. Knight Franks figures highlight the looming crunch within the private rented sector pr
Leading landlord and evictions figure Paul Shamplina has warned those seeking property investment training to be wary of courses which seem to provide easy shortcuts to success�. His comments were made over the weekend within an investigation by The Telegraph newspaper into
The UKs largest holiday home rentals website has published shocking figures that reveal the average income earned by property investors on its platform. Sykes Holiday Cottages Holiday Letting Outlook Report 2023 reveals that its average owner saw an income of �24,000 last
A First Tier Property Tribunal has slammed Nottingham Council for covering large swathes of the city with licensing schemes rather than targeting rogue landlords, a 'temptation' it says is faced by other local authorities. Justice for Tenants brought a case on behalf of a tenant
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
Ministers and campaigners who claim that tenants are trapped in a 'broken' private renters sector are wrong, a new independent report commissioned by the NRLA has claimed, highlighting how three quarters of tenants think their rent fair or excellent value for mo
In the latest episode of The Property Cast , now available to https://www.totallandlordinsurance.co.uk/knowledge-centre/investing-in-buy-to-let-2023?utm_source=landlordzone&utm_medium=investment+podcast+article&utm_campaign=landlordzone+january+2023" <st
Peterborough's new selective licensing scheme requires landlords in designated areas to obtain a £908 licence, aiming to improve housing standards.
Landlords with properties in central https://www.landlordzone.co.uk/news/rent-rises-hit-20-in-london-last-year-reports-leading-lettings-agency/" London saw the highest levels of tenant demand across England and Wales in the last quarter of 2022. After falling
Housing Secretary Michael Gove has promised to scrap most leaseholds in England this year. The government will make it much easier for leaseholders in flats to take over their buildings and bring them into common ownership, avoiding high management fees and ground rents. <p
Labour's Lisa Nandy pledges a comprehensive review of the private rented sector, aiming to empower tenants and introduce a new Renters' Charter.
2023 is going to be a challenging year for landlords, so here are a few pointers from experienced landlord, Tom Entwistle, a residential and commercial landlord since the 1970s and founder of LandlordZONE . To read more analysis on what legal and financial
In this episode of The Property Cast, Eddie and Paul are joined by Richard Donnell, Executive Director at Zoopla. Drawing on Zooplas latest data and Richards expertise, the trio explore the most important trends in the housing market, sharing their predictions for buy to let in 2023 a
Students are finding it even harder to find accommodation following a four-year freeze on new HMOs in a leading university city, according to one councillor. The Scottish seaside town of St Andrews stopped approving licences for new HMOs in 2019 in a bid to relieve pressure on t
A rogue landlord who repeatedly abused and intimidated tenants in his unlicenced HMO has been handed a �2,817 rent repayment order. Nasir Ahmed threatened tenants Ebenezer Hagan and Farhan Bashir , even turning
https://www.belvoir.co.uk/?utm_source=LandlordZONE&utm_medium=article&utm_campaign=29_01" target="_blank" Belvoir , which is one of the largest High Street property management groups manages over 73,000 properties nationwide, and franchisees across the country are very awa
Average asking rents for new tenancies outside London jumped to another record high of �1,172 a month in December - although there are now signs that the pace of growth is starting to ease. https://www.rightmove.co.uk/" target="_blank" Rightmove </s
The case involved Sara & Hossein Asset Holdings Ltd v Blacks Outdoor Retail Ltd and revolved around a service charge certificate (SCC) issued by the landlord (SHAH), and the question of whether this was considered to be "conclusive" (meaning final) for the amount due. Servic
A coalition of landlords and letting agencies are to seek a legal challenge to the Scottish Government's rent control and eviction ban legislation and its proposed extension from April. The Scottish Association of Landlords, Scottish Land and Estates, and Propertymark have together submitte
Brighton & Hove Council has launched a crackdown on revenge evictions as it works towards a zero-tolerance approach to rogue landlords. In a review of its PRS enforcement policy, the authority will look at measures to reduce the risk of revenge evictions by serving improveme
A single mother who used to survive on charity hand-outs but who now claims to earn up to �100,000 a month from creating online adult content has announced plans to join the ranks of UK landlords. 28-year-old Rebecca Goodwin (main picture, inset), who previously struggled to su
A rogue landlord who created three tiny flats in the basement of one of his properties has been ordered to pay back more than �42,000 in illegal gains. Mawan Musa , 63, of Maude Road, Camberwell, admitted breaching planning rules at two properties in the s
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
