A canny landlord who stood up to council inspectors has successfully challenged a licence condition to install a new fire door at his student HMO. Roger Braithwaite, a career and expert environmental health officer, was told by Coventry Council that he could only have a licence
Readers concerned by the looming Renters Reform Bill should make their way to the National Landlord Investment Show on 14th March were Paul Shamplina will be leading a debate on its radical measures. Panellists on the stage with him will i
Landlords should consider charging tenants with pets more rent to cover possible extra costs as well as conducting more frequent routine property visits, according to leading letting agency Johns & Co. The London firm advises that potential expenses could include an addition
The Government puts its faith in EPC ratings to measure property energy usage in order to drive up energy efficiency in properties towards its energy targets, but can owners have the same faith? Are EPCs as they stand robust enough? Do they give valid and reliable ratings when t
Mortgage prisoners - many of them landlords - should be offered free financial advice and interest-free equity loans from the government to prevent them from losing their properties, a new study suggests. About 195,000 households are still trapped in expensive variable-rate mort
Superior landlords could find themselves hit by Rent Repayment Orders if the government decides to amend the upcoming Renters Reform Bill. Property lawyer at https://www.jmw.co.uk/" JMW , David Smith (main picture), says that despite the
We've all seen the news, with changes in regulations and tax and interest rate rises, landlords have been flocking to sell their property portfolios. But with so many properties, all full with tenants, some of them with problems, low rents or even rent skipping, how can you get out fast?
40 HMO operators convene at COHO's ManorMinds to discuss rising energy costs, exploring tech solutions and tenant education to manage bills.
Landlords financial contribution to upgrading properties in Wales should be linked to average market rents in any given area, suggests the NRLA . Under its proposals, landlords would need to contribute a minimum of �5,000, while those renting properties
Just 44% of landlords agree with Southampton Council’s plans to introduce additional licensing.
Bolton Council has agreed tough new rules to control HMO conversions – two years after first coming up with the idea.
This Digital Markets, Competition and Consumers Act has important implications for private landlords when letting their properties
Lawyer David Smith looks at several clauses within the Act which appear to mandate local authorities to bring all errant landlords to book.
New EPC rules in Scotland will worsen the housing crisis and force people to spend longer in emergency homeless accommodation
Big landlords believe tenants are willing to pay more for green features amid a growing recognition that sustainability sells.
Shocking behaviour by a landlord has prompted withering comments from a judge and a huge fine.
The next stage of the Renters’ Rights Bill has been scheduled for 1st July, raising the prospect that it could become law before parliamentary summer recess.
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
Abolishing fixed-term tenancies risks ruining the student rental market, warns leading provider of major housing contraction.
Thousands of landlords have vowed to switch to short-term lets when Section 21 notices are abolished, a new survey has found. Assist Inventories study of 10,000 landlords and letting agents revealed that 45% plan to move away from long-term tenancies while 41% said they might
The new Building Regulations and accompanying technical upgrade to the SAP assessment methodology ask for a completely different way of measuring the energy performance of many buildings, giving a market boost to those properties with higher EPC ratings. Effective from last week
A landlord too terrified to reveal her name has warned others to conduct more regular property checks after she unwittingly rented her house to a drug-dealing gang for years. The North London-based landlord has had the same tenants since 2005 but only discovered their illegal ac
New research reveals how adult tenants cause as much damage as pets in rental properties and that for smaller landlords, animal damage costs less to repair. The survey of 537 landlords and lettings agents found 85% have experienced both kinds of damage while only 29% of landlord
A landlord has given evidence in the Sebastian Kalinowski murder trial, who died at his home in Huddersfield. Prosecutors allege his mother Agnieszka Kalinowska, 35, and her partner Andrzej Latoszewski, 36, subjected him to a campaign of abuse before his death in August 2021.</p
Houses with off-road parking space will not only command a higher sale price, the rental value will also be boosted as more people buy electric cars. Surge in EV sales The electric vehicle (EV) market is booming, which will inevitably have its impact on property pric
Landlord leaders criticise Renters Reform White Paper, highlighting flaws and concerns over proposed legislation and its impact on the sector.
HMRC has named and shamed 26 property tax dodgers who collectively tried to avoid paying more than �6.7 million. The deliberate tax defrauders earned income from either rental property, property developing or property tax advising, and have all been investigated and fined for e
