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 number of landlords selling up has hit record levels, leading property buying firm National Residential has reported. The company says this has been prompted to a significant degree by the long-standing uncertainty within the private rented sector created by the Government
Despite the fall in inflation, The Guardian is reporting https://www.theguardian.com/business/2023/may/24/uk-inflation-falls-cost-of-living-crisis" the financial markets are betting on an interest rate rises to 4.75% in June and 5.4% by the end of the year , the Office fo
A Conservative MP has called for tenants to be offered affordable homes in tourist hot spots if they can prove theyre local. During a Commons debate on short-term holiday lets, East Devon MP Simon Jupp (pictured) suggested that councils could be allowed
The NRLA says Government measures to abolish Assured Shorthold Tenancies (ASTs) will decimate the student housing sector if they go ahead unchanged. Featured within the Renters (Reform) Bill, this will see ASTs replaced with more flexible open-ended periodic tenancies
Commercial property is an important part of the UK economy, but the retail and office sectors as still suffering and rising interest rates present a real threat. A recent https://bpf.org.uk/media/6294/cl16688-01-bpf-economic-footprint-may23-v5-hi-res-single-pages.pdf" t
Electric vehicle charging expert Matthew Gibbons (main picture) explores the pros and cons of installing the different equipment at rental properties. Rented properties with EV charge points are a rare thing, so installing one makes a home more desi
In the Spring Budget, the Chancellor announced a raft of measures that the Government intends to help level up the UK. Specifically, they're pledging to prioritise employment, education and enterprise
Better transport links to the capital have boosted the number of Londoner commuters happy to spend time on the tube or bus. Renters are living further away from the office than they did seven years ago because this doesnt necessarily equate to longer journey times due to impr
A debt charity is calling on the government to introduce stronger protections for tenants who fall behind on their rent. StepChanges survey found that private renters struggled to afford their homes more than any other housing tenure, with one in six (1.2 million people) rely
HMO landlords have again been warned that they must pass on the Energy Bills Support Scheme (EBSS) rebate to tenants as the first payments are made, this time by business secretary Grant Shapps (pictured). https://www.landlordzone.co.uk/news/latest-official-plans-to-for
Merton Council, which includes the famous Wimbledon lawn tennis centre, is embarking on a big push to license all rented properties and HMOs in the borough as well as limiting the growth of small HMOs. It wants landlords to take part in its new consultation on plans for <strong
Complaints from landlords and letting agents have been passed to LandlordZONE about a rent-to-rent provider whose founder is lauded online for raking in up to �12,000 a month. <figure id="" class="w-richtext-figure-type- " data-rt-type="" data-rt-align=""><div><img src="https://uploads-
Landlords face higher bills from next year after Chancellor Jeremy Hunt slashed the annual threshold for Capital Gains Tax from �12,300 to �6,000 next year and �3,000 from April 2024. Although a rise in CGT didnt materialise, he followed the Office of Tax Simplification
Landlords have accused the Government of "breaking the private rented sector" with its relentless regulatory and tax policies. The comments have been made by the NRLA, which says that while demand for rented homes is rising as home ownership becomes less affordable, the number o
Brighton & Hove Council is squeezing its HMO sector even harder by introducing a tough new set of policies designed to reduce their impact on local communities. Its City Plan Part 2 includes new guidance for those applying for planning permission as well as rules covering bu
The way that private rented sector (PRS) landlords operate their properties in Wales is going through one of the biggest changes in decades as the Welsh Government, under its devolved powers, pass and implement the https://www.legislation.gov.uk/anaw/2016/1/contents" target="_blank
Leicester city council councillors are to vote next week on plans to significantly widen local planning laws to clamp down on the spread of HMOs. The measures are to be brought in following a public consultation that finished in January this year. Leicester has had a
The mention of Japanses knoweed has the effect of putting the fear of God in property owners, but the bamboo plant, which is lesser known, can be even more devastating. Homeowners have been planting bamboo for years in Britain to create an exotic oriental ornamental feature or a
The Making Tax Digital initiative (MTD) is a HMRC scheme that aims to modernise income tax accounting and reporting, making the process fully digital. The idea is to improve HMRCs efficiency and reduce costs to the taxpayer by processing business, property and individual tax affairs on-l
Successful landlord and property developer Kathy Miller has urged the government to rethink its plans to abolish Section 21 or face a big rise in court cases and spiralling bills for unpaid rent and property damage. <figure id="" class="w-richtext-figure-type- " data-rt-type="" data-rt-a
Landlords could be hit with a rise in capital gains tax (CGT) along with cuts in reliefs and allowances as part of the Chancellors autumn statement due on November 17th. According to a report inhttps://www.telegraph.co.uk/" https://www.telegraph.c
A bankrupt landlord in the Midlands has been jailed for eight months after failing to tell the Official Receiver about an HMO property he owned in Coventry. The house at 35 Walsgrave Road, Coventry, which yielded a rent of �1,900 a month for Sukhi Sanghera, was not flagged up b
Landlords have been under a lot of pressure recently, with interest rates going up, house prices dropping, and changes in government, anxiety levels have been at an all-time high. But despite the current state of affairs, we still have options to help us get through this patch without panic
Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, and Minister for Intergovernmental Relations, Michael Gove, has reaffirmed his department's commitment to reforming the private rented sector (PRS). It will follow closely the recommendations in the Governments pol
Scots entrepreneurs Graeme and Leanne Carling were one of the most successful landlords of the late noughties, taking advantage of the weakness in the property market following the global financial crash to build a bricks-and-mortar empire worth �200 million. This made their co
Serco offers landlords guaranteed rent, free maintenance, and no void periods in five-year leases to house asylum seekers.
Landlords might have found themselves an ally in the newest minister at the Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities. Lucy Frazer - the latest MP to join returning boss https://www.landlordzone.co.uk/tag/michael-gove/" target="_blank" Mic
A group of companies involved in substantial property investment scams has been wound up by the High Court and an official received appointed to liquidate the four firms involved. These are Sentor Solutions Commercial Ltd , Fabcourt Deve
The RICS global Commercial Real Estate Market Monitor (Q3 2022) is indicating that the sector is in the early stages of a downturn. Thats according to around 81% of the surveys respondents in Q3 2022. It marks a significant increase from the previous quarter sample when just 11% of th
A concerned landlord has shared his frustration at the way councils manage problem tenants facing eviction by telling them to stay put while they are found alternative accommodation, informing the tenants that they will be making themselves 'intentionally homeless' if they move out. <p i
Continued demand for detached properties and a post-Covid resurgence in rent for flats has pushed annual increases in London above inflation. Average rents have accelerated by 4% to �1,499 during Q3 more than double the previous quarters rise and up 11% (�160) highe
The Rishi effect has started to impact mortgage rates just a day after the new PM was announced. As former Chancellor Rishi Sunak moves into number 10, some lenders have announced plans to drop their rates from tomorrow; Coventry Building Society is reducing its new busine
Nottingham landlords could face a �5,000 fine if their property doesnt have an EPC E rating as the city council bids to crack down on cold homes. The authority has agreed to adopt financial penalties under the Energy Efficiency (Private Rented Property in Engla
In this episode of The Property Cast, we discuss how landlords and agents can stay on top of their legal obligations. Landlords now have to meet 168 rules and regulations to let a property legally, but what are the latest legislative updates that landlords and agents need to kno
