Portsmouths HMOs are in the firing line again as growing numbers are being referred to the Valuation Office Agency (VOA) to have their council tax bands reassessed. Rather than paying tax on the whole property, each room can be classified as a band A at a cost of �1,200, wit
A severely disabled tenant and his family have barricaded themselves into their home in a bid to prevent a controversial eviction. Quadriplegic Harvey Cowe, 62, and his wife Sheree, 55, have lived at the house in Brittany Road, Hove, for 25 years after Brighton & Hove C
A leading letting agent has criticised the reasoning behind the UKs ever-growing list of selective licensing schemes. Selective licensing covers all rented property in a given area or council borough and landlords are required to pay a five-yearly fee of between �500 and �9
Landlords in Bristol will soon be required to gain planning permission to convert properties into HMOs in three key areas, it has been revealed. South Gloucestershire Council is to bring in Article 4 directions in the Bristol neighbourhoods of Stoke Park and Cheswick and parts o
Londons mayor Sadiq Khan has urged private landlords who are planning to exit the private rented market to sell their properties to local councils instead of other landlords. Khan made the comments within a self-congratulatory statement on his website l
A landlord in London must now pay �40,000 after losing his appeal against his fine for breaching Mandatory HMO licensing conditions at a bedsit property above a pub. Earlier this year Islington council brought a prosecution against Mohammed Shahid for fai
For years now, what would appear to have been successive waves of anti-landlord legislation have been bearing down on buy to let, but will this change under a new prime minister? From George Osborne to Rishi Sunack, the Treasury, it would seem, has been milking the buy to let la
The next chapter in the troubling story of property guru Glenn Armstrong has begun after court records have revealed that the infamous �3m seven-bedroom trophy mansion he often used within his marketing effort has been repossessed by bailiffs. The 62-year-olds now form
Leaseholders have failed in their attempt to stop freeholders from challenging the Leasehold and Freehold Reform Act.
A critical report on the performance of Welsh landlord and agent regulator Rent Smart Wales has been welcomed after it highlighted both uneven enforcement levels and its ‘abrasive’ communication style.
Why aren’t buy-to-let landlords growing their portfolios when rent demand is through the roof, and while build-to-rent investors are so optimistic?
Tenants' campaigning group Generation Rent has slammed the NRLA for pushing the government to include one and two-person student shares in the new possession ground under the Renters’ Rights Bill.
Estate agents have urged the government to reduce its proposed £15,000 cost cap for landlords to make EPC upgrades to £5,000.
A retrofit firm boss has warned that ill thought-out EPC reforms risk misclassifying millions of homes, misdirecting public funds and delaying action on cold, inefficient homes.
Mansfield is the latest major district council to give the green light to selective licensing within its borders following a consultation last year.
Labouir's promise to build more homes including those for renters is in jeapordy as Rayner and the Chancellor battle it out over money.
The UK’s biggest private corporate landlord has predicted that rental housing shortages will worsen in the coming years – while it takes the place of smaller landlords.
Landlords seeking to evict tenants face more delays when Section 21 notices are abolished, warns the boss of an insurance and referencing firm. Clogged courts and a shortage of judges and county-court bailiffs mean that cases are taking months to be heard, it is claimed. <p i
A rogue landlady has been convicted of illegally evicting tenants during a decade-long campaign of violence, theft and vandalism. Sohila Tamiz , of Flint Lane, Lenham, even helped organise a gang of 10 to douse one man in petrol and smash his teeth, the tri
A mortgage expert has urged landlords not to panic as buy-to-let mortgage rates continue to rise. <figure id="" class="w-richtext-figure-type- " data-rt-type="" data-rt-align=""><div><img src="https://cdn.prod.website-files.com/63bef2f3c329eff8e3a4af45/64cb992aa1ba8a68d7aa0638_dan-lee.jpeg"
A proptech firm is to spend �1 billion buying up 3,000 private rented properties with low EPC ratings around the UK, which it plans to retrofit and rent out on behalf of its backers. With many individual landlords threatening to quit the sector - faced with licensing schemes an
Forty per cent of privately rented homes in England are unlikely to achieve the energy efficiency rating target that is due to come into force in 2028. Trade organisation Propertymark says its analysis of the latest English Housing Survey shows that 60 per cent of the rental sec
A staggering one-third of landlords plan to quit the sector or do nothing to address energy efficiency failings if and when new EPC regulations kick in. Research carried out on behalf of Paragon Bank reveals that 21% of landlords would not carry out any necessary works to bring
The NRLA has played down landlords fears about new Government proposals to give tenants the right to request a pet. Speaking on the Radio 4 You and Yours programme, director of policy Chris Norris said many landlords werent too worried about the government
An official briefing document for MPs has underlined the contradictory position the government has manoeuvred itself into over landlords and letting agents who advertise properties as No DSS. The House of Commons Library document makes for interesting reading because, base
A landlord who defrauded HMRC out of almost �500,000 by keeping deductions from his employees wages has been jailed for three years. Michael Stainer, 74, (inset, main picture) was found guilty of two counts of cheating the public revenue and one of fraud by false representat
As temperatures in England and Wales soar this week, many office buildings will become unusable says real estate sustainability expert Chris Bennett of consultancy https://evoraglobal.com/" target="_blank" Evora Global - it should act as a powerful warning for real estate
An estate agency has claimed that the governments war on landlords will cost the private rented market some 46,000 this year, or some 3,800 every month. Hamptons , which has branches all over the UK, says its research confirms that, as LandlordZONE
With the cost of living crisis being the political issue of the day, and a political leadership contest underway, theres something of a hiatus in the way its being dealt with. But the situation is now quite urgent. Financial distress is now higher than during the pandemic.
After 20 years, landlord Sue quits the sector, citing frustration with anti-landlord sentiment and increasing regulatory burdens.
Housing minister Eddie Hughes has attempted to justify why institutional landlords who run Purpose Built Student Accommodation (PBSA) are to be exempted from the Governments proposal to move all tenancies in the PRS to periodic ones. <figure id="" class="w-richtext-figure-type- " data
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
