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POLL: Portfolio landlords moving to commercial as PRS becomes more difficult

POLL: Portfolio landlords moving to commercial as PRS becomes more difficult

News

Large portfolio&nbsp;landlords are feeling upbeat despite the tough economic climate, with many eyeing the commercial sector for their next property purchase. The https://www.handelsbanken.co.uk/en/about-us" target="_blank" Handelsbanken </a

Leasehold WILL be abolished if we get into power, promises Labour

Leasehold WILL be abolished if we get into power, promises Labour

News

Labour has vowed to abolish the leasehold system as soon as it comes to power following Michael Goves U-turn earlier this month. The Housing Secretary dropped https://www.landlordzone.co.uk/news/new-gove-sets-sights-on-scrapping-leasehold-ownership/" target="_blank"

LATEST: Decent Homes Standard 'missing' from Renters (Reform) Bill

LATEST: Decent Homes Standard 'missing' from Renters (Reform) Bill

News

Environmental health bodies are to press the government on why it omitted plans for a Decent Homes Standard in the Renters (Reform) Bill. Despite including most of the promised draft legislation, the expected standards were missing and only mentioned in an accompanying press rel

'Fixed term tenancies MUST be preserved within reform bill for students lets'

'Fixed term tenancies MUST be preserved within reform bill for students lets'

News

A proposed ban on fixed-term tenancies could penalise students amid an already heightened rental crisis in many cities. According to student rentals platform StuRents�

Battle over holiday lets hots up as campaigning MP holds meeting

Battle over holiday lets hots up as campaigning MP holds meeting

News

The increasingly rancourous debate between Airbnb landlords and legislators will come to a head in York this week as the city's MP convenes a public meeting to discuss the growing problem of short lets within its walls. MP Rachel Maskell (main picture) is one of six mostly Labou

'This is why built-to-rent will outperform BTL in the long term'

'This is why built-to-rent will outperform BTL in the long term'

News

Property management professional David Goldberg recently revealed that in the long term, investing in so-called build-to-rent developments will prove to be more profitable for investors than buy to let. He claimed that built-to-rent looks to be a win-win for both tenant

SW city to clampdown on HMO conversions with harsher rules

SW city to clampdown on HMO conversions with harsher rules

News

Exeter is considering extending its Article 4 direction to help manage the impact of the citys student population. The current Article 4 restricting landlords rights to convert properties into HMOs is in an area close to the University of Exeters Streatham and S

Reform bill will push more landlords into the short-lets market, say experts

Reform bill will push more landlords into the short-lets market, say experts

News

Leading figures on both sides of the private rented sector have agreed that the Renters Reform Bill, along with the Governments other changes including tax relief, are driving landlords into the short lets market. The comments were made during a debate chaired by former North

OFFICIAL: Latest evictions surge 'due to reforms pushing out landlords'

OFFICIAL: Latest evictions surge 'due to reforms pushing out landlords'

News

The Minsitry of Justice has blamed a 23% jump in the number of private landlord possession during the first three months of the year on the Welsh PRS reforms, although volumes are still below pre-Covid levels. Quarterly figures from the Ministry of Justice show that claims&nbsp;

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Beware using WhatsApp to discuss rental contracts, warns lawyer

Beware using WhatsApp to discuss rental contracts, warns lawyer

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A property lawyer has warned that landlords might fail to realise their tenant has given notice after a court ruled that a WhatsApp exchange was sufficient to create a contract.

CLAIM: Fees ban has saved tenants £1bn and 'didn't push up rents'

CLAIM: Fees ban has saved tenants £1bn and 'didn't push up rents'

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Private renters in England have saved nearly £1 billion in letting agent fees since the 2019 Tenant Fees Act, research by Generation Rent has found.

Student HMO landlords face tenancies-in-advance 'crunch' this November

Student HMO landlords face tenancies-in-advance 'crunch' this November

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One of the UK’s leading student lettings agencies has pointed out a huge ‘crunch point’ for HMO landlords when the Renters’ Rights Bill goes live later this year.

Landlords to raise rents when reform restrictions go live

Landlords to raise rents when reform restrictions go live

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New poll shows landlords are planning to raise rents in response to new restrictions within the looming Renters' Rights Bil.

BLOG: 'Tenants and landlords will see harder times when section 21 is abolished'

BLOG: 'Tenants and landlords will see harder times when section 21 is abolished'

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Property lawyer Ian Narbeth takes a detailed but scathing look at Labour's looming Renters' Rights Bill and predicts there is trouble ahead.

London politician calls for action against rogue landlords

London politician calls for action against rogue landlords

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Comments have been made after residents at a property that was illegally converted into 11 bedsit flats remain worried about its condition.

Landlord trio sell portfolio for £22m citing 'complex renting environment'

Landlord trio sell portfolio for £22m citing 'complex renting environment'

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Three landlord brothers have had a whopping £22 million pay day after selling their property portfolio to an investment trust.

EXPERT: Renting reforms will make 'horrendous housing crisis' worse

EXPERT: Renting reforms will make 'horrendous housing crisis' worse

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A leading property expert says the UK is heading for a “horrendous housing crisis” that could worsen with the advent of the Renters’ Rights Bill.

Social housing in crisis as tenants’ complaints go through the roof

Social housing in crisis as tenants’ complaints go through the roof

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New report from the Housing Ombudsman shows complaints about substandard living conditions in social housing in England are five times higher than they were five years ago

BREAKING: Landlords now covered by cladding fund - but NOT portfolio operators

BREAKING: Landlords now covered by cladding fund - but NOT portfolio operators

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Landlords who own flats hit by the cladding scandal will be covered by the remediation fund, the government has announced. However, portfolio landlords have been left out, with property experts suggesting that this omission will mean work will be held up and their flats could be

OPINION: The consequences of abolishing Section 21

OPINION: The consequences of abolishing Section 21

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Drummed up by popular media horror stories, egged on by the homelessness charities, the ban Section 21� band waggon kept on rolling until eventually the politicians saw it would be politically advantageous to jump aboard. What is Section 21 <p id="

OPINION: Why the EPC rating system needs fixing

OPINION: Why the EPC rating system needs fixing

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The governments controversial policy of phasing out natural gas boilers in favour of heat pumps, in its drive to meet internationally agreed energy efficiency targets, could be stymied because of an out of date EPC algorithm. Regardless of the fact that many older poorly insu

AIRBNB: Westminster to step-up war against 'nuisance' short-term lets landlords

AIRBNB: Westminster to step-up war against 'nuisance' short-term lets landlords

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Westminster Council has launched a spirited campaign to stop central London being overrun by nuisance short-term lets booked chiefly through Airbnb. It is lobbying the government to follow Paris and Amsterdams lead whose authorities have clamped down on problem properties. </

Landlord insurance premiums driven up by inflation

Landlord insurance premiums driven up by inflation

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After two decades of low property insurance premium rates, prices are being driven up by inflation. Steve Barnes, Associate Director at https://hamiltonfraser.co.uk/landlord-insurance/?utm_source=landlordzone&utm_medium=article&utm_id=lz+feb22+insurance+rising" target="_blank" id="

Japanese knotweed, danger is downgraded...

Japanese knotweed, danger is downgraded...

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The large herbaceous perennial with its bamboo-like appearance became infamous in Britain for its threat to buildings. Its rapid growth, its size and most importantly the damage it can do, made it the villain of the horticultural world, and it became feared by property owners and mortgag

National rogue landlord database hits 'new high' of just 61 names

National rogue landlord database hits 'new high' of just 61 names

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Four years after it was launched, the number on the Rogue Landlord database has only crept up to 61 out of the thousands claimed to be operating within the private rental sector, the latest government figures show. Asked by opposition MP Gill Furniss to provide an update, Housin

Coming changes to 'feudal'� leasehold laws to favour flat owners

Coming changes to 'feudal'� leasehold laws to favour flat owners

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Flat owners (leaseholders) only own their leasehold property for a fixed period of time and during that period they pay ground rent and service charges to the freeholder (landlord). Theres always a long-lease agreement, a detailed legal tenancy agremeent between the leasehold

LATEST: Luton finally brings in blanket HMO licensing after years of problems

LATEST: Luton finally brings in blanket HMO licensing after years of problems

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Luton Council has finally got its act together and revealed blanket HMO licensing for the town after a number of false starts over the last few years. HMOs of any size will now need a licence under its additional scheme which launches on 1st April, while all privately rented pro

Legal case: a question of leaseholders' rights to manage the full estate

Legal case: a question of leaseholders' rights to manage the full estate

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The Commonhold and Leasehold Reform Act 2002 provides a right for leaseholders to acquire the freehold landlords management functions by transfer to a company set up by them the Right To Manage (RTM) company. The thinking behind the right was to empower leaseholders. The

BREAKING: Landlord wins key Court of Appeal eviction and deposits case

BREAKING: Landlord wins key Court of Appeal eviction and deposits case

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Appeal Court judges have found in favour of the landlord in the landmark case of Northwood Solihull v Fearn &amp; Ors, preventing a potentially huge logistical headache for landlords and letting agents. The judges ruled that any authorised employee of a landlord or letting agent

BREAKING: wrong time to raise taxes, but I'm going after buy-to-let landlords anyway...

BREAKING: wrong time to raise taxes, but I'm going after buy-to-let landlords anyway...

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News
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In an apparent re-run of Harold Wilsons 1970s investment income tax surcharge, Labour plan to re-introduce such an additional layer of tax to what is termed unearned income�. The Wilson Labour government applied an investment income surcharge of 15% and kept the top rate

Surge in the number of landlords using limited companies

Surge in the number of landlords using limited companies

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According to a recent report by estate agents Hamptons, over the last four years the number of landlords operating their buy to let business through a limited company has doubled. There were 47,400 new buy-to-let companies incorporated in 2021 right across the UK, the figures be

Right to rent checks go digital for British and Irish tenants

Right to rent checks go digital for British and Irish tenants

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Landlords and letting agents will soon be able to carry out quicker https://www.landlordzone.co.uk/news/updated-advice-for-landlords-on-right-to-rent-checks-due-in-new-year/" right to rent checks on British and Irish citizens. From 6th April, Identification Do

'Think carefully' before going ahead with EPC upgrades, warns expert

'Think carefully' before going ahead with EPC upgrades, warns expert

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An energy expert has sought to reassure landlords that they may not need to spend huge sums retrofitting their properties to raise EPC ratings at least not in the short term. <figure id="" class="w-richtext-figure-type- " data-rt-type="" data-rt-align=""><div><img src="https://upload

Environmental concerns have big impact on rental property ownership

Environmental concerns have big impact on rental property ownership

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Just as residential landlords are contemplating the costs of bringing older properties up to the proposed new standard - very likely EPC band C� required by December 2025 - so too are commercial landlords.<br> See: https://www.landlordzone.co.uk/news/compulsory-epc

Compulsory EPC band 'C' by 2025 causing confusion

Compulsory EPC band 'C' by 2025 causing confusion

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Compulsory EPC band C by 2025 causing confusion There have been recent confusing reports put out that from 2025, all newly rented properties in England &amp; Wales will be required to have an EPC rating of band C or above. This is somewhat misleading and jum

UK's biggest secret landlord reveals why he's selling up most of his portfolio

UK's biggest secret landlord reveals why he's selling up most of his portfolio

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LandlordZONE sits down with one of Londons most prolific but little-known landlords who has spent 30 years amassing a huge portfolio in the East End and West End areas of the capital. For reasons of privacy, and a desire to remain behind the scenes, he doesnt want to

Paul Shamplina: 'Possession cases will rise in 2022'

Paul Shamplina: 'Possession cases will rise in 2022'

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So, we ended 2021 after twenty-one months since the first Covid lockdown with the new variant, Omicron, spreading fast, and with Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland putting in stricter measures and speculation that England may follow with an announcement early in the New Year.

Opinion: How will small-scale private landlords fare in 2022?

Opinion: How will small-scale private landlords fare in 2022?

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An example of the difficulty of prediction is the conclusion to a detailed study recently published on the private rented sector by the London School of Economics (a study commissioned by the NRLA) Individually and cumulatively, the recent tax changes

Landlord slapped with �40,700 fine after 'honest mistake' over HMO licence

Landlord slapped with �40,700 fine after 'honest mistake' over HMO licence

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A lettings agency boss and landlord has been slapped with a �40,700 Rent Repayment Officer despite claiming that his failure to licence an HMO was an honest mistake. A First Tier Property Tribunal handed five former tenants the maximum award for the period from September 2019 t

Scottish government unveils controversial rent reform plans

Scottish government unveils controversial rent reform plans

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Scotland’s Housing Bill proposes rent controls, winter eviction bans, pet rights & tougher eviction penalties in private sector overhaul.

Bristol significantly expands HMO and selective licensing schemes

Bristol significantly expands HMO and selective licensing schemes

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Bristol has approved plans to extend landlord licensing in Brislington West, Bedminster and Horfield wards in a bid to raise PRS standards. The scheme includes additional licensing - HMOs with three or more unrelated people sharing facilities and selective licensing - privat

Durham’s new licensing scheme for 29,000 homes: What you need

Durham’s new licensing scheme for 29,000 homes: What you need

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Durham County Council's selective licensing scheme covers 29,000 homes, requiring landlords to apply by 31 July for a £350–£500 licence fee.

Test Case: Council advising tenants to stay put after valid s21 notice served

Test Case: Council advising tenants to stay put after valid s21 notice served

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This is a Local Government and Social Care Ombudsman case involving an unnamed landlord (LandlordX or MrX) and Brentwood Borough Council. The case revolves around a common situation where the landlord required possession of the property after serving a valid section 21 notice un