The Scottish government has backtracked on plans to force the private rented sector to meet energy efficiency deadlines by 2025.
A First Tier Property Tribunal has criticised Barking and Dagenham Council for failing to support a landlord who mistakenly failed to get a selective licence.
A new Online Fraud Charter aims to thwart property rental scams including fake accommodation listings on Facebook Marketplace used to lure in unsuspecting tenants.
Landlords have been warned that a Court of Appeal decision issued late last week will mean that in future they will have to settle their differences with tenants via an ombudsman before going to court.
New licensing application software introduced by Portsmouth City Council has been slammed for being badly written, hard to use and too demanding.
A serving fire officer whose tenants were at risk of dying in a fire in his unsafe HMO has been fined more than £15,000.
The UK's leading property trade association has warned MPs that the Renters Reform Bill contains measures likely to make the PRS increasingly hostile to landlords.
A London landlord has been ordered to repay his tenants nearly £10,000 in rent following a Property Tribunal hearing.
Commercial tenants, with the landlord's consent, not to be unreasonably withheld, can assign their lease (transfer it) to a third party (a new tenant).
Liverpool City Council has launched a new taskforce to go after criminal landlords who exploit vulnerable tenants.
The government has signalled that it will bring in more leasehold reforms for flat owners following the introduction of the Leasehold and Freehold Reform Bill.
Leaders Romans Group (LRG) has called for a landlords’ reform bill to protect landlords and safeguard the housing sector.
Coventry has gone ahead with a huge new scheme to prevent properties being converted into HMOs without full planning permission.
This was a question answered during a recent appeal case covered here by Tom Entwistle In the Prempeh v Lakhany (Oct 2020) appeal the tenant claimed that a Section 8 notice was invalid because it did not contain the la
Paul Shamplina has won Seminar Speaker of the Year at the National LIS Awards 2023, the third time in a row the Landlord Action founder has received the honour.
A letting agent has been found to have blatantly broken the law by refusing to hand back a holding deposit.
Landlords have been warned that they will have to work much harder with their letting agent to ensure property adverts for their homes to rent include all the ‘material information’.
One in five landlords hit by rising costs are considering selling up, with a stark divide between those with properties in the north and south of the country.
One of the main tasks you have as a landlord is finding quality tradespeople to repair and maintain your rental properties. Whether its a big landscaping project, or a small leak its important to hire people who know what theyre doing. Unfortunately for many landl
More than 5,000 leaseholders including landlords could get refunds on their ground rent after the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) secured assurances from nine firms that bought freeholds from housing developer Taylor Wimpey. Those leaseholders who paid a doubled
More councils are set to introduce Article 4 directions in a bid to clamp down on HMO development, with six currently waiting for approval. There are already about 45 local authorities in England partly or entirely affected by Article 4 which means planning permission is nee
A new landlord survey has revealed the effects of the Government's proposals to ban Section 21 evictions already feeding into the private rented sector. Evictions specialist Landlord Action canvassed some 1,500 landlords and found that 26% of those who had evicted a tenant over
Its known as silly season when the media focuses on light-hearted stories, but news that Jacob Rees-Mogg (pictured) is being mooted as the new Levelling Up Secretary has been seen by some as no laughing matter. As the leadership contest draws to a close, preparations fo
Making tax digital (MTD) for income tax is part of the governments long-term strategy to digitalise tax and will have implications for how landlords pay tax on their income. For those used to self-assessment, it will represent a change, but providing digital records will give businesses
VAT on Commercial Property is a complex topic and anyone wishing to understand these complexities in relation to their own situation should seek specialist advice. This article should give a broad brush general overview but you really should seek advice because errors can be irredeemable an
A rogue portfolio landlord has been banned from letting properties for five years after she admitted multiple offences relating to fire safety issues. Naomi Knapp, a landlord with 34 properties in Bristol, was convicted of eight banning order offences and will now be added to th
Urgent regulation of the spray foam industry is needed to prevent making thousands of homes un-mortgagable, warn leading property groups. Sprayed polyurethane expanding foams are often used in lofts, either to stabilise a failing roof covering or to provide extra insulation. But
Leaseholders can now check their eligibility for a share of the �4.5 billion Building Safety Fund, which has reopened to take new applications.� � Those living in buildings over 18m with cladding issues can apply for a share of the fund. However, the DLUHC tel
Barnet Council is reintroducing borough-wide HMO licensing in a bid to improve property standards despite less than impressive figures in its previous additional licensing scheme. According to one of the respondents in the consultation report, only 32% of licensable properties h
A recent RICS survey finds that interest rate hikes and cost of living pressures are beginning to weigh on sentiment. Credit conditions have deteriorated to such an extent that 43% of respondents to the RICS survey felt we're in early downturn.� Investor sentiment is steady, but the ma
HMRC has confirmed that landlords must file a capital gains tax (CGT) property return - even if the disposal has already been reported on a self-assessment (SA) return. The government introduced the requirement to report disposals of UK residential property and pay the subsequen
A leading poverty organisation has called for a radical overhaul of the private rented sector including a government-backed right to buy scheme for private renters. The Joseph Rowntree Foundation (JRF), which was founded by a Quaker philanthropist and sweets manufacturer i
Kettel Homes has launched the UKs first open market rent-to-own programme for first-time buyers who cant access traditional home financing. Under the scheme, Kettel buys existing freehold single-family homes between �125,000 and �400,000 outside London, charging first-ti
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.
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
