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
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.
Millions owed to a lender by businesses which collapsed due to the oversupply of student accommodation in Newcastle are unlikely to be recovered.
A private landlord in Kent has submitted plans for what will be the UK’s largest HMO if the scheme gets the go-ahead.
Flats and smaller houses make the best buy-to-let investment for landlords, having seen the strongest annual increase in average yield compared with other property types during the past 12 months.
Traditional private landlords are rapidly being replaced by pension funds and private equity firms seeking to capitalise on the lucrative build-to-rent sector.
Home REIT, the investment trust marketed as the dream scheme to house 10,000 homeless and needy tenants, and a sure-fire investment alternative in property, is folding with extensive debts and legal claims
A councillor in the North of England has pushed back against unlikely claims that large firms operating HMOs are ‘taking away his town’s family homes’.
Looking to boost your property portfolio? Below are the five factors you must consider before your next property purchase.
A landlord who sub-let an unlicensed HMO, failed to pay thousands of pounds in rent to the owner and illegally evicted a tenant has been handed a £4,872 rent repayment order.
John Lewis has finally received the green light to begin its transformation into a build-to-rent landlord after Bromley Council approved its plans for 353 rental homes.
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.
Westminster City Council has given the go-ahead to a huge new selective licensing scheme covering 15 of the London borough’s 18 wards.
Landlords could face higher mortgage rates for longer after inflation jumped by more than expected last month to 3.5%.
A data gathering exercise by the Government has highlighted new and sometimes surprising facts about the UK’s landlords and their properties, including why a quarter are plannig to sell of properties over the next 12 months.
A leading leasehold expert has warned that commonhold reforms will hit property values and shift costs onto individual flat owners including those belonging to private landlords.
A Glasgow landlord fears his tenants could be left without heating or hot water after his energy supplier delayed replacing their Radio Teleswitch Service (RTS) meter.
Duncan McLennan says harking back to previous rent control experiments isn't realistic, and that a 'revolution in home building' is needed instead.
Landlord Sales Agency helps landlords sell quickly, often in under 28 days, at strong prices even with tenants. With market changes coming, now is the time to act.
Peterborough defends decision to bring some 1,800 smaller HMOs into its licensing clutches.
Report from Handelbanken paints picture of regulation bearing down on investor sentiment with predictable results.
Renters' Rights Bill will also end the 'flexibility' of tenure that landlords and tenants have been enjoying for decades.
From Wednesday 14 May 2025 letting agents are required to check landlords, tenants and guarantors by making anti money laundering (AML) checks
The Renters' Rights Bill will become law soon; a reader asks, what will be the result of it on my buy-to-let portfolio?
A 92-year-old landlord has been slapped with a £9,360 Rent Repayment Order after two tenants took him to tribunal for renting out an unlicensed HMO.
Landlords have accused Labour of being ‘anti investment’ in the as a new survey reveals over half are worried about the costs of EPC upgrades, the Renters’ Rights Bill and mooted increases in Capital Gains Tax.
The Scottish government has rejected proposals to increase rents by no more than the cost-of-living or increase in wages, at the latest stage of the Housing (Scotland) Bill.
A new initiative aims to clean up property sourcing’s reputation and help compliant agents get deals signed off by finance firms.
The government has been warned that its failure to acknowledge the true state of the courts risks eroding landlord confidence.
A fall in the number of bungalows to rent is impacting the growing number of older and disabled tenants.
A landlord pair have failed to convince a tribunal judge that their tenants’ relationship excused them from getting an HMO licence.
A Scottish parliamentary committee has called for an action plan to tackle the country’s “predictable and preventable” housing emergency, with the property industry also saying rent controls ‘are not the answer’.
The government has revealed that it is looking into measures that will add landlords’ eviction activity to the looming PRS database.
