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Cuckoos: not just a springtime problem but a year-round threat

Cuckoos: not just a springtime problem but a year-round threat

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Landlords should be on the lookout for the growing threat of cuckooing, which can jeopardise both their property and tenant safety.

Renters are just 'working for their landlords' as housing shortages bite - claim

Renters are just 'working for their landlords' as housing shortages bite - claim

News

Renters in England worked 125 days of the year solely to pay their rent, says The Adam Smith Institute.

Nottinghamshire landlord fined £17,500 after ignoring licencing scheme

Nottinghamshire landlord fined £17,500 after ignoring licencing scheme

News

A Nottinghamshire landlord has been fined £17,500 after local council officers discovered he was operating two properties without a licence.

Rents have risen 35% since 2020 reveals latest lettings index

Rents have risen 35% since 2020 reveals latest lettings index

News

Rental prices could increase by almost 20% over the next 12 months, putting the country in a cost of renting crisis, warns one lettings boss.

Ousted Scots minister tells SNP to honour rent controls plan

Ousted Scots minister tells SNP to honour rent controls plan

News

Ousted tenants right minister Patrick Harvie has urged the SNP’s new leader John Swinney to honour the government’s Bute House pledge to deliver rent controls and stronger tenant rights.

Renting reforms 'to outlaw rent in advance' claims expert

Renting reforms 'to outlaw rent in advance' claims expert

News

Landlords could find themselves in a legal tangle when asking for rent in advance if the Renters Reform Bill goes forward as drafted.

Government reforms undermining landlord confidence, says big firm

Government reforms undermining landlord confidence, says big firm

News

A leading letting agency in London has claimed that the Government’s Renters (Reform) Bill going through parliament, along with promises by Labour to go even further than the Tories if they gain power, are eroding landlord confidence in the private rented sector.

Letting agency to appeal banning order that will close it down

Letting agency to appeal banning order that will close it down

News

A letting agency in Liverpool has vowed to appeal a banning order successfully sought by the city’s council after the firm was found to have been operating unlicenced HMOs.

Think about how an Energy Efficient Home Design will improve your tenant’s lives

Think about how an Energy Efficient Home Design will improve your tenant’s lives

Information

Improving your rental properties will make your property more efficient, easier to let and get your tenants to stay longer

Capital Economics predicts US commercial real estate won't recover until 2040‍

Capital Economics predicts US commercial real estate won't recover until 2040‍

News

High interest rates, higher operating costs and a shift to remote working have conspired against office space in particular

UK Commercial property market is still feeling the effects of Covid‍

UK Commercial property market is still feeling the effects of Covid‍

News

COVID impact still being felt on UK high streets four years on from the first lockdowns: commercial real estate lending is down but agents see signs of optimism.

DWP to snoop on benefit landlords' bank accounts

DWP to snoop on benefit landlords' bank accounts

News

Landlords’ bank accounts could be monitored as part of new legislation that aims to reduce overpayments to people claiming benefits and fraudulent claims.

EXPERT: Removal of Furnished Holiday Lets relief 'may never happen'

EXPERT: Removal of Furnished Holiday Lets relief 'may never happen'

News

Plans to abolish the Furnished Holiday Lets (FHL) regime could be delayed by at least a year from April 2025, and might never happen, according to one tax expert.

More pet rights for tenants tops landlords worries over reforms

More pet rights for tenants tops landlords worries over reforms

News

Landlords are more concerned about tenants’ right to request to keep a pet than the potential abolition of Section 21, a new poll reveals.

HMRC restarts landlord pilots for its 'Making Tax Digital' scheme

HMRC restarts landlord pilots for its 'Making Tax Digital' scheme

News

More landlords can now try out Making Tax Digital (MTD) for Income Tax after HMRC paused the pilot last February.

Rise in HMOs pushes BTL yields to highest for six years

Rise in HMOs pushes BTL yields to highest for six years

News

Average rental yields have hit a six-year high with HMOs and properties in the North East offering landlords the best returns.

EPCs are misleading, inaccurate and need reform, says Which?

EPCs are misleading, inaccurate and need reform, says Which?

News

Consumer organisation Which? says there is considerable evidence that many EPCs are ‘not accurate’.

Landlord fined £528,000 after fence mending work leads to burns

Landlord fined £528,000 after fence mending work leads to burns

News

A large landlord has been fined £528,000 after a maintenance crew member repairing a fence post inadvertently struck an underground cable, suffering facial burns.

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Tax changes for Airbnb landlords 'in the pipeline' to stop gaming of the rates system

Tax changes for Airbnb landlords 'in the pipeline' to stop gaming of the rates system

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Some holiday lets owners are gaming the system to claim business rate relief, comments made by the Housing Minister Lord Greenhalgh suggest, who has promised action to clamp down on the practice. In a Lords debate on second homes, peers voiced concerns that second homeo

Asylum seeker HMO operator fined �60,000 for running house without licence

Asylum seeker HMO operator fined �60,000 for running house without licence

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A company that houses asylum seekers has been fined more than �60,000 for HMO offences in Newport. Clearsprings Ready Homes, which has the contract for operating accommodation for asylum seekers in Wales, was found guilty of letting an HMO in Redland Street (pictured), in the B

Bill to make EPC rules mandatory early 'unlikely to become law' after stabbing

Bill to make EPC rules mandatory early 'unlikely to become law' after stabbing

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News
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The Minimum Energy Performance of Buildings Bill, which aimed to advance the governments energy efficiency commitments, is in doubt following the tragic death of David Amess MP. He was the presentation bills main sponsor in the Commons, launching it at the same time as Lor

Should holiday-let owners be paying council tax?

Should holiday-let owners be paying council tax?

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However, Carol Lewis writing for the Sunday Times newspaper thinks that holiday let owners should be paying council tax. Given that levelling up is the government's buzzword du jour, it is time to level the playing field and bring holiday-home owners in line wi

Landlords left struggling to claw back deposits owed after property firm ceases trading

Landlords left struggling to claw back deposits owed after property firm ceases trading

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Landlords and letting agents hit by the collapse of Ash Residential Property Management Limited (ARPM) have been left struggling to claw back deposits and fees after it ceased trading last month with debts of almost �1.5m. At least 8,000 properties and their landlords are affec

HMRC warns holiday let owners about their tax obligations

HMRC warns holiday let owners about their tax obligations

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HMRC warns that owners must accurately declare these earnings on their self assessment tax returns or face criminal charges if in default. A boom in bookings The Covid pandemic has stored up excess demand for stay at home Britains under the foreign holiday restrictio

LATEST: Scots landlords face new EPC rules but up to �15,000 to pay for upgrades

LATEST: Scots landlords face new EPC rules but up to �15,000 to pay for upgrades

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Scottish landlords have until 2028 to meet energy efficiency standards but can access interest-free loans of up to �15,000 to help them spread the cost. The Scottish government has published its Heat In Building Strategy setting out that, by 2030, greenhouse gas emissions from

Sir Philip Green and his wife bought-up high-end London property as their retail empire was collapsing

Sir Philip Green and his wife bought-up high-end London property as their retail empire was collapsing

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The so called Pandora Papers is a financial services leak of nearly 12 million documents that reveal an international treasure trove of hidden wealth, tax avoidance and money laundering, by some of the world's richest individuals. The secret files were unearthed by a Washington

Nationwide launches platform to help landlords manage their properties and finances

Nationwide launches platform to help landlords manage their properties and finances

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High Street lender the Nationwide has launched a platform that will be first of its kind created for landlords by a major financial institution. Called The Landlord Works, it has been developed by a team headed up by Paul Wooton (main picture) who, after leaving its mortgage bro

REVEALED: Why not all EPCs are created equally

REVEALED: Why not all EPCs are created equally

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Getting a good EPC rating is important for rentals to meet the MEES regulations, and in future even higher ratings will be demanded, but this can be a challenge for some landlords� Since October 2008, rental properties in England and Wales have been required to

How safe are classified sites? Another tenant scammed by fake landlord

How safe are classified sites? Another tenant scammed by fake landlord

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A tenant has been scammed by a Gumtree advertiser who stole more than �2,000, leaving her facing homelessness. Mum-of-four, Shirley Jones, from Coventry, fell for the flat rental scam after answering the advert for a three-bedroom home in Nuneaton that was available to rent on

LATEST: Government's annual housing benefit bill rises to �30 billion

LATEST: Government's annual housing benefit bill rises to �30 billion

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The government is expecting to spend and eye-watering �30 billion on housing benefit for tenants this year, DWP minister Will Quince has told parliament. This figure is �8-10 billion more than the Office for Budget Responsibility https://obr.uk/forecasts-in-depth/tax-

BREAKING: 'Half of tenants would take out pet insurance against damage', says expert

BREAKING: 'Half of tenants would take out pet insurance against damage', says expert

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Half of all tenants who want to rent a home with their pet would be prepared to take out specialist insurance to cover their landlord against damage, a leading campaigner has revealed. Jennifer Berezai of AdvoCATS has researched an in-depth report into whether there is an appeti

Six month tenancy notice made permanent in Wales

Six month tenancy notice made permanent in Wales

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Legislation has been passed in Wales that extends the amount of notice landlords must give to their tenants, from the two month s21 period, to six months. The Renting Homes (Amendment) (Wales) Bill means (because notice cannot be served within the initial term) that the minimum

Leading private landlord moves entire portfolio to Ltd company and saves �10 million

Leading private landlord moves entire portfolio to Ltd company and saves �10 million

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One of Britains biggest private landlords is encouraging others to follow his lead by shifting property from their own name into a company structure. In what is thought to be the countrys largest ever mortgage transaction, Alastair Kerr (pictured) has transferred ownership

Regaining possession of a commercial property

Regaining possession of a commercial property

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Landlords of commercial premises may consider it necessary to bring the lease to an end or to refuse to renew a lease. This course of action might be for a number of reasons: A tenant for example might not have a statutory right to a lease renewal under the Landlord and Tenant Act 1954, the

MTD vs Self-Assessment Tax Returns - understanding the coming changes

MTD vs Self-Assessment Tax Returns - understanding the coming changes

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The big changes are in the submission frequency and digital submission process. Firstly, you will need to complete not one but five tax submissions per year � one every quar

BREAKING: Don't expect an extension to the electrical safety standards deadline, says ministry

BREAKING: Don't expect an extension to the electrical safety standards deadline, says ministry

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Landlords have been warned not to expect a grace period or extension to the deadline for properties to confirm to the new electrical safety standards. Originally, an https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/electrical-safety-standards-in-the-private-rented-sector-guid

Average house price to rise by 17% over next ten years and to nearly �400,000 by 2050

Average house price to rise by 17% over next ten years and to nearly �400,000 by 2050

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The average UK house price could surge by 17% in the next decade, based on historical data from the past 40 years, and is set to reach �400,000 by 2050. Property buying firm Good Move has studied house prices in the UK since 1980 to predict what the market might look like in th

Cleaning is still the biggest cause of deposit disputes

Cleaning is still the biggest cause of deposit disputes

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What is a clean and tidy house to some is and unacceptably dirty mess to others; people have different standards and this will never change. Alternatively, some tenants are just too lazy to leave the place clean and tidy: dirty carpets and furniture, filthy bathrooms and toilets, and kitchen work

Legal case: the question of quiet enjoyment and nuisance

Legal case: the question of quiet enjoyment and nuisance

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In every tenancy there is an implied right if not an express covenant that promises that the tenant is able to possess the premises, not just without noise, quiet enjoyment� as the term implies, but in peace and without without disturbance by hostile claimants�, including from the

National Residential solve any problem to sell buy-to-lets for the best possible price.

National Residential solve any problem to sell buy-to-lets for the best possible price.

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If you're a landlord and you haven't yet heard of us here at <a rel="noreferrer noopener" href="http://www.national-residential.co.uk/" target="_blank">National Re

BREAKING: NRLA report into 'unaccountable' Rent Smart Wales reveals range of failings

BREAKING: NRLA report into 'unaccountable' Rent Smart Wales reveals range of failings

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Landlords have slammed the registration and licensing authority that regulates the private rented sector in Wales, taking the organisation to task for a range of failings. Rent Smart Wales was set up https://www.landlordzone.co.uk/news/starting-date-for-rent-smart-wales

Anti-money laundering legislation to apply to letting agents

Anti-money laundering legislation to apply to letting agents

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The Government thinks that the risk of money laundering taking place in estate agency is on the rise, especially in high-end lettings - the top 5% of lets in value. However, there is a lot of uncertainty as to the full scale of money laundering in lettings says ARLA Propertymark. <p id="

Case Law: planning law and the right to light

Case Law: planning law and the right to light

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In Beaumont Business Centres Ltd v Florala Properties Ltd (2020) the High Court considered the legal position regarding a serviced office providers right to light following an adjoining apathotel development. Beaumont Business Centres Limited took out an injunction against Fl

Test Case: Landlord's consent with mutual and absolute covenants

Test Case: Landlord's consent with mutual and absolute covenants

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In this case - Duval v 11-13 Randolph Crescent Ltd - reached the Supreme court in May 2020 after a tenant in a block of flats had requested the landlords consent for alterations, but disputed by another tenant in the same block, objecting to the landlord giving consent. Under

Why does it feel like the Tories have turned on landlords? Here's one answer

Why does it feel like the Tories have turned on landlords? Here's one answer

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Whatever their politics, many landlords are wondering why successive Conservative governments have proved to be so hostile to buy-to-investors, given its former party of the landlord moniker. This includes the 3% stamp duty increase, Section 24 tax relief reductions, the a

David Coughlin: how I escaped recession era Liverpool to build a 100-property portfolio

David Coughlin: how I escaped recession era Liverpool to build a 100-property portfolio

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David Coughlins journey from the son of an unemployed Bootle docker to a 100-property portfolio landlord is one of the private rental markets more extraordinary journeys. Now pushing fifty years old, it was in his mid-20s that he began investing in property. Co

Queen evicts couple over �32 bill, revealing Royal Household is exempt from evictions ban

Queen evicts couple over �32 bill, revealing Royal Household is exempt from evictions ban

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Landlords might feel slightly peeved to discover that the Queen is exempt from the current eviction ban. As a landlord, her Majesty rents out a number of Royal Household properties, but unlike every other landlord in the UK whos up against the evictions ban until next year, s

TV property tycoon rejects claim he's a 'notorious rogue landlord'

TV property tycoon rejects claim he's a 'notorious rogue landlord'

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Multi-millionaire property tycoon Andrew Panayi (pictured, above) has hit back at councillors who dubbed him a notorious rogue landlord�. Islington Council refused planning permission for a two-bedroom flat in Londons Caledonian Road, submitted by Panayi who infamously,

LATEST: Disappeared guest house investment couple re-emerge in Oz

LATEST: Disappeared guest house investment couple re-emerge in Oz

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A property investment guru couple who disappeared leaving disappointed participants in their investment schemes puzzled as to their whereabouts have popped up as spiritual leaders in Australia. Marta and Lloyd Smith - now known as Riya Loveguard and Aeron Lazar - ran Home

Landlords must 'go green' as government reveals gas boiler ban for rented properties

Landlords must 'go green' as government reveals gas boiler ban for rented properties

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The Government is to phase out gas by 2035 as part of its green ten-point plan announced this week, meaning millions of boilers across the private rented sector are on borrowed time. CEO of the Chartered Institute of Plumbing and Heating Engineering (CIPHE), Kevin Wellman, under

Reluctant landlords: cladding woes force owners to let out properties at a loss

Reluctant landlords: cladding woes force owners to let out properties at a loss

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Thousands of leaseholders are stuck in their flats because they cannot sell due to unsafe cladding installed on their high rise blocks. Sales are stalled because potential buyers cant obtain a mortgage until the defective cladding is replaced and the building declared safe by a specialis

Legal Case: Rogerson v Bolsover District Council '� landlord's liabilities

Legal Case: Rogerson v Bolsover District Council '� landlord's liabilities

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Landlords owe a duty of care to their tenants to make sure, as far as is reasonably possible, to be sure a property is safe, both at the commencement and during the course of a tenancy. This Court of Appeal case in 26 February 2019 relates to a council tenancy, though its implic