The Government has given buy-to-let landlords two compelling reason to sell-up, and fast: first is the overhaul of the rental rules coming next year, with indefinite tenancies and the end of section 21 evictions, and second comes the eroding of capital gains tax, tax free allowances. <p
New government funding to explore how technology can help dispute resolution could reduce the backlog of court cases, including possession hearings. The Solicitors Regulation Authority (SRA) has been awarded �119,691 from the Department for Business, Energy & Industrial St
Investigations have thrown new light on a series of solar energy investments which failed to switch the lights on for Thurrock Council. Conservative led Thurrock Council has saddled itself with an almost �500 million debt when it tried to bridge a funding gap by taking on risky
In this episode of the property cast, Eddie and Paul are joined by Nigel Lewis - award-winning property journalist and Editor in Chief at LandlordZONE, the most visited landlord news website in the UK. Nigel Lewis is a property writer and editor with a 27-year track record working for nation
In this episode of The Property Cast, we discuss the myriad of issues surrounding damp, mould and condensation a common problem for landlords and letting agents alike. To explore this topic, Sean Hooker, Head of Redress at the Property Redress Scheme, steps into Eddies sh
In this episode of The Property Cast, Eddie and Paul are joined by Maxine Fothergill, President of the leading membership body for property agents, ARLA Propertymark. The trio discuss the topical issue of rental reform and ROPA, delving into the detail of what lies ahead for age
Portsmouth is to go ahead with its contested additional licensing scheme but has promised to reward good landlords by charging them a lower licence fee and doing fewer inspections. Landlords had urged their council not to go ahead with plans to extend licensing to about 4,000 th
The long awaited renting reforms first muted in 2019 will be implemented next year, promises Housing Secretary, Michael Gove MP. Admitting that the Government should have moved more quickly� on these reforms to protect tenants following the Grenfell Tower tragedy, Mr Gove
A landlord battling to evict his nightmare tenants using a Section 8 order is exasperated that county court bailiffs encouraged them to stay put. The Cumbrian-based landlord had been granted a possession order, but his tenants - on bail for alleged drug offences and owing �3,00
The Government has averted a looming crisis in the HMO sector that would have seen many tenants charged individually for council tax, rather than paying a share of the propertys annual bill. As LandlordZONEhttps://www.landlordzone.co.uk/news/exclusive-official-counci
London Renters Union will picket successful estate agents across the capital next week who it blames for pushing up rents to unaffordable levels. Protests are planned in Tower Hamlets, Hackney and Crystal Palace on 3rd December by activists who have taken partic
The Welsh government has given a strong indication that landlords and property owners operating Airbnb holiday homes within its borders are to face a compulsory licensing scheme similar to the Rent Smart Wales scheme for the traditional private rental sector. This follows a parl
Landlords long-standing criticisms of health and safety regulation that tenants are often the cause of problems such as mould or water leaks look set to be addressed in new government guidance. Councils inspecting rented properties will be formally instructed to exami
Housing Secretary Michael Gove has ordered council bosses to prove they are assessing and improving damp and mould problems in the PRS. Following the death of toddler Awaab Ishak as a direct result of mould in his family home, Gove says theres an urgent need to ensure a decen
The tragedy of the death of two-year-old Awaab Ishak in a Rochdale social housing flat rests heavily on the minds of landlords across the country: could this happen in one of my own properties they might well ask? The answer is probably, yes it easily could. In a winter with ris
A Japanese knotweed infestation caused homeowner Charron Ishmael to take her neighbour, retired NHS consultant Dr Sheila Clark, to court over a dispute about the plant. Charron Ishmael was selling her property but because of the presence of the invasive plant in her neighbour
HMO landlords have again been warned that they must pass on the Energy Bills Support Scheme (EBSS) rebate to tenants as the first payments are made, this time by business secretary Grant Shapps (pictured). https://www.landlordzone.co.uk/news/latest-official-plans-to-for
Merton Council, which includes the famous Wimbledon lawn tennis centre, is embarking on a big push to license all rented properties and HMOs in the borough as well as limiting the growth of small HMOs. It wants landlords to take part in its new consultation on plans for <strong
Reinstating mortgage interest relief for landlords would solve the nations ongoing rental property supply crisis and raise �400 million for the nations coffers, it has been revealed. Analysis by Capital Economics on behalf of the National Residential Landlords Association
Lease disputes are time consuming, costly and most can be avoided when leases are well drafted in the first place. This article addresses a case where the landlord failed to ensure that the lease was properly drafted. The lease gives a tenant the right to use the property for it
A legal charity still hopes to challenge the government over its Right to Rent policy despite failing to convince European judges that it increases racial discrimination in the rental market. Under the scheme, landlords have to check the immigration status of prospective tenants
Scores of housing groups and legal centres have called for ministers to abandon plans to remove licensing requirements for HMOs used as asylum accommodation. In anhttps://www.jcwi.org.uk/safe-homes-for-all" target="_blank" open letter t
The number of landlords selling up has hit record levels, leading property buying firm National Residential has reported. The company says this has been prompted to a significant degree by the long-standing uncertainty within the private rented sector created by the Government
Despite the fall in inflation, The Guardian is reporting https://www.theguardian.com/business/2023/may/24/uk-inflation-falls-cost-of-living-crisis" the financial markets are betting on an interest rate rises to 4.75% in June and 5.4% by the end of the year , the Office fo
A Conservative MP has called for tenants to be offered affordable homes in tourist hot spots if they can prove theyre local. During a Commons debate on short-term holiday lets, East Devon MP Simon Jupp (pictured) suggested that councils could be allowed
The NRLA says Government measures to abolish Assured Shorthold Tenancies (ASTs) will decimate the student housing sector if they go ahead unchanged. Featured within the Renters (Reform) Bill, this will see ASTs replaced with more flexible open-ended periodic tenancies
Commercial property is an important part of the UK economy, but the retail and office sectors as still suffering and rising interest rates present a real threat. A recent https://bpf.org.uk/media/6294/cl16688-01-bpf-economic-footprint-may23-v5-hi-res-single-pages.pdf" t
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
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
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
Landlords are being warned to beware of scammers renting out parking spaces outside their properties following a expose on national radio. Landlord Simon Gallagher had to install bollards after someone began advertising his tenants driveway to commuters for �8 a day. <p i
Welsh landlords renewing their licence with Rent Smart Wales after 23rd November now need to organise regular mandatory property inspections. The new condition - introduced by Rent Smart Wales for any new landlords signing up from 1st July and any rene
A woman hoping to convert her 32-bedroom hotel into an HMO after being hit hard by Covid could spark a trend for more owners moving into the private rented sector. Andreani Ahooie, whos run the https://www.longviewhotel.com/" target="_blank" Longv
Hundreds of landlords face trying to find new tenants for their student HMOs after the University of Warwick ditched its property management scheme. Under its Head Lease Scheme, landlords signed-over their houses to the university for years at a time for guaranteed rent, which
Tenants may complain, or as in the following case, the councils inspectors may deem it to be the case, that the system supplied is inadequate for safe living. The Aldford Two LLP v Bristol City Council appeal (2010 Residential Property Tribunal - RTP) against an improveme
Increasing numbers of landlords are being forced to issue a second Section 8 notice to tenants who have stopped paying their rent as the sector grapples with the crazy evictions rules in place now, it has been claimed. The UKs leading lettings industry trade body ARLA P
John Howard has had a lot of fingers in different property pies over the past 45 years, working his way up from being the son an estate agent to a major figure within the property industry. As well as being a significant portfolio landlord he is also a developer and consultant,
The lettings market is evolving very fast and with extensive experience in the sector, https://www.martinco.com/" Martin & Co MD Eric Walker - who is also a https://www.theprs.co.uk/" Property Redre
Many landlords may remember noughties loudmouth Radio 1 DJ Chris Moyles for his outspoken rants and the million-pound deal he landed with the BBC. But few will have suspected that Moyles, who these days is much thinner and greyer than his bad-boy days, can now be counted in thei
A little known date in HMRCs tax calendar is not as easily remembered as the 5th of November, a date we never forget, but its the 5th of October; an important date in the tax calendar because its exactly half way through the tax year and it has imp
A landlord is fighting to get his money back after two if his HMOs were left in an appalling state after a three-year contract with London-based RHP Properties went disastrously wrong. Gulam Sumar handed over the two six-bedroom houses in Harrow to the Walthamstow company in ear
Radical new proposals for energy efficiency in the private rented sector could see landlords fined up to £30,000 for not improving their properties and tenants given the ability to claim compensation. The Governments consultation on its energy efficiency regulations sets out
A sick woman fighting to get �13,000 back from Touchstone Education says she feels raped� by her dealings with the property investment training firm. The woman who wants to remain anonymous has appeared in a video on the https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7BK
Its important to ensure that the tenancy deposit rules (including service notices) are applied to the letter�, as otherwise a new fine can be added each time a tenancy is renewed when the statutory rules are not followed correctly on the first one. When a tenancy deposit
For a start, there are more people in rented accommodation who do jobs that cant be done at home, but for those that can there are often restrictions. For those lucky enough to be in a position to do their jobs from home there are some real advantages. Cutting out long commut
For the past six months journalist Nigel Lewis has been penning the news articles for LandlordZONE and doing his best to fill the seat of Tom Entwistle. Here Landlord Action's
Grounds for Possession - Assured Shorthold TenanciesThe Housing Act 1988 as amended by the Housing Act 1996 lays down certain circumstances (grounds) under which a landlord may successfully apply to court for possession.The grounds for possessio
A woman who paid �13,000 for courses with property investment training firm Touchstone Education is fighting to get her money back after falling ill. The woman who wants to remain anonymous - first paid Touchstone Education �1,000 for an online course and then another
People often rent out their home when working abroad or going on extended travel, and they would naturally expect to return to live in their own on return. However, tenants are entitled to security of tenure for their contracted term safe in the knowledge that they can stay in the prope
With high street administrations and missed rent payments becoming commonplace, commercial property quarterly rent payment days are currently being highlighted in the media, with the last one, June 24th just having passed. Understandably, these deadlines are cau
The Coronavirus has affected all parts of the economy, including rentals, but tourism in particular has been hard hit. It meant that holiday lets came to a complete standstill during lock-down, whereas the traditional long-term lets have been far less affected. Short lets, altho
Self-professed millionaire landlord and YouTube property investment guru Paul Smith has been savaged by two national newspapers over the weekend after he suggested to his 12,000+ subscribers that they use the governments bounce back loans to invest in property. The scheme hel
