Police forces across four UK counties urge landlords and agents to report signs of cannabis farms in rented properties as part of Operation Scorpion.
Northern Ireland landlord shifts from residential to commercial property, citing frustration with UK’s heavy tax burden on residential landlords.
Over recent years, governments have tightened lettings legislation and increased the tax burden on landlords. Add on the current cost-of-living crisis, high mortgage rates, and the Renters (Reform) Bill making its way through Parliament, some landlords are understandably beginning to wonder if it’s
Landlords and industry professionals have been invited to share their thoughts on a new professional standard aimed at helping surveyors provide useful retrofitting advice. The Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors (RICS) has launched a consultation on its draft <strong id=""
A contrite landlord has apologised to the tenant he tried to illegally evict after being rapped on the knuckles by Coventry Council. The landlord sent text messages telling his tenant to leave when they told him the rent would be late. He then visited the property and took the t
Section 21 is the biggest headline grabbing element of the Renters Reform Bill but will be the least effective pieces of the legislation. Thats according to letting agent Kristjan Byfield (main picture), co-founder ofhttps://www.baseps.co.uk/"
Shelter has this morning launched a campaign in partnership with the Co-operative Bank to persuade the Government to press ahead with its proposal to abolish Section 21 evictions. The two organisations have launched a PR stunt on Parliament Square today covering it with 172 card
New data reveals the extent of the landlord exodus prompted by the current mortgage rate surge with 36% of landlords polled revealing they plan to sell a property over the next 12 months. The proportion intending to sell some properties was at 30%, up from 28% the last tim
Landlords are increasingly likely to be renting to older tenants in the coming decade with the proportion of renters in private rented accommodation over 65 years old doubling to 11.5%, it has been reported. Letting agency Hamptons says its research reveal
A council crackdown has uncovered four unlicensed HMOs and one being used as a cannabis factory in Kettering and Corby. North Northamptonshire Council joined forces with Northamptonshire Police in a week-long inspection of 76 HMOs, four of which are still being investigated.
HMO owners and associations are being urged to support calls for a rethink of plans to remove licensing requirements for HMOs used as asylum accommodation. Property lawyer at JMW, David Smith , wants the High Court to agree to a judicial review of changes o
The number of available private rental homes has dropped by more than a third since 2019 to a 14-year low. Only 241,000 PRS homes were available last month compared with 370,000 in June 2019, a fall of 35%, according to consultancy TwentyCi which analysed
A landlord couple have paid a heavy price for ignoring their tenant's request to fix a boiler after being fined �3,500. David and Emily Griffiths, of Tickhill Road, Harworth (pictured), Nottinghamshire left the tenant with no hot water or heating for three weeks. D
Landlord Action's Paul Sowerbutts discusses the impact of abolishing Section 21 and upcoming eviction reforms on landlords and tenants.
Energy efficiency improvement costs for most private rental homes work out at between �5,000 and �9,999 (46%), while almost a third (30%) could be improved for under �5,000, according to the latest government analysis. At the other end of the scale, 19% of homes would cost be
Landlords hit by mortgage rate hikes are demanding guarantors from increasing numbers of high earning tenants. Many tenants are seeing a greater proportion of their take-home pay go towards rent so are having to provide the additional security of a guarantor when signing new agr
Landlords should be prevented from serving an eviction notice for at least the first year of a tenancy, in the case of repossession for selling or occupying the property, according to a new report from the Fabian Society. The independent left-leaning
The Governments housing policies are coming home to roost as tenant demand continues to soar but the number of landlords advertising new properties to rent plummets, it has been revealed. RICS says that during June it found significantly more members (a net balance increase o
If you havent heard of it before, the Renters' Reform Bill is set to be voted on before May 2023, bringing with it a plethora of proposed changes for landlords and tenants alike. Shelter , who along with other organisations are cam
Long-term HMO landlords in Portsmouth risk losing their C3/C4 status with no chance of getting it back due to confusion over planning rules, it is claimed. Many took advantage of the option to switch between family use (C3) and HMO (C4) without needing planning permission in 201
The rental sector is likely to see some of the biggest changes since the 1980s, so do your homework and keep yourself up-to-date. All the signs are that operating as a residential landlord in 2023 will be just as challenging as it was last year, if not more so here are my to
Leading property sector figure Kate Faulkner has been given an OBE in the New Years Honours List. Faulkners honour is for her involvement with landlords, estate agents and consumers including her work leading the property industry Home Buying and Selling Grou
The worst fears of a commercial landlord are realised when the flow on quarterly or monthly rent payments starts to dry up! Read on to find out what to do if you're faced with this. According to the latest available Office of National Statistics (ONS) figures, the number of comp
The NRLA has backed the growing number of student landlords 'panicked' by the Governments plans to bring in periodic or open ended tenancies across the private rental sector. Concern is widespread within the student community, new research reveals, with 84% saying they
A landlord in the Midlands has launched a parliamentary petition calling on the Government to reverse its Section 24 tax changes for landlords, which since 2017 has gradually removed their ability to claim mortgage interest rate against their tax liability. Announced by George O
Nearly two-thirds of private rental properties wont reach proposed minimum EPC levels, according to new research. Data compiled for property data platform LandTech shows that 64% of private rental properties would fail to reach an EPC rating of C or abo
Only landlords with property incomes over £30,000 will now need to comply with HMRC's looming https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/making-tax-digital/overview-of-making-tax-digital" target="_blank" Making Tax Digital (MTD) https://www
The Landlord & Tenant Act 1954 Part II deals with the leasing of Commercial (Business) Premises in England & Wales.Commercial (Business Tenancies) Landlord and Tenant Act 1954, Part II The Landlord and Tenant Act 1954 (the Act) is an important piece of legislation in
Its producers are looking for landlords who need help with a nightmare tenant or letting agent and are happy to feature in the show. Are you one of the millions of landlords who tune in to watch Channel 5s regular Nightmare Tenants Slum L
LandlordZONE understands that the huge task of sifting through 1,000's responses to the governments consultation on evictions reform, and the likely long process of getting the law through Parliament, will take at least 18 months. Landlo
Private Rented Sector Consultant a private rented sector consultant at letting focus and tenants renting guide David Lawrenson
Article 4 direction : Birmingham CityCouncil is introducing a city-wide direction for houses in multipleoccupation (HMOs) from 8 June 2020. An Article 4planning direction means that planning approval will be required forthe conversion of a famil
Capital Gains Tax: Owners of second homes and buy-to-lets that they have previously lived in should be aware that as from April 2020 the tax relief period allowed against capital against tax (CGT) will be reduced. As it is a present,when you se
Letting Agent Contracts: One common question asked by landlords is, "how do I terminate my relationship with my letting agent?"For one reason or another, landlords sometimes wish to end their relationship with their letting agent and want to know how to go about it.Requests
General Election: Part of Laboursbid to be elected on 12th December is a raft of taxraising measures aimed at buy-to-let landlords and second homeowners. Jeremy CorbynsLabour party manifesto launch last week outlined a n
Condensation andmould : This time of year,as the temperature drops, both new homes and old homes aresusceptible to the formation of condensation and unsightly mould: newhomes because they are effectively a sealed box, and old homesbecause they often lack ef
The colder weather is here again, its that time of year coming; you feel that cold chill in the air, the snow and ice will soon arrive, and you know its time to get out that winter coat, scarf and gloves.You also know that cold wet weather on the way will test your rental properties and tenant
Portfolio Landlords: Buy to let lender Paragons recent research shows that professionaland larger-scale landlords are still investing and are increasing the size oftheir portfolios through more targeted investments. With an average portfolio
New rules that came into force in March allow https://www.independent.co.uk/news/business/news/landlords-sue-cold-damp-homes-law-tenants-renting-housing-a8776671.html" tenants to sue landlords for issues like cold and damp. A broken heating system or poor ventilation that
Commercial Property : A recent High Court decision in Co-Operative Group Food Ltdv. A&A Shah Properties Ltd (2019) relates to an authorised guaranteeagreement (AGA) dispute, in this case an agreement involving a guarantor of theoutgoing tenant. <p id
The Government has announced its intention to scrap Section 21 notices for eviction in an effort to offer tenants more long-term security.
Commercial: A new set of mandatory rules introduced from 1stApril 2019 and though the document itself is titled a first edition, itsupersedes 3 previous editions published as codes of practice. The RICS (Royal Institution of Ch
Security: Renovating a buy-to-let property can be a great way for landlords to increase the rental income
Abandonment: When times get hard the instances of tenants leaving without notice are known to increase. Doing a runner�, skipping� moonlight flitting� walking away� or gone away� and in the words of the immortal song;
Tenancy Deposits: According to TDS (Tenancy Deposit Scheme) less than 1% (0.85%) of tenancies they handle have resulted in a deposit dispute in the year to March 2018, nevertheless its important to get it right when dealing with tenants' deposits.Cleaning was the most com
Viewpoint by Tom Entwistle As winter approaches outside temperatures drop and the perennial landlords problem of winter condensation and black mould rear their ugly heads again.The question is, how do you know if this is caused by the building or the tenant, or is it a co
Landlords' Tax: Internet sites, such as AirBnB, have increased the number of landlords letting to lodgers and to guests on short stays. There are specific tax benefits to this type of letting business which are expanded upon below.Furnished holiday letting</st
Section 21: Most tenancies will never require the service of a Section 21, Housing Act 1988, (eviction) notice. However, on those occasions when it does become necessary, and you just never know, landlords (and agents) will thank their lucky starts they complied with the rul
Asbestos:Asbestos regulations were last updated in 2012 , bringing the UK in line with EU regulations, which means the current regulations have been in place long enough for most
The Application Form You should always use a comprehensive Tenancy Application Form when taking on a new tenant. You need a completed application for each adult tenant in the property.The Tenancy application form is a very important starting point for any residential or comm
End of an AST: Questions: What happens when an Assured Shorthold Tenancy (AST) comes to an end? Will the tenant have to leave or does she need to sign a new agreement? What if a tenant wants to leave early? How long can a periodic tenancy last?When the fixed term (minimum of
Landlords often buy flats which are either Leasehold or Shared Freehold. What are these tenures and what should landlords look out for in these different forms of ownership?Leasehold is one of three forms of tenure (property/land ownership) almost exclusively peculiar to the United Kingdom, thoug
