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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.

Landlords slam 'infuriating' licencing rules now driving evictions

Landlords slam 'infuriating' licencing rules now driving evictions

News

Landlords in Portsmouth say vulnerable tenants are being unfairly displaced due to the council’s draconian additional licencing scheme.

Rebel MPs demand ground rents abolished for existing leaseholds

Rebel MPs demand ground rents abolished for existing leaseholds

News

A group of 30 Tory MPs have written to the Chancellor Jeremy Hunt warning that they may vote against the Government’s Leasehold and Freehold Reform Bill unless ground rents are abolished for both future and existing leaseholds.

Rent controls 'will undermine investment in PRS' says expert

Rent controls 'will undermine investment in PRS' says expert

News

Rent controls will undermine investment in Scotland’s PRS unless there is more long-term certainty, according to one leading lettings expert.

London landlord narrowly avoids refunding tenant £32,000

London landlord narrowly avoids refunding tenant £32,000

News

A landlord has avoided a £32,000 rent repayment order after a judge ruled his flat was at an address not covered by a licensing scheme, but only just.

Section 21 increasingly being used by landlords to evict as ban looms

Section 21 increasingly being used by landlords to evict as ban looms

News

Section 21 evictions reached record highs in 2023, with over 25,000 households facing homelessness, prompting calls for urgent reform.

'Time for bold action with rent controls has come' says mayor hopeful

'Time for bold action with rent controls has come' says mayor hopeful

News

The Green Party’s mayoral candidate in London has said she will bring in rent controls saying the time for ‘bold action’ has come.

Landlords promised compensation as huge estate faces bulldozer

Landlords promised compensation as huge estate faces bulldozer

News

Landlords have been promised fair compensation by a developer planning to bulldoze scores of homes on one of England’s most deprived housing estates.

Letting agents call for short-lets crackdown in London

Letting agents call for short-lets crackdown in London

News

Propertymark has urged London’s Mayor to crack down on short-term lets through licensing in a bid to tackle over-supply in the capital.

Struggling HMO giant sells off more properties

Struggling HMO giant sells off more properties

News

Troubled property development company Home Holdings has put another raft of HMOs onto the market in a bid to shore up losses.

Osborne's 3% extra stamp duty is reason for BTL buying slump

Osborne's 3% extra stamp duty is reason for BTL buying slump

News

The decision by George Osborne in 2015 to introduce a 3% additional stamp duty levy on landlords has seen a slump in the number of BTL properties bought in the Tory heartlands of Southern England.

'Scotland's fast-rising rents are the SNP/Green's fault'

'Scotland's fast-rising rents are the SNP/Green's fault'

News

A leading letting agent in Scotland has laid the blame for the country’s rental supply woes firmly at the feet of former Tenants’ Rights minister Patrick Harvie.

Fugitive Midlands landlord faces long jail sentence

Fugitive Midlands landlord faces long jail sentence

News

A rogue landlord and fugitive fraudster who intimidated his tenants is in jail after more than five years on the run.

Landlord fined for 'unlawfully profiting' from London flat

Landlord fined for 'unlawfully profiting' from London flat

News

A landlord who used an agreement that tried to undermine her tenants’ rights has been fined a total of £5,800.

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Grounds For Possession - Section 8

Grounds For Possession - Section 8

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News
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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

Property academy' refuses to refund severely ill student �13,000 course costs

Property academy' refuses to refund severely ill student �13,000 course costs

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News
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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

Ground One '� repossession of own residence

Ground One '� repossession of own residence

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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

Quarter Days

Quarter Days

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News
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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

Landlords switching back from short-term to long-term lets

Landlords switching back from short-term to long-term lets

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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

Newspapers savage investment 'guru' after he tells followers to use Covid loans to buy property

Newspapers savage investment 'guru' after he tells followers to use Covid loans to buy property

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News
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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

Using a Guarantor: how to minimise your losses if things go wrong.

Using a Guarantor: how to minimise your losses if things go wrong.

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The guarantor is the landlord's insurance policy against tenant default. The guarantor pays the landlord the rent if the tenant defaults, he pays the landlord all his losses, expenses or damages where the tenant fails to carry out his of her full obligations under the lease.This article

Wirral latest council to attack HMOs as 'tomorrow's slums'

Wirral latest council to attack HMOs as 'tomorrow's slums'

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News
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As councils across the UK rail against the spread of HMOs, the NRLA says it's not landlords' fault that there is such high demand for this kind of rental property. </h3>Wirral councillors have railed against HMOs whilerejecting one highly criti

Exclusive: Brighton says new HMO rules will be among the 'toughest in the UK'

Exclusive: Brighton says new HMO rules will be among the 'toughest in the UK'

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News
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After a consultation and a green light from the Secretary of State, the city's new property licensing net is set to get much tighter on June 6th. </h2>Brighton and Hove Council isset to hit landlords with some of the toughest licensing rules in

Tenancy Deposit Documentation

Tenancy Deposit Documentation

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What do I need to do when I protect my tenant/s deposit? If you take a deposit from your tenant/s you MUST protect the deposit and serve your tenants with the correct documentation within 30 days or face having to pay a fine and the prospect that you cannot use the s21 evict

ITZA revisited

ITZA revisited

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A clear explanation of ITZA and rent review zoning — why old ITZA measurements may not always apply in new rent reviews.

Dispute Resolution Procedure at Rent Review - Calderbank offer

Dispute Resolution Procedure at Rent Review - Calderbank offer

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Learn how a Calderbank offer can help landlords settle disputes and avoid costly rent review referrals.

Should I set up a company to pay less tax?

Should I set up a company to pay less tax?

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According to research from the NLA, 4 in 10 landlords are either seriously considering forming a limited company or looking into the option in the coming months.Can you - and more importantly should you - set up a company to pay less tax? Heres my complete guide on becoming incorporated.<stron

What heating system for Rental Property?

What heating system for Rental Property?

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What heating system should you use in your rental property? Is there a heating system that could solve landlords condensation claims problems?Its one of the most important questions to ask when letting a property for the first time. Whatever system you choose carries implications for the ef

Warnings about Gumtree advertised letting scams

Warnings about Gumtree advertised letting scams

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News
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The Residential Landlords Association (RLA) and the National Landlords Association (NLA) have called on the classified online listings service Gumtree to issue clear guidance over possible scams involving bogus letting scams.The warning has been issued to Gumtree by the NLA and the RLA after f

Dispute Resolution Procedure at Rent Review

Dispute Resolution Procedure at Rent Review

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At rent review, the phrase 'going to arbitration' is often bandied about during negotiations as a means for one party to get its own way. Whether or not the parties can agree the rent without involving the dispute resolution procedure, it is common for a represented or experienced party to inv

Government releases 'How to Rent'� guide

Government releases 'How to Rent'� guide

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News
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From the 1st of October 2015 it became a statutory requirement that landlords issue all new tenants after that date with the latest edition of a Government publication The How to Rent Guide�, along with a current Energy Performance Certificate (EPC) and a current Gas Safety

Doing Right to Rent - Immigration Checks

Doing Right to Rent - Immigration Checks

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From 1st February 2016 all new tenants in England must be given Right-to-Rent (Immigration) Checks to determine their "right-to-rent" or "right-to-reside" in the country, BEFORE they can be given a tenancy. Landlords or letting agents must do the checks - letting agents where the

Tax Deductible Letting Expenses

Tax Deductible Letting Expenses

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This is a Guide to Tax Deductible Letting Expenses for Landlords under the new tax rules following the Summer Budget 2015. These may be subject to change and you are advised to consult a tax specialist before making any decisions.From April 2016 landlords will no longer be able to automatically d

Landlord uses hidden cameras to spy on tenants

Landlord uses hidden cameras to spy on tenants

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News
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An Edinburgh landlord set-up hidden cameras in the bedroom and bathroom of his flat, to film people in bed and in the shower.The cameras were discovered by a young couple, friends of the landlord who allowed them to use the accommodation. The couple found a box on the living room table with a cam

Comparable Evidence

Comparable Evidence

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Amongst the ways to agree or ascertain the (open) market rent at rent review or on renewal of a lease, (per s.34-s35 Landlord and Tenant Act 1954), is the use of comparable evidence.At rent review, the market rent for the premises is not what rent the actual tenant would agree or could afford, bu

What is a Section 20 Notice ?

What is a Section 20 Notice ?

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There are two instances of section 20 notices in property in England:(1) is the notice served in relation to early shorthold tenancies under the Housing Act 1988, and the other,(2) refers to section 20 of the Landlord and Tenant Act 1985, as amended by the Commonhold and Leasehold Reform Act (CLR

Who Pays for Maintenance and Repairs

Who Pays for Maintenance and Repairs

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Who pays for maintenance and repairs in a residential letting, landlord or tenant?Is it, for example, a tenants responsibility once they occupy my building to look after most of the regular house maintenance items? If the fridge stops working does the tenant or the landlord need to repair it?Y

Inflation (RPI) and Rent

Inflation (RPI) and Rent

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With commercial property, rent reviews are generally to the open market rent, but sometimes the rent would be adjusted to the Retail Price Index (RPI). RPI is generally considered more favourable to landlords than CPI or other methodologies.There is no link between open market rent and inflatio

Commercial Property Insurance - part 1

Commercial Property Insurance - part 1

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Amongst the thorny issues in the relationship between landlord and tenant is the building insurance premium. Unlike residential property where the landlord has a vested interest in making sure the premium is competitive, because more than likely the premium would not be recoverable from the tenan

Can Landlords Discriminate when Selecting Tenants?

Can Landlords Discriminate when Selecting Tenants?

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News
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Theres recently been a spate of press reports and political wrangling about the existence of Zero-Hour Contracts. This has become something of a hot political issue as we approach a general election, and one surprising development is recent attempts to embroil landlords in the issue, as if the

User Clauses - in Commercial (Business) Leases

User Clauses - in Commercial (Business) Leases

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Traditionally, with commercial (business) leases, a contractual provision within the lease specifies the use, or uses to which a property may be put and the uses which are prohibited.The formal classification of Uses� are set out in the Town and Country Planning (Use Classes) Order 1987 as a

Rent Increases with Assured Shorthold Tenancies

Rent Increases with Assured Shorthold Tenancies

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As most Assured Shorthold Tenancies (AST) are by definition, short, there is usually no need for landlords to get involved in processing a rent increase.However, some ASTs run for long periods after the fixed term has ended, i.e., when the tenancy becomes a statutory periodic tenancy, hence there

Guarantor or Rent Deposit

Guarantor or Rent Deposit

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The ideal for any landlord is for the tenant to have a guarantor and provide a rent deposit. But which is better when the landlord has to choose?The starting point is the status of the tenant. With a tenant that is one person (an individual) the likelihood of that person being of independent fina

Checking Tenants In and Out

Checking Tenants In and Out

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When you rent out a property two vital stages in the process are when you check-in your tenants at the start of the tenancy and check-out at the end.Preparation is the key to a trouble free let. When you prepare properly you are carrying out management processes so that nothing is left to chance

s.25 and s.26 notices - the landlord's perspective

s.25 and s.26 notices - the landlord's perspective

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Elsewhere on LandlordZONE (at https://www.landlordzone.co.uk/information/what-is-a-section-25-notice" https://www.landlordzone.co.uk/information/what-is-a-section-25-notice and https://www.landlordzone.co.uk/information/what-is-a-section-26-notice-2 ) you can find out about sec

"Upward-only" rent review

"Upward-only" rent review

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Contrary to popular belief, 'upward-only' rent review does not mean the rent must increase.An 'upward-only' review means that the rent payable after the review to open market rental is agreed or ascertained would not be less than the rent payable before the rent review, even if the open market re

The Dangers with Section 8 Possession Claims

The Dangers with Section 8 Possession Claims

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There are dangers with using the Section 8 possession claims process under the Housing Act 1988 which are not always apparent to landlords and agents.There is always a temptation to use section 8 because the shorter notice period (usually 2 weeks) is much quicker to court than the alternative - s

What is a Section 25 Notice

What is a Section 25 Notice

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What is a Section 25 Notice? My business lease is coming to an end and my landlord has served on me a Section 25 Notice.Commercial (Business) Tenancies in England &amp; Wales are regulated by the Landlord &amp; Tenant Act 1954 (Part 2).This means that when the fixed term ends (end of lease) the b