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Government to spend £70bn housing benefit tenants in private rented homes

Government to spend £70bn housing benefit tenants in private rented homes

News

The extent of the Government’s reliance on private landlords to provide housing for those on benefits after years of under-investment in affordable homes has been revealed.

BREAKING: Government to bar problem tenants from social housing

BREAKING: Government to bar problem tenants from social housing

News

A proposed shake-up of social housing would tighten allocation rules and allow landlords to get tougher on anti-social tenants.

Will landlords get some (tax) relief during the Spring budget?

Will landlords get some (tax) relief during the Spring budget?

Opinion

Signs that landlords may see their tax bill reduced during the Spring Budget on March 6th have emerged from parliament following a question in the Lords.

Half of councils don't talk to local landlords, probe reveals

Half of councils don't talk to local landlords, probe reveals

News

A lack of council-organised landlord gatherings could hamper the Renters Reform Bill’s ambitions, according to Propertymark.

UPDATED: Anti-social behaviour is a nightmare for landlords to deal with

UPDATED: Anti-social behaviour is a nightmare for landlords to deal with

News

Problem tenants are difficult to deal with for landlords at the best of times. The government's promise to introduce a fast-track process to deal with anti-social behaviour sounds promising, but can it work in practice?

Tenants warned over using 'no-win, no-fee' legal firms against landlords

Tenants warned over using 'no-win, no-fee' legal firms against landlords

News

Tenants have been urged to be wary of ‘no-win, no-fee’ solicitors who deal with private rental sector cases after an almost farcical case in London.

New rental property portal 'must include accessibility info' say campaigners

New rental property portal 'must include accessibility info' say campaigners

News

Disability rights groups have called on the government to include information about accessibility for disabled people on its new property portal due to go live next year.

NRLA and property fraud service reveal partnership

NRLA and property fraud service reveal partnership

News

A service that alerts landlords when fraudulent tenants try to ‘steal’ their properties via title fraud has struck a deal with the National Residential Landlords Association (NRLA).

City claims aggressive licencing scheme has cost landlords £250,000

City claims aggressive licencing scheme has cost landlords £250,000

News

Sheffield Council has boasted that up to 800 people have been protected from risky buildings thanks to its selective licensing scheme after landlords were told to spend £250,000 doing up properties.

Leading education thinktank slams Government's rental reforms

Leading education thinktank slams Government's rental reforms

News

The Renters (Reform) Bill will reduce rather than enhance housing rights for students, according to the former CEO of student housing charity Unipol.

Big council to spend £19m finding benefit tenants private rental homes

Big council to spend £19m finding benefit tenants private rental homes

News

Liverpool Council aims to source 400 private sector properties in a bid to house growing numbers of homeless people in the city.

Some renters' terrible behaviour revealed by new tenancy breach research

Some renters' terrible behaviour revealed by new tenancy breach research

News

The key tenancy breaches by tenants reported by landlords have been revealed with non-payment of rent, dirty homes and failing to report repairs and maintenance issues as the most common.

Landlord reveals 20-year slog to a £6m rental portfolio

Landlord reveals 20-year slog to a £6m rental portfolio

News

An ambitious landlord who bought his first property aged 18 now has an impressive property portfolio worth £6 million 20 years later.

Agents report unusually quiet rental property market

Agents report unusually quiet rental property market

News

Fewer would-be tenants registered with letting agents in December, while rental stock levels also dipped during the typically quieter seasonal period.

BBC probes complaint against infamous Scots landlord

BBC probes complaint against infamous Scots landlord

News

A tenant has told of how a man – who he believes is landlord and controversial businessman Mark Fortune – threatened him over a rent row.

'Scrap extra Stamp Duty for landlords to solve rental crisis'

'Scrap extra Stamp Duty for landlords to solve rental crisis'

News

The Chancellor has been urged to scrap the extra Stamp Duty paid by landlords when buying properties after new research shows the extra activity within the PRS - if it was scrapped - would generate an extra £10 billion in tax revenue for the Government.

Airbnb warns landlords over new HMRC reporting rules

Airbnb warns landlords over new HMRC reporting rules

News

The tax net is closing in on property owners who use short-let platforms to earn rental income from their portfolios but not pay tax on it, Airbnb has warned.

Landlords slam Scotland's latest rent controls measures

Landlords slam Scotland's latest rent controls measures

News

Scottish landlords criticise new rent arbitration scheme, labelling it back‑door rent controls that will exacerbate housing access issues.

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Hunt reveals U-turn on all the mini-budget policies - except stamp duty

Hunt reveals U-turn on all the mini-budget policies - except stamp duty

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Chancellor Jeremy Hunt has announced that the government will reverse almost all the tax measures announced in its recent growth plan. While it will still go ahead with cutting stamp duty, a planned 1p cut to the basic rate of income tax will now be shelved indefinitely� wh

Minister says Renters Reform Bill WILL be introduced 'during this parliament'

Minister says Renters Reform Bill WILL be introduced 'during this parliament'

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The Renters Reform Bill will be introduced during the current parliamentary session, the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities has told MPs. <figure id="" class="w-richtext-figure-type- " data-rt-type="" data-rt-align=""><div><img src="https://uploads-ssl.webflow.c

Arrests made by HMRC in tax repayment frauds

Arrests made by HMRC in tax repayment frauds

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This case highlights the dangers of responding to emails (phishing schemes) and social media appeals promising tax rebates and otherwise ways of receiving large pay outs in return for information. Four men were arrested in a coordinated operation across England by over 50 office

New Chancellor is a landlord, but can he sort out the mess left by Kwasi?

New Chancellor is a landlord, but can he sort out the mess left by Kwasi?

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The new Chancellor and former Health Secretary Jeremy Hunt has been tasked with sorting out the Kwamiikaze mini budget introduced by his predecessor, who holds the dubious gong of having the 2nd shortest tenure in the job ever. Hunt, who has made two weak

NEW: Shocking lack of rental supply now dogging the 'spare room' market too

NEW: Shocking lack of rental supply now dogging the 'spare room' market too

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Demand for shared rooms is at an all-time high, while supply has hit a nine-year low, according to flat share site SpareRoom. The shocking figures have also led to average monthly room rents reaching record highs and increasing across every UK region in Q3 2022; Scotland is up 2

LATEST: 'Landlords quitting Airbnb short-lets as strict Scots rules kick in'

LATEST: 'Landlords quitting Airbnb short-lets as strict Scots rules kick in'

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AirBnb owners are switching to long term lettings following changes to Scotlands short-term lets laws, according to a leading property firm. In a reverse of the recent trend thats seen scores of landlords ditch tenancies for holiday lets, DJ Alexander says it has been appr

Council tax re‑banding of HMOs ‘a huge blow for tenants’

Council tax re‑banding of HMOs ‘a huge blow for tenants’

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Council tax re‑banding HMOs sparks fury—MP warns Truss-era reclassification in 50+ towns deals tenants a blow.

Truss reveals banning Section 21 evictions WILL go ahead despite yesterday's leak

Truss reveals banning Section 21 evictions WILL go ahead despite yesterday's leak

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The Prime Minister has scotched rumours yesterday that she intends to U-turn on the previous Conservative governments commitment to get rid of Section 21 no-fault evictions. During a packed Prime Ministers Questions in the Commons this morning, she confirmed in a ter

Lloyds Bank provides �180mn for buy-to-let lender

Lloyds Bank provides �180mn for buy-to-let lender

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Lloyds bank has entered into a �180million financial partnership with specialist buy-to-let lender, LendInvest PLC. The lenders partnership with the leading high street retail bank will be a boost to the innovative lenders business, helping the AIM listed company grow its buy-to-let

Misrepresentation

Misrepresentation

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Misrepresentation - We recently rented out our rural cottage to a couple. As they wanted to use their computers I said it was possible to get high-speed broad-band. I thought this would be possible but it seems it is not at this time. The couple are now claiming that I misled them and that

Mail for Previous Tenants

Mail for Previous Tenants

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I'm receiving mail for previous tenants and some of them are from debt collectors. Will this get my property black listed and cause problems for my current tenants and myself in the future?</h2> It's fairly common to have mail arriving for months and even years after residents have left,

Long Term AST

Long Term AST

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Long Term AST - My prospective tenant has asked for a tenancy term of 6 years. Can I use the usual Assured Shorthold Tenancy agreement for this?</h2> The Assured Shorthold Tenancy is the default tenancy for residential lettings and since October 2010 this applies to rents up to �100,000

How long should accounts be kept

How long should accounts be kept

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Question: How long should accounts be kept to satisfy the authorities, things like accounting files, invoices and tax records, as a property landlord?Answer: You must keep your records for 6 years after the tax year to which they apply, whether or not you complete a tax return.It's a good idea, a

Expiry of Section 21 Notice

Expiry of Section 21 Notice

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Expiry of Section 21 Notice - I have served a Section 21 (s21) Notice on my tenant but don't wish to start proceedings immediately. Can I wait without the notice expiring?Once a Section 21 notice has been served correctly it continues indefinitely, until such time as the tenancy is ended, either

Covenant and Covenant Strength

Covenant and Covenant Strength

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Covenant and Covenant Strength - What is a legal covenant and what is the significance of the terms in relation to rental property and lettings ?</h2>The term covenant can have several meanings and has biblical origins but it is of particulalry significance

10 year lease

10 year lease

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2 years ago I purchased a company with a 10 year lease from my ex boss, on a 10 year lease, the lease was set up by a solicitor. After 2 years the business is struggling and is not viable. I feel that my solicitor ill advised me as there was no break clause mentioned. Where do I stand on t

Uncollected Goods

Uncollected Goods

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Good Left in the Premises or Uncollected GoodsFrequently, tenants leave goods after their tenancy has concluded or when they have abandon the premises during a tenancy. Uncollected goods and possessions left or abandoned in premises by tenants can pose a real problem for landlords.

Standing Order

Standing Order

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<h1 Standing Order</h1>What are Bankers' Standing Orders?</h3><ul <li Standing Orders allow landlords to automate the process of collecting rents</li> <li They safeguard tenants in that the landlord cannot change the payment amount, as is the case with direct debit

Section 8 Procedure

Section 8 Procedure

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The Possession Procedure - 1988 Housing ActThe possession procedure under Section 8 of the Housing Acts 1988 &amp; 1996 is known as the Section 8 Route and is available to landlords where the tenant is in breach of one or more terms of

Renting Business Premises

Renting Business Premises

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Renting or Leasing Commercial Property Renting commercial property usually represents a major part of the operating costs involved in running any business. If you include surveyor's and solicitor's fees, rent, business rates, insurance,

License Agreement

License Agreement

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Types of Tenure: A tenancy gives the tenant a legal interest in the land and property - in effect, legal ownership for the period of the tenancy. Tenancies can take several forms: <ul <li Rent Act or Regulated Tenancies - pre </li> <li

Joint or Single Tenancies

Joint or Single Tenancies

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<h1 Joint or Single Shared Tenancies</h1>Shared House (Joint Tenants) or Individual Rooms (Single Tenants)? Where a landlord lets to multiple and usually unrelated tenants there are two main ways of doing this:(1) As a Joint Tenancyng

Common Law Tenancies

Common Law Tenancies

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These are tenancies that fall outside the scope of the Housing Acts (1988, 1996, 2004), including the Regulated Tenancies, Assured Tenancies (AT) and Assured Shorthold Tenancies ASTs.In the case of a common law residential tenancy , the tenant's rights and obligations are ma

Business Tenancies

Business Tenancies

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What are Business Tenancies ?A tenancy is an "estate in land", granted for a determined period of time (term of years or fixed term - 6 months,1 year, 21 years, 99 years etc) or a specific period (a periodic tenancy - yearly, monthly, weekly, even daily).In return for the "time lim

Gas Safety

Gas Safety

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Landlord's Duty to Ensure Installations are SafeAll Landlords have a common law duty to ensure that gas installations and appliances supplied with their properties are safe. Tenants also have certain legal obligations when it comes to gas safety - see below.I

Gas & Electrical Certificates

Gas & Electrical Certificates

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Landlords' Gas and Electrical Safety Certificates:As a landlord, or as a letting agent acting on the landlord's behalf, you have a legal obligation to ensure that your accommodation is completely safe for your tenants.Several statutory regulations and general common law requirement

Furnished or Unfurnished

Furnished or Unfurnished

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Letting and residential property fully furnished, part-furnished or unfurnished in England &amp; Wales no longer has any implications regarding security of tenure for the tenant or for taxation. However, Council Tax and the 10% Depreciation Allowance may be affected - you don't pay Council Tax du

Fire Certificate

Fire Certificate

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What was the Fire Certificate is no longer required as it was previously under the Fire Precautions Act 1971 for hotels, boarding houses, factories, offices, shops and railway premises. All these premises must comply with Fire Regulations, now covered by t

False Statements By Tenants

False Statements By Tenants

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Ending a residential tenancy on the ground of "false statement by the tenant "The Housing Act 1988 as amended by the Housing Act 1996 makes provision for the possession of residential properties let under Assured and Assured Shorthold Tenancies.However

Bed & Breakfast Business

Bed & Breakfast Business

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Running a Successful Bed &amp; Breakfast Guest HouseRunning a successful Bed &amp; Breakfast Business from the comfort of your own home has many advantages and rewards as far as being self employed is concerned:</

Taking in a Lodger

Taking in a Lodger

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Taking in a LodgerIf you're considering taking a lodger there are some important things to think about first. Most of its common sense, but its a good idea plan carefully and get things right.[list type='3'] <ul <li Taking in Lodgers is a good way to earn extr

Section 8 Notices

Section 8 Notices

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Obtaining Possession Using Section 8 NoticesThis article explains how to gain possession of your residential rental property using the Section 8 procedure.Section 8 is a breach of contract court procedure.There are 17 grounds for possession listed in the Housing Acts 1988 &amp; 199

Get Notice Dates Right

Get Notice Dates Right

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How do I Ensure Notice Dates are Correct?Landlords and letting agents, at various times during a tenancy, may need to serve legal notices on their tenants.It is vital that not only do you complete and serve the notice in such as way that it is valid, but that you can

Section 21 Notices

Section 21 Notices

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Obtaining Possession - Section 21 Notices: This article explains how to gain possession of your residential rental property in the most efficient way. You may just want your property back for your own use, or to sell, or you may be having problems with the tenant, such as re