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Landlord slapped with �40,700 fine after 'honest mistake' over HMO licence

Landlord slapped with �40,700 fine after 'honest mistake' over HMO licence

News

A lettings agency boss and landlord has been slapped with a �40,700 Rent Repayment Officer despite claiming that his failure to licence an HMO was an honest mistake. A First Tier Property Tribunal handed five former tenants the maximum award for the period from September 2019 t

Scottish government unveils controversial rent reform plans

Scottish government unveils controversial rent reform plans

News

Scotland’s Housing Bill proposes rent controls, winter eviction bans, pet rights & tougher eviction penalties in private sector overhaul.

Bristol significantly expands HMO and selective licensing schemes

Bristol significantly expands HMO and selective licensing schemes

News

Bristol has approved plans to extend landlord licensing in Brislington West, Bedminster and Horfield wards in a bid to raise PRS standards. The scheme includes additional licensing - HMOs with three or more unrelated people sharing facilities and selective licensing - privat

Durham’s new licensing scheme for 29,000 homes: What you need

Durham’s new licensing scheme for 29,000 homes: What you need

News

Durham County Council's selective licensing scheme covers 29,000 homes, requiring landlords to apply by 31 July for a £350–£500 licence fee.

Test Case: Council advising tenants to stay put after valid s21 notice served

Test Case: Council advising tenants to stay put after valid s21 notice served

News

This is a Local Government and Social Care Ombudsman case involving an unnamed landlord (LandlordX or MrX) and Brentwood Borough Council. The case revolves around a common situation where the landlord required possession of the property after serving a valid section 21 notice un

'Let’s not forget property remains the best performing investment'

'Let’s not forget property remains the best performing investment'

Opinion

I've been in the property investment business for almost 30 years and during this period opportunities have come and gone but I've yet to discover an asset class that perf

OPINION: The EPC ratings system is 'not fit for purpose'

OPINION: The EPC ratings system is 'not fit for purpose'

Opinion

Ever since I started to market one of my commercial buildings around 10 years ago now, I began to doubt the efficacy of the EPC rating system. The guy that came along to do the inspection told me himself he had just completed a 6 week course, or whatever it was, to train to be a

BREAKING: Government toughens up smoke and C0 alarm regulations

BREAKING: Government toughens up smoke and C0 alarm regulations

News

Social and private landlords are to face tougher new rules which make it mandatory to fit smoke alarms in all rented accommodation regardless of tenure, and widen the conditions under which they must be fitted. Revisions to the smoke and carbon monoxide detector regulations also

ANALYSIS: Does buy-to-let still beat the stock market?

ANALYSIS: Does buy-to-let still beat the stock market?

News

If you had �50k to invest right now, where would you put it, buy-to-let property or stocks and shares? Certainly leaving it in a traditional savings account, with interest rates as they are at rock bottom, thats out of the question. And with the threat of rising inflation ea

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Major national park moves to restrict holiday lets

Major national park moves to restrict holiday lets

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News
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One of the UK’s larger national parks is planning to stop any new homes that are built within it being used as holiday/short lets or second homes.

Legal Matters: Serving notices, don’t fall foul of the law

Legal Matters: Serving notices, don’t fall foul of the law

Information
News
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Opinion
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A crucial task for landlords and agents is to correctly serve statutory notices and other documents

What should the new rental contracts be called? Have your say!

What should the new rental contracts be called? Have your say!

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News
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Property experts are pondering what the government might name new tenancies created by the Renters’ Rights Bill.

Council takes unusual approach to signing off HMOs

Council takes unusual approach to signing off HMOs

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News
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A district council has come up with a set of exceptional circumstances to help decide when to give the go-ahead to new HMOs.

Student landlord lands £2.3 million refinancing deal

Student landlord lands £2.3 million refinancing deal

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News
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A landlord in Liverpool has secured £2.3 million to refinance eight student HMOs within the city and unusually has gone public about the deal.

Letting agent slams police over 'lack of justice'

Letting agent slams police over 'lack of justice'

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News
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A letting agent has criticised police who failed to act when vandals threw a brick through one of his tenant’s windows.

Landlords, Fed Up with the Labour Government? Sell your Portfolio NOW

Landlords, Fed Up with the Labour Government? Sell your Portfolio NOW

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News
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The never-ending onslaught of landlords, including the abolition of Section 21, tough EPC rules, and changes to stamp duty, have left landlords fed up and thinking of throwing in the towel.

Energy firms called out over HMO tenant utility bill problems

Energy firms called out over HMO tenant utility bill problems

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News
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A tenants’ champion has slammed energy companies for failing to help renters with energy bill problems at HMOs.

Landlords fume after letting agency shuts down owing money

Landlords fume after letting agency shuts down owing money

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News
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Northwood letting agency in Romford has gone bust, leaving angry landlords out of pocket.

Landlord avoids £29K rent repayment order after tribunal ruling

Landlord avoids £29K rent repayment order after tribunal ruling

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News
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A landlord has avoided a £29,000 rent repayment order after a First Tier Property Tribunal ruled that he had been the victim of administrative failings by Southwark Council.

Renters' Rights Bill to be discussed by expert panel at National Landlord Investment Show

Renters' Rights Bill to be discussed by expert panel at National Landlord Investment Show

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News
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The huge changes that the Renters' Rights Bill will introduce for private landlords will be addressed by a panel of top experts at this year’s National Landlord Investment Show.

Tenants likely to go for every target when tougher rent repayment orders take effect, warns solicitor

Tenants likely to go for every target when tougher rent repayment orders take effect, warns solicitor

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News
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Tenants are likely to go after every plausible target when tougher rent repayment orders take effect later this year, a solicitor has warned.

Number of new tenancies agreed increases, Propertymark reveals

Number of new tenancies agreed increases, Propertymark reveals

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News
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The average number of new tenancies agreed per lettings agent branch climbed to around eight in the first month of this year, a new report has revealed

Rogue landlords face revised penalties of up to £30,000 per offence, Haringey Council warns

Rogue landlords face revised penalties of up to £30,000 per offence, Haringey Council warns

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News
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Haringey Council has introduced tougher fines for errant landlords in a bid to raise housing standards across the London borough.

Shrinking pool of rental homes continues to drive up rents, reports RICS

Shrinking pool of rental homes continues to drive up rents, reports RICS

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News
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A shrinking pool of rental properties continued to drive up rents last month, despite reduced demand from tenants

Rental homes that aren’t up to scratch are under increased threat

Rental homes that aren’t up to scratch are under increased threat

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News
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Private landlords whose properties aren’t up to scratch face a significant increase in pressure and threat when the Decent Home Standard kicks in.

Tenants urged by housing minister to challenge unfair rents

Tenants urged by housing minister to challenge unfair rents

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News
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Tenants are being urged by the housing minister to challenge unfair rent increases.

Parents as landlords strain family relationships

Parents as landlords strain family relationships

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News
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The ‘parent landlord’ phenomenon has caused increasing numbers of adult children to put a strain on family life, a new survey finds.

Student landlords urged to review contract accuracy

Student landlords urged to review contract accuracy

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News
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Student landlords have been warned their existing contracts won’t be entirely accurate once the Renters’ Rights Bill takes effect after the summer.

Small landlords could soon be replaced, warns top property lawyer

Small landlords could soon be replaced, warns top property lawyer

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News
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Small landlords with one or two properties could end up being replaced by larger portfolio or corporate landlords as part of the Government’s push to improve standards, according to a top property lawyer.

NAEA warns of unintended consequences of rental auctions

NAEA warns of unintended consequences of rental auctions

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News
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The agent’s professional body NAEA Propertymark has raised concerns about the running of the rental auctions scheme

One in four households pay four times more for heat

One in four households pay four times more for heat

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A Utilita study shows 25% of UK households pay up to four times more for heating by using electric heaters instead of gas central heating, with added CO₂ emissions of 34 kg per year.

Empty homes rather than holiday lets should be targeted by the Government

Empty homes rather than holiday lets should be targeted by the Government

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News
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Empty homes should be targeted by the Government, rather than punishing the short-let sector, a holiday let firm has argued.

Less than 10% of rentals pet-friendly, says Zero Deposit

Less than 10% of rentals pet-friendly, says Zero Deposit

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News
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Less than one in ten rental properties currently on the market are pet-friendly, new research has revealed.

Tenant disputes reach highest level in five years, new research from FCC Paragon suggests

Tenant disputes reach highest level in five years, new research from FCC Paragon suggests

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News
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Tenants lodged an estimated 47,405 disputes across the PRS in 2024, a 13% increase on the previous year and the highest number in the past five years.

Average rents in England rise to £1,213 in March

Average rents in England rise to £1,213 in March

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News
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The Government has vowed that “seismic reforms” in its new Planning and Infrastructure Bill will help get families out of temporary accommodation.

Rents in purpose-built student accommodation continue to outpace HMOs

Rents in purpose-built student accommodation continue to outpace HMOs

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News
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Rents in purpose-built student accommodation (PBSA) continue to outpace HMOs, with foreign students particularly bolstering their growth.

Renting costs more than buying a home, Zoopla data reveals

Renting costs more than buying a home, Zoopla data reveals

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News
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First-time buyers are paying 20% less a month on their mortgage payments compared to what tenants pay in rent, new figures have revealed.

Landlord slams lender after it sends letters to his tenants showing monthly mortgage payments

Landlord slams lender after it sends letters to his tenants showing monthly mortgage payments

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News
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Nottingham benefits landlord Mick Roberts has slammed Barclays after it sent letters to 22 of his tenants, listing his monthly payments and erroneously alerting them that he is in mortgage arrears.

Rogue landlord duo hit with £90,000 fines after e-bike fire

Rogue landlord duo hit with £90,000 fines after e-bike fire

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News
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A rogue landlord duo has been fined more than £90,000 for safety offences that led to the death of one of their tenants in a fire.

Rogue landlords are not always who they seem…

Rogue landlords are not always who they seem…

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News
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Not all poor housing standards are in the private sector, many social landlords have problems reaching the new higher standards

House prices dip as buyers brace for higher stamp duty

House prices dip as buyers brace for higher stamp duty

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News
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House prices dipped by 0.1% in February, but annual growth held steady at 2.9%, with the cost of an average property down £213 to £298,602.

Letting agents urge peers to listen to their concerns ahead of the Renters’ Rights Bill committee stage in the House of Lords

Letting agents urge peers to listen to their concerns ahead of the Renters’ Rights Bill committee stage in the House of Lords

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News
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Letting agents have urged peers to listen to their concerns ahead of the Renters’ Rights Bill committee stage in the House of Lords.

More councils will launch selective licensing if 20/20 rule is ditched, legal expert warns

More councils will launch selective licensing if 20/20 rule is ditched, legal expert warns

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News
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A legal expert has warned that ditching the 20/20 rule around selective licensing will prompt more councils to launch or expand schemes.