Akiva worked in the charity sector and property management before joining the legal team at Landlord Action. He has helped countless landlords get back possession of their property from some of the most difficult tenants.”
Alex Nolan, Senior Training Manager at NRLA, provides expert training on HMO management, tenancy processes, and rental sector legislative updates.
Alphaletz is designed to be a simple, cost-effective solution to these problems. Their mission is to free you from the burden of spreadsheets and paperwork, so you can free up time and keep an eye on your profits.
Partner at Xeinadin. Xeinadin is a leading provider of accountancy services and business advice for small and medium-sized enterprises and individuals across the UK and Ireland.
Established in 1860 to care for abandoned animals, Battersea aims to never turn away a dog or cat in need of help. In 2023, we helped 2,529 dogs and 2,450 cats across our three centres. Our work means we see day-to-day the many animal welfare issues facing dogs, cats and the people who care for them.
Landlords’ expenses have risen by more than twice as much as their rental income during the past five years, according to HMRC figures.
Leasing Scheme Wales, which allows landlords to rent out properties via their local authority, is to shut down in January.
Private bailiffs in England and Wales will need to be accredited under new laws announced by the government.
The Renters' Rights Act means extra load on an already creaking service. Will the planned changes alleviate the problems landlords are facing?
The NRLA has called for a deferred annual investment allowance that would encourage landlords to provide long-term stable housing.
Section 21 ends: Paul Shamplina and Paul Sowerbutts reveal the rush, mistakes and challenges landlords now face under the new regime.
Build-to-rent landlord Legal & General could face a whopping multi-million-pound rent repayment order.
HMRC will start signing up landlords who it believes should already be using Making Tax Digital (MTD) for Income Tax from next week.
Renters in the capital have reported that some landlords are encouraging ‘inverse bidding wars’ to get round new rental rules.
Landlord and property developer Rob Stewart is on a mission to prompt a rethink of how to solve the housing crisis.
Landlords blame tax – not regulations - as the biggest barrier to investment, according to the latest poll.
A letting agent has been accused of failing to return the deposits of more than 100 tenants, according to a BBC investigation.
Future-proof your rental with energy upgrades, flexible spaces, parking, outdoor areas and HMO potential to attract tenants.
Rent caps can reduce rental supply, discourage maintenance and leave some families in homes that don’t meet their needs, finds new research.
Landlords and agents are still getting new pet rules wrong, with campaigners warning of unlawful tenancy clauses and costly mistakes.
Tenants’ groups have called on the government to include rent data and details about evictions in the new PRS Database.
A landlord firm that let a historic building fall into disrepair has been told to pay more than £8,000.
Almost half of holiday let owners say profits have risen despite the loss of Furnished Holiday Let tax breaks.
HMO landlords are nearly twice as likely to win planning appeals outside Article 4 areas, according to new research.
If the King can't afford to insulate his cottages, what chance for the rest of us?
Rental listings have almost doubled in Tyne and Wear during the last year, making it the fastest-growing rental market in England.
Landlords who fail to keep their rental properties in good condition could see as much as £30,172 wiped from the value of an average buy-to-let.
A small group of larger landlords now controls a growing share of the Welsh PRS, with rental growth concentrated in Cardiff and Swansea.
Property tribunals are planning changes to the way cases are handled as they prepare for a significant increase in workload.
Landlords have been urged to help stop illegal tobacco being sold from Oxfordshire shops by carrying out proper checks on tenants.
A landlord has had a £7,500 fine upheld after failing to address 21 electrical safety defects at a property where four children were living.
Landlords in Lewisham may no longer be able to rely on waiting for a tenant complaint before problems come to the council’s attention.
Demonstrating that you’re claiming a fair market rent at the tribunal hearing is crucial to winning your case
Burnley Council plans to restrict new HMOs in a bid to deter investors who see the borough as a “high yield investment opportunity”.
The number of landlords hit by rent arrears has fallen to a record low, with most continuing to report profitable lettings businesses.
The government is hiring 1,000 new judges and tribunal members this year to cope with increased demand due to the Renters’ Rights Act.
Landlords in Bolton would face mandatory training as a condition of getting an additional licence under plans agreed by the town council.
The proportion of landlords reporting strong tenant demand has risen for the first time since early 2024.
Tribunal orders landlord to repay £17,475 and criticises her property management style.
Stourbridge wildfires raise a difficult question for landlords: what happens when a rental is suddenly left uninhabitable?
Voice of Landlords Associations has called for an independent review of English councils’ relationships with Justice for Tenants.
More than 100 rental homes on the royal estates fail to meet legal minimum energy standards, an investigation has found.
Periodic, well-documented inspections are not an ad hoc luxury to be disregarded at will, but a necessity in today’s devious world
Buy-to-let investors are using their chain-free position and cash reserves to drive hard bargains, according to Hamptons.
Guernsey’s landlord association has warned that incoming rental reforms will push many older and experienced landlords towards the exit.
The NRLA suggests there’s no clear link between benefit levels and rent increases, as ministers consider continuing to freeze rates.
HMO landlords using letting agents could face an unexpected administrative burden under Making Tax Digital (MTD).
Section 21 claims are likely to break records this year, despite only being legal for the first seven months, predicts Paul Shamplina.
An Upper Tribunal has ruled that a banned landlord's tenants should have been considered when making the order.
Protesting tenants in London turned up at Housing Secretary Angela Rayner’s office to hand her a cheque for £20,001.
An increasingly stressed landlord community feel they are becoming a convenient scapegoat for many of housing problems.
The First-tier Tribunal’s ruled that Property118’s incorporation planning did not need to be disclosed under HMRCs Disclosure of Tax Avoidance
The average rental void period in England has eased since the Renters’ Rights Act came in and now stands at 21 days.
Landlords in Brighton & Hove are getting cash to fund EPC improvements - if they help solve the city’s temporary accommodation shortage.
Section 21 is gone but getting your property back isn’t. Paul Shamplina outlines what landlords need to know about the new Section 8 reality.
Letting agents have started using AI to deal with increasingly sophisticated tenants’ complaints…generated by AI.
The Supreme Court is to rule on a key Section 21 gas safety dispute which could affect scores of landlords’ possession claims.
Leaseholders in England and Wales can use a new tool to find out how much time is left on their lease and to work out the cost of extending it.
Tenants need an annual salary of £74,520 to afford the average London home after monthly rents in the capital climbed to £2,484.
Landlords are being urged to gather tribunal-ready evidence to justify rent increases under the new Section 13 regime.
A tribunal has criticised a landlord who failed to license her rental property, describing her as dismissive of tenants’ concerns.
About 400,000 landlords and self-employed people have failed to register in time for today's Making Tax Digital deadline.
Norwich landlords could soon face new additional and selective licensing schemes after the council agreed to progress proposals.
Fraudsters are using AI to create entire fake tenant identities and slip past referencing checks, reports Goodlord.
Market student rentals early, get renewals in writing, and keep records to reduce voids, disputes and risks under new rental rules.
A landlord has been told to pay more than £4,500 after failing to clear piles of rubbish that attracted vermin from his three rental properties.
Stoke-on-Trent City Council is planning a major crackdown on the number and quality of HMOs across the city.
The London borough of Haringey is setting up a renters’ forum as Sadiq Khan invests £400,000 in council enforcement.
Section 21 and the assured shorthold tenancy finally came to an end on the 31st of July. Tom Entwistle comments
Burnley and Scarbrough councils want landlords to have their say on plans to extend selective licensing in their boroughs.
The government has pledged to reduce duplicate data entry in the PRS Database after early testing by landlords.
Landlords who can show evidence of rents actually achieved could be in a stronger position when defending rent increases at tribunal.
After the Section 21 deadline rush, attention turns to whether the new Section 8 grounds and courts can deliver timely possession.
Landlord possession claims surged 28% in July as owners raced to meet the final Section 21 court deadline before new rules took effect.
Property118 wins DOTAS appeal, but the ruling doesn't confirm its incorporation planning works for all landlords.
Ministers have revealed the detailed landlord enforcement data that councils will be expected to hand over from next year.
Overseas renters account for almost two-thirds of Foxtons' tenants, highlighting the referencing challenge facing landlords.
Buy-to-let can deliver rental income and long-term growth, but success depends on choosing the right location and planning costs.
A former letting agency boss has admitted she scammed almost £50,000 from dozens of tenants and landlords.
The build-to-rent sector saw one of the sharpest falls in the number of new starts on site during the last quarter.
Tribunals appear increasingly willing to award compensation for minor issues at unreasonable percentages, says a landlord group.
Landlords are taking advantage of Oxford’s housing shortage to rent out badly maintained HMOs, according to the city council.
Covid devastated the small enterprise section of the commercial property market. Are we at last seeing signs of recovery?
Regional rent controls could move a step closer after Labour’s Bev Craig won the Greater Manchester’s mayoral election.
Another Liverpool City Region is debating proposals to bring in a selective licensing scheme for private rented homes.
The Welsh Government is reviewing the 182-day letting threshold used to classify self-catering properties for local tax purposes.
Eviction specialist Paul Shamplina says it’s been “carnage” this week as landlords try to beat the last-minute rush to issue possession claims.
UK interest rates have been held at 3.75% for a fifth time by the Bank of England.
A group of Thurrock landlords have lost their final chance to challenge the Essex borough’s scheme and must stump up £7,500 in costs.
Tenant referencing has just got a whole lot more complicated and necessary – make sure you get it right
HMO landlords are ahead of the game when it comes to making energy efficiency improvements, according to Paragon Bank.
Landlords in Preston could soon have to pay £1,050 for a selective licence - but the council wants their views on whether to allow discounts.
mydeposits launches new Total Property platform, simpler pricing and cheaper insured deposit protection for landlords and agents.
A landlord whose tenants had to use toilets at work when repairs weren’t done at their unlicensed flat has been ordered to repay £24,480.
Landlords have been urged to conduct pest inspections and ensure tenants understand rubbish etiquette amid a rise in rat infestations.
Landlords paid £104 million in voluntary tax disclosures in the last financial year as HMRC casts its net wider.
Liverpool Council is weighing up the pros and cons of three potential selective licensing schemes which will impact city landlords next year.
Gedling Borough Council wants landlords’ views on whether it should bring in tougher rules for HMO conversions.
A landlord who ignored repeated requests to provide his tenant with hot water has been told to pay £5,600 in fines.
Tenants are now much less likely to search for pet-friendly rental properties following rental reforms, says Rightmove.
Land value tax has a high administration cost; will it ever get off the ground?
New Housing Secretary Angela Rayner has confirmed that the government is not looking to bring in rent controls in England.
St Helens Council has vowed to “tighten the screws” on HMOs after voting to bring in a borough-wide Article 4 Direction.
Landlords should decide whether they or their tenants are liable for the new High Value Council Tax Surcharge, says Propertymark.
A landlord has been ordered to repay almost £19,500 after a tribunal ruled he did not have a reasonable excuse for his unlicensed HMO.
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
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
Section 48 of the Landlord and Tenant Act 1987 states that landlords of residential tenancies in E&W must provide tenants with an addres
Should landlord insist on renewing fixed term tenancies or allow them to lapse into periodic tenancies?In essence a tenancy is the right to possess and occupy land belonging to another. A tenancy gives the occupier a legal interest in the land for a defined period of time.A relationship of landlo
A section 213 notice is a prescribed form notice which must be served on your tenant, or another person, if they provided a deposit for a rental.
This is a handy check list for use to help you ensure you are serving a valid section 21 notice. Section 21 of the Housing Act 1988 (as amended 1996 & 2004) provides a means of re-gaining possession of a residential property in England & Wales. Other UK jurisdictions are similar but there
How can a tenant end a residential tenancy and stay within the law - usually with a Tenant's Notice to Quit?In practice most residential tenancies in England and Wales end (over 90 per cent of them) with tenants giving their landlord notice. These guidelines are based on English law and are not a
Farm and Land Tenancies Approximately one-third of all agricultural land in England and Wales is covered by agricultural tenancies. Tenancies allow people to farm without being landowners. As agricultural land is expensive, and the acreage now needed to make a viable operati
Landlords sometimes face a dilemma when they want to sell a rental property, or even a portfolio of their rental properties. Sometimes landlords have no choice but to sell as they are being forced to sell for financial reasons.Residential properties, unlike their commercial counterparts, always s
Tax Return 2016-17: With some costs its very easy to decide: a repair to a drain, downspout or roof tile are all allowable expenses, but what about replacing a broken single glazed window with a new plastic frame and double glazing, what about decorating and installing a
Penetrating damp, just as its name implies, is where water leaks into a building from outside the structure, through the walls or roof. Less common is where an internal leak from a water or drain pipe leaks into the structure of the building.Common causes of penetrating damp are: <ul <l
Fire Regulations in Rentals: There are several regulations relating to fire safety within rental dwellings; some affect all dwellings whereas others apply mainly to Houses in Multiple Occupation (HMO).This looks complicated, but fire safety management in reality boils down t
Damp & Mould: You may have seen or heard of the 1970s TV series Rising Damp, which featured a landlord and his tenants (lodgers in this case) which rather implies that all rental properties are troubled with this kind of damp.Far from the case, but some are. In fact the
Renting Standards: Specialist residential property solicitor Amanda Sutcliffe of Bray & Bray looks at the importance of keeping a rental property in good condition.Research conducted by Endsleigh Insurance and TrustMark claimed that over 75% of landlords s
Sub-Letting Licenses: (SOLITAIRE) LIMITED Appellant and CHERRY LILIAN NORTON and other cases [2012]Landlords of leasehold buy-to-let flats are often asked to pay a fee (sub-letting licence or registration fee) to the freeholder when seeking permission to sub-let their flat,
Validity of Section 21 Notice: Amak Property Investments v Laura Sonny [2016]This case was an appeal by the tenant following a county court judgement relating to the validity of a s21 notice on the basis that the landlord had not complied with the deposit protection (MyDepo
Essential guide to rent reviews: why reading the lease is crucial for landlords and tenants to navigate rent adjustments effectively.
Tenant Agreement: The Law of Property Act 1925 talks about having a maximum of 4 tenants on an agreement. So what to do when you have 5, 6 or more tenants sharing a house?There is a common misunderstanding of the rules here. Landlords and agents sometimes think or have heard
Advance Rent: Piggot v Slaven and Johnson v. OldThere are two important cases which clarify (though not necessarily decisively) the position on landlords accepting rent payments in advance. One concerns the accepting of the final two months rent in advance, a common devi
Following some confusion and debate about a deferral for the new standards following the MEES* deadline in April 2018, the new government has confirmed that changes to the EPC rules, preventing landlords from renting out homes below rating E, will definitely be introduced from April 2018.Accordin
Responsibility for Repairs: Who is responsible and who is obliged to pay for repairs to leasehold blocks and flats? What is the procedure if repairs are unnecessarily delayed or not carried out to the leaseholders satisfaction? What is the Section 20 procedure?T
Essential guide on how to conduct a rent review, covering key clauses and best practices to protect landlord and tenant interests.
Test Case Yeomans v Newell [2016]:When a landlord is in breach of the tenancy deposit rules he or she is prevented from serving a valid s21 notice for possession proceedings. Despite the fact that the tenancy deposit legislation has been in force since April 2007, landlords
Test Case: Superstrike Ltd v Marino. RodriguesThe case involved a landlord who had taken a deposit from the tenant before the deposit protection rules came into force in April 2007, since changed by the Deregulation Act 2015 see below. When the tenancy later became a st
Test Case: Leeds City Council v Broadley [2016]This case and the subsequent High Court ruling has brought some clarification about who is liable to pay council tax, tenant or landlord, when a rental property is vacant due to a tenant vacating early, that is, before the tena
Ending a Tenancy: What are the rules governing the ending of a statutory periodic tenancy (SPT) by the tenant, especially when the periods of the tenancy are not the standard 1 month?The answer to this question is not easily defined as it is not covered by one rule or a sing
Deposit Scheme Scam: Mydeposits says it is aware of a new scam being used by a fraudulent company imitating mydeposits and targeting landlords and letting agent members of the mydeposits Custodial scheme in England & Wales.The scam uses an email which imitates one from m
Freezing Pipes: This time of year, as we head towards colder weather and freezing conditions, buy-to-let properties and indeed all rental properties are vulnerable to potentially expensive winter water damageIn this article digital inventory app developer Imfuna Le
Guide to commercial tenancy rent-free periods and full repairing leases, explaining tenant obligations on lease expiry or termination.
Landlords and letting agents should by now be conversant with the 2014 regulations on blinds and curtains and the measures necessary to prevent accidents with children. It is particularly important to ensure that blinds and curtains supplied in rental properties meet these regulations, otherwise,
Changes to the law on Section 21 and in particular how landlords deal with reported repair issues is now of crucial importance if section 21 claims for possession are to be successful. Careful pre-planning is now essential at the time of setting-up Assured Shorthold Tenancies (AST).The Section 21
Understand how to assess tenant covenant strength and why it’s key to commercial property investment decisions.
I’ve found a holding deposit useful to secure a tenant, but is it legal to keep it if they withdraw? In my experience, this can be problematic.
What do I do when I protect my tenant/s deposit? You MUST protect the deposit and serve your tenants with the documentation within 30 days