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
Landlord's Access to Property: Many landlords will have experienced a tenant denying them access to a property - whether for an inspection, viewings or legal duties. Its easy to understand the view of Its my property, I can enter when I want, but unfortunately th
New Rules for Section 21 :Landlords and Agents need to be aware of the changes affecting Section 21 rules and Notices and other changes for the letting of residential properties in England (and in many cases Wales) introduced during 2015 . This article explains the new rules
Many landlords have long suspected that the DCLG approved national calculation methodologies and software programs were seriously flawed when they produced EPC ratings for buildings following energy assessments.So news that new software is being introduced which is claimed to be more accurate is
Serving Notices: Landlords and agents often get confused as to how they should serve Notices on their tenants.Ordinarily it wouldnt matter what method is used, but if you end up in court with a possession or money claim, or some such court action, then what and how you se
Tenant are Consumers: The UK Consumer Protection law applies to letting agents and landlords alike when they advertise a property to let or create a new tenancy. It also applies to most private landlords when they deal with letting agents, unless they operate as a company.
Obtaining Possession Using Section 21 Notices Updated October 2016This article explains how to gain possession of your residential rental property in the most efficient way possible. You may just want your property back for your own use, or to sell, or you may be having prob
Winter Condensation: Its that time of year again, a time when tenants are most likely to complain about the mould appearing in those corners of the property where the walls and ceilings are really cold, and hot air with moisture always rises to the top. If its black mo
Tax Relief: Starting from 6th April 2017, those landlords with mortgages will have tax relief on their buy-to-let mortgage costs gradually reduce over a 4-year period.Many landlords dont have a mortgage (up to 50% it is said), so this change does not affect them, but many
Rent Arrears: At this time of year, soon after the Christmas spending spree, inevitably rent payments begin to suffer. If you are having problems with rent arrears, this article should help.As in most areas of life,prevention is better than cure . To re
Tax Return 2016-2017: As a general rule, and as outlined in the previous articles in this series on tax returns, landlords can claim the expenses of running and maintaining their rental properties.If the rent you charge includes additional services like water, or council tax
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,
A prominent landlord in the North East has told the BBCs Newsnight programme that unless variable mortgage rates reduce he will have to start handing the keys back to the ten or so properties within his portfolio. <figure id="" class="w-richtext-figure-type- " data-rt-type="" da
Outspoken landlord Tina Knight has incurred the wrath of social media users by outlining the sectors eviction headaches on Good Morning Britain. She told presenters Susanna Reid and Richard Madeley that tenants have too much power and described some landlords
The Newcastle headquartered firm Greggs has won an initial High Court ruling in a �150m Covid related case against the insurance company, Zurich. Greggs claim was over its business interruption insurance with Zurich in which the firm claims it is due monetary compensation fo
London mayor Sadiq Khan says families would save about �3,000 during the next two years if he was given the power to freeze rents in the capital. We are asking government to give us the powers to have rent controls,� he toldhttps://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode/m0
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
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
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
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
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
Rent arrears fell by 12% to £1,861 in Q2 2025 marking the first year-on-year decline in a second quarter since 2021.
Rent rises are easing across the UK official data has revealed this morning but experts warn that the private rental market continues to suffer from a
A council in the north of England has been accused of an ‘abuse of power’ after introducing an ‘immediate' article 4 direction for HMOs.
Homes within the private rented sector aren’t the poor relation portrayed by tenant groups when it comes to energy efficiency
More leading figures and organisations have backed a campaigner's attempt to persuade Labour to U-turn on pet insurance.
Barrister and TV personality Rob Rinder has got behind RentGuarantor as the firm’s new brand ambassador.
Coventry Council has handed out £278,782 in landlord fines so far this year, including prosecutions, financial penalties and rent repayment orders.
Slump in buying due to confidence dented by regulatory uncertainty, higher borrowing costs and slower house price growth, says Dwelly.
Letting agents have urged Hackney Council to rethink licensing schemes that risk increasing rents and pushing smaller landlords out.
Whatever initiative governments have tried so far, nothing seems to be working for Britain’s high streets
The NRLA has teamed up with online student and graduate lettings platform Hybr
Shelter warns that nearly 1,000 households are to be “marched out of their homes” by bailiffs every month.
More than a third of landlords now avoid investing in flats because of leasehold-related issues or complex building management.
Latest official figures show that despite fewer landlords evicting overall across the nation, 'time to evict' continues to take longer and longer.
Landlords have urged the government to amend the Renters’ Rights Bill to protect vital student housing.
The majority of tenants in England and Wales get most or all of their deposit back when they move out, new data shows.
Prafula Kopp, who lives in the same development where Rushanara Ali owns an HMO, says the real story has not been told.
Deposits should be lodged with a single, not-for-profit organisation, the campaigning group has claimed.
Surveying trade organisation says its estate agent members have reported weakest supply of rented homes since 2020.
Landlord pain, tenant gain scenario where a High Court ruling has allowed River Island to impose a restructuring plan
Tom Darling says landlords should not be able to evict tenants to sell a property under any circumstance.
MPs have been urged to help get landlords involved in a campaign to raise awareness about damp and mould.
A new poll of landlords has found that 87% make a profit on their properties despite spending a fifth of their gross rental income on property repairs
A thinktank director has said Labour's renting reforms will put many landlords off investing in the private rented sector.
Senior Tory figure David Gauke says Government should be concentrating on building more homes to rent, and ignore calls for rent controls.
