Salford has given the go-ahead to a new licensing scheme for smaller HMOs in response to a rise in safety problems and resident complaints. The scheme covering the entire city - takes effect on 19th July and costs landlords �1,085 to licence shared homes where three or four
A banned boiler engineer has narrowly avoided jail after producing a fake Gas Safe certificate for a landlord. Jeffrey Lewis, 74, of Ashbourne Road, Cheadle, was asked by a landlord to repair a tenants boiler but failed to tell him he had been banned from carrying out gas wor
Jersey has launched a consultation over plans to outlaw landlords who refuse to rent to tenants with children. Social security minister deputy Judy Martin hopes to amend the Discrimination Law 2013 to protect families looking for homes on the island, which currently doesnt pr
Liverpool City Council has clamped down on HMO conversions as it launches a new assault on the private rented sector. Under a new Article 4 direction, any size home in the city centre will need planning permission to be converted into an HMO from 17th</s
The government appears to have admitted it has concerns about landlords discriminating against the potential influx of Hong Kong residents. Home Office Minister Baroness Williams of Trafford advised landlords to be careful when doing Right to Rent checks on inbound Hong Kong res
Early termination fees and invoice questions answered—your top forum concerns, sorted.
Getting a good EPC rating is important for rentals to meet the MEES regulations, and in future even higher ratings will be demanded, but this can be a challenge for some landlords� Since October 2008, rental properties in England and Wales have been required to
A tenant has been scammed by a Gumtree advertiser who stole more than �2,000, leaving her facing homelessness. Mum-of-four, Shirley Jones, from Coventry, fell for the flat rental scam after answering the advert for a three-bedroom home in Nuneaton that was available to rent on
The government is expecting to spend and eye-watering �30 billion on housing benefit for tenants this year, DWP minister Will Quince has told parliament. This figure is �8-10 billion more than the Office for Budget Responsibility https://obr.uk/forecasts-in-depth/tax-
Half of all tenants who want to rent a home with their pet would be prepared to take out specialist insurance to cover their landlord against damage, a leading campaigner has revealed. Jennifer Berezai of AdvoCATS has researched an in-depth report into whether there is an appeti
Legislation has been passed in Wales that extends the amount of notice landlords must give to their tenants, from the two month s21 period, to six months. The Renting Homes (Amendment) (Wales) Bill means (because notice cannot be served within the initial term) that the minimum
One of Britains biggest private landlords is encouraging others to follow his lead by shifting property from their own name into a company structure. In what is thought to be the countrys largest ever mortgage transaction, Alastair Kerr (pictured) has transferred ownership
Landlords of commercial premises may consider it necessary to bring the lease to an end or to refuse to renew a lease. This course of action might be for a number of reasons: A tenant for example might not have a statutory right to a lease renewal under the Landlord and Tenant Act 1954, the
The big changes are in the submission frequency and digital submission process. Firstly, you will need to complete not one but five tax submissions per year � one every quar
Landlords have been warned not to expect a grace period or extension to the deadline for properties to confirm to the new electrical safety standards. Originally, an https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/electrical-safety-standards-in-the-private-rented-sector-guid
The average UK house price could surge by 17% in the next decade, based on historical data from the past 40 years, and is set to reach �400,000 by 2050. Property buying firm Good Move has studied house prices in the UK since 1980 to predict what the market might look like in th
What is a clean and tidy house to some is and unacceptably dirty mess to others; people have different standards and this will never change. Alternatively, some tenants are just too lazy to leave the place clean and tidy: dirty carpets and furniture, filthy bathrooms and toilets, and kitchen work
In every tenancy there is an implied right if not an express covenant that promises that the tenant is able to possess the premises, not just without noise, quiet enjoyment� as the term implies, but in peace and without without disturbance by hostile claimants�, including from the
Flat owners (leaseholders) only own their leasehold property for a fixed period of time and during that period they pay ground rent and service charges to the freeholder (landlord). Theres always a long-lease agreement, a detailed legal tenancy agremeent between the leasehold
Luton Council has finally got its act together and revealed blanket HMO licensing for the town after a number of false starts over the last few years. HMOs of any size will now need a licence under its additional scheme which launches on 1st April, while all privately rented pro
The Commonhold and Leasehold Reform Act 2002 provides a right for leaseholders to acquire the freehold landlords management functions by transfer to a company set up by them the Right To Manage (RTM) company. The thinking behind the right was to empower leaseholders. The
Appeal Court judges have found in favour of the landlord in the landmark case of Northwood Solihull v Fearn & Ors, preventing a potentially huge logistical headache for landlords and letting agents. The judges ruled that any authorised employee of a landlord or letting agent
In an apparent re-run of Harold Wilsons 1970s investment income tax surcharge, Labour plan to re-introduce such an additional layer of tax to what is termed unearned income�. The Wilson Labour government applied an investment income surcharge of 15% and kept the top rate
According to a recent report by estate agents Hamptons, over the last four years the number of landlords operating their buy to let business through a limited company has doubled. There were 47,400 new buy-to-let companies incorporated in 2021 right across the UK, the figures be
Landlords and letting agents will soon be able to carry out quicker https://www.landlordzone.co.uk/news/updated-advice-for-landlords-on-right-to-rent-checks-due-in-new-year/" right to rent checks on British and Irish citizens. From 6th April, Identification Do
An energy expert has sought to reassure landlords that they may not need to spend huge sums retrofitting their properties to raise EPC ratings at least not in the short term. <figure id="" class="w-richtext-figure-type- " data-rt-type="" data-rt-align=""><div><img src="https://upload
Just as residential landlords are contemplating the costs of bringing older properties up to the proposed new standard - very likely EPC band C� required by December 2025 - so too are commercial landlords.<br> See: https://www.landlordzone.co.uk/news/compulsory-epc
Landlords and letting agents have slammed the extra BTL tax rise in the Scottish budget which they believe could backfire on the government.
Moving landlord and tenant disputes from overburdened county courts to tribunals would help clear the backlog and make evictions faster, according to a senior housing lawyer.
UK Finance has urged the government not to single out the private rented sector when updating its EPC framework.
New laws will place extra demands on landlords and letting agents—learn what changes are coming and how to stay compliant.
Manchester has extended selective licensing to another 1,863 rental properties across the city.
Tenants in Scotland are being targeted by a new campaign that aims to make them aware of their rental rights.
Jas Athwal, the Labour MP who was shamed for renting out mouldy and unlicensed flats, has stood down as a councillor for Redbridge Council.
DWP is expected to look at reforms that will make it harder for landlords to have money deducted from a tenant's UC benefits to repay arrears.
A landlord has revealed how increasing risk and a “lack of joy” has prompted her to start offloading half her portfolio ahead of the Renters’ Rights Bill.
A “lackadaisical” landlord who rented out an unlicensed and cockroach-infested HMO has been told to pay £10,834 back to three tenants.
Peterborough Council is considering banning a rogue landlord who was handed a fine for housing a family in an uninhabitable property for a second time.
A “terrified” landlord has urged the government to reconsider large parts of the Renters’ Rights Bill
The Welsh private rental sector has lost a worrying 1,107 landlords in the last five years, coinciding with tougher rules around evictions and new tenancy agreements.
One of the largest gatherings of landlords under one roof is due to take place on 19th March in London.
After pursuing a £30,000 fine against one landord, his local council has vowed to go for other non-complilant BTL operators.
Key factors landlords must weigh before expanding property portfolios for sustainable growth.
Landlords urged to document property inspections following failed evictions for stronger legal standing.
Rising EPC scores suggest that achieving a C rating by 2030 shouldn’t be such a cause for concern, according to landlord energy efficiency platform epIMS.
Rent arrears jumped by 44% to an average of £2,597 during the final three months of 2024, latest year-on-year figures reveal, while on a quarterly basis they increase by 26%.
Landlords know the score – it’s tough out there and hordes of Landlords are rushing to sell before Section 21 is abolished.
New data reveals that 20% of landlords across England and Wales have sold property during the last 12 months, almost three times more than the 7% who had bought new homes to rent.
One of the UK’s largest tenant referencing firms has warned that the restrictions to be placed on landlords by the looming Renters’ Rights Bill will push up rent arrears.
The new Labour Government has been busy changing the rules on EPCs for rentals and there’s ongoing consultation exercises to decide what changes are needed
