Urgent regulation of the spray foam industry is needed to prevent making thousands of homes un-mortgagable, warn leading property groups. Sprayed polyurethane expanding foams are often used in lofts, either to stabilise a failing roof covering or to provide extra insulation. But
Portsmouths HMOs are in the firing line again as growing numbers are being referred to the Valuation Office Agency (VOA) to have their council tax bands reassessed. Rather than paying tax on the whole property, each room can be classified as a band A at a cost of �1,200, wit
A severely disabled tenant and his family have barricaded themselves into their home in a bid to prevent a controversial eviction. Quadriplegic Harvey Cowe, 62, and his wife Sheree, 55, have lived at the house in Brittany Road, Hove, for 25 years after Brighton & Hove C
A leading letting agent has criticised the reasoning behind the UKs ever-growing list of selective licensing schemes. Selective licensing covers all rented property in a given area or council borough and landlords are required to pay a five-yearly fee of between �500 and �9
Landlords in Bristol will soon be required to gain planning permission to convert properties into HMOs in three key areas, it has been revealed. South Gloucestershire Council is to bring in Article 4 directions in the Bristol neighbourhoods of Stoke Park and Cheswick and parts o
Londons mayor Sadiq Khan has urged private landlords who are planning to exit the private rented market to sell their properties to local councils instead of other landlords. Khan made the comments within a self-congratulatory statement on his website l
A landlord in London must now pay �40,000 after losing his appeal against his fine for breaching Mandatory HMO licensing conditions at a bedsit property above a pub. Earlier this year Islington council brought a prosecution against Mohammed Shahid for fai
For years now, what would appear to have been successive waves of anti-landlord legislation have been bearing down on buy to let, but will this change under a new prime minister? From George Osborne to Rishi Sunack, the Treasury, it would seem, has been milking the buy to let la
The next chapter in the troubling story of property guru Glenn Armstrong has begun after court records have revealed that the infamous �3m seven-bedroom trophy mansion he often used within his marketing effort has been repossessed by bailiffs. The 62-year-olds now form
A landlord who reportedly attacked a tenant after he complained about serious disrepairs has been handed a police caution.
A new report that evaluates the dozens of rent control schemes implemented over the past 60 years across the world has concluded that overall they are harmful to rental homes supply.
Tenants can claim compensation from their landlord for repairs that are not done in a reasonable time; repairs that are of bad quality and do not fix things
There’s never been a better time for landlords to convert a commercial building to residential use, according to a leading architect.
Zoopla boss Richard Donnell has urged landlords and investors to steer clear of misinformation about the PRS and focus on the positives.
A rogue landlord who persistently failed to license several rented properties has had them seized by Merton Council in one of the first actions of its kind in the country.
London Mayor Sadiq Khan has been slapped down by Labour’s national leadership after asking to be given rent control powers, it has been reported.
Coventry councillors look set to give the go-ahead to extending the city’s additional licensing scheme, raising the fee for a five-year licence from £840 to £916.
Landlords have been warned to swap their Radio Teleswitch Service (RTS) meters at rental properties by 30th June or face possible legal action.
The Scottish Government is to upgrade its Energy Performance Certificates (EPC) system.
A new consultation has been launched into how tenants at risk of unfair eviction could benefit from a £20 million a year boost in legal aid.
A rogue tenant has been prosecuted for running an illegal dog breeding service inside her filthy rented property.
Commercial property portal Rightmove sees a 28% increase across all sectors
The Energy Company Obligation 4 (ECO4) and Great British Insulation Scheme - used by landlords to insulate homes - have been hauled up for fitting substandard solid wall insulation.
High Court rules DWP must consult Universal Credit tenants before deducting rent arrears — a significant shift for landlords.
MPs are continuing to press Housing Secretary Angela Rayner about the impact of freezing Local Housing Allowance rates on families in the PRS.
The North East offers BTL investors the best HMO rental yields in the UK, with the highest rental income to be found in the South East.
LandlordZONE caught up with Marcus Selmon, Chair of portfolio landlord group PLAN to discuss the state of the private rented sector and the soon-to-be enacted Renters’ Rights Bill from the perspective of his members.
This is a book I wish I’d had available when I first started out on my own property investing career
The government’s reluctance to properly fund eviction courts could cause chaos once the Renters’ Rights Bill becomes law, a leading lawyer has warned.
A landlord caught out for having an unlicensed property has managed to get her fine slashed after a First Tier Property Tribunal heard that the tenants owed more than £17,000 in rent.
Landlords who buy leasehold apartments will next month be able to extend the property’s lease without having to wait two years, as it presently the case.
A fed-up landlord has challenged tenants’ union Acorn for using social media to relentlessly bash the PRS without considering the bigger picture.
Expert tips to decide whether to hold or sell properties in today’s shifting market.
Tenants are living in build-to-rent developments for less time than their counterparts in the traditional PRS – suggesting that they are not the panacea for the housing crisis that is often claimed.
A landlord who built an illegal outbuilding to store his tenants’ belongings has been ordered to pay more than £23,000.
Buy-to-let mortgage rates could fall slightly soon after creeping up since the Autumn Budget, according to financial experts.
Activity within the buy-to-let market is reviving after months of uncertainty and political interference, new official landlord lending data suggests.
Use SAFE2 to make your property more energy efficient and compliant before winter.
Letting agents have called out Welsh Government plans to enable tenants facing eviction to keep their final two months’ rent as ‘compensation’.
The National Trust has rejected claims that it stopped renting out its properties to avoid the growing legislative burden.
A Liverpool landlord has been hit with a fine of almost £14,000 for allowing tenants to live in a “house of horrors”.
Nearly half of landlords and three quarters of the general public support rent controls, a poll by YouGov on behalf of wealth inequality not-for-profit Common Wealth has revealed.
