Durham Council has warned landlords covered by its new selective licensing scheme to brace themselves for inspections next month. At least 29,000 properties, 42% of the countys PRS, are covered by the scheme which launched in April after winning government approval. <p id
Nearly one-fifth of private rented homes would need work costing more than �10,000 to bring them up to an EPC Band C, according to the latest PRS figures. The English Housing Survey Private Rented Sector report for 2020-21 found that these were more likely to need larger sums o
The latest figures available from Rightmove show that London rents jumped by around 14 per cent in the last year, with some property experts calling it the most competitive market on record Matt Hutchinson, a director at SpareRoom, the flat sharing website, has said: <p
The pandemic has had a devastating impact on commercial property, with lockdowns, social distancing, working from home (WFH), all accelerating the move to online and home deliveries. The likes of Tesco, Ocado and the other big supermarket deliveries were the saviour of the public during the
Welsh politicians have reaffirmed their desire to consider rent controls in the PRS while announcing plans to crack down on the holiday let sector. Plaid Cymru leader Adam Price (main pic, right) suggested rent controls could be on the table when the long-awaited but now <a href
Michael Gove, arguable the best housing secretary for some years, has been sacked from his job after joining a chorus of Tory cabinet ministers calling on the PM to resign. During a fast-moving day in politics which has seen over 40 MPs quit the government or withdraw their supp
Welsh government leaders have revealed radical plans to licence holiday lets in a bid to get tough on the causes of long-term rental shortages. The region is to introduce a cap on the number of second and holiday homes while bringing in measures to put more homes into common own
HMO landlords face paying thousands of pounds for https://www.landlordzone.co.uk/news/safety-peer-asks-why-private-landlords-must-do-electrical-checks-when-social-ones-are-exempt/" electrical equipment when new regulations kick in later this year. An amendment
Manchester aims to double the size of its selective licensing scheme by adding another 1,884 properties in eight areas. The council has given it the go-ahead to the https://www.landlordzone.co.uk/news/manchester-mayor-vows-to-launch-1-5m-landlord-licensing-across-city/"
Owners of second homes in many coastal and holiday locations could face a ban on renting using lettings websites like Airbnb. Tourist hotspots such as coastal towns in Cornwall and Devon are particularly affected. Communities being eroded In many of these towns, loca
Brighton and Hove has its sights set on being the first city to slap a ban on second homes and holiday lets. The Green-controlled council is looking to clamp down on landlords profiting from the staycation boom amid fears that the rapid growth has impacted on the availability of
Prepare for the Leasehold Reform Act on 30 June: what landlords need to know about new ground rent rules and leasehold fairness.
The long-awaited Government White Paper, https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/1083378/A_fairer_private_rented_sector_web_accessible.pdf" target="_blank" A Fairer Private Rented Sector ,
According to recent research buy property agents Hamptons International, for the last 11 months its been cheaper to buy a home with a 10% deposit than rent. This is because to rental growth was tearing away before and mortgage rates were near their record lows. In May this ye
Abolishing fixed-term tenancies risks ruining the student rental market, warns leading provider of major housing contraction.
Thousands of landlords have vowed to switch to short-term lets when Section 21 notices are abolished, a new survey has found. Assist Inventories study of 10,000 landlords and letting agents revealed that 45% plan to move away from long-term tenancies while 41% said they might
The new Building Regulations and accompanying technical upgrade to the SAP assessment methodology ask for a completely different way of measuring the energy performance of many buildings, giving a market boost to those properties with higher EPC ratings. Effective from last week
A landlord too terrified to reveal her name has warned others to conduct more regular property checks after she unwittingly rented her house to a drug-dealing gang for years. The North London-based landlord has had the same tenants since 2005 but only discovered their illegal ac
The Bank of England has cut interest rates by 0.25 percentage points to 4.5%, raising hopes of better mortgage deals for landlords.
Leading landlords warn renting reforms may harm students by reducing supply or increasing rental costs.
A landlord whose tenants were forced to use a drafty bathroom in the garden has been told to pay out more than £14,000.
Three company directors have each been banned for seven years from running companies after 42 investors were misled about the return of £4.13m they had ploughed into a student accommodation development in Derby.
Three quarters of landlords believe the private rented sector has got worse recently and half are planning to quit, the new report has also found.
Lawyers and Tory peers have expressed fears that the Renters’ Rights Bill will be ineffective without further investment in the courts.
Lords warn Renters’ Rights Bill could shrink rental supply, impacting landlords and tenants.
NRLA Training offers key advice to landlords who are preparing to end of a tenancy and regain possession.
What do landlords really think about their properties and the laws that affect them? We unpack the latest Total Landlord poll.
Limited Company buy to let mortgages are increasingly popular, however there are still many myths that need debunking.
Landlords in Kent are inheriting huge council tax bills racked up by the previous owners when buying empty properties.
The proportion of incorporated property held in portfolios of landlords who use limited companies has more than doubled since Q1 2020.
A leading property lawyer warns that removing risk mitigation strategies will make many tenants on lower incomes “unlettable”.
A landlord must repay tenants £20,000 in rent after he failed to convince a tribunal he wasn’t aware of a licensing scheme.
All private landlords in Barking and Dagenham must get a licence from April following the introduction of its selective scheme.
There’s an often-overlooked impact of couples splitting on the demand for housing and particularly for rentals as splits occur every year in the UK
The Welsh government has agreed to explore the possibility of making landlords give tenants compensation if they are evicted.
A former solicitor and property expert has penned a book on how landlords can avoid litigants and potential crippling fines.
Landlords have been reminded to double check tenants’ documents after several London landlords were handed fake payslips.
Property portals and estate agents are failing buyers of leasehold properties by not flagging up legally required information.
Fees for joining the redress scheme and landlord database could be “significantly higher” following amendments to the Renters’ Rights Bill.
A Portsmouth rent-to-rent agency which let out overcrowded and unlicensed HMOs has been handed a hefty fine.
April’s stamp duty hike looms, so if you’re considering selling, sooner is smarter.
TSB has launched a new concessionary mortgage for landlords looking to sell their properties to tenants with no deposit required.
New year, new you. Sound familiar? Many of us start the new year with the very best of intentions, only for them to fall by the wayside.
Private equity firms and pension funds have been upping the ante with their investments in the UK rental market
Landlords should check whether they’re in one of 37 licensing schemes under consultation or about to be implemented – or risk a huge fine.
Landlords would be banned from demanding several months’ rent in advance under new amendments to the Renters’ Rights Bill.
Landlords in Northern Ireland must soon guarantee that electrical safety checks have been carried out at private tenancies.
Councillors have labelled a proposed voluntary landlord initiative to raise standards in North East Lincolnshire, “a waste of time”.
A leading Scots letting agent has warned that policies which seek to undermine the PRS are damaging tenants’ wellbeing.
Landlords could get longer to replace gas boilers if the government makes an expected announcement to allow their sale beyond 2035.
