So, we ended 2021 after twenty-one months since the first Covid lockdown with the new variant, Omicron, spreading fast, and with Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland putting in stricter measures and speculation that England may follow with an announcement early in the New Year.
An example of the difficulty of prediction is the conclusion to a detailed study recently published on the private rented sector by the London School of Economics (a study commissioned by the NRLA) Individually and cumulatively, the recent tax changes
A lettings agency boss and landlord has been slapped with a �40,700 Rent Repayment Officer despite claiming that his failure to licence an HMO was an honest mistake. A First Tier Property Tribunal handed five former tenants the maximum award for the period from September 2019 t
Scotland’s Housing Bill proposes rent controls, winter eviction bans, pet rights & tougher eviction penalties in private sector overhaul.
Bristol has approved plans to extend landlord licensing in Brislington West, Bedminster and Horfield wards in a bid to raise PRS standards. The scheme includes additional licensing - HMOs with three or more unrelated people sharing facilities and selective licensing - privat
Durham County Council's selective licensing scheme covers 29,000 homes, requiring landlords to apply by 31 July for a £350–£500 licence fee.
This is a Local Government and Social Care Ombudsman case involving an unnamed landlord (LandlordX or MrX) and Brentwood Borough Council. The case revolves around a common situation where the landlord required possession of the property after serving a valid section 21 notice un
I've been in the property investment business for almost 30 years and during this period opportunities have come and gone but I've yet to discover an asset class that perf
Ever since I started to market one of my commercial buildings around 10 years ago now, I began to doubt the efficacy of the EPC rating system. The guy that came along to do the inspection told me himself he had just completed a 6 week course, or whatever it was, to train to be a
Social and private landlords are to face tougher new rules which make it mandatory to fit smoke alarms in all rented accommodation regardless of tenure, and widen the conditions under which they must be fitted. Revisions to the smoke and carbon monoxide detector regulations also
If you had �50k to invest right now, where would you put it, buy-to-let property or stocks and shares? Certainly leaving it in a traditional savings account, with interest rates as they are at rock bottom, thats out of the question. And with the threat of rising inflation ea
Research carried out by LandlordZONEs insurance partner, Hamilton Fraser Total Landlord Insurance, revealed that the vast majority of landlords, https://hamiltonfraser.co.uk/knowledge/good-landlord-quiz-results/?utm_source=landlordzone&utm_medium=article&utm_campaign=lz_november
The move to provide home heating and hot water by this method is part of a Government strategy aimed at making deep cuts to greenhouse gas emissions and decarbonizing the UK's power sector by 2035. Prime Minister Boris Johnson says the scheme was designed to bring low-carbon hea
Tenants facing eviction in England are to be protected from losing their homes during the Christmas and New Year period, HM Courts and Tribunal has confirmed. Between 13th December and 10th January no evictions should be s
Some holiday lets owners are gaming the system to claim business rate relief, comments made by the Housing Minister Lord Greenhalgh suggest, who has promised action to clamp down on the practice. In a Lords debate on second homes, peers voiced concerns that second homeo
A company that houses asylum seekers has been fined more than �60,000 for HMO offences in Newport. Clearsprings Ready Homes, which has the contract for operating accommodation for asylum seekers in Wales, was found guilty of letting an HMO in Redland Street (pictured), in the B
The Minimum Energy Performance of Buildings Bill, which aimed to advance the governments energy efficiency commitments, is in doubt following the tragic death of David Amess MP. He was the presentation bills main sponsor in the Commons, launching it at the same time as Lor
However, Carol Lewis writing for the Sunday Times newspaper thinks that holiday let owners should be paying council tax. Given that levelling up is the government's buzzword du jour, it is time to level the playing field and bring holiday-home owners in line wi
Read our interview with a London landlord who is significantly out of pocket after signing up to a three-year guaranteed rent scheme recommended to her by a reputable letting agent. A landlord is urging othersto be wary of letting their pro
The tenant fees ban and its five-week cap on deposits does not come in fully for all tenancies until later this year, landlords should note. Government authorised tenancy deposit protectionprovider https://www.mydeposits.co.uk" id=
Tenant & Landlord Breaks: A break clause is common in both private residential tenancy agreements and commercial leases, therefore it is highly advisable that both landlords and tenants are familiar with the nature of break clauses in their lease and understand their rig
Following our recent article on property investment academies and the questionable activities of some operators, we asked the leading player in the market what should happen next. Last monthLandlordZONE shone a light into the famously Wild W
Thousands of people in the UK live rent free in return for providing services and sometimes, just companionship. But the sector is unregulated and such tenancies are a huge risk for both tenant and landlord alike. An investigation by Landlo
Storms & Floods : Given the severityof the bad weather and floods in some areas of the country recently,the past weeks have been an extremely anxious time for some tenantsand landlords. Unfortunately itappears that these worries are not goi
Section 21 : Not every landlordor agent would consider handling a possession claim themselves, butthe good news is, it can be done the system is designed for LIGs litigants in person. Everyone has theright to speak for themselves in co
Commercial Property :A commercial lease is based on contract law and a contractual agreement between landlord and tenant. The rules laid down are those as agreed in the lease agreement and are largely unencumbered by statutory rules, unlike the case with a residential tenanc
Holiday Lets : With the changes tothe tax rules many buy-to-let landlords are thinking of creative waysto overcome the loss of income. Their inability to claim tax reliefon their mortgage interest and the removal of their wear and tearallowance has made a
The Renters’ Rights Bill is to get its latest airing in just under two weeks' time ahead of moving to the Lords.
Stamp duty bills will almost double from £8,452 to £16,190 in April, an increase likely to spark higher rental costs as landlords attempt to recoup costs.
If there's one thing all landlords want to avoid, it's tenancies that go 'pear shaped'. Here we ask and expert how to avoid this.
One of the most ardent political supporters of rent controls in England has been made a knight within the 2025 New Year honours list.
Three quarters of Suffolk renters have struggled to find an affordable home in the last six months, while half had a rent increase – an average of £58 – according to new research.
Peterborough Council’s selective licensing scheme has uncovered some “horrendous” living conditions since its launch last March.
A rogue landlord has been fined for a second time this year for failing to license his portfolio of houses.
Prime Minister Keir Starmer is facing an EPC upgrade bill of up to £28,000 for the property he rents out in North London.
The past 12 months have been a momentous time for private landlords as tax changes and looming new regulations have been unveiled by politicians of various hues.
Councils are sending the wrong message to law-abiding landlords by failing to investigate those who can’t provide a valid EPC certificate.
A landlord in Liverpool has been prosecuted by its city council for 23 offences under national HMO management regulations.
Despite enthusiasm in Whitehall for heat pumps they not the best way to upgrade a rented property EPC rating, a new report has claimed.
Nearly two-thirds of working private renters - 4,450,000 people - are falling behind with rent payments or struggling to pay their rent.
Tom Entwistle recalls the year in property and looks forward to the year ahead
Landlords who own flats in blocks with unsafe cladding have been given an assurance that developers must meet repair deadlines next year following the publication of the government’s Remediation Acceleration Plan (RAP).
Landlords offering a bills-included rental could dramatically increase their profit margins by improving its energy efficiency.
Sheffield Council has boasted that it’s one of the keenest prosecutors of rogue landlords in the UK.
Unveiling its 2025 cross-sector UK forecasts, Savills strikes an optimistic note and predicts highest returns for North West buy-to-let
An expected expansion in selective licensing schemes next year may fill council coffers but won’t improve housing standards, a leading landlord figure has claimed.
The Renters’ Rights Bill will discourage landlords from renting out their properties and raise rents, according to Talk TV presenter and private landlord, Cristo Foufas (main image).
Renters with only the deepest pockets will be getting the keys to what is understood to be the most expensive ever rental home marketed in the UK.
UK letting agents are still receiving nearly double the number of enquiries about each available rental property than they were pre-pandemic.
The Government has revealed more details about how the ‘corporate’ student sector, which competes with traditional landlords for tenants, will be regulated in the future.
A landlord has successfully fought a licensing fine after an Upper Tribunal judge ruled it couldn’t be proved that a fifth tenant was living permanently in his HMO.
A mortgage lending expert has warned that landlord bashing risks pushing out more smaller landlords, creating a vicious circle of fewer available rental properties and higher rents for tenants.
