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Re-selling Energy

Re-selling Energy

Information

Re-selling Energy - As a landlord am I able to make a profit by re-selling electricity or gas?</h2>Resale of Gas and ElectricityThe maximum amount that Residential Landlords or resellers� are permitted to charge for gas or electricity is the amount they

Providing a Reference

Providing a Reference

Information

Providing a Reference - I have been asked to provide a reference for one of my tenants who is moving on. What is my legal position in this and am I putting myself at risk if I say he was a bad tenant?</h2> Referencing (seeking verification of a tenants past performance) is an increasi

Polystyrene Ceiling Tiles

Polystyrene Ceiling Tiles

Information

Polystyrene Ceiling Tiles - is it legal to have these tiles in the kitchen of a rental property?</h2> There are currently no regulations specifically banning the use of polystyrene ceiling tiles in existing rented property.However, it is unlikely that local authority fire officers and en

Misrepresentation

Misrepresentation

Information

Misrepresentation - We recently rented out our rural cottage to a couple. As they wanted to use their computers I said it was possible to get high-speed broad-band. I thought this would be possible but it seems it is not at this time. The couple are now claiming that I misled them and that

Mail for Previous Tenants

Mail for Previous Tenants

Information

I'm receiving mail for previous tenants and some of them are from debt collectors. Will this get my property black listed and cause problems for my current tenants and myself in the future?</h2> It's fairly common to have mail arriving for months and even years after residents have left,

Long Term AST

Long Term AST

Information

Long Term AST - My prospective tenant has asked for a tenancy term of 6 years. Can I use the usual Assured Shorthold Tenancy agreement for this?</h2> The Assured Shorthold Tenancy is the default tenancy for residential lettings and since October 2010 this applies to rents up to �100,000

Lodgers Limits

Lodgers Limits

Information

Lodgers Limits - Is there any limit to the number of rooms I can rent out to lodgers, and are there any planning implications ?</h2> There are several parts of legislation in England and Wales that affect this question. Perhaps four main ones apply: Health &amp; Safety (HHSRS), HMO, Over

How long should accounts be kept

How long should accounts be kept

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Question: How long should accounts be kept to satisfy the authorities, things like accounting files, invoices and tax records, as a property landlord?Answer: You must keep your records for 6 years after the tax year to which they apply, whether or not you complete a tax return.It's a good idea, a

Expiry of Section 21 Notice

Expiry of Section 21 Notice

Information

Expiry of Section 21 Notice - I have served a Section 21 (s21) Notice on my tenant but don't wish to start proceedings immediately. Can I wait without the notice expiring?Once a Section 21 notice has been served correctly it continues indefinitely, until such time as the tenancy is ended, either

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Councils use Generation Rent to highlight unaffordable rents

Councils use Generation Rent to highlight unaffordable rents

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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.

Midlands council slams 'horrendous' local private rented sector

Midlands council slams 'horrendous' local private rented sector

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Peterborough Council’s selective licensing scheme has uncovered some “horrendous” living conditions since its launch last March.

Landlord who ignored licensing for second time given huge fine

Landlord who ignored licensing for second time given huge fine

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A rogue landlord has been fined for a second time this year for failing to license his portfolio of houses.

PM's own rental house will soon fail EPC rules

PM's own rental house will soon fail EPC rules

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Prime Minister Keir Starmer is facing an EPC upgrade bill of up to £28,000 for the property he rents out in North London.

Merry Christmas and a Happy News Year to all our readers

Merry Christmas and a Happy News Year to all our readers

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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.

'What's the point of good landlords if rogues aren't policed?'

'What's the point of good landlords if rogues aren't policed?'

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Councils are sending the wrong message to law-abiding landlords by failing to investigate those who can’t provide a valid EPC certificate.

Northern landlord fined £38,000 over multiple HMO offences

Northern landlord fined £38,000 over multiple HMO offences

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A landlord in Liverpool has been prosecuted by its city council for 23 offences under national HMO management regulations.

Heat pumps 'don't help upgrade EPCs' warns new report

Heat pumps 'don't help upgrade EPCs' warns new report

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Despite enthusiasm in Whitehall for heat pumps they not the best way to upgrade a rented property EPC rating, a new report has claimed.

Two thirds of private renters struggling to pay rent

Two thirds of private renters struggling to pay rent

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Nearly two-thirds of working private renters - 4,450,000 people - are falling behind with rent payments or struggling to pay their rent.

Government reveals intiative to build 3,000 rented homes

Government reveals intiative to build 3,000 rented homes

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The Government is to become a significant provider of affordable private sector rental homes with plans to build some 3,000 units under a new name, Habiko.

Landlord pays a high price after forgetting to chase up licence

Landlord pays a high price after forgetting to chase up licence

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A landlord who forgot to chase up a licencing application for her rented property in London has paid a heavy price for her mistake after being ordered to return rent totalling £11,245 to her tenants.

Property licencing schemes should last for ten years, MPs are told

Property licencing schemes should last for ten years, MPs are told

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Comment has been made the Chartered Institue of Health Officers, which says such schemes should be the key tool for improving PRS home quality.

No change to CGT - but four landlords say 'we’re out!'

No change to CGT - but four landlords say 'we’re out!'

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Despite the overall good news, many landlords have remained in brace position and have reached out to exit the market and sell their buy-to-lets.

Stamp duty increase 'will reduce investment in private rented sector'

Stamp duty increase 'will reduce investment in private rented sector'

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Property auctioneers gave revealed its concerns about the Chancellor’s decision to raise Stamp Duty for those who purchase buy-to-let properties.

Prince William to 'upgrade estate' featuring mouldy rental homes

Prince William to 'upgrade estate' featuring mouldy rental homes

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Prince William has promised to upgrade the private rental properties he rents out via the Duchy of Cornwall after reports over the weekend.

Tenant activists call for 'harsher' renting reform bill

Tenant activists call for 'harsher' renting reform bill

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A lobbying group for renters’ rights is hoping to persuade MPs to make the Government’s renting reform legislation regulated landlords even harder.

COMMENT: Autumn Budget 2024

COMMENT: Autumn Budget 2024

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Investors, business owners, landlords and pension savers were braced for a painful attack on their assets, gains and savings

Scotland to limit rent rises to official inflation rate

Scotland to limit rent rises to official inflation rate

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The Scottish Government has announced a new inflation-linked rent cap in its Housing Bill in a bid to balance supporting tenants with protecting landlords’ property rights.

Leading research institute slams Chancellor over stamp duty hike

Leading research institute slams Chancellor over stamp duty hike

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The Institute for Fiscal Studies (IFS) has slammed the Stamp Duty rise for landlords, warning that tenants will suffer as a result of the Budget announcement.

Bringing back empty rental homes should be 'biggest priority' says landlord

Bringing back empty rental homes should be 'biggest priority' says landlord

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Landlords should be encouraged to renovate and repurpose their empty properties to help resolve the housing crisis, according to one landlord.

Landlord to return deposit after odd attempt to charge for letters

Landlord to return deposit after odd attempt to charge for letters

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A landlord has failed in a bizarre attempt to withhold her tenant’s deposit by billing hundreds of pounds for writing letters and taking photographs.

New Local Housing Allowance freeze is 'nonsensical' say landlords

New Local Housing Allowance freeze is 'nonsensical' say landlords

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The government’s decision to freeze housing benefit rates next year, leaving private tenants facing financial hardship, has been labelled “nonsensical”.

Autumn Budget – A Halloween Horror Story

Autumn Budget – A Halloween Horror Story

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After a huge amount of speculation in the press we can finally report what the new Labour Government has decided to do (and not to do) on the tax front

Stamp duty hike will add £7,000 to each purchase for landlords

Stamp duty hike will add £7,000 to each purchase for landlords

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Landlords will face an additional average charge of more than £7,000 from tomorrow when buying a property thanks to an uplift in Stamp Duty charges.

'If the Budget delivers stability, the property sector will benefit'

'If the Budget delivers stability, the property sector will benefit'

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Nick Lyons, chief executive of inventory experts No Letting Go give his view on the measures announced yesterday in parliament by Rachel Reeves.

ANALYSIS: What does stamp duty hike mean for landlords?

ANALYSIS: What does stamp duty hike mean for landlords?

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The Labour Government has ramped up its increasingly anti-landlord policies by increasing the stamp duty they pay when buying rental properties from 3% to 5%.

Stamp duty hike hits landlords with 5% second home rate

Stamp duty hike hits landlords with 5% second home rate

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Chancellor Rachel Reeves increases stamp duty surcharge to 5% for second homes and buy-to-let properties, effective from 31 October 2024.

Rogue landlord to pay £7,000 after council raids properties

Rogue landlord to pay £7,000 after council raids properties

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A rogue landlord has been handed a £7,000 legal bill for renting out three dangerous flats containing a raft of faults.

Activists urge Chancellor to make landlords pay NI contributions

Activists urge Chancellor to make landlords pay NI contributions

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Generation Rent has urged Chancellor Rachel Reeves to tax landlords harder in her first Budget by making them pay NI contributions.

Short-lets licensing would be intensely impractical' warns expert

Short-lets licensing would be intensely impractical' warns expert

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A leading property lawyer has described a campaigning MP’s latest attempt to usher in harsher regulation of short-lets in holiday hotspots as ‘intensely impractical’.

Labour promises to kick dodgy letting agents out of industry

Labour promises to kick dodgy letting agents out of industry

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Labour has committed to regulating estate agents in a bid to oust the rogue operators within the sector who give the wider industry a bad name and often cost landlords money and time when their services fall short of minimum standards.

Manchester mayor to back role of 'good landlords' in rental sector

Manchester mayor to back role of 'good landlords' in rental sector

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Manchester mayor Andy Burnham is to make a keynote speech at the NRLA’s annual conference in Birmingham next week.

Third of all rental homes have an EPC under band C, new data shows

Third of all rental homes have an EPC under band C, new data shows

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Landlords face an ongoing buy-to-let investment challenge as a new report reveals that a third of all homes for sale in Britian have an EPC rating below a C.

Agent sentenced after giving drugs gang keys to landlord's flat

Agent sentenced after giving drugs gang keys to landlord's flat

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A letting agent who allowed a criminal gang to use landlords’ empty flats to hide cash and drugs has been given a community sentence.