Winter Condensation: Its that time of year again, a time when tenants are most likely to complain about the mould appearing in those corners of the property where the walls and ceilings are really cold, and hot air with moisture always rises to the top. If its black mo
Tax Relief: Starting from 6th April 2017, those landlords with mortgages will have tax relief on their buy-to-let mortgage costs gradually reduce over a 4-year period.Many landlords dont have a mortgage (up to 50% it is said), so this change does not affect them, but many
Rent Arrears: At this time of year, soon after the Christmas spending spree, inevitably rent payments begin to suffer. If you are having problems with rent arrears, this article should help.As in most areas of life,prevention is better than cure . To re
Tax Return 2016-2017: As a general rule, and as outlined in the previous articles in this series on tax returns, landlords can claim the expenses of running and maintaining their rental properties.If the rent you charge includes additional services like water, or council tax
Tax Return 2016-17: With some costs its very easy to decide: a repair to a drain, downspout or roof tile are all allowable expenses, but what about replacing a broken single glazed window with a new plastic frame and double glazing, what about decorating and installing a
Penetrating damp, just as its name implies, is where water leaks into a building from outside the structure, through the walls or roof. Less common is where an internal leak from a water or drain pipe leaks into the structure of the building.Common causes of penetrating damp are: <ul <l
Fire Regulations in Rentals: There are several regulations relating to fire safety within rental dwellings; some affect all dwellings whereas others apply mainly to Houses in Multiple Occupation (HMO).This looks complicated, but fire safety management in reality boils down t
Damp & Mould: You may have seen or heard of the 1970s TV series Rising Damp, which featured a landlord and his tenants (lodgers in this case) which rather implies that all rental properties are troubled with this kind of damp.Far from the case, but some are. In fact the
Renting Standards: Specialist residential property solicitor Amanda Sutcliffe of Bray & Bray looks at the importance of keeping a rental property in good condition.Research conducted by Endsleigh Insurance and TrustMark claimed that over 75% of landlords s
Sub-Letting Licenses: (SOLITAIRE) LIMITED Appellant and CHERRY LILIAN NORTON and other cases [2012]Landlords of leasehold buy-to-let flats are often asked to pay a fee (sub-letting licence or registration fee) to the freeholder when seeking permission to sub-let their flat,
Validity of Section 21 Notice: Amak Property Investments v Laura Sonny [2016]This case was an appeal by the tenant following a county court judgement relating to the validity of a s21 notice on the basis that the landlord had not complied with the deposit protection (MyDepo
Essential guide to rent reviews: why reading the lease is crucial for landlords and tenants to navigate rent adjustments effectively.
Tenant Agreement: The Law of Property Act 1925 talks about having a maximum of 4 tenants on an agreement. So what to do when you have 5, 6 or more tenants sharing a house?There is a common misunderstanding of the rules here. Landlords and agents sometimes think or have heard
Advance Rent: Piggot v Slaven and Johnson v. OldThere are two important cases which clarify (though not necessarily decisively) the position on landlords accepting rent payments in advance. One concerns the accepting of the final two months rent in advance, a common devi
Following some confusion and debate about a deferral for the new standards following the MEES* deadline in April 2018, the new government has confirmed that changes to the EPC rules, preventing landlords from renting out homes below rating E, will definitely be introduced from April 2018.Accordin
Responsibility for Repairs: Who is responsible and who is obliged to pay for repairs to leasehold blocks and flats? What is the procedure if repairs are unnecessarily delayed or not carried out to the leaseholders satisfaction? What is the Section 20 procedure?T
Essential guide on how to conduct a rent review, covering key clauses and best practices to protect landlord and tenant interests.
Test Case Yeomans v Newell [2016]:When a landlord is in breach of the tenancy deposit rules he or she is prevented from serving a valid s21 notice for possession proceedings. Despite the fact that the tenancy deposit legislation has been in force since April 2007, landlords
The BBC has joined the ranks of landlord-bashing media by publishing a story that gives a distinctly one-sided view of an eviction, helping bolster Shelter and other organisations' campaigns to ban Section 21 notices. It quotes a tenant as saying she was in panic mode� when
Thousands of landlords whose properties are managed by a leading online letting platform are to see their property management firm change hands after Howsy revealed it is to be acquired by a major high street lettings agency. Launched in 2016 originally as No Agent
The road to net zero is paved with additional costs for Britain, not least the amount of money it will take to upgrade commercial property, in the industrial alone. Achieving grade B� ratings under the 2030 Minimum Energy Efficiency Standards (MEES) requirements for the UK
Camden Council has handed out banning orders to four rogue landlords for letting an unlicensed and unsafe home in Kilburn. All part of the same interconnected group of London-based family and business associates - Mohammed Ali Abbas Rasool, 30, of Manor House Drive, Daya Ahmed D
Coventry aims to come down hard on HMO expansion within the city by introducing an Article 4 Direction. Councillors have approved the plans which will now form part of a public consultation this summer. They hope to change the rules which currently allow landlords to
Landlords who own flats hit by the cladding scandal will be covered by the remediation fund, the government has announced. However, portfolio landlords have been left out, with property experts suggesting that this omission will mean work will be held up and their flats could be
Drummed up by popular media horror stories, egged on by the homelessness charities, the ban Section 21� band waggon kept on rolling until eventually the politicians saw it would be politically advantageous to jump aboard. What is Section 21 <p id="
The governments controversial policy of phasing out natural gas boilers in favour of heat pumps, in its drive to meet internationally agreed energy efficiency targets, could be stymied because of an out of date EPC algorithm. Regardless of the fact that many older poorly insu
Westminster Council has launched a spirited campaign to stop central London being overrun by nuisance short-term lets booked chiefly through Airbnb. It is lobbying the government to follow Paris and Amsterdams lead whose authorities have clamped down on problem properties. </
Mayor of Greater Manchester Andy Burnham has confirmed he doesn’t want landlords to exit the market, in marked contrast to comments made by his national Labour colleagues in Parliament.
Hamptons predicts that rents will rise by 17% between 2024 and 2027, outpacing house price growth of 12.5%.
Discover how going digital can streamline operations, cut costs, and future-proof your rental business.
More than half the rental listings on Facebook Marketplace are likely to be scams, according to an investigation by Generation Rent.
The group, which includes politicians and activists, say the commission is the step toweards rent controls in the capital.
For the seventh year, Total Landlord, part of Total Property, has been named the 'Best Landlord Insurance Provider' at the Insurance Choice Awards 2024.
Rents will carry on rising next year as the supply of rental homes continues to be outstripped by supply – but an ‘inflection point’ where rents become too expensive for many tenants will eventually arrive, and already has done in London.
Decision by Lambeth councillors comes just a few months after an initial and expensive four-ward scheme went live.
There are Autumn Budget winners and losers in the property industry as a whole
The Government has rejected calls for 10-year selective licensing schemes and insists that the government recognises the burden that licensing puts on landlords.
The Bank of England has cut interest rates from 5% to 4.75%, providing some welcome cheer for landlords looking to invest and remortgage.
The average rent arrears claim climbed to £2,064 in the third quarter of this year, a 22% rise on the same period last year.
Housing minister Matthew Pennycook has said rent controls in England would hit both tenants and landlords negatively by reducing supply and discouraging investment.
Former Labour MP Dame Karen Buck has been hired as Generation Rent’s new chair of the board.
Scotland’s Housing Bill has been diluted to keep landlord lobbyists happy rather than focusing on renters’ needs, according to a Green MSP.
Three rogue landlords who operated a string of unlicensed and unsafe HMOs across Northampton have been collectively fined a whopping £452,796.
The formation of a new ‘powerhouse’ organisation to represent the commercial property sector including build-to-rent and co-living is under way, it has been announced.
Labour has confirmed that it will compel landlords of high street shops to rent out their premises if they stand empty for too long.
NRLA launches Renters’ Rights course to help landlords navigate new laws, including Section 21 abolition and enhanced tenant protections.
Commercial property has been hit hard over the Covid period. Rightmove, with its copious amounts of data, has identified something of a turnaround
A former estate agent who founded one of the UK’s largest property firms has been named by Kemi Badenoch as shadow housing secretary.
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.
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.
Comment has been made the Chartered Institue of Health Officers, which says such schemes should be the key tool for improving PRS home quality.
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.
