From 1st February 2016 all new tenants in England must be given Right-to-Rent (Immigration) Checks to determine their "right-to-rent" or "right-to-reside" in the country, BEFORE they can be given a tenancy. Landlords or letting agents must do the checks - letting agents where the
This is a Guide to Tax Deductible Letting Expenses for Landlords under the new tax rules following the Summer Budget 2015. These may be subject to change and you are advised to consult a tax specialist before making any decisions.From April 2016 landlords will no longer be able to automatically d
An Edinburgh landlord set-up hidden cameras in the bedroom and bathroom of his flat, to film people in bed and in the shower.The cameras were discovered by a young couple, friends of the landlord who allowed them to use the accommodation. The couple found a box on the living room table with a cam
Amongst the ways to agree or ascertain the (open) market rent at rent review or on renewal of a lease, (per s.34-s35 Landlord and Tenant Act 1954), is the use of comparable evidence.At rent review, the market rent for the premises is not what rent the actual tenant would agree or could afford, bu
There are two instances of section 20 notices in property in England:(1) is the notice served in relation to early shorthold tenancies under the Housing Act 1988, and the other,(2) refers to section 20 of the Landlord and Tenant Act 1985, as amended by the Commonhold and Leasehold Reform Act (CLR
Who pays for maintenance and repairs in a residential letting, landlord or tenant?Is it, for example, a tenants responsibility once they occupy my building to look after most of the regular house maintenance items? If the fridge stops working does the tenant or the landlord need to repair it?Y
With commercial property, rent reviews are generally to the open market rent, but sometimes the rent would be adjusted to the Retail Price Index (RPI). RPI is generally considered more favourable to landlords than CPI or other methodologies.There is no link between open market rent and inflatio
Amongst the thorny issues in the relationship between landlord and tenant is the building insurance premium. Unlike residential property where the landlord has a vested interest in making sure the premium is competitive, because more than likely the premium would not be recoverable from the tenan
Theres recently been a spate of press reports and political wrangling about the existence of Zero-Hour Contracts. This has become something of a hot political issue as we approach a general election, and one surprising development is recent attempts to embroil landlords in the issue, as if the
Traditionally, with commercial (business) leases, a contractual provision within the lease specifies the use, or uses to which a property may be put and the uses which are prohibited.The formal classification of Uses� are set out in the Town and Country Planning (Use Classes) Order 1987 as a
As most Assured Shorthold Tenancies (AST) are by definition, short, there is usually no need for landlords to get involved in processing a rent increase.However, some ASTs run for long periods after the fixed term has ended, i.e., when the tenancy becomes a statutory periodic tenancy, hence there
The ideal for any landlord is for the tenant to have a guarantor and provide a rent deposit. But which is better when the landlord has to choose?The starting point is the status of the tenant. With a tenant that is one person (an individual) the likelihood of that person being of independent fina
When you rent out a property two vital stages in the process are when you check-in your tenants at the start of the tenancy and check-out at the end.Preparation is the key to a trouble free let. When you prepare properly you are carrying out management processes so that nothing is left to chance
Elsewhere on LandlordZONE (at https://www.landlordzone.co.uk/information/what-is-a-section-25-notice" https://www.landlordzone.co.uk/information/what-is-a-section-25-notice and https://www.landlordzone.co.uk/information/what-is-a-section-26-notice-2 ) you can find out about sec
Contrary to popular belief, 'upward-only' rent review does not mean the rent must increase.An 'upward-only' review means that the rent payable after the review to open market rental is agreed or ascertained would not be less than the rent payable before the rent review, even if the open market re
There are dangers with using the Section 8 possession claims process under the Housing Act 1988 which are not always apparent to landlords and agents.There is always a temptation to use section 8 because the shorter notice period (usually 2 weeks) is much quicker to court than the alternative - s
What is a Section 25 Notice? My business lease is coming to an end and my landlord has served on me a Section 25 Notice.Commercial (Business) Tenancies in England & Wales are regulated by the Landlord & Tenant Act 1954 (Part 2).This means that when the fixed term ends (end of lease) the b
Section 48 of the Landlord and Tenant Act 1987 states that landlords of residential tenancies in England and Wales must furnish their tenants with an address in England & Wales at which notices can be served. Failure to do so will mean that any claim for rent, rent arrears or service charges
Minister warned that tenancy reforms may reduce student housing supply, urging exemption to protect access to higher education.
Suffolk Building Society has launched a new mortgage aimed at expat landlords with properties that boast a high EPC rating. Its five-year fixed expat buy-to-let product for properties with an Energy Performance Certificate rating of A to C is available on
Tenants union Acorn has pledged to continue targeting letting agents in the city until they stop encouraging 'bidding wars' to help landlords achieve higher rents. Members launched a noisy protest outside a number of branches; some agents which had started talks with Acorn ab
Leading Tory MP Anthony Browne (main pic) has urged the government to ditch stamp duty for home buyers but increase the tax rate for investors. The chair of the 1922 Backbench Treasury Committee says people buying homes to live in are over-taxed while those buying properties for
A landlord has spoken out to defend a substantial rent increase after its tenant complained about his eviction to the local newspaper. Richard Symonds told https://www.sussexexpress.co.uk/" target="_blank" Sussex World tha
Damp and mould has always been a very difficult issue to deal with for landlords, but the recent case of Awaab Ishak and the rapid and direct involvement of Government has really brought matters to a head. The death of a Rochdale social housing tenants son, Awaab Ishak, has l
The boss of housing charity Shelter has repeated the organisations previous assertion that tenants seeking properties in the private rented sector (PRS) too often face racism from both landlords and letting agents. Polly Neates comments have been published by the BBC withi
The government has vowed to expedite a proposed law forcing landlords to respond quickly to complaints about damp and mould. Housing minister Felicity Buchan (pictured) told MPs that proposals were being worked through, after it announced plans last week t
Birmingham council has concluded its consultation into an additional licensing scheme across the city that would include 9,500 properties in all 69 wards. Following a full cabinet meeting report on the scheme's consultation which included several landlords sessions organised by
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.
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 has promised to upgrade the private rental properties he rents out via the Duchy of Cornwall after reports over the weekend.
A lobbying group for renters’ rights is hoping to persuade MPs to make the Government’s renting reform legislation regulated landlords even harder.
Investors, business owners, landlords and pension savers were braced for a painful attack on their assets, gains and savings
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.
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.
Landlords should be encouraged to renovate and repurpose their empty properties to help resolve the housing crisis, according to one landlord.
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.
The government’s decision to freeze housing benefit rates next year, leaving private tenants facing financial hardship, has been labelled “nonsensical”.
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
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.
Nick Lyons, chief executive of inventory experts No Letting Go give his view on the measures announced yesterday in parliament by Rachel Reeves.
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%.
Chancellor Rachel Reeves increases stamp duty surcharge to 5% for second homes and buy-to-let properties, effective from 31 October 2024.
A rogue landlord has been handed a £7,000 legal bill for renting out three dangerous flats containing a raft of faults.
Generation Rent has urged Chancellor Rachel Reeves to tax landlords harder in her first Budget by making them pay NI contributions.
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 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.
