Article 4 direction : Birmingham CityCouncil is introducing a city-wide direction for houses in multipleoccupation (HMOs) from 8 June 2020. An Article 4planning direction means that planning approval will be required forthe conversion of a famil
Capital Gains Tax: Owners of second homes and buy-to-lets that they have previously lived in should be aware that as from April 2020 the tax relief period allowed against capital against tax (CGT) will be reduced. As it is a present,when you se
Letting Agent Contracts: One common question asked by landlords is, "how do I terminate my relationship with my letting agent?"For one reason or another, landlords sometimes wish to end their relationship with their letting agent and want to know how to go about it.Requests
General Election: Part of Laboursbid to be elected on 12th December is a raft of taxraising measures aimed at buy-to-let landlords and second homeowners. Jeremy CorbynsLabour party manifesto launch last week outlined a n
Condensation andmould : This time of year,as the temperature drops, both new homes and old homes aresusceptible to the formation of condensation and unsightly mould: newhomes because they are effectively a sealed box, and old homesbecause they often lack ef
The colder weather is here again, its that time of year coming; you feel that cold chill in the air, the snow and ice will soon arrive, and you know its time to get out that winter coat, scarf and gloves.You also know that cold wet weather on the way will test your rental properties and tenant
Portfolio Landlords: Buy to let lender Paragons recent research shows that professionaland larger-scale landlords are still investing and are increasing the size oftheir portfolios through more targeted investments. With an average portfolio
New rules that came into force in March allow https://www.independent.co.uk/news/business/news/landlords-sue-cold-damp-homes-law-tenants-renting-housing-a8776671.html" tenants to sue landlords for issues like cold and damp. A broken heating system or poor ventilation that
Commercial Property : A recent High Court decision in Co-Operative Group Food Ltdv. A&A Shah Properties Ltd (2019) relates to an authorised guaranteeagreement (AGA) dispute, in this case an agreement involving a guarantor of theoutgoing tenant. <p id
The Government has announced its intention to scrap Section 21 notices for eviction in an effort to offer tenants more long-term security.
Commercial: A new set of mandatory rules introduced from 1stApril 2019 and though the document itself is titled a first edition, itsupersedes 3 previous editions published as codes of practice. The RICS (Royal Institution of Ch
Security: Renovating a buy-to-let property can be a great way for landlords to increase the rental income
Abandonment: When times get hard the instances of tenants leaving without notice are known to increase. Doing a runner�, skipping� moonlight flitting� walking away� or gone away� and in the words of the immortal song;
Tenancy Deposits: According to TDS (Tenancy Deposit Scheme) less than 1% (0.85%) of tenancies they handle have resulted in a deposit dispute in the year to March 2018, nevertheless its important to get it right when dealing with tenants' deposits.Cleaning was the most com
Viewpoint by Tom Entwistle As winter approaches outside temperatures drop and the perennial landlords problem of winter condensation and black mould rear their ugly heads again.The question is, how do you know if this is caused by the building or the tenant, or is it a co
Landlords' Tax: Internet sites, such as AirBnB, have increased the number of landlords letting to lodgers and to guests on short stays. There are specific tax benefits to this type of letting business which are expanded upon below.Furnished holiday letting</st
Section 21: Most tenancies will never require the service of a Section 21, Housing Act 1988, (eviction) notice. However, on those occasions when it does become necessary, and you just never know, landlords (and agents) will thank their lucky starts they complied with the rul
Asbestos:Asbestos regulations were last updated in 2012 , bringing the UK in line with EU regulations, which means the current regulations have been in place long enough for most
Record high rental demand sends average UK rent to £993 pcm (ex‑London) and £1,184 pcm including London, HomeLet reveals. Sources
Landlords are being asked for their views on plans to forcibly rent out persistently vacant commercial properties to new tenants in a bid to rejuvenate high streets. High Street Rental Auctions - a new power for local authorities in England - is part
The landlord of a retirement flat faces jail if he contravenes a court order not to visit the property or engage in abusive, insulting and intimidating behaviour likely to cause harassment, alarm or distress�. During a hearing at Sheffield Crown Court, Judge Sadiq told land
Northern Ireland has unveiled a radical new type of private rented housing that aims to provide more high quality, affordable homes in the region. Intermediate rent is not social housing but will offer rents set at a level below the open private rented market, while renters will
UK Finance links LHA freeze to rising landlord mortgage arrears, urging policy review to prevent further financial strain on landlords.
Renters at risk under plans to let landlords evict tenants with two weeks notice,� says one headline. Yes, it kind of implies that tenants will be summarily evicted, I thought so when I first read it. As the recent press reports would have us believe, but this is not going
The activities of a huge HMO renting scam gang has been uncovered following a four-year investigation, with the five key individuals and three companies involved fined a total of �434,000. Following an investigation by West Northamptonshire Councils Private Sector Housing Te
Private renters who complained to their landlord, letting agent or local council in the last three years were two and a half times (159%) more likely to be handed an eviction notice than those who kept quiet. New research from Shelter compiled by YouGov using online survey r
A landlord and her letting agency have together been fined more than �45,000 for illegally running an HMO. Barking and Dagenham Councils private sector housing team first discovered that professional landlord Husna Patel had not applied for, or been gr
A mandatory short-lets registration scheme and tougher planning laws look set to take effect soon in England.
A landlord firm which tried to argue that its agent was responsible for failing to organise an additional HMO licence has been handed a £19,753 rent repayment order.
A holiday lets platform used by thousands of landlords to generate income has come under fire over ‘ghost’ properties.
There is some uncertainty to what it actually means in practice until the details are written down but could the proposed hardship test mean even if your tenants won’t pay their rent, you will not be able to evict them if that makes them homeless or financially disadvantaged?
North Yorkshire Council has adopted a new housing enforcement policy to ensure all private rental properties across the county are up to scratch, the first time this has happened.
A tenant accused of murdering her landlord and stabbing his cat to death has been remanded in custody.
A property raffle has just handed out another £500,000 to a lucky winner to buy their dream house.
Hackney Council has been called out for continuing to process additional and selective landlord licence applications five months after both schemes ended.
The UK commercial real estate sector has faced significant challenges recently due to changing trends, will recent signs of a turnaround continue?
A rogue landlord and also letting agent who let out grotty and overcrowded properties has been handed the first banning order in Essex.
Rental growth has slowed to its lowest level for nearly three years while demand has dropped by 39% during the past 12 months.
As house prices have risen sharply in recent decades, many had thought that the sub-£100,000 house that returned double-digit gross returns had gone for good.
The Scottish government’s failure to plan for the end of temporary rent controls has led to rents rising faster than in most other parts of the UK.
Landlords can bear the brunt of longer notice periods due to charging high rents, according to Generation Rent.
An Isle of Man village has become the latest authority to clamp down on the growth in short-term lets.
Burnley councillors have recommended that its three selective licensing schemes covering some 2,000 homes be extended for another five years following a three-month-long consultation. The schemes in Burnley Wood and Healey Wood, along with the Leyland Road area of the town, were
The Royal Family could be raking in £118,775 each month from their holiday let portfolio, adding up to a lucrative annual rental income of more than £1.4 million.
Gen Z are rushing to invest in buy-to-let property, with more than 3,000 buy-to-let landlords in the UK now under the age of 21.
A landlord who reportedly attacked a tenant after he complained about serious disrepairs has been handed a police caution.
A new report that evaluates the dozens of rent control schemes implemented over the past 60 years across the world has concluded that overall they are harmful to rental homes supply.
Tenants can claim compensation from their landlord for repairs that are not done in a reasonable time; repairs that are of bad quality and do not fix things
There’s never been a better time for landlords to convert a commercial building to residential use, according to a leading architect.
Zoopla boss Richard Donnell has urged landlords and investors to steer clear of misinformation about the PRS and focus on the positives.
A rogue landlord who persistently failed to license several rented properties has had them seized by Merton Council in one of the first actions of its kind in the country.
London Mayor Sadiq Khan has been slapped down by Labour’s national leadership after asking to be given rent control powers, it has been reported.
