This is a handy check list for use to help you ensure you are serving a valid section 21 notice. Section 21 of the Housing Act 1988 (as amended 1996 & 2004) provides a means of re-gaining possession of a residential property in England & Wales. Other UK jurisdictions are similar but there
How can a tenant end a residential tenancy and stay within the law - usually with a Tenant's Notice to Quit?In practice most residential tenancies in England and Wales end (over 90 per cent of them) with tenants giving their landlord notice. These guidelines are based on English law and are not a
Farm and Land Tenancies Approximately one-third of all agricultural land in England and Wales is covered by agricultural tenancies. Tenancies allow people to farm without being landowners. As agricultural land is expensive, and the acreage now needed to make a viable operati
Landlords sometimes face a dilemma when they want to sell a rental property, or even a portfolio of their rental properties. Sometimes landlords have no choice but to sell as they are being forced to sell for financial reasons.Residential properties, unlike their commercial counterparts, always s
Assignment is when an existing and ongoing tenancy is transferred from one tenant to another. The person who transfers the tenancy is the assignor� and the person who the tenancy is transferred to is the assignee�.The outgoing tenant transfers his rights and obligations under the tenanc
Latest Research Suggests Basement Flats Are Safe As HousesBasement flats in West London have been found to be as secure from intruders as other types of apartments, according to research carried by Basement Flats, a newly-launched London publication.The magazine, which features news and informati
Section 26 Notice - My Commercial (Business Tenancy) Lease Agreement is coming to an end soon and my tenant has served on me a Section 26 Notice. What is this and what should I do?Commercial (Business) Tenancies in England & Wales are regulated by the Landlord & Tenant Act 1954 (Part 2).T
Uninhabitable Premises. My tenanted property is flooded. What are my legal obligations in this situation? Am I obliged to re-house my tenant? Must my tenant continue to pay rent?Landlords are under a general obligation to supply property in tenant able condition for the tenant to i
Question: Tenant Blacklists. I've had a very bad experience with a tenant and would like to put him on a black list so that other landlords don't have the same experience that I've had. How do I go about this?Answer: We often get asked this question.Although there have been several attempts by di
Sub-letting leasehold - I want to rent out my leasehold flat but the managing agent says the freeholder wont allow it. I know that other flats in the block are rented out, so what can I do? Landlords usually prohibit sub-letting to safeguard the interest.Landlords usually prohibit sub-letting
What are the implications of renting to a 17 year old or someone who is under the age of 18? We have an application from a 17-year old that is keen to rent but Im not sure this would be legal?</h2> Many landlords and housing providers would be concerned and therefore refuse to let to
Question - Rent Review - my landlord is asking for far more rent than I expected on review. Am I obliged to pay this?Answer - Commercial leases are contractual - the parties agree to and are bound by its clauses and that includes rent review provisions.The rent review process is a way of periodic
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 - 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 - 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 - 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
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 - 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
Thousands of private landlords have started selling their properties ahead of government changes to Energy Performance Certificate (EPC) regulations. More than 65,000 rental properties went up for sale in the first three months of the year, 36,460 of which had an EPC rating of
Public information campaigns are needed to raise awareness of the consequences of not turning the heating on as often in rented properties, says the NRLA. When quizzing 2,000 tenants in England and Wales about the impact rising utility bills have had on their household budget, t
A survey of almost 700 landlords, carried out by BVA BDRC for Paragon, reveals that that 67% of landlord respondents had experienced higher than usual tenant demand during the first three months of this year. This, according to Paragon, represents a new all-time high and up from 65% reco
According to the findings of recent research commissioned by infinitSpace, in partnership with The Instant Group, the majority of UK office landlords have not made any concrete plans to improve the energy efficiency ratings of their buildings they do not have any form of sustainability
In https://www.totallandlordinsurance.co.uk/knowledge-centre/propertymarks-perspective-on-lettings-the-property-cast-total-landlord-insurance?utm_source=landlordzone&utm_medium=article&utm_campaign=propertymark+podcast+may+2023" target="_blank" this episode of T
Buy-to-let mortgage searches were down 23% in April compared to the previous month, while investors have been putting down larger deposits as high-interest rates bite. Research by https://www.twenty7tec.com/" target="_blank" Twenty7tec shows that average loan-
Government policy should move away from thinking that social housing and home ownership are good while private landlords are bad if it is to solve the rental stock and rent costs crisis. That's the view of a new report from Cambridge University Land Society which says this mi
Nearly one in five Conservative MPs are currently landlords, according to research by campaign group 38 Degrees, a surprising figure given the Government's anti-landlord stance in recent years. The study counted 87 MP landlords more than 13% of the Commons of whom 53 cla
Renters Reform Bill due next week, says Gove — draft law arrives four years after discussion, just days after King’s Coronation.
Brighton & Hove Council is to ask the government if it can start licensing short-term lets in a bid to combat their impact on local communities.
A charity is looking to reboot its campaign urging the public and MPs to support reforms around keeping pets in rental properties.
Exceptional growth in the build-to-rent (BTR) sector has pushed completions to a record high during the past 12 months.
Local councils across the UK have been offering private landlords sweet deals for some time now to help solve the housing crisis, but one borough council is offering one that goes the extra mile.
Landlords in Greater Manchester are being asked to help mould the city region’s new Good Landlord Charter, designed to improve renting.
Lloyds Banking Group is making another foray into the housing sector by turning its former office buildings into affordable homes.
There are a number of ways you can support renters who have fallen behind on their rent. NRLA trainer and debt expert Julie Ford explains more.
Polling by build-to-rent (BTR) landlord UNCLE shows that 32% of those it polled who were between 18 and 24 years old said they ‘chose to rent’ rather than being compelled to by the housing market, while the figure was 31% for those between 25 and 34 years old.
With the victory for Labour now over a week behind us, what should landlords expect from the change in government?
Councillors in Brighton have backed a petition by campaign group Living Rent to introduce rent controls during a debate yesterday at its monthly full council meeting.
Landlords in Wales have found themselves unable to make deductions to deposits when using occupation contract templates, it has been claimed.
Northumberland council is the latest to approve more selective licencing with two wards in the seaside town of Blythe.
Five new housing ministers have been tasked with helping the government deliver homes and reform the PRS – and one of them is a landlord.
Frustrated surveyors have urged the government to introduce fair legislation that increases supply as landlords continue to quit the sector.
Propertymark has warned that abolishing Section 21 without an adequate replacement mechanism will add 'another nail in the coffin' of the PRS.
Salford Council is to launch a consultation into reviving one of its selective licencing schemes - offering landlords slightly cheaper licences than eight years ago.
Most buy-to-let landlords plan to raise rents in the next 12 months after being hammered by higher interest rates and operating costs.
Fewer tenants are going into rent arrears, according to the latest figures from Handelsbanken.
Paul Shamplina warns that introducing rent caps could drive landlords out of the market, potentially worsening housing supply issues.
Private landlords are about to get a new deadline for making energy efficiency improvements to their properties.
Tom Entwistle considers the current state of the UK housing market and how it could be affected by Labour’s policies
More HMO landlords in the West Midlands borough of Sandwell face paying £1,000 for a licence after the council gave the go-ahead to an extended additional scheme to go live on October 1st 2024.
Sheffield Council is about to get tougher on private landlords as part of a new 10-year plan to improve the city’s housing.
Good landlords have little to fear from a Labour government if it can stabilise the economy to support the property market and make renting easier and less volatile, according to one letting agent.
Angela Rayner has revealed that the Department of Levelling Up, Housing and Communities that it is to drop ‘levelling up’ from its name and concentrate on ‘basics not gimmicks’.
