Durham Council has warned landlords covered by its new selective licensing scheme to brace themselves for inspections next month. At least 29,000 properties, 42% of the countys PRS, are covered by the scheme which launched in April after winning government approval. <p id
Nearly one-fifth of private rented homes would need work costing more than �10,000 to bring them up to an EPC Band C, according to the latest PRS figures. The English Housing Survey Private Rented Sector report for 2020-21 found that these were more likely to need larger sums o
The latest figures available from Rightmove show that London rents jumped by around 14 per cent in the last year, with some property experts calling it the most competitive market on record Matt Hutchinson, a director at SpareRoom, the flat sharing website, has said: <p
The pandemic has had a devastating impact on commercial property, with lockdowns, social distancing, working from home (WFH), all accelerating the move to online and home deliveries. The likes of Tesco, Ocado and the other big supermarket deliveries were the saviour of the public during the
Welsh politicians have reaffirmed their desire to consider rent controls in the PRS while announcing plans to crack down on the holiday let sector. Plaid Cymru leader Adam Price (main pic, right) suggested rent controls could be on the table when the long-awaited but now <a href
Michael Gove, arguable the best housing secretary for some years, has been sacked from his job after joining a chorus of Tory cabinet ministers calling on the PM to resign. During a fast-moving day in politics which has seen over 40 MPs quit the government or withdraw their supp
Welsh government leaders have revealed radical plans to licence holiday lets in a bid to get tough on the causes of long-term rental shortages. The region is to introduce a cap on the number of second and holiday homes while bringing in measures to put more homes into common own
HMO landlords face paying thousands of pounds for https://www.landlordzone.co.uk/news/safety-peer-asks-why-private-landlords-must-do-electrical-checks-when-social-ones-are-exempt/" electrical equipment when new regulations kick in later this year. An amendment
Manchester aims to double the size of its selective licensing scheme by adding another 1,884 properties in eight areas. The council has given it the go-ahead to the https://www.landlordzone.co.uk/news/manchester-mayor-vows-to-launch-1-5m-landlord-licensing-across-city/"
Changes to EPC assessments mean higher energy assessment costs for landlord, that's on top of what it will cost many landlords to upgrade properties
Council has hatched plans to start charging Airbnb users for parking and is also considering a ban on full-time Airbnbs in new builds and designating
Paul Shamplina headlined NRLA On Tour London, delivering key insights on legal changes for landlords at a sold-out, sector-shaping event.
A high-profile tax expert has labelled HMRC’s Making Tax Digital (MTD) regime – set to hit landlords next year - as ‘pointless and costly’.
Peterborough Council boasts that its aggressive approach to selective licensing has driven significant improvements in the town’s private rental secto
The Mortgage Works has reduced its 'stress test' rate which is used to assess whether a landlord can afford loan payments.
London’s rental sector is full of opportunity for both landlords and tenants, says Foxtons, which reports an explosion in tenancy applications.
A former estate agent who posed as a landlord to con would-be tenants out of more than £200,000 has been jailed.
Hackney plans to launch selective licensing in 17 of its 21 wards as well as a borough-wide additional licensing scheme.
The rate at which rents have been rising has increased across the UK to record levels, official figures reveal today.
A group representing letting agents has slammed the chaotic growth of the private rented sector in recent years, calling for radical changes to solve the rental housing crisis this has created.
All Jersey’s landlords will need a licence from the beginning of next month after the Island’s government launched a scheme to improve standards in the PRS.
Average rent arrears owed by tenants to landlords have climbed by 27% so far this year, new data reveals.
The government has urged the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) to review the boiler supply market amid fears that a lack of competition is leading to higher prices.
Evictions expert Paul Shamplina has called for a rogue tenant database to be established, pointing out that bad letting agents and landlords face being named and shamed via official schemes, but tenants do not.
Rental reform campaigners have staged a protest outside Michael Gove’s official residence in central London, calling on the housing secretary to implement his promised Section 21 evictions ban.
More than 84,000 households have been put at risk of homelessness due to no-fault evictions since 2019, renting campaigners have claimed.
As we enter April it’s been a mixed bag for landlords, with many “nervous" landlords looking to sell amidst a growing apprehension of market conditions and general elections.
A leading businessman has entered the political fray with a book in which he lays out his ideas on how to solve the housing crisis including planning and rental market reform.
An HMO landlord who added another storey on his property to squeeze in more tenants has been ordered to pay £26,535 for breaching numerous safety rules.
HMOs are becoming more popular among landlords as many turn to them as a ‘surer bet’ than other types of rental property in a time of economic uncertainty, it has been claimed.
Voters say the ongoing housing crisis tops the list of key priorities that need to be addressed by the current and incoming government, according to renters in a SpareRoom poll.
With the abolition of Section 21 stealing the headlines Government proposals for a property portal have largely flown under the radar. Here James Kent, the NRLA’s chief innovation officer and founder of property compliance platform Safe2, explores what it could – and should – look like
New research among landlords reveals that although a majority are adopting a ‘wait and see’ approach to the Government’s looming renting reforms, it’s the changes to pets rules and evictions that are troubling them the most.
Private landlords considering a move to limited company ownership of their rented properties are being urged by the NRLA to use its latest partner service.
A landlord has been handed a £8,471 bill for allowing his tenants to live in a property with serious structural issues, dangerous wiring and a lack of fire safety measures.
Five fraudsters who stole £53.9 million in a huge benefits scam used false tenancy agreements to help them make claims.
The Local Government Association (LGA) has urged Minister to ignore rebel MPs’ calls for selective licencing to be replaced by the looming Landlord Portal.
The number of landlords instructing agents to rent properties has declined for a second quarter in a row, fuelling ongoing worries that the Government’s ‘anti-buy-to-let’ mood music is disrupting the market.
A landlord who blamed her agent and tenants for not telling her about a selective licensing scheme has been hit with a £10,572 rent repayment order.
If you are involved with Furnished Holiday Lets you are probably be aware by now that there are far reaching tax changes coming - what to do about them?
Total fines for London’s rogue landlords and agents have topped £10 million since the rogue landlord database launched in 2017.
Private landlords face a significant increase in competition from corporate operators within the rented sector as investors reveal a £17 billion, 60,000-home building programme concentrated on the South and Midlands.
It’s almost inevitable that court fees will have to rise considerably, and probably sooner than 2025/6 unless alternative funding is added direct from the Treasury, according to property lawyer David Smith.
