The Government wants to make it a 'duty' for landlords to respond to requests from disabled tenants to make communal spaces outside their homes more accessible. A consultation on the proposals has been launched by equalities minister Kemi Badenoch (main pi
It may have gone unnoticed by many landlords that Boris Johnson made one of the most extraordinary attacks on the sector in living memory last week. And it is fair to say, one of the most unfair. Most landlords have become accustomed to the government's frosty rhetoric over the
The government has finally updated the guidance it provides to property assessors on how to calculate EPCs for new homes and, in six months time, for existing homes too. This is the first time the methodologies of calculation have been updated for almost ten years for t
A professional landlord has scored a partial win against his council fines for charges relating to gas safety inspections. Mahendra Maharaj , who owns 78 properties in Liverpool, had been fined �9,000 by the city council a decision confirmed by a First
Boris Johnsons pledge to reform the housing market will see the government launching a dusted-off version of David Camerons right to buy scheme for social housing in order to turn the tables on private landlords, his housing secretary Michael Gove has suggested. During a s
The self-employed who took advantage of the multi-billion pound self-employed income support scheme (SEIS), claiming grants they were not entitled to, when they were either not trading at all, or their profits did not fall within the specified limits, are now being asked to pay the money ba
Experts discuss the implications of abolishing Section 21 evictions, including potential delays, increased court burdens, and impacts on tenant mobili
While in England the housing minister Eddie Hughes has just https://www.landlordzone.co.uk/news/breaking-minister-confirms-government-will-not-consider-rent-controls-in-england/" target="_blank" ruled out rent controls , in Scotland, Wales, Northern Ireland and the Irish R
Weve all heard the expression, ignorance of the law is no excuse� and this applies without question in all areas of the law. But in some rare instances it seems the courts and tribunals are open to accepting a defence of what is termed reasonable excuse even when the regulatio
Nottingham benefits landlord Mick Roberts (main picture) has made another bid to sell 40 of his properties by offering to cut the sale price by a tenth if a landlord buyer keeps his existing tenants on. The regular LandlordZONE contributor has previously suggested https
Landlords have been warned to check a propertys potential status if their tenant wants to offer Ukrainian refugees a spare room. Updated guidance on the rules around the Homes for Ukraine scheme outlines that where a private tenant is paying rent for their accommodation, the
The Welsh government has announced a five-and-a-half-month delay to the introduction of its controversial Renting Homes Act which had been due to go live on 15th July this year. Now postponed until 1st December, housing minister Julie James says
Landlords are required to conform to the safety and environmental rules set-out in these regulations so its important you understand the law regarding the building regulations. The rules are in place to ensure that buildings meet a certain standard of safety to protect residents and memb
Landlords in Wales who rent out self-catering accommodation will no longer be able to dodge council tax under new and tighter rules announced by the Welsh government. In its bid to crack down on the impact many holiday lets and second homes are having on communities and the Wels
A staggering 71% of all landlords reported having at least one tenant in arrears due to the pandemic, according to the latest English Private Landlord Survey . Nearly a third (29%) were lucky not to have any, but landlords with one property most commonly ha
Landlords in England have since October 2015 been required to install carbon monoxide alarms in their residential rented accommodation where a solid fuel solid fuel heating appliance was fitted. This would include all open fireplaces that were available to be used, that is where
With rental growth in prime London offices set to outpace the rest of the country, the doom mongers predicting permanent working from home (WFH) and office flight have so far, it seems, been on the wrong tack. Quarter 1, 2022 has seen rent returns rise as UK commercial property
The government has today officially opened its Boiler Upgrade Scheme for applications including those from private landlords. Operated by the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy , it offers applicants it offers gra
HMO numbers in England have dropped by 3% during the past 12 months many landlords offloaded their buy-to-let stock instead of negotiating more legislative hurdles. Market analysis by Octane Capital reveals that while there were 511,278 HMOs in 2019/2020, this fell to 497,884 in
Multi-millionaire landlord Fergus Wilson has vowed to appeal against a High Court ruling ordering him to pay �125,000 to Ashford Council for harassing staff. A defiant Wilson tells LandlordZONE that he continues to dispute claims and believes the authorit
Traditionally, contracts for buying and selling property always relied on the old English common law principle of caveat emptor, or let the 'buyer beware'. In other words, the seller did not need to reveal material facts (defects) about the property for sale so long as the buyer, with
Tory MPs are urging the government to cut or scrap stamp duty in a bid to save homebuyers thousands although their proposals dont extend to landlords, LandlordZONE can reveal. Kevin Hollinrake, a member of the Treasury select committee and founder of Hunters estate agent,
There are said to be over a million British houses using wood burning stoves. Some of these are in rental properties and owners and tenants will want to be aware of the law changes on wood burning which were introduced this year. You could be penalised if you own or buy a wood-b
Facebook Marketplace has come under fire once more for helping facilitate rental scams, this time during a BBC One Rip-Off Britain investigation aired this morning. The programme highlighted two examples of rental scams, both of whic
A portfolio landlord and property educator has vowed to keep posting on social media despite receiving hundreds of spiteful troll messages every day. Rick Gannon, who has a �7 million portfolio with 140 tenants mainly around Worcester and also runs a training company which teac
Landlords selling up or re-letting is now the biggest cause of homelessness among renters in England and not rising rents. New Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities data reveals that 31,090 households were threatened with homelessness be
Oxford has received Secretary of State approval for its controversial new selective licensing scheme covering half the city, after it was first announced in August 2020. All private rented homes (49.3% of the citys housing stock) will need a licence from 1st September. Oxford
Landlords are likely to be targeted heavily by political parties as new research shows most remain undecided following Rishi Sunak’s decision to go for a July 4th General Election.
Gateshead plans to include a third of its private rented properties in a selective licencing scheme that also aims to improve tenants’ wellbeing and prompt landlords to boost energy efficiency.
A cross-party group of peers has attacked the government for sidestepping its proposals to clamp down on rogue letting agents.
Landlords are less worried by the Government’s looming Renters (Reform) Bill and more concerned about the financial squeeze they face including tenants who don’t pay their rent, a new poll reveals.
At least 163,000 privately rented properties disappeared from the market between 2019 and the end of 2023 as the number of landlords selling up outstripped purchases.
Serving a Section 21 notice - you need to be meticulous in your preparation, making sure you have complied faultlessly with all the regulations
A big lettings agency has questioned why the government is set on pursuing the end to fixed term tenancies, while ignoring the needs of landlords and tenants.
A Labour-commissioned review of the private rented sector has called for a new renters’ charter to strengthen tenants’ rights and a mandatory National Landlords Register to help enforce compliance.
Three London landlords are to pay over £45,000 in rent back to their tenants following separate Tribunal decisions, highlighting the increasing risks of Rent Repayment Orders as renters become more aware of the huge sums that are often involved.
The London Borough of Lambeth is to launch a £923 per property selective licencing scheme in four wards this September after a lengthy consultation period that began in December last year.
A landlord who raised a rental property's EPC from a band F to an A has urged others to make energy efficiency improvements that benefit both their property and their tenants.
Controversial landlord Fergus Wilson has been handed a suspended prison sentence after being found in contempt of court for breaching an injunction preventing him from harassing staff and councillors at Ashford Borough Council.
Stockton on Tees councillors have given the green light to a new selective licensing scheme covering three areas of the borough.
Tenants are now facing bigger rent rises when they renew their contract than when they move into a new rental home.
Rent caps could be introduced in England by a Labour government, the party’s shadow chancellor Rachel Reeves said over the weekend.
Mayor Andy Burnham has announced plans including a new Property Check scheme for tenants whose landlords won’t work with the council voluntarily.
A landlord who let three of his properties fall into dangerous disrepair has been ordered to pay almost £14,000.
The founder of property management firm that houses asylum seekers by offering landlords guaranteed rents has reached the Sunday Times Rich List.
The number of households removed from their privately rented properties by bailiffs in England via a Section 21 ‘no fault’ eviction increased by 19% during the first three months of the year to 2,682 households, official data shows.
Landlords with properties in Manchester have been urged to have their say on the city’s latest plans to expand selective licencing.
Rising rents and lack of supply in the privately rented sector (PRS) are the result of long-term failure in government housing policy and is not landlords’ fault, peers were told during the Renters Reform Bill second reading last night.
The government has provided more detail on how it plans to overhaul the courts, along with the timeline for abolishing Section 21.
James Kent, the NRLA's Chief Innovation Officer and founder of property compliance platform Safe2, looks at new data on the postcode lottery of local authority enforcement.
Commercial Lease: Before 1995, though many commercial tenants did not realise this, assigning the lease meant they agreed to be responsible for payment of the rent and performance of all the other covenants
Competition between tenants continues to intensify as the amount of time rental property listings are up for has dramatically reduced, according to new analysis.
