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Is it fair that councils can fine landlords even though they too break the law?

Is it fair that councils can fine landlords even though they too break the law?

Opinion

There is a burning issue within the rented homes market that is grossly unfair on private landlords and that is never discussed by politicians or the trade associations that o

Landlord to pay tenants £12,500 because 'innocence of law is no defence'

Landlord to pay tenants £12,500 because 'innocence of law is no defence'

News

Being ignorant of landlord law is no defence, a brutal legal point that has cost a landlord duo in London dearly after they were told by judges to repay their tenants �12,500

Looming EPC changes already skewing the buy-to-let market, claims finance boss

Looming EPC changes already skewing the buy-to-let market, claims finance boss

News

The Governments plans to force landlords to upgrade their properties to a minimum C energy efficiency standard is already affecting how rental properties are being purchased, the boss of a big money firm has claimed. Louisa Sedgwick, Commercial Director at Paragon Bank

City office space under threat as personified by Canary Wharf exodus

City office space under threat as personified by Canary Wharf exodus

News

The pattern of office working is changing and nowhere is its effect on commercial property being felt more strongly than in Londons Docklands Canary Wharf. A once thriving financial centre The development of the wharf into a thriving financial centre just outsi

BREAKING: Gove green lights expensive new licencing scheme in Nottingham

BREAKING: Gove green lights expensive new licencing scheme in Nottingham

News

Michael Gove has given Nottingham city council the green light to proceed with one of the UKs most expensive and controversial selective licensing schemes. Due to start on December 1st, it will require all rented properties within 20 of its wards to be licenc

Government is afraid EPC upgrades will be final straw for landlords, says big bank

Government is afraid EPC upgrades will be final straw for landlords, says big bank

News

A leading lender believes the governments likely decision to row back on EPCs is linked to fears that it will hit an already struggling PRS. Earlier this week, Housing Secretary Michael Gove suggested a delay in bringing in energy efficiency plans for rental properties to

Property firm reports more landlords selling up as 'red tape' burden rises

Property firm reports more landlords selling up as 'red tape' burden rises

News

Home buying company the Open Property Group (OPG) has reported a 56% jump in PRS property purchases during the past year, with landlords blaming red tape for their decision to sell up. It bought nearly �6 million worth of property from homeowners and landlords looking for a fas

Payday! Three tenants to share �20,000 after landlord fails to licence property

Payday! Three tenants to share �20,000 after landlord fails to licence property

News

Three tenants have won a �20,160 rent repayment order from their landlord who failed to licence his HMO. A First Tier Property Tribunal found that Simon Freed let out the three-bedroom flat in Frognal Court, Camden (main picture), a

Scots Ministers avoid revealing how many landlords are seeking big rent rises

Scots Ministers avoid revealing how many landlords are seeking big rent rises

News

The Scottish Government has decided not to publish details of how many landlords north of the border have applied to raise their rent above the 3% maximum allowed under the countrys Cost of Living (Tenant Protection) (Scotland) Act. This controversial legislation was first in

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Landlord defends 'publicity stunt' chainsaw eviction video

Landlord defends 'publicity stunt' chainsaw eviction video

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Controversial property educator Samuel Leeds has insisted that his latest online video – breaking through a door with a chainsaw – wasn’t illegal and aimed to highlight private landlords’ predicament.

Lawyers call for more cash to fund tenant eviction fight-backs

Lawyers call for more cash to fund tenant eviction fight-backs

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News
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The Law Society of England and Wales has called for more housing legal aid to help those tenants facing eviction or repossession.

Midlands town issues first banning order - against criminal landlord

Midlands town issues first banning order - against criminal landlord

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News
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Warwick Council has handed out its first banning order, to rogue landlord Grzegorz Surminski who sub-let a dangerous and unlicensed HMO.

Landlord fails in unusual attempt to overturn banning order

Landlord fails in unusual attempt to overturn banning order

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A landlord has failed in a bid to overturn his banning order on the grounds that his convictions were spent by the time it was imposed by a First Tier Property Tribunal.

City-wide landlord accreditation scheme launched with fees sweetener

City-wide landlord accreditation scheme launched with fees sweetener

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News
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Nottingham council has launched a city-wide ‘good landlord’ accreditation scheme and offered those who join the scheme a 10% reduction on fees for its private sector licencing schemes.

High profile tenant given six months in jail for rental fraud

High profile tenant given six months in jail for rental fraud

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A director of the Scottish Women’s Premier League (SWPL) who defrauded her elderly landlord out of £30,000 has been jailed for six months.

UPDATE: NW council approves bigger selective licencing scheme

UPDATE: NW council approves bigger selective licencing scheme

News
News
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Two selective licencing schemes operated by Wirral Council in and around Birkenhead have been renewed with a further two schemes about to be launched following a consultation.

Southcoast city latest to charge landlords £500 for improvement notices

Southcoast city latest to charge landlords £500 for improvement notices

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News
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Landlords in Brighton and Hove face a £500 charge if they are handed an improvement notice, as part of a council crackdown on failing properties.

How bad is the rental crisis? Latest figures reveal reality not the hype

How bad is the rental crisis? Latest figures reveal reality not the hype

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News
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One of the key arguments used by housing campaigners to criticise the private rented sector and its landlords has been contradicted by the latest English Housing Survey.

Landlords have longer to wait for mortgage rate cuts

Landlords have longer to wait for mortgage rate cuts

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News
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The Bank of England has left UK interest rates on hold at 5.25% for the sixth time in a row, delaying any reduction in mortgage rates.

Lancashire borough bids to bring back licensing and raise standards

Lancashire borough bids to bring back licensing and raise standards

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News
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Blackburn with Darwen Council is consulting on a new selective licensing scheme on the edge of its town centre.

Vocal landlord critic Elphicke defects to Labour

Vocal landlord critic Elphicke defects to Labour

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Conservative MP Natalie Elphicke has defected to the Labour party after years of pushing tenant-friendly policies and decrying rogue landlords.

Landlords in Scotland 'feel like pariahs' amid political rhetoric

Landlords in Scotland 'feel like pariahs' amid political rhetoric

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News
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Red tape and hostility from Holyrood has caused some landlords to defer investments or take properties off the rental market.

Cuckoos: not just a springtime problem but a year-round threat

Cuckoos: not just a springtime problem but a year-round threat

News
News
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Landlords should be on the lookout for the growing threat of cuckooing, which can jeopardise both their property and tenant safety.

Renters are just 'working for their landlords' as housing shortages bite - claim

Renters are just 'working for their landlords' as housing shortages bite - claim

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Renters in England worked 125 days of the year solely to pay their rent, says The Adam Smith Institute.

Nottinghamshire landlord fined £17,500 after ignoring licencing scheme

Nottinghamshire landlord fined £17,500 after ignoring licencing scheme

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A Nottinghamshire landlord has been fined £17,500 after local council officers discovered he was operating two properties without a licence.

Rents have risen 35% since 2020 reveals latest lettings index

Rents have risen 35% since 2020 reveals latest lettings index

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Rental prices could increase by almost 20% over the next 12 months, putting the country in a cost of renting crisis, warns one lettings boss.

Ousted Scots minister tells SNP to honour rent controls plan

Ousted Scots minister tells SNP to honour rent controls plan

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News
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Ousted tenants right minister Patrick Harvie has urged the SNP’s new leader John Swinney to honour the government’s Bute House pledge to deliver rent controls and stronger tenant rights.

Renting reforms 'to outlaw rent in advance' claims expert

Renting reforms 'to outlaw rent in advance' claims expert

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News
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Landlords could find themselves in a legal tangle when asking for rent in advance if the Renters Reform Bill goes forward as drafted.

Government reforms undermining landlord confidence, says big firm

Government reforms undermining landlord confidence, says big firm

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A leading letting agency in London has claimed that the Government’s Renters (Reform) Bill going through parliament, along with promises by Labour to go even further than the Tories if they gain power, are eroding landlord confidence in the private rented sector.

Letting agency to appeal banning order that will close it down

Letting agency to appeal banning order that will close it down

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A letting agency in Liverpool has vowed to appeal a banning order successfully sought by the city’s council after the firm was found to have been operating unlicenced HMOs.

Think about how an Energy Efficient Home Design will improve your tenant’s lives

Think about how an Energy Efficient Home Design will improve your tenant’s lives

Information
News
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Improving your rental properties will make your property more efficient, easier to let and get your tenants to stay longer

Capital Economics predicts US commercial real estate won't recover until 2040‍

Capital Economics predicts US commercial real estate won't recover until 2040‍

News
News
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High interest rates, higher operating costs and a shift to remote working have conspired against office space in particular

UK Commercial property market is still feeling the effects of Covid‍

UK Commercial property market is still feeling the effects of Covid‍

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News
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COVID impact still being felt on UK high streets four years on from the first lockdowns: commercial real estate lending is down but agents see signs of optimism.

DWP to snoop on benefit landlords' bank accounts

DWP to snoop on benefit landlords' bank accounts

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News
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Landlords’ bank accounts could be monitored as part of new legislation that aims to reduce overpayments to people claiming benefits and fraudulent claims.

EXPERT: Removal of Furnished Holiday Lets relief 'may never happen'

EXPERT: Removal of Furnished Holiday Lets relief 'may never happen'

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News
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Plans to abolish the Furnished Holiday Lets (FHL) regime could be delayed by at least a year from April 2025, and might never happen, according to one tax expert.

More pet rights for tenants tops landlords worries over reforms

More pet rights for tenants tops landlords worries over reforms

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Landlords are more concerned about tenants’ right to request to keep a pet than the potential abolition of Section 21, a new poll reveals.

HMRC restarts landlord pilots for its 'Making Tax Digital' scheme

HMRC restarts landlord pilots for its 'Making Tax Digital' scheme

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News
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More landlords can now try out Making Tax Digital (MTD) for Income Tax after HMRC paused the pilot last February.

Rise in HMOs pushes BTL yields to highest for six years

Rise in HMOs pushes BTL yields to highest for six years

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News
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Average rental yields have hit a six-year high with HMOs and properties in the North East offering landlords the best returns.

EPCs are misleading, inaccurate and need reform, says Which?

EPCs are misleading, inaccurate and need reform, says Which?

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Consumer organisation Which? says there is considerable evidence that many EPCs are ‘not accurate’.

Landlord fined £528,000 after fence mending work leads to burns

Landlord fined £528,000 after fence mending work leads to burns

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News
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A large landlord has been fined £528,000 after a maintenance crew member repairing a fence post inadvertently struck an underground cable, suffering facial burns.

Landlords slam 'infuriating' licencing rules now driving evictions

Landlords slam 'infuriating' licencing rules now driving evictions

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News
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Landlords in Portsmouth say vulnerable tenants are being unfairly displaced due to the council’s draconian additional licencing scheme.

Rebel MPs demand ground rents abolished for existing leaseholds

Rebel MPs demand ground rents abolished for existing leaseholds

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A group of 30 Tory MPs have written to the Chancellor Jeremy Hunt warning that they may vote against the Government’s Leasehold and Freehold Reform Bill unless ground rents are abolished for both future and existing leaseholds.

Rent controls 'will undermine investment in PRS' says expert

Rent controls 'will undermine investment in PRS' says expert

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Rent controls will undermine investment in Scotland’s PRS unless there is more long-term certainty, according to one leading lettings expert.