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Purplebricks sold to rival for �1 after senior team throw in the towel

Purplebricks sold to rival for �1 after senior team throw in the towel

News

Purplebricks, which at one stage was used by thousands of landlords to manage their properties, has announced that its assets and business are to be sold to rival Strike for �1, pending approval by its shareholders. Any funds remaining in the firm some �5.5 million are

Gove's plan to ease HMO rules for asylum accommodation

Gove's plan to ease HMO rules for asylum accommodation

News

Michael Gove approves relaxed HMO rules for asylum seeker housing, exempting safety standards and licensing; critics warn of potential exploitation.

BLOG: 'Reform bill will solve the problem of pet damage for landlords'

BLOG: 'Reform bill will solve the problem of pet damage for landlords'

News

The long-awaited Renters (Reform) Bill will finally be introduced in parliament after Prime Minister's Questions today. Setting out plans for 12 key reforms to the private rental sector, the 11th pledge - to give tenants the right in law to request a pet, which should not be unr

Agents who lack licencing law know-how 'putting landlords at risk'

Agents who lack licencing law know-how 'putting landlords at risk'

News

Bungling letting agents with a lack of legal understanding are putting landlords at risk of prosecution, it has been claimed. One landlord expert has advised caution when signing up with a firm in the current climate of increasing legislation and falling profits, particularly fo

Opinion: does Michael Gove know something we don't?

Opinion: does Michael Gove know something we don't?

Opinion

It would seem that successive Tory governments have waged an ongoing and progressively more vicious war on buy-to-let landlords, but this latest layer of legislation goes much further. Yes, this latest iteration, and one thats https://bills.parliament.uk/bills/1768/s

EXTRA red tape, scams and repairs drive more landlords to use agencies

EXTRA red tape, scams and repairs drive more landlords to use agencies

News

Almost two thirds (63%) of private landlords who manage their own properties are tired of sorting out repairs and dealing with red tape and considering using a letting agency or property manager instead.  A Uswitch poll of 2,000 landlords found that the most common reason t

Labour targets landlords with new housing reforms

Labour targets landlords with new housing reforms

News

Labour pledges stricter Decent Homes Standard 2 for private landlords, raising property quality and accountability ahead of next general election.

Starmer 'set to U-turn on rent controls' as London Mayor pleads for more powers

Starmer 'set to U-turn on rent controls' as London Mayor pleads for more powers

News

Keir Starmer is set to rebuff previous calls by London mayor Sadiq Khan to bring in a rent freeze, it has been reported. Khan has been banging his rent freeze drum for months now as the cost-of-living crisis has hit many tenants personal finances, telling the BBC in Oct

'Disaster' renting reform bill to enter parliament tomorrow after PMQs

'Disaster' renting reform bill to enter parliament tomorrow after PMQs

News

The much-delayed Renters Reform Bill is rumoured to be getting its first reading tomorrow after Prime Ministers Questions, although the 'full meat' of the proposals will come later. Rumoured to be renamed the Rented Homes Bill or Renters (Reform) Bill, landlords are waitin

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Autumn Budget – A Halloween Horror Story

Autumn Budget – A Halloween Horror Story

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After a huge amount of speculation in the press we can finally report what the new Labour Government has decided to do (and not to do) on the tax front

Stamp duty hike will add £7,000 to each purchase for landlords

Stamp duty hike will add £7,000 to each purchase for landlords

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Landlords will face an additional average charge of more than £7,000 from tomorrow when buying a property thanks to an uplift in Stamp Duty charges.

'If the Budget delivers stability, the property sector will benefit'

'If the Budget delivers stability, the property sector will benefit'

Opinion
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Nick Lyons, chief executive of inventory experts No Letting Go give his view on the measures announced yesterday in parliament by Rachel Reeves.

ANALYSIS: What does stamp duty hike mean for landlords?

ANALYSIS: What does stamp duty hike mean for landlords?

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The Labour Government has ramped up its increasingly anti-landlord policies by increasing the stamp duty they pay when buying rental properties from 3% to 5%.

Stamp duty hike hits landlords with 5% second home rate

Stamp duty hike hits landlords with 5% second home rate

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News
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Chancellor Rachel Reeves increases stamp duty surcharge to 5% for second homes and buy-to-let properties, effective from 31 October 2024.

Rogue landlord to pay £7,000 after council raids properties

Rogue landlord to pay £7,000 after council raids properties

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A rogue landlord has been handed a £7,000 legal bill for renting out three dangerous flats containing a raft of faults.

Activists urge Chancellor to make landlords pay NI contributions

Activists urge Chancellor to make landlords pay NI contributions

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News
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Generation Rent has urged Chancellor Rachel Reeves to tax landlords harder in her first Budget by making them pay NI contributions.

Short-lets licensing would be intensely impractical' warns expert

Short-lets licensing would be intensely impractical' warns expert

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A leading property lawyer has described a campaigning MP’s latest attempt to usher in harsher regulation of short-lets in holiday hotspots as ‘intensely impractical’.

Labour promises to kick dodgy letting agents out of industry

Labour promises to kick dodgy letting agents out of industry

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Labour has committed to regulating estate agents in a bid to oust the rogue operators within the sector who give the wider industry a bad name and often cost landlords money and time when their services fall short of minimum standards.

Fake tenancies at heart of Bulgarian's gang's £53m scam

Fake tenancies at heart of Bulgarian's gang's £53m scam

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News
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Five fraudsters who stole £53.9 million in a huge benefits scam used false tenancy agreements to help them make claims.

Councils lobby Ministers not to scrap selective licencing schemes

Councils lobby Ministers not to scrap selective licencing schemes

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News
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The Local Government Association (LGA) has urged Minister to ignore rebel MPs’ calls for selective licencing to be replaced by the looming Landlord Portal.

TWO new reports reveal weakening supply of rented property

TWO new reports reveal weakening supply of rented property

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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.

'Ignorance of law no excuse' as landlord repays tenants £10,500

'Ignorance of law no excuse' as landlord repays tenants £10,500

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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.

Tax shock for furnished holiday let owners – how to react while there’s still time

Tax shock for furnished holiday let owners – how to react while there’s still time

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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?

Record fines for London landlords push total to £10 million

Record fines for London landlords push total to £10 million

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Total fines for London’s rogue landlords and agents have topped £10 million since the rogue landlord database launched in 2017.

Big money to spend £17 billion in South and Midlands building rental houses

Big money to spend £17 billion in South and Midlands building rental houses

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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.

Court costs for landlords 'will keep on rising' predicts lawyer

Court costs for landlords 'will keep on rising' predicts lawyer

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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.

Accreditation key to tenant confidence

Accreditation key to tenant confidence

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As a tenant how do you know your landlord – or agent – is a good one? There are checks renters can carry out – looking at online reviews, the government’s rogue landlord database, or contacting The Property Ombudsman.

Sadiq Khan vows to 'hold landlords to account' as re-election looms

Sadiq Khan vows to 'hold landlords to account' as re-election looms

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London mayor Sadiq Khan has vowed to build 6,000 new ‘rent control’ homes across London if he’s elected for a third term in next month’s election.

London council goes live with bigger selective licencing scheme

London council goes live with bigger selective licencing scheme

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Redbridge Council has gone live with its big new selective licencing scheme that applies to most private rented properties in 15 of the London borough’s wards.

New visa rules for foreigners 'not damaging student housing market'

New visa rules for foreigners 'not damaging student housing market'

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Unite Students is poised to report rental income growth of at least 6% due to sustained demand, despite new visa rules affecting international students.

Wales to follow England's landlord stamp duty reliefs withdrawal

Wales to follow England's landlord stamp duty reliefs withdrawal

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Landlords and property investors who buy privately-held multi-property portfolios in Wales are to lose another tax perk.

Why is Government making investing in PRS more difficult, asks leading landlord

Why is Government making investing in PRS more difficult, asks leading landlord

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A leading landlord in the SW has slammed the Government’s ongoing assault on the private rented sector, saying the efforts of Michael Gove and his predecessors puzzle ‘honourable and decent’ operators like him.

WARNING: Hunt's tax changes will hit landlords AND renters

WARNING: Hunt's tax changes will hit landlords AND renters

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Changes to income and Capital Gains Tax (CGT) that came in over the weekend could mean reduced investment in the PRS and insurance premiums, warns an insurance expert.

TV star reveals London training day for landlords

TV star reveals London training day for landlords

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Paul Shamplina has assembled a panel of experts to run a training day this summer that will advise and coach landlords to navigate the tough economic and regulatory environment facing the privately rented sector.

ENERGY CAP: How much badly-insulated homes will cost tenants

ENERGY CAP: How much badly-insulated homes will cost tenants

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Poorly insulated homes will be sent annual gas bills about £340 – around 50% - higher than those with a C-rated Energy Performance Certificate (EPC) under Ofgem’s latest price cap, new research has found.

Is the staycation-fuelled holiday lets bubble bursting?

Is the staycation-fuelled holiday lets bubble bursting?

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Holiday let owners are facing a significant dip in bookings this year as the sector feels the effects of the cost-of-living crisis, poor weather and an increasingly saturated market.

The dominoes may slowly fall as we head towards a distressed commercial market

The dominoes may slowly fall as we head towards a distressed commercial market

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News
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The UK’s commercial property sector is experiencing challenges: high interest rates, inflation, lower property values, and liquidity problems for lenders and borrowers.

'Rent repayment orders being used beyond their original purpose'

'Rent repayment orders being used beyond their original purpose'

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Some build-to-rent developments are increasingly falling foul of Rent Repayment Order (RRO) legislation, in a move away from its original aim to tackle poor HMOs, it has been claimed.

Thinktank battles landlords over evictions ban claims

Thinktank battles landlords over evictions ban claims

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The Social Market Foundation has argued that fears about stricter regulations reducing the supply of rental properties are ‘overblown’.

Tenant's jaw dropping makeover listed after pop star's campaign

Tenant's jaw dropping makeover listed after pop star's campaign

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A rented house which was transformed into a highly ornate classical ‘villa’ by its former tenant has been granted a Grade II listing.

Greens launch manifesto promising 'immediate rent freeze'

Greens launch manifesto promising 'immediate rent freeze'

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The Green Party is unlikely to win many votes from landlords after launching its manifesto ahead of a General Election later this year and the May 2nd local elections.

Landlords to repay former tenants £15,000 despite £11,000 rent arrears

Landlords to repay former tenants £15,000 despite £11,000 rent arrears

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A mother and son landlord duo are to repay their former tenants £15,000 in a case highlighting how the rent repayment order system can be very one-sided.

Warning: Are landlords being encouraged to sell too early?

Warning: Are landlords being encouraged to sell too early?

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By now you’ve probably heard of Landlord Sales Agency, and our articles that suggest the market is in favour of landlords selling.