First look at the Renters (Reform) Bill: groundbreaking tenant protections, streamlined landlord redress & flexible ‘pets-in-lets’ rules.
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
Michael Gove approves relaxed HMO rules for asylum seeker housing, exempting safety standards and licensing; critics warn of potential exploitation.
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 lacking landlord licensing know‑how put landlords at risk — vital compliance gaps exposed.
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
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 pledges stricter Decent Homes Standard 2 for private landlords, raising property quality and accountability ahead of next general election.
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
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
The Government is to finally introduce its long-delayed renting reforms into parliament later today following Prime Ministers Questions (PMQs) in the Commons. The Bill, which is to be called the Renters (Reform) Bill, will get its first reading just aft
A tenancy deposit affordacility crisis is looming as new data reveals that nearly a third of renters are borrowing money to pay for them, new research shows. The poll of 1,000 tenants reveals how they are using credit cards, personal loans, overdrafts and family loans to scrape
Proptech company Propflo is working with BTL mortgage lenders to help portfolio landlords make their properties more energy efficient. It has been given a grant by Innovate UK to encourage lenders to explore initiatives such as encouraging retrofitting in their products, creatin
The government has vowed to crack down on dodgy rent-to-rent landlords who flout housing laws. Housing Minister Baroness Scott of Bybrook (pictured) says it is aware of concerns that some rent-to-rent arrangements have sometimes been used to make it more difficult to identify la
Rents on newly-let homes have increased by 25% across the UK since the start of Covid, costing the average tenant an extra �2,962 each year. Hamptons reports that rents rose 11% year-on-year, with April marking the second strongest month for rental growth on record. <p
Construction activity is continuing to grow in the UK. Thats according to the April S&P Global / CIPS UK Construction Purchasing Managers Index� (PMI), as reported by PCBToday, a Construction, Planning and Building Control portal. Construction companies in the UK the
Leading property sector figure Kate Faulkner (pictured) has called for a reset of the private rented sector, away from ineffective rules and regulations. <figure id="" class="w-richtext-figure-type- " data-rt-type="" data-rt-align=""><div><img src="https://cdn.prod.website-files.com/63bef2f
The number of landlords planning to sell their rented properties has reached its highest level ever, according to new research. BVA-BDRC, commissioned by the NRLA, found that during the first three months of this year a third of 700 private landlords in England and Wales that it
Theyve been dubbed fireproof tenants� news this week reached fever pitch for landlords who rallied together in outrage to hear that multiple local councils had advised tenants not to move out of their houses� no matter what, even if the landlord was in financial difficulty
More than half of all homes in the private rented sector need upgrading to achieve an EPC band C by 2028, with landlords facing a total estimated bill of �30 billion at a time when many are struggling to cover their costs. About 2.9 million properties are affected, with costs f
Rental properties in the North West are each attracting an average of 30 viewing requests as competition among prospective tenants grows more intense. Data commissioned by the BBC from Rightmove shows an average of 20 requests to view each available property in Britain, up from
In a sign that the Renters (Reform) Bill is annoying many and pleasing few, charities and pro-tenant groups have today joined forces to slam the legislation for being too weak. The https://rentersreformcoalition.co.uk/" target="_blank" Renters Ref
The Government has rowed back on its commitment to phase out all gas boilers in rented homes by 2035 following comments by Michael Gove. Talking tohttps://www.thetimes.co.uk/radio/schedule" https://www.thetimes.co.uk/radio/schedule" target="_blank" i
A big South East counciil hopes to introduce a big selective licencing scheme for private landlords which would cover all PRS homes. Medway, which is a unitary authority covering a large swathe of Kent including Rochester and Gillingham, has seen those renting in the private ren
Ditching leaseholds is 'entirely possible' although some flat owners still arent convinced about moving across to commonhold, a government report has concluded. It explains that while reaching a point at which most existing flats are owned without a third-party landlord or ar
More than 5,400 homes in Islington now need a licence under Islington Councils new selective licensing scheme. Landlords in Finsbury Park, Tollington and Hillrise wards are affected, where properties are blighted with poor conditions, according to council enforcement of
Landlords are being encouraged to share their thoughts on government plans to make it easier to convert larger department stores, space above shops and offices. As part of Housing Secretary Michael Goves announcement on https://www.landlo
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 in Portsmouth say vulnerable tenants are being unfairly displaced due to the council’s draconian additional licencing scheme.
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 Scotland’s PRS unless there is more long-term certainty, according to one leading lettings expert.
A landlord has avoided a £32,000 rent repayment order after a judge ruled his flat was at an address not covered by a licensing scheme, but only just.
Section 21 evictions reached record highs in 2023, with over 25,000 households facing homelessness, prompting calls for urgent reform.
The Green Party’s mayoral candidate in London has said she will bring in rent controls saying the time for ‘bold action’ has come.
Landlords have been promised fair compensation by a developer planning to bulldoze scores of homes on one of England’s most deprived housing estates.
Propertymark has urged London’s Mayor to crack down on short-term lets through licensing in a bid to tackle over-supply in the capital.
Troubled property development company Home Holdings has put another raft of HMOs onto the market in a bid to shore up losses.
The decision by George Osborne in 2015 to introduce a 3% additional stamp duty levy on landlords has seen a slump in the number of BTL properties bought in the Tory heartlands of Southern England.
A leading letting agent in Scotland has laid the blame for the country’s rental supply woes firmly at the feet of former Tenants’ Rights minister Patrick Harvie.
A rogue landlord and fugitive fraudster who intimidated his tenants is in jail after more than five years on the run.
A landlord who used an agreement that tried to undermine her tenants’ rights has been fined a total of £5,800.
Financially challenged Somerset Council has capitulated after a concerted campaign by protesters force it to abandon one of its business tenants
Signs that the market is moving into a recovery phase, though there is still ample evidence that there remains a challenging backdrop.
New changes to planning rules mean rogue landlords who illegally convert HMOs could face an unlimited fine.
The Scottish government has been urged to reverse its anti-landlord policies after the SNP ended their power-sharing agreement with the Greens.
Private renters are most in need of Awaab’s Law due to the frequently worse conditions of mould in their homes, says Labour MP Fleur Anderson, who hopes to instigate stricter rules for the PRS.
Figures across the private rented sector including TV star Paul Shamplina have warned that both tenants, landlords and letting agents need to know when the Section 21 eviction ban is going to take place.
Conservative MP Anthony Mangnall voted against the Renters Reform Bill, warning that removing fixed-term tenancies could reduce housing supply.
Abolishing section 21 as soon as the Renters Reform Bill gains Royal Assent would cause chaos in the sector and leave the statute book a “confusing mess”, according to the government.
Conservative MP Natalie Elphicke failed to convince the government to include relocation payments for tenants and to restrict tenancy grounds in its Renters (Reform) Bill.
Environmental health officers have won a concession from the Government after it agreed not to stop councils using selective licencing schemes once England’s national property portal launches.
The Renters (Reform) Bill has been voted through its final stage in the Commons and, much to some MP's annoyance, containing several new concessions to landlords.
