The government should restore tax relief for mortgage interest and extend the deadline for proposed EPC energy improvements if it is to avert a looming rental property crisis. Buy-to-let sales platform Vesta Property has already seen a surge in properties for sale as many privat
Property and construction industry software and data company Zutec aims to improve the quality of buildings data so that people can make better decisions and work more productively. The company provides a full suite of digital solutions, including construction management software for archit
A Luton landlord has been fined for the unusual offence of failing to provide documents relating to safety issues at his property. Sarfraz Yousaf , of New Bedford Road, the director of Poplar Homes Ltd (pictured), was prosecuted by Luton Council after it re
An experienced landlord who left a family with a baby without water or adequate heating in their rented property over Christmas and New Year has been fined. Anthony Wardrop , 79, of The Parade, Hartlepool, had denied a charge of failing to comply with an Im
Nottingham has revealed it will charge non-accredited, less compliant HMO landlords an eye-watering £1,993 fee to join its proposed additional licensing scheme a £273 increase on the current schemes fee. Accredited landlords will pay �1,118 - up from �990 - in a city
A landlord in London has learned the hard way not to complain about bad tenants on social media after one of her TikTok videos went viral and was featured within The Sun's website. The woman, who doesnt give her name on the social media site but uses the handle https
One in three landlords could be forced to sell up after failing their lenders affordability test to re-mortgage, it has been claimed. The stark warning comes from buy-to-let specialist https://www.mortgagesforbusiness.co.uk/" Mortgages for Busines
Landlords in Northern Ireland fear new legislation to give private renters greater protection could herald further sweeping changes that force more to quit the sector. Sections 1-6 of the Private Tenancies Act (Northern Ireland) 2022 take effect on <strong
A canny landlord who stood up to council inspectors has successfully challenged a licence condition to install a new fire door at his student HMO. Roger Braithwaite, a career and expert environmental health officer, was told by Coventry Council that he could only have a licence
Readers concerned by the looming Renters Reform Bill should make their way to the National Landlord Investment Show on 14th March were Paul Shamplina will be leading a debate on its radical measures. Panellists on the stage with him will i
Landlords should consider charging tenants with pets more rent to cover possible extra costs as well as conducting more frequent routine property visits, according to leading letting agency Johns & Co. The London firm advises that potential expenses could include an addition
The Government puts its faith in EPC ratings to measure property energy usage in order to drive up energy efficiency in properties towards its energy targets, but can owners have the same faith? Are EPCs as they stand robust enough? Do they give valid and reliable ratings when t
Mortgage prisoners - many of them landlords - should be offered free financial advice and interest-free equity loans from the government to prevent them from losing their properties, a new study suggests. About 195,000 households are still trapped in expensive variable-rate mort
Superior landlords could find themselves hit by Rent Repayment Orders if the government decides to amend the upcoming Renters Reform Bill. Property lawyer at https://www.jmw.co.uk/" JMW , David Smith (main picture), says that despite the
We've all seen the news, with changes in regulations and tax and interest rate rises, landlords have been flocking to sell their property portfolios. But with so many properties, all full with tenants, some of them with problems, low rents or even rent skipping, how can you get out fast?
40 HMO operators convene at COHO's ManorMinds to discuss rising energy costs, exploring tech solutions and tenant education to manage bills.
Landlords financial contribution to upgrading properties in Wales should be linked to average market rents in any given area, suggests the NRLA . Under its proposals, landlords would need to contribute a minimum of �5,000, while those renting properties
Expert tips from landlord Richard Jackson on how to spot problematic tenants before signing, helping landlords avoid future rental issues.
Many landlords have long suspected that the DCLG approved national calculation methodologies and software programs were seriously flawed when they produced EPC ratings for buildings following energy assessments.So news that new software is being introduced which is claimed to be more accurate is
Serving Notices: Landlords and agents often get confused as to how they should serve Notices on their tenants.Ordinarily it wouldnt matter what method is used, but if you end up in court with a possession or money claim, or some such court action, then what and how you se
Tenant are Consumers: The UK Consumer Protection law applies to letting agents and landlords alike when they advertise a property to let or create a new tenancy. It also applies to most private landlords when they deal with letting agents, unless they operate as a company.
Obtaining Possession Using Section 21 Notices Updated October 2016This article explains how to gain possession of your residential rental property in the most efficient way possible. You may just want your property back for your own use, or to sell, or you may be having prob
Winter Condensation: Its that time of year again, a time when tenants are most likely to complain about the mould appearing in those corners of the property where the walls and ceilings are really cold, and hot air with moisture always rises to the top. If its black mo
Tax Relief: Starting from 6th April 2017, those landlords with mortgages will have tax relief on their buy-to-let mortgage costs gradually reduce over a 4-year period.Many landlords dont have a mortgage (up to 50% it is said), so this change does not affect them, but many
Rent Arrears: At this time of year, soon after the Christmas spending spree, inevitably rent payments begin to suffer. If you are having problems with rent arrears, this article should help.As in most areas of life,prevention is better than cure . To re
Tax Return 2016-2017: As a general rule, and as outlined in the previous articles in this series on tax returns, landlords can claim the expenses of running and maintaining their rental properties.If the rent you charge includes additional services like water, or council tax
Tax Return 2016-17: With some costs its very easy to decide: a repair to a drain, downspout or roof tile are all allowable expenses, but what about replacing a broken single glazed window with a new plastic frame and double glazing, what about decorating and installing a
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.
Landlords are more concerned about tenants’ right to request to keep a pet than the potential abolition of Section 21, a new poll reveals.
More landlords can now try out Making Tax Digital (MTD) for Income Tax after HMRC paused the pilot last February.
Average rental yields have hit a six-year high with HMOs and properties in the North East offering landlords the best returns.
Consumer organisation Which? says there is considerable evidence that many EPCs are ‘not accurate’.
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.
