So, we ended 2021 after twenty-one months since the first Covid lockdown with the new variant, Omicron, spreading fast, and with Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland putting in stricter measures and speculation that England may follow with an announcement early in the New Year.
An example of the difficulty of prediction is the conclusion to a detailed study recently published on the private rented sector by the London School of Economics (a study commissioned by the NRLA) Individually and cumulatively, the recent tax changes
A lettings agency boss and landlord has been slapped with a �40,700 Rent Repayment Officer despite claiming that his failure to licence an HMO was an honest mistake. A First Tier Property Tribunal handed five former tenants the maximum award for the period from September 2019 t
Scotland’s Housing Bill proposes rent controls, winter eviction bans, pet rights & tougher eviction penalties in private sector overhaul.
Bristol has approved plans to extend landlord licensing in Brislington West, Bedminster and Horfield wards in a bid to raise PRS standards. The scheme includes additional licensing - HMOs with three or more unrelated people sharing facilities and selective licensing - privat
Durham County Council's selective licensing scheme covers 29,000 homes, requiring landlords to apply by 31 July for a £350–£500 licence fee.
This is a Local Government and Social Care Ombudsman case involving an unnamed landlord (LandlordX or MrX) and Brentwood Borough Council. The case revolves around a common situation where the landlord required possession of the property after serving a valid section 21 notice un
I've been in the property investment business for almost 30 years and during this period opportunities have come and gone but I've yet to discover an asset class that perf
Ever since I started to market one of my commercial buildings around 10 years ago now, I began to doubt the efficacy of the EPC rating system. The guy that came along to do the inspection told me himself he had just completed a 6 week course, or whatever it was, to train to be a
Social and private landlords are to face tougher new rules which make it mandatory to fit smoke alarms in all rented accommodation regardless of tenure, and widen the conditions under which they must be fitted. Revisions to the smoke and carbon monoxide detector regulations also
If you had �50k to invest right now, where would you put it, buy-to-let property or stocks and shares? Certainly leaving it in a traditional savings account, with interest rates as they are at rock bottom, thats out of the question. And with the threat of rising inflation ea
Research carried out by LandlordZONEs insurance partner, Hamilton Fraser Total Landlord Insurance, revealed that the vast majority of landlords, https://hamiltonfraser.co.uk/knowledge/good-landlord-quiz-results/?utm_source=landlordzone&utm_medium=article&utm_campaign=lz_november
The move to provide home heating and hot water by this method is part of a Government strategy aimed at making deep cuts to greenhouse gas emissions and decarbonizing the UK's power sector by 2035. Prime Minister Boris Johnson says the scheme was designed to bring low-carbon hea
Tenants facing eviction in England are to be protected from losing their homes during the Christmas and New Year period, HM Courts and Tribunal has confirmed. Between 13th December and 10th January no evictions should be s
Some holiday lets owners are gaming the system to claim business rate relief, comments made by the Housing Minister Lord Greenhalgh suggest, who has promised action to clamp down on the practice. In a Lords debate on second homes, peers voiced concerns that second homeo
A company that houses asylum seekers has been fined more than �60,000 for HMO offences in Newport. Clearsprings Ready Homes, which has the contract for operating accommodation for asylum seekers in Wales, was found guilty of letting an HMO in Redland Street (pictured), in the B
The Minimum Energy Performance of Buildings Bill, which aimed to advance the governments energy efficiency commitments, is in doubt following the tragic death of David Amess MP. He was the presentation bills main sponsor in the Commons, launching it at the same time as Lor
However, Carol Lewis writing for the Sunday Times newspaper thinks that holiday let owners should be paying council tax. Given that levelling up is the government's buzzword du jour, it is time to level the playing field and bring holiday-home owners in line wi
Luton Council is making yet another attempt to bring in two new licensing schemes after a string of false starts amid landlord opposition. Its overview and scrutiny board has agreed to recommend a town-wide additional scheme as well as a selective scheme in South ward, which now
Durham citys parish council has taken the unusual step of asking student landlords to make a voluntary donation towards the cost of cleaning up street waste and discarded furniture. It will ask for a contribution of �52 towards its precept from student landlords to match the
Two-thirds of private landlords might sell up if they are forced to make EPC upgrades, new research finds. The Mortgage Advice Bureau says 59% would consider selling their property due to not being able to afford the changes needed to meet the minimum level. With an
NRLA boss Ben Beadle has urged the government to learn from the awful implementation� of Renting Homes Wales which he labelled a car crash of epic proportions�. Speaking on The Guild of Property Professionalshttps://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/guildprop
The Mayor of London has accused private landlords across the UK of taking rent worth �9 billion for homes that are non decent, �1.6 billion of which is paid for via housing benefit. The figure is highlighted as, this morning, Sadiq Khan reveals his PRS research generated
Legal expert warns that exempting asylum seeker HMOs from licensing could lower accommodation standards and encourage subpar housing provisions.
Housing Secretary Michael Gove meets with private rented sector leaders to discuss upcoming reforms, including the Renters Reform Bill.
Landlords and letting agents have told a new poll that the Government must reverse its Section 24 mortgage interest relief tax changes as a priority to get the private rental sector back on track. Rent tech platform Goodlord conducted the research among some 1,500 agents,
Talk of AI is all the rage right now, but have you thought about how you could use this revolutionary new development? ChatGPT is what is known as a natural language processing tool� driven by artificial intelligence (AI) technology that allows human-like conversations. Thi
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.
Animal welfare charity Battersea has called for more details on what constitutes ‘reasonable grounds’ for refusing a tenant’s request to keep a pet, in the Renters Reform Bill.
A leading build-to-rent firm boss has urged the government to approve an amendment in the Renters Reform Bill preventing tenants from ending contracts in the first six months – or face disrupting the market.
Tell the politicians whether you agree with their plans to give tenants more rights to have a pet in a rented property.
Blackpool Council has been accused of deliberately disguising the results of its selective licensing consultation report to help it push through a new scheme.
While most tenant campaigning groups have criticised the Renters (Reform) Bill for being too ‘watered down’, the National Residential Landlords Association (NRLA) has said it represents in its current form a fair deal for tenants and landlords.
The Renters Reform Bill will be a failure in its current form unless ministers urgently table amendments that better protect renters, a tenant group has warned.
A crowd of angry residents have clashed with councillors during a protest against burgeoning HMOs within the London borough of Ealing.
Tenants living in Liverpool footballer Cody Gakpo’s flats have complained of disrepair, structural problems and vermin infestations.
The final list of amendments to the Renters (Reform) Bill has been published by parliament ahead of tomorrow’s third reading of the legislation, during which each will be discussed and voted on.
Survey reveals 80% of landlords proactively maintain properties to prevent issues, with spring deemed ideal for property health checks.
It’s a mixed bag for landlords at the moment, with previous uncertainties around EPC regulations and the stress of mortgage repayments
Student landlords have won some concessions on evictions within a government amendment to the Renters Reform Bill.
The Scottish government wants landlords’ views on its new Housing Bill, which focuses on rent control and tenants’ rights.
A leading landlord has warned that Labour’s radical plans for the private rental sector are deeply worrying and could easily lead to a wholesale exit from the sector.
A landlady in London faces prison unless she pays a Proceeds of Crime Act Confiscation Order totalling £51,983.
Leaseholders who pay ground rents are to have their levy capped at a maximum amount of £250 as Gove is forced to water down his radical proposals
An appeal court judge has granted 134 property investors leave to contest a single ‘class action’ claim against a solicitor which is alleged to have provided negligent professional advice on an investment scheme.
In this post, Tom Entwistle sets out the principles that he has used over his successful 50-year landlording career.
Landlords travelling by London Underground might be shocked to find themselves as the butt of a joke used to sell coffee.
Landlords are to face one of the most significant changes to how they rent out properties in their lifetimes once the Renters (Reform) Bill becomes law.
