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Council admits selective licensing will 'push up rents'

Council admits selective licensing will 'push up rents'

News

Great Yarmouth council has revealed more details of its proposed selective licensing scheme for landlords.

'Give landlords back tax relief to ease housing crisis', urges Shamplina

'Give landlords back tax relief to ease housing crisis', urges Shamplina

News

Landlord Action founder also says landlords have been unfairly cast as villains in recent years.

Landlords urge new Minister to delay tax hike

Landlords urge new Minister to delay tax hike

News

Scottish landlords have urged their government to pause Additional Dwelling Supplement (ADS) for landlords to help ease the 'housing crisis'.

Majority of landlords in city against council's HMO licensing plans

Majority of landlords in city against council's HMO licensing plans

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Just 44% of landlords agree with Southampton Council’s plans to introduce additional licensing.

Bolton brings in harsher planning rules after HMO increase 'concerns'

Bolton brings in harsher planning rules after HMO increase 'concerns'

News

Bolton Council has agreed tough new rules to control HMO conversions – two years after first coming up with the idea.

LEGAL update: Consumer protection laws – what landlords need to know

LEGAL update: Consumer protection laws – what landlords need to know

Information

This Digital Markets, Competition and Consumers Act has important implications for private landlords when letting their properties

Will Renters' Right Bill make councils prosecute ALL bad landlords?

Will Renters' Right Bill make councils prosecute ALL bad landlords?

News

Lawyer David Smith looks at several clauses within the Act which appear to mandate local authorities to bring all errant landlords to book.

Landlords warn Government over EPC upgrade proposals

Landlords warn Government over EPC upgrade proposals

News

New EPC rules in Scotland will worsen the housing crisis and force people to spend longer in emergency homeless accommodation

Demand for green rented homes soaring, say big landlords

Demand for green rented homes soaring, say big landlords

News

Big landlords believe tenants are willing to pay more for green features amid a growing recognition that sustainability sells.

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Rent Review

Rent Review

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Question - Rent Review - my landlord is asking for far more rent than I expected on review. Am I obliged to pay this?Answer - Commercial leases are contractual - the parties agree to and are bound by its clauses and that includes rent review provisions.The rent review process is a way of periodic

Re-selling Energy

Re-selling Energy

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Re-selling Energy - As a landlord am I able to make a profit by re-selling electricity or gas?</h2>Resale of Gas and ElectricityThe maximum amount that Residential Landlords or resellers� are permitted to charge for gas or electricity is the amount they

Providing a Reference

Providing a Reference

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Providing a Reference - I have been asked to provide a reference for one of my tenants who is moving on. What is my legal position in this and am I putting myself at risk if I say he was a bad tenant?</h2> Referencing (seeking verification of a tenants past performance) is an increasi

Polystyrene Ceiling Tiles

Polystyrene Ceiling Tiles

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Polystyrene Ceiling Tiles - is it legal to have these tiles in the kitchen of a rental property?</h2> There are currently no regulations specifically banning the use of polystyrene ceiling tiles in existing rented property.However, it is unlikely that local authority fire officers and en

Misrepresentation

Misrepresentation

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Misrepresentation - We recently rented out our rural cottage to a couple. As they wanted to use their computers I said it was possible to get high-speed broad-band. I thought this would be possible but it seems it is not at this time. The couple are now claiming that I misled them and that

Mail for Previous Tenants

Mail for Previous Tenants

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I'm receiving mail for previous tenants and some of them are from debt collectors. Will this get my property black listed and cause problems for my current tenants and myself in the future?</h2> It's fairly common to have mail arriving for months and even years after residents have left,

Long Term AST

Long Term AST

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Long Term AST - My prospective tenant has asked for a tenancy term of 6 years. Can I use the usual Assured Shorthold Tenancy agreement for this?</h2> The Assured Shorthold Tenancy is the default tenancy for residential lettings and since October 2010 this applies to rents up to �100,000

Lodgers Limits

Lodgers Limits

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Lodgers Limits - Is there any limit to the number of rooms I can rent out to lodgers, and are there any planning implications ?</h2> There are several parts of legislation in England and Wales that affect this question. Perhaps four main ones apply: Health &amp; Safety (HHSRS), HMO, Over

How long should accounts be kept

How long should accounts be kept

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Question: How long should accounts be kept to satisfy the authorities, things like accounting files, invoices and tax records, as a property landlord?Answer: You must keep your records for 6 years after the tax year to which they apply, whether or not you complete a tax return.It's a good idea, a

Landord fined £1.4m and has rental property confiscated

Landord fined £1.4m and has rental property confiscated

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An absentee landlord has been stung with a £1.44 million penalty after he continually broke planning rules in a decade-long stand-off with Ealing Council.

Report urges Labour to spend £11.8bn on affordable rented homes

Report urges Labour to spend £11.8bn on affordable rented homes

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Building 90,000 social homes a year will end the housing emergency and pay for itself within three years due to the wider economic benefits, according to a study by Shelter and the National Housing Federation.

ADVICE: How to deal with tenants who fake tenancy applications

ADVICE: How to deal with tenants who fake tenancy applications

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Tom Entwistle passes on some thoughts on dealing with tenant selection and securing a good tenant-letting in the current economic climate

Council chases former landlord for tenant's 20-year tax debt

Council chases former landlord for tenant's 20-year tax debt

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A former landlord has been ordered to pay a council tax demand dating back nearly 20 years.

Landlord pays heavy price for ignoring Improvement Order

Landlord pays heavy price for ignoring Improvement Order

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A rogue landlord has been ordered to pay more than £9,000 for ignoring notices to improve his dangerous property.

Major building society stops lending to holiday let investors

Major building society stops lending to holiday let investors

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Leeds Building Society has stopped lending to investors buying holiday lets in areas of North Norfolk and North Yorkshire in a bid to relieve pressure on local housing.

Lords to put letting agents' service quality under spotlight

Lords to put letting agents' service quality under spotlight

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The quality of service provided by letting agents to landlords is under the spotlight again after an influential group within the Lords revealed it is to probe into the sector.

Rebel Tory MPs seek amendments to renting reform

Rebel Tory MPs seek amendments to renting reform

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It has been confirmed over the weekend that a group of 49 ‘rebel’ Tory MPs are working hard have the Renters (Reform) Bill amended.

MPs given more details on holiday short-lets clampdown

MPs given more details on holiday short-lets clampdown

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MPs have been given more details of the Government’s plans to clamp down on holiday lets in tourism hotspots following Michael Gove’s announcement this week.

Few councils policing minimum EPC rules or issuing fines

Few councils policing minimum EPC rules or issuing fines

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News
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Minimum energy efficiency standards (MEES) are not being enforced by overstretched councils who cannot keep any income they make from fines imposed for breaches.

HMRC's digital tax reporting scheme to cost landlords £460

HMRC's digital tax reporting scheme to cost landlords £460

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Landlords will have to fork out an extra £460 to use the new Making Tax Digital for Income Tax Self-Assessment system.

Spray foam industry acknowledges problems with 'cowboy operators'

Spray foam industry acknowledges problems with 'cowboy operators'

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Landlords who have used cowboy spray foam firms to insulate their properties are to be offered help by one of the main trade associations for the sector.

Most tenants and landlords say Tory PRS policies 'wrong'

Most tenants and landlords say Tory PRS policies 'wrong'

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A staggering 94% of renters don’t have confidence in the government’s approach to housing, according to a poll by SpareRoom.

Big city council seeks more powers to curb HMOs

Big city council seeks more powers to curb HMOs

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Salford Council wants new powers to help stem the growth of HMOs in the city.

Rees-Mogg savages Tory party's rental sector policies

Rees-Mogg savages Tory party's rental sector policies

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Jacob Rees-Mogg has turned on Tory colleagues by labelling the Renters (Reform) Bill “desperate tinkering at the edges” which won’t help landlords or tenants.

Landlord faces big fine after ignoring HMO planning decision

Landlord faces big fine after ignoring HMO planning decision

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A landlord who ignored a council’s enforcement notice to stop operating an HMO without planning permission has been told to return it to a ‘traditional family home’ or face a huge fine.

Commercial to residential conversions, a new dawn!

Commercial to residential conversions, a new dawn!

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News
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Opportunities for developers and investors in property will open up as new amendments are laid down.

Landlords over 55 turning to Landlord Sales Agency as BTL mortgages grind to a halt

Landlords over 55 turning to Landlord Sales Agency as BTL mortgages grind to a halt

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It’s another week of news suggesting that landlords need to sell. If you’ve not yet considered cutting your loses, this might be the sign it’s time to exit the market, fast.

Minister grilled over conflicting Section 21 evictions ban promises

Minister grilled over conflicting Section 21 evictions ban promises

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Cross-party peers have grilled Housing Minister Baroness Penn over the government’s ambiguous assurance that no-fault evictions would be banned before the general election.

Landlord hit with £45,000 fine over unlicenced HMOs

Landlord hit with £45,000 fine over unlicenced HMOs

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A rogue landlord who ignored requests to raise standards at his two unlicensed properties has been hit with a bill of more than £45,000.

Property investment duo under fire as SFO probes £140m collapse

Property investment duo under fire as SFO probes £140m collapse

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The Serious Fraud Office (SFO) has today raided homes and arrested four people connected to a group of investment companies that left some 1,000 investors out of pocket.

Leading Tory lobbyist warns Gove over Section 21 evictions

Leading Tory lobbyist warns Gove over Section 21 evictions

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A leading Tory lobbyist and political commentator has called on the government to ditch plans for abolishing Section 21 amid fears that it will only worsen the housing crisis.

60% of renters struggling financially and 11% using food banks

60% of renters struggling financially and 11% using food banks

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New research among tenants reveals a bleak picture as the cost-of-living crisis hits home within the private rented sector.

'Airbnb growth is down to Gove's anti-landlord policies' - claim

'Airbnb growth is down to Gove's anti-landlord policies' - claim

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Leading letting agent Marc von Grundherr (pictured) has labelled the government’s crackdown on short lets “ironic”, given its hard line on buy-to-let landlords.

Two thirds of landlords making leap to Ltd companies

Two thirds of landlords making leap to Ltd companies

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A surprising 65% of landlords are considering or have already become a limited company as thousands seek tax benefits to help their business succeed.