More councils are set to introduce Article 4 directions in a bid to clamp down on HMO development, with six currently waiting for approval. There are already about 45 local authorities in England partly or entirely affected by Article 4 which means planning permission is nee
A new landlord survey has revealed the effects of the Government's proposals to ban Section 21 evictions already feeding into the private rented sector. Evictions specialist Landlord Action canvassed some 1,500 landlords and found that 26% of those who had evicted a tenant over
Its known as silly season when the media focuses on light-hearted stories, but news that Jacob Rees-Mogg (pictured) is being mooted as the new Levelling Up Secretary has been seen by some as no laughing matter. As the leadership contest draws to a close, preparations fo
Making tax digital (MTD) for income tax is part of the governments long-term strategy to digitalise tax and will have implications for how landlords pay tax on their income. For those used to self-assessment, it will represent a change, but providing digital records will give businesses
VAT on Commercial Property is a complex topic and anyone wishing to understand these complexities in relation to their own situation should seek specialist advice. This article should give a broad brush general overview but you really should seek advice because errors can be irredeemable an
A rogue portfolio landlord has been banned from letting properties for five years after she admitted multiple offences relating to fire safety issues. Naomi Knapp, a landlord with 34 properties in Bristol, was convicted of eight banning order offences and will now be added to th
Urgent regulation of the spray foam industry is needed to prevent making thousands of homes un-mortgagable, warn leading property groups. Sprayed polyurethane expanding foams are often used in lofts, either to stabilise a failing roof covering or to provide extra insulation. But
Portsmouths HMOs are in the firing line again as growing numbers are being referred to the Valuation Office Agency (VOA) to have their council tax bands reassessed. Rather than paying tax on the whole property, each room can be classified as a band A at a cost of �1,200, wit
A severely disabled tenant and his family have barricaded themselves into their home in a bid to prevent a controversial eviction. Quadriplegic Harvey Cowe, 62, and his wife Sheree, 55, have lived at the house in Brittany Road, Hove, for 25 years after Brighton & Hove C
A leading letting agent has criticised the reasoning behind the UKs ever-growing list of selective licensing schemes. Selective licensing covers all rented property in a given area or council borough and landlords are required to pay a five-yearly fee of between �500 and �9
Landlords in Bristol will soon be required to gain planning permission to convert properties into HMOs in three key areas, it has been revealed. South Gloucestershire Council is to bring in Article 4 directions in the Bristol neighbourhoods of Stoke Park and Cheswick and parts o
Londons mayor Sadiq Khan has urged private landlords who are planning to exit the private rented market to sell their properties to local councils instead of other landlords. Khan made the comments within a self-congratulatory statement on his website l
A landlord in London must now pay �40,000 after losing his appeal against his fine for breaching Mandatory HMO licensing conditions at a bedsit property above a pub. Earlier this year Islington council brought a prosecution against Mohammed Shahid for fai
For years now, what would appear to have been successive waves of anti-landlord legislation have been bearing down on buy to let, but will this change under a new prime minister? From George Osborne to Rishi Sunack, the Treasury, it would seem, has been milking the buy to let la
The next chapter in the troubling story of property guru Glenn Armstrong has begun after court records have revealed that the infamous �3m seven-bedroom trophy mansion he often used within his marketing effort has been repossessed by bailiffs. The 62-year-olds now form
Ben Beadle critiques Rishi Sunak and Liz Truss for neglecting landlord concerns, urging focus on supply crisis and policy clarity.
London Mayor Sadiq Khan has called on the next Tory PM to force landlords to pay tenants moving costs when asking them to move out of a property where the renter is not at fault. His comments were made during a debate within the London Assembly on housing issues in the capita
A landlord has been unwittingly drawn into a heated debate over the looming changes to the Welsh private rented sector. The country's Government recently delayed its planned reforms that will alter how tenancies, properties and evictions are managed, similar in many ways to the
A new property platform aims to help private landlords target buy-to-lets and find potential HMOs. Propalt contains details of more than 250,000 landlords so that investors can connect directly, as well as the details of two million properties. Available information
Small HMO landlords in York will need an additional licence in eight of the citys wards from 1st April after the council gave a new scheme the go-ahead. <figure id="" class="w-richtext-figure-type- " data-rt-type="" data-rt-align=""><div><img src="https://uploads-ssl.
Landlords in Nottingham are preparing to fight an extension of the citys https://www.nottinghamcity.gov.uk/additionalhmo" target="_blank" additional licensing scheme , weeks after the council was warned that a second selective licensing scheme wou
Scottish landlords hope that Nicola Sturgeons resignation may lead to a less aggressive approach towards the buy-to-let sector. The SNP leader has presided over a range of anti-landlord legislation since becoming first minister in 2014, including the recent rent and eviction
A landlord has lost his appeal against a fine for renting out unlicensed properties after arguing that the sellers solicitor had failed to tell him about a selective licensing scheme. City Estate Holdings bought two houses in Westbourne Avenue, Gateshead, at auction in April
The number of landlords whose tenants are in rent arrears has fallen to its lowest level since 2017, according to new research from Paragon Bank. Its poll of more than 750 landlords found that less than one third (32%) of landlords have had at least one tenant in arrears during
A rent-to-rent landlord operating a flat in central London has been ordered to pay rent back to his tenants totalling just over �11,000 via a rent repayment order or RRO. The case highlights the challenges faced by rent-to-rent agreements, as the case involved a freeholder, lea
Ballooning mortgage costs will make an already tight rental market even harder for tenants seeking affordable homes to let, landlords have warned. Their representative body the NRLA has published research that shows nearly two-thirds of landlords, based on
A rental property compliance service has pitched into the debate over whether the nation’s landlord licencing schemes are fair or, given the looming Renters (Reform) Bill proposals, needed.
There is a growing consensus that mortgage interest rates will soon be heading south as house sales show signs of gaining momentum.
A would-be student tenant has accused a landlord of making homophobic rules before agreeing to a house viewing.
Rebel Tory MPs who lobbied for amendments to the Renters (Reform) Bill have received £450,000 in donations and earnings linked to landlords since the last general election, according to an investigation by the i newspaper.
Landlords in a big Midlands city have been warned that they must apply for a licence for their properties by April 9th or face an additional £200 hike in the £1,090 cost of each three-year licence.
Here Tom Entwistle digests some of this argument and makes a few comments of his own - join in the argument
The Government has been moved to reassure Tory MPs that its Renters (Reform) Bill will not damage the private rented sector following the leaking of a letter by housing minister Jacob Young.
The Prince of Wales is working with private landlords to help prevent and reduce homelessness in the UK, it has been revealed.
The Scottish coalition Government has finally revealed its plans for the private rented sector including permanent rent controls, new rights to keep pets, decorate rented homes and stronger protection against eviction.
A man has been dubbed “the world’s strictest landlord” for telling would-be tenants that they can’t have anyone staying the night have a drink.
A housing management company has been fined £30,000 after an escape route at its HMO was found to be padlocked shut and blocked by a large shipping container.
The government has launched a cross-party inquiry into how the experience of buying and selling homes could be improved in England.
A group of landlords in Birmingham are spearheading an innovative trial of new technology designed to help them comply with local licencing and other regulatory requirements.
Peers debating the Leasehold and Freehold Reform Bill were almost unanimous in their belief that it doesn’t go far enough to protect leaseholders.
Burnley Council is set to get tougher on landlords converting the town’s properties into HMOs.
Utilita Energy has stepped up to become LandlordZONEone’s official energy partner, and is on a mission to spend the next 12 months putting landlords on the energy efficiency front foot.
Are you aware of the risks that commonly used devices in homes, workplaces, on our dives and garages now pose?
Most private tenants doubt the Renters Reform Bill will either be implemented or bring about tangible change.
A landlord in Lancashire has been jailed and must pay a £10,441 fine including costs after a local fire brigade prosecuted her for six breaches of fire safety regulations at her properties in the seaside town of Cleveleys.
The Scottish government has promised that proposals to deliver on its New Deal for Tenants are imminent.
London’s private rented sector will become a more dangerous place for tenants if rebel MPs convince the government to ditch selective licencing, an influencial independent think tank has warned.
The British Property Federation has voiced concerns about government assurances of court reform progress ahead of scrapping no-fault evictions.
The NRLA has warned landlords who have set up limited companies to run their property portfolios that they will have prove they spend 20 hours a week managing their businesses to get the tax reliefs many hoped they would.
A subsidiary of one of the capital’s biggest landlords has been put on London’s rogue landlords register and fined £67,000 for breaches of HMO licence conditions.
A landlord has told councillors he will have to give up two properties after he failed to renew HMO licences before the expiry dates.
