A landlord pair who assaulted one of their tenants while trying to illegally evict her from their unlicensed HMO have been handed a rent repayment order totalling more than �22,300. Guangyu Chen and Xing Guo argued that their poor English and understanding of the PRS was an exc
Evictions expert Paul Shamplina has revealed that hes stepping back from his long-running role in TV series Nightmare Tenants, Slum Landlords. <figure id="" class="w-richtext-figure-type- " data-rt-type="" data-rt-align=""><div><img src="https://cdn.prod.website-files.com/
Yorks Residential Landlords Association (York RLA) wants to clarify why it decided not to proceed with further legal action over the city councils proposals to bring in an Additional Licencing scheme for HMOs. Both local media and LandlordZONE recently reported that it had
Council leaders, unions and renters groups have urged Housing Secretary Michael Gove to bring in an immediate rent freeze in a bid to prevent widespread homelessness. In an open letter, the 34 groups and individuals including London Renters Union, mayor of London Sadiq Kh
A disgruntled landlord has convinced a judge to have his rent repayment order case re-heard after arguing that council systems hindered his ability to apply for an HMO licence during the pandemic. Paul Fashade was told to pay three tenants a total of �11,
The government should raise the stamp duty surcharge on BTL purchases to favour those buying their own home, according to a new report from Joseph Rowntree Foundation (JRF). The social change group believes the surcharge should at least double to effectively disincentivise specu
Citizens Advice has urged the government to extend Awaabs law to the PRS to help the estimated 1.6 million children living in damp, mouldy or excessively cold privately rented homes. Awaab Ishtak died aged just two years old after living in a mouldy and
A new survey has downplayed the scale of landlords ready to quit the sector due to heavy-handed government regulations and upcoming legislation. Leaders Romans Groups poll of 271 landlords found that only 7% plan to sell up in the next year while 12% aim to reduce their portf
Nottingham councillors have voted through a contentious additional HMO licensing scheme. The current scheme, covering central areas of the city, will soon come to an end and the council plans to introduce a new citywide scheme in January 2024. It says this would pre
Peers have slammed the governments Boiler Upgrade Scheme for attracting a disappointingly low� take-up of grants. Launched in https://www.landlordzone.co.uk/news/latest-official-boiler-upgrade-scheme-launches-today-but-is-it-enough/" target="_blank" <stron
A BBC investigation has uncovered a new property rental scam that uses Facebook Marketplace and then fake accommodation booking sites to lure in unsuspecting tenants. Called an advance rent payment scam, a technique that has been around for many years, this version of it is more
The Government has now committed to delivering Awaabs Law in a new amendment to the Social Housing Regulation Bill. But does the Government intend to place the same onus on private landlords, and is this law totally fair? I cant help feeling perplexed as
Landlords in Bradford and Leeds are enjoying the UKs best rental yields, with those in Exeter seeing the largest annual growth last year. Yields have increased by as much as 2.5% in the past 12 months, according to Sirius Property Finance, which reports that as rent values ou
Propertymark criticises licensing schemes for punishing compliant landlords with delays, fees and red tape due to under-resourced councils. S
An influential new report has slammed the Governments lack of progress on its much-heralded desire to see the property sector reach net zero by 2050. Published today jointly by the British Property Federation and property giant JLL, the report is critical of Government
The Government has launched its https://www.landlordzone.co.uk/news/latest-council-tax-crisis-for-hmo-tenants-averted-after-commons-statement/" target="_blank" promised consultation on its plans to reform the way HMO properties are valued for counci
It's not just landlords who can be fined heavily - an estate agency now faces paying a �35,000 penalty for failing to licence three properties in the town of Edmonton in London. Enfield Councils licensing and enforcement work officers investigated Green House Estate Agents L
With the likelihood of Section 21 evictions being abolished all eyes are on the 17 grounds for possession under the existing Section 8 procedure. In the near future these are to be the main tools landlords will use to evict tenants who dont pay the rent. As it cur
Polling by build-to-rent (BTR) landlord UNCLE shows that 32% of those it polled who were between 18 and 24 years old said they ‘chose to rent’ rather than being compelled to by the housing market, while the figure was 31% for those between 25 and 34 years old.
With the victory for Labour now over a week behind us, what should landlords expect from the change in government?
Councillors in Brighton have backed a petition by campaign group Living Rent to introduce rent controls during a debate yesterday at its monthly full council meeting.
Landlords in Wales have found themselves unable to make deductions to deposits when using occupation contract templates, it has been claimed.
Northumberland council is the latest to approve more selective licencing with two wards in the seaside town of Blythe.
Five new housing ministers have been tasked with helping the government deliver homes and reform the PRS – and one of them is a landlord.
Frustrated surveyors have urged the government to introduce fair legislation that increases supply as landlords continue to quit the sector.
Propertymark has warned that abolishing Section 21 without an adequate replacement mechanism will add 'another nail in the coffin' of the PRS.
Salford Council is to launch a consultation into reviving one of its selective licencing schemes - offering landlords slightly cheaper licences than eight years ago.
Monthly rental costs fell by 0.9% across the UK during December and by 2.2% in Greater London - one of the biggest drops seen in 2023.
The government has rejected calls for private landlords to be given similar deadlines to the social housing sector for dealing with damp and mould.
The NRLA has made two top-level appointments to bolster its service at the start of a crucial year.
The Property Franchise Group (TPFG) and Belvoir Group have agreed to a merger to create a wide-reaching property franchise business.
An organised crime group which used a student letting firm as a front for their multi-million-pound empire have been guilty of drug offences.
All short-term lets in Wales will soon have to be registered and licensed under plans announced by the Welsh government.
Mortgage market drama should subside this year, thanks to stable property prices, strong rental demand, rising rents and softening mortgage interest rates.
A new adjudication process for rent controls in Scotland could add further layers of bureaucracy without benefitting landlords or tenants.
A Rent Repayment Order (RRO) is an order that allows a tenant or local authority to reclaim rent or housing benefit where a landlord rents out an unlicensed property such as a house in multiple occupation (HMO). Rent Repayment Orders are obtained through a residential property t
More landlords are being forced to reduce advertised rents in the cost-of-living crisis.
A council plans to buy 65 private rental properties through its housing company in a bid to address the shortage of homes.
Landlords in Middlesbrough have vowed to fight plans to expand selective licensing and a fee hike.
A landlord who failed to remove dangerous mould from a children’s bedroom has been handed a £10,451 fine.
A landlord living in Shropshire’s largest block of flats has vowed to stay put, despite his neighbours moving out during serious flooding.
The Socialist Party has called for rent controls, compulsory control of private landlords and the nationalisation of house builders.
Greater Manchester mayor Andy Burnham has warned rogue landlords that they will soon have nowhere to hide.
The Military is shunning heat pumps in favour of cheaper to install cutting-edge electric boilers in homes
Landlords are being encouraged to consider adding lucrative short lets and assisted living developments to their property portfolios this year.
Landlords and letting agents have been warned to be more careful when handling tenants’ personal data under GDPR rules.
Steeper fines for landlords flouting Right to Rent rules in England come into force on 22nd January.
Middlesborough Council has launched a consultation into plans to extend a selective licensing scheme in parts of its Newport ward.
The PRS is “broken” according to Shelter, which claims lone parents are bearing the brunt of the housing crisis.
Lobbying group Acorn has issued a statement apologising for incorrectly accusing the National Residential Landlords Association (NRLA) of ‘campaigning against the abolishment of Section 21 evictions’.
A BTL investment firm has had its wrist slapped by the Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) for potentially misleading landlords over its prices.
