One of the main tasks you have as a landlord is finding quality tradespeople to repair and maintain your rental properties. Whether its a big landscaping project, or a small leak its important to hire people who know what theyre doing. Unfortunately for many landl
More than 5,000 leaseholders including landlords could get refunds on their ground rent after the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) secured assurances from nine firms that bought freeholds from housing developer Taylor Wimpey. Those leaseholders who paid a doubled
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
Damp & Mould: You may have seen or heard of the 1970s TV series Rising Damp, which featured a landlord and his tenants (lodgers in this case) which rather implies that all rental properties are troubled with this kind of damp.Far from the case, but some are. In fact the
Renting Standards: Specialist residential property solicitor Amanda Sutcliffe of Bray & Bray looks at the importance of keeping a rental property in good condition.Research conducted by Endsleigh Insurance and TrustMark claimed that over 75% of landlords s
Sub-Letting Licenses: (SOLITAIRE) LIMITED Appellant and CHERRY LILIAN NORTON and other cases [2012]Landlords of leasehold buy-to-let flats are often asked to pay a fee (sub-letting licence or registration fee) to the freeholder when seeking permission to sub-let their flat,
Validity of Section 21 Notice: Amak Property Investments v Laura Sonny [2016]This case was an appeal by the tenant following a county court judgement relating to the validity of a s21 notice on the basis that the landlord had not complied with the deposit protection (MyDepo
Essential guide to rent reviews: why reading the lease is crucial for landlords and tenants to navigate rent adjustments effectively.
Tenant Agreement: The Law of Property Act 1925 talks about having a maximum of 4 tenants on an agreement. So what to do when you have 5, 6 or more tenants sharing a house?There is a common misunderstanding of the rules here. Landlords and agents sometimes think or have heard
Advance Rent: Piggot v Slaven and Johnson v. OldThere are two important cases which clarify (though not necessarily decisively) the position on landlords accepting rent payments in advance. One concerns the accepting of the final two months rent in advance, a common devi
Following some confusion and debate about a deferral for the new standards following the MEES* deadline in April 2018, the new government has confirmed that changes to the EPC rules, preventing landlords from renting out homes below rating E, will definitely be introduced from April 2018.Accordin
Responsibility for Repairs: Who is responsible and who is obliged to pay for repairs to leasehold blocks and flats? What is the procedure if repairs are unnecessarily delayed or not carried out to the leaseholders satisfaction? What is the Section 20 procedure?T
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.
Councillors in Derby hope to get tougher on HMO landlords by introducing an Article 4 direction in the city.
A landlord in Somerset has revealed his highly unusual path to becoming a buy-to-let investor.
More than 144,000 private landlords coming to the end of five-year fixed deals face re-mortgaging at starkly higher rates in 2024.
Nottingham benefits landlord Mick Roberts has blamed the city’s licensing schemes for rising rents and homelessness.
Manchester Council has revealed penalties of more than £86,000 handed to landlords under previous selective licensing schemes to justify expanding it to nine more areas.
