The governments controversial policy of phasing out natural gas boilers in favour of heat pumps, in its drive to meet internationally agreed energy efficiency targets, could be stymied because of an out of date EPC algorithm. Regardless of the fact that many older poorly insu
Westminster Council has launched a spirited campaign to stop central London being overrun by nuisance short-term lets booked chiefly through Airbnb. It is lobbying the government to follow Paris and Amsterdams lead whose authorities have clamped down on problem properties. </
After two decades of low property insurance premium rates, prices are being driven up by inflation. Steve Barnes, Associate Director at https://hamiltonfraser.co.uk/landlord-insurance/?utm_source=landlordzone&utm_medium=article&utm_id=lz+feb22+insurance+rising" target="_blank" id="
The large herbaceous perennial with its bamboo-like appearance became infamous in Britain for its threat to buildings. Its rapid growth, its size and most importantly the damage it can do, made it the villain of the horticultural world, and it became feared by property owners and mortgag
Four years after it was launched, the number on the Rogue Landlord database has only crept up to 61 out of the thousands claimed to be operating within the private rental sector, the latest government figures show. Asked by opposition MP Gill Furniss to provide an update, Housin
Flat owners (leaseholders) only own their leasehold property for a fixed period of time and during that period they pay ground rent and service charges to the freeholder (landlord). Theres always a long-lease agreement, a detailed legal tenancy agremeent between the leasehold
Luton Council has finally got its act together and revealed blanket HMO licensing for the town after a number of false starts over the last few years. HMOs of any size will now need a licence under its additional scheme which launches on 1st April, while all privately rented pro
The Commonhold and Leasehold Reform Act 2002 provides a right for leaseholders to acquire the freehold landlords management functions by transfer to a company set up by them the Right To Manage (RTM) company. The thinking behind the right was to empower leaseholders. The
Appeal Court judges have found in favour of the landlord in the landmark case of Northwood Solihull v Fearn & Ors, preventing a potentially huge logistical headache for landlords and letting agents. The judges ruled that any authorised employee of a landlord or letting agent
In an apparent re-run of Harold Wilsons 1970s investment income tax surcharge, Labour plan to re-introduce such an additional layer of tax to what is termed unearned income�. The Wilson Labour government applied an investment income surcharge of 15% and kept the top rate
According to a recent report by estate agents Hamptons, over the last four years the number of landlords operating their buy to let business through a limited company has doubled. There were 47,400 new buy-to-let companies incorporated in 2021 right across the UK, the figures be
Landlords and letting agents will soon be able to carry out quicker https://www.landlordzone.co.uk/news/updated-advice-for-landlords-on-right-to-rent-checks-due-in-new-year/" right to rent checks on British and Irish citizens. From 6th April, Identification Do
An energy expert has sought to reassure landlords that they may not need to spend huge sums retrofitting their properties to raise EPC ratings at least not in the short term. <figure id="" class="w-richtext-figure-type- " data-rt-type="" data-rt-align=""><div><img src="https://upload
Just as residential landlords are contemplating the costs of bringing older properties up to the proposed new standard - very likely EPC band C� required by December 2025 - so too are commercial landlords.<br> See: https://www.landlordzone.co.uk/news/compulsory-epc
Compulsory EPC band C by 2025 causing confusion There have been recent confusing reports put out that from 2025, all newly rented properties in England & Wales will be required to have an EPC rating of band C or above. This is somewhat misleading and jum
LandlordZONE sits down with one of Londons most prolific but little-known landlords who has spent 30 years amassing a huge portfolio in the East End and West End areas of the capital. For reasons of privacy, and a desire to remain behind the scenes, he doesnt want to
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
Weve all heard the expression, ignorance of the law is no excuse� and this applies without question in all areas of the law. But in some rare instances it seems the courts and tribunals are open to accepting a defence of what is termed reasonable excuse even when the regulatio
Nottingham benefits landlord Mick Roberts (main picture) has made another bid to sell 40 of his properties by offering to cut the sale price by a tenth if a landlord buyer keeps his existing tenants on. The regular LandlordZONE contributor has previously suggested https
Landlords have been warned to check a propertys potential status if their tenant wants to offer Ukrainian refugees a spare room. Updated guidance on the rules around the Homes for Ukraine scheme outlines that where a private tenant is paying rent for their accommodation, the
The Welsh government has announced a five-and-a-half-month delay to the introduction of its controversial Renting Homes Act which had been due to go live on 15th July this year. Now postponed until 1st December, housing minister Julie James says
Landlords are required to conform to the safety and environmental rules set-out in these regulations so its important you understand the law regarding the building regulations. The rules are in place to ensure that buildings meet a certain standard of safety to protect residents and memb
Landlords in Wales who rent out self-catering accommodation will no longer be able to dodge council tax under new and tighter rules announced by the Welsh government. In its bid to crack down on the impact many holiday lets and second homes are having on communities and the Wels
A staggering 71% of all landlords reported having at least one tenant in arrears due to the pandemic, according to the latest English Private Landlord Survey . Nearly a third (29%) were lucky not to have any, but landlords with one property most commonly ha
Landlords in England have since October 2015 been required to install carbon monoxide alarms in their residential rented accommodation where a solid fuel solid fuel heating appliance was fitted. This would include all open fireplaces that were available to be used, that is where
With rental growth in prime London offices set to outpace the rest of the country, the doom mongers predicting permanent working from home (WFH) and office flight have so far, it seems, been on the wrong tack. Quarter 1, 2022 has seen rent returns rise as UK commercial property
A landlord has won an unusual Tribunal victory after their local council tried to prevent a property being rented out because, it alleged, its spiral staircase was too dangerous for workmen over 60 years old to use.
A leading landlord has received an OBE within the New Year Honours List along with one other property figure.
As much as £100 million in tax avoidance could have disappeared before taxation expert Dan Neidle of Tax Policy Associates (TPA) “blew the whistle” on the schemes
The Tory Government’s assault on the student accommodation sector will see the number of private landlords operating within it halve by 2033, it has been claimed.
Landlords are becoming increasingly worried about both rising costs and the Government’s plans to scrap ‘no fault’ Section 21 evictions next year, it has been claimed.
Shelter has told a BBC TV show that the organisation has not become too big.
A very Merry Christmas to all our readers from the LandlordZONE editorial team.
Are landlords to blame for our housing crisis, or are they on the receiving end of a very raw deal?
Scottish ministers have defended proposals to introduce minimum energy efficiency standards in the private rented sector by 2028.
A leading figure in the property world has pinned the blame for the UK’s rocketing rent rises on the Government, claiming that it’s absurd to accuse landlords and letting agents of profiteering from huge demand.
Octopus Energy is launching its first private rental properties in the new year, kitted out with solar panels, heat pumps, and home storage batteries, where tenants are guaranteed to pay no energy bills for a minimum of five years.
The government has given Peterborough Council the green light for its new selective licensing scheme, covering 40% of the city’s private rental properties.
Landlords who are unable to sell apartments because the block they are in continue to suffer from post-Grenfell fire safety issues have been given some additional Xmas cheer.
Housing Secretary Michael Gove has strongly hinted that selective licensing schemes will not be needed when the government’s new property portal is launched.
A landlord looks set to lose his leasehold flat after being caught renting it out on Airbnb by his freeholder.
Almost two-thirds of private landlords expect to see their mortgage payments increase over the next 12 months, leading to higher rents.
The government has promised an extra £1.5 billion for its Boiler Upgrade Scheme, which landlords can access to fund heat pump installations.
Propertymark has pressed the Government once more to establish a dedicated housing court to take the pressure of PRS disputes from the county courts and speed up the possession process.
Tom Entwistle, a residential and commercial landlord since the 1970s and founder of LandlordZONE, offers a landlords perspective on a topical issue. In this article, Tom shares his insights into damp, mould and condensation in rental properties.
A banned Bristol landlord is under investigation after at least nine of her properties appeared on Airbnb.
Two landlords have been handed suspended jail sentences for abusing a Covid Bounce Back Loan then dissolving their company to avoid paying it back.
Landlords looking to rent their properties out via short lets now have more choice after British platform UnderTheDoormat announced it has merged with European counterpart Veeve.
Monthly interest costs have soared by 283% since 2021 for landlords using interest-only mortgages, while those making a full monthly repayment have seen the monthly cost of their mortgage climb by 71%.
This article discusses the implications for landlords of capital gains tax (CGT), a tax avoidance scheme and it sets out a brief summary of property tax rules.
