Viewpoint by Tom Entwistle As winter approaches outside temperatures drop and the perennial landlords problem of winter condensation and black mould rear their ugly heads again.The question is, how do you know if this is caused by the building or the tenant, or is it a co
Landlords' Tax: Internet sites, such as AirBnB, have increased the number of landlords letting to lodgers and to guests on short stays. There are specific tax benefits to this type of letting business which are expanded upon below.Furnished holiday letting</st
Section 21: Most tenancies will never require the service of a Section 21, Housing Act 1988, (eviction) notice. However, on those occasions when it does become necessary, and you just never know, landlords (and agents) will thank their lucky starts they complied with the rul
Asbestos:Asbestos regulations were last updated in 2012 , bringing the UK in line with EU regulations, which means the current regulations have been in place long enough for most
The Application Form You should always use a comprehensive Tenancy Application Form when taking on a new tenant. You need a completed application for each adult tenant in the property.The Tenancy application form is a very important starting point for any residential or comm
End of an AST: Questions: What happens when an Assured Shorthold Tenancy (AST) comes to an end? Will the tenant have to leave or does she need to sign a new agreement? What if a tenant wants to leave early? How long can a periodic tenancy last?When the fixed term (minimum of
Landlords often buy flats which are either Leasehold or Shared Freehold. What are these tenures and what should landlords look out for in these different forms of ownership?Leasehold is one of three forms of tenure (property/land ownership) almost exclusively peculiar to the United Kingdom, thoug
Landlord's Access to Property: Many landlords will have experienced a tenant denying them access to a property - whether for an inspection, viewings or legal duties. Its easy to understand the view of Its my property, I can enter when I want, but unfortunately th
New Rules for Section 21 :Landlords and Agents need to be aware of the changes affecting Section 21 rules and Notices and other changes for the letting of residential properties in England (and in many cases Wales) introduced during 2015 . This article explains the new rules
Many landlords have long suspected that the DCLG approved national calculation methodologies and software programs were seriously flawed when they produced EPC ratings for buildings following energy assessments.So news that new software is being introduced which is claimed to be more accurate is
Serving Notices: Landlords and agents often get confused as to how they should serve Notices on their tenants.Ordinarily it wouldnt matter what method is used, but if you end up in court with a possession or money claim, or some such court action, then what and how you se
Tenant are Consumers: The UK Consumer Protection law applies to letting agents and landlords alike when they advertise a property to let or create a new tenancy. It also applies to most private landlords when they deal with letting agents, unless they operate as a company.
Obtaining Possession Using Section 21 Notices Updated October 2016This article explains how to gain possession of your residential rental property in the most efficient way possible. You may just want your property back for your own use, or to sell, or you may be having prob
Winter Condensation: Its that time of year again, a time when tenants are most likely to complain about the mould appearing in those corners of the property where the walls and ceilings are really cold, and hot air with moisture always rises to the top. If its black mo
Tax Relief: Starting from 6th April 2017, those landlords with mortgages will have tax relief on their buy-to-let mortgage costs gradually reduce over a 4-year period.Many landlords dont have a mortgage (up to 50% it is said), so this change does not affect them, but many
Rent Arrears: At this time of year, soon after the Christmas spending spree, inevitably rent payments begin to suffer. If you are having problems with rent arrears, this article should help.As in most areas of life,prevention is better than cure . To re
Tax Return 2016-2017: As a general rule, and as outlined in the previous articles in this series on tax returns, landlords can claim the expenses of running and maintaining their rental properties.If the rent you charge includes additional services like water, or council tax
Tax Return 2016-17: With some costs its very easy to decide: a repair to a drain, downspout or roof tile are all allowable expenses, but what about replacing a broken single glazed window with a new plastic frame and double glazing, what about decorating and installing a
A debt charity is calling on the government to introduce stronger protections for tenants who fall behind on their rent. StepChanges survey found that private renters struggled to afford their homes more than any other housing tenure, with one in six (1.2 million people) rely
More than one in three tenants in the UK spend at least half their salary on rent, according to new data from flat-share site SpareRoom. Its poll of 11,000 private renters reveals that 81% spend more than 30% of their take-home pay on rent, leaving them rent burdened, mean
Rent inflation continued to climb last month up by 0.1% to 4.7%, the Governments latest data for England shows. The Official for National Statistics (ONS) reports the annual increase, which compares the 12 months to the end of April 2023 to the previous months rent data.</
In this bonus episode of The Property Cast, Sean Hooker, Head of Redress at the Property Redress Scheme, and leading property expert Kate Faulkner OBE, share their initial reactions to the Renters (Reform) Bill. In perhaps the biggest shake-up of the private rented sector in ove
Large portfolio landlords are feeling upbeat despite the tough economic climate, with many eyeing the commercial sector for their next property purchase. The https://www.handelsbanken.co.uk/en/about-us" target="_blank" Handelsbanken </a
Labour has vowed to abolish the leasehold system as soon as it comes to power following Michael Goves U-turn earlier this month. The Housing Secretary dropped https://www.landlordzone.co.uk/news/new-gove-sets-sights-on-scrapping-leasehold-ownership/" target="_blank"
Environmental health bodies are to press the government on why it omitted plans for a Decent Homes Standard in the Renters (Reform) Bill. Despite including most of the promised draft legislation, the expected standards were missing and only mentioned in an accompanying press rel
A proposed ban on fixed-term tenancies could penalise students amid an already heightened rental crisis in many cities. According to student rentals platform StuRents�
The increasingly rancourous debate between Airbnb landlords and legislators will come to a head in York this week as the city's MP convenes a public meeting to discuss the growing problem of short lets within its walls. MP Rachel Maskell (main picture) is one of six mostly Labou
A benefits expert has urged the DWP’s working group to sort out problems with the Alternative Payment Arrangements (APA) process that leaves landlords in the dark and out of pocket.
Landlords are feeling much more optimistic than they were a year ago, thanks to a more stable market and economic conditions, according to new research from Paragon Bank.
How to handle the eviction process The Government is planning to replace the Assured Shorthold Tenancy, and Section 21 evictions will no longer be possible when new legislation under the Renters (Reform) Bill comes in. But this will take some time yet. In the meant
A criminal landlord has been hit with an £11,800 fine for operating a dirty, unlicensed HMO - one of a growing number of large, sometimes overcrowded and dangerous, bedsits around the country.
Landlords looking for some in-depth analysis of tomorrow’s Autumn Statement and its likely good – and bad – news for landlords should tune into TalkTV at 3.30pm tomorrow, 22nd November.
The costs of running unlicenced rental properties have been highlighted once more after three tenants won a £9,600 Rent Repayment Order from their HMO landlord.
One in five tenants has lost out in a property bidding war during the last two years, with those in London, Southampton and Brighton facing the toughest competition.
Private landlords are often portrayed unfairly by some housing campaigners as greedy, concerned only with raising rents and increasing profits.
Periodic Tenancy: Under English law, once a fixed period tenancy comes to an end it is automatically replaced with a periodic one, based on the rent payment period (commonly monthly), unless the original tenancy is terminated. With an Assured Shorthold Tenancy (AST) terminat
Landlords have been reassured that would-be tenants holding EUSS pre-settled status will get an automatic two-year extension before their status expires, unless they have already acquired settled status.
Private renters now have potentially more political power, with Generation Rent analysis finding that 194 constituencies in England have populations containing 20% or more private renters, up from 114 in 2011.
Airbnb and two other big short-lets platforms have agreed to share their data on guest numbers and nights booked with the Office for National Statistics (ONS) to help shape policy decisions on the sector.
Two legal experts have told MPs probing the Government’s plans to abolish Section 21 ‘no fault evictions’ that improving the crumbling courts system could take years.
Latest changes to the Renters (Reform) Bill published a few days ago highlight the legal hill that many landlords faced with anti-social tenants will have to climb, it has been claimed.
More tenants living in flats could find themselves unable to have a pet than those in a house under the Renters Reform Bill, warns the founder of a campaigning group.
The second national awards for HMO landlords has been announced by property management platform COHO chief Helen Turner, who is one of the driving forces behind its creation.
Just over half of tenants surveyed about the cost of living want their rent to include all their utility bills, it has been revealed.
Rental homes should be confiscated from private landlords who repeatedly break the rules and exploit tenants, according to the head of the Commons housing committee.
Despite interest rate hikes battering investor confidence, the UK’s portfolio landlords remain focused on expanding their property portfolios, research from Shawbrook finds.
British Gas has urged the government to consider a raft of measures aimed at helping landlords increase energy efficiency, including Green Upgrade Relief which lets them deduct green improvements from their annual income.
At least 44% of landlords won’t let their property to tenants with pets and 15% won’t consider those with children, according to a new Confused.com mortgages poll.
Winter is coming and high energy bills are really focussing attention on to what it takes to properly insulate a home. A well insulated home can make the difference between living in freezing conditions or feeling warm and comfortable this winter.
The Government has revealed that it intends to overturn this year’s landmark Jepsen vs Rakusen rent repayment order decision in the Supreme Court within its Renters (Reform) Bill.
The Government has published some 100 amendments to its Renters (Reform) Bill including ‘missing parts’ left out of the first draft lodged with parliament earlier this year.
