Salford has given the go-ahead to a new licensing scheme for smaller HMOs in response to a rise in safety problems and resident complaints. The scheme covering the entire city - takes effect on 19th July and costs landlords �1,085 to licence shared homes where three or four
A banned boiler engineer has narrowly avoided jail after producing a fake Gas Safe certificate for a landlord. Jeffrey Lewis, 74, of Ashbourne Road, Cheadle, was asked by a landlord to repair a tenants boiler but failed to tell him he had been banned from carrying out gas wor
Jersey has launched a consultation over plans to outlaw landlords who refuse to rent to tenants with children. Social security minister deputy Judy Martin hopes to amend the Discrimination Law 2013 to protect families looking for homes on the island, which currently doesnt pr
Liverpool City Council has clamped down on HMO conversions as it launches a new assault on the private rented sector. Under a new Article 4 direction, any size home in the city centre will need planning permission to be converted into an HMO from 17th</s
The government appears to have admitted it has concerns about landlords discriminating against the potential influx of Hong Kong residents. Home Office Minister Baroness Williams of Trafford advised landlords to be careful when doing Right to Rent checks on inbound Hong Kong res
Early termination fees and invoice questions answered—your top forum concerns, sorted.
Getting a good EPC rating is important for rentals to meet the MEES regulations, and in future even higher ratings will be demanded, but this can be a challenge for some landlords� Since October 2008, rental properties in England and Wales have been required to
A tenant has been scammed by a Gumtree advertiser who stole more than �2,000, leaving her facing homelessness. Mum-of-four, Shirley Jones, from Coventry, fell for the flat rental scam after answering the advert for a three-bedroom home in Nuneaton that was available to rent on
The government is expecting to spend and eye-watering �30 billion on housing benefit for tenants this year, DWP minister Will Quince has told parliament. This figure is �8-10 billion more than the Office for Budget Responsibility https://obr.uk/forecasts-in-depth/tax-
Half of all tenants who want to rent a home with their pet would be prepared to take out specialist insurance to cover their landlord against damage, a leading campaigner has revealed. Jennifer Berezai of AdvoCATS has researched an in-depth report into whether there is an appeti
Legislation has been passed in Wales that extends the amount of notice landlords must give to their tenants, from the two month s21 period, to six months. The Renting Homes (Amendment) (Wales) Bill means (because notice cannot be served within the initial term) that the minimum
One of Britains biggest private landlords is encouraging others to follow his lead by shifting property from their own name into a company structure. In what is thought to be the countrys largest ever mortgage transaction, Alastair Kerr (pictured) has transferred ownership
Landlords of commercial premises may consider it necessary to bring the lease to an end or to refuse to renew a lease. This course of action might be for a number of reasons: A tenant for example might not have a statutory right to a lease renewal under the Landlord and Tenant Act 1954, the
The big changes are in the submission frequency and digital submission process. Firstly, you will need to complete not one but five tax submissions per year � one every quar
Landlords have been warned not to expect a grace period or extension to the deadline for properties to confirm to the new electrical safety standards. Originally, an https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/electrical-safety-standards-in-the-private-rented-sector-guid
The average UK house price could surge by 17% in the next decade, based on historical data from the past 40 years, and is set to reach �400,000 by 2050. Property buying firm Good Move has studied house prices in the UK since 1980 to predict what the market might look like in th
What is a clean and tidy house to some is and unacceptably dirty mess to others; people have different standards and this will never change. Alternatively, some tenants are just too lazy to leave the place clean and tidy: dirty carpets and furniture, filthy bathrooms and toilets, and kitchen work
In every tenancy there is an implied right if not an express covenant that promises that the tenant is able to possess the premises, not just without noise, quiet enjoyment� as the term implies, but in peace and without without disturbance by hostile claimants�, including from the
The government is pouring �13m into a homelessness reduction initiative to fund long-term accommodation for prison leavers in the private rented sector. More than 140 councils across England will share out the cash to pay for landlord incentives and loans for rent deposits, spe
We know that households across the UK will need to adopt a low carbon alternative to traditional heating solutions such as oil, gas, coal or wood burning in the future. Air source or geothermal ground source heat pumps are being touted as just such an alternative to help the UK
During these difficult times many tenants have found themselves in the position of wanting to divest themselves of surplus property, to reduce rental commitments by ending a lease agreement before it full term has expired. Perhaps the only way of doing this from the tenants p
Landlords who own leasehold properties in low and medium-rise apartment blocks affected by the cladding scandal will no longer have to supply an EWS1 form when selling or remortgaging their properties, the government has announced. Thousands of landlords who have been unable to
Spiralling fraud and overpayments in the benefits system now stand at the highest rate ever recorded, admits the Department of Work and Pensions (DWP), as it identifies housing payments as an area of concern. Housing benefit fraud is particularly rife after the pandemic resulted
The private rented sector wont meet new energy efficiency targets unless the government stumps up more cash for any replacement to the Green Homes Grant, it has been claimed. Latest https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/english-housing-survey-2019-to-2020-private-
Bury Council in Manchester has adopted new measures to fine landlords up to �30,000 if their properties dont meet the recently-introduced electrical safety standards. Although the standards came into force in June 2020, they had not been adopted and implemented by the counci
A commercial landlord whose building was damaged by two fires has been handed an 18-month suspended prison sentence, it has been reported. Wayne Braund, 52, owner of the former Strachan and Henshaw building in Foundry Lane, Bristol (pictured), admitted six fire safety breaches i
Environmental health officers want more robust landlord licensing schemes under the Renters Reform Bill, says the Chartered Institute of Environmental Health (CIEH).
A letting agent who swindled £128,000 from her employer to fund an affair with her personal trainer was rumbled after landlords complained they had not received their rent.
NRLA chief executive Ben Beadle has called for pragmatism and unity in response to Shelter’s new anti-landlord campaign.
A landlord in London has been landed with one of the largest rent repayment orders so far this year after failing to licence their HMO property in Tottenham.
Utilities Supplies: Many commercial landlords let their tenants decide on their utility providers with their own meters, telephone lines, and networks. When youre in control and recharge these products as a service charge, then its up to you to get the best deals. Jaso
Nottingham benefits landlord Mick Roberts has robustly defended those landlords who get involved in a bidding war during an interview on 5 Live’s breakfast show.
An online service has been launched that helps protect landlords from property fraud.
Lettings Document Checklist: When setting up a new Assured Shorthold Tenancy (AST) it has always been important to pay attention to the paperwork, which provides vital evidence should there be a dispute during or after the tenancy.But since the Deregulation Act 2015, with me
The government has reassured landlords that it is forging ahead with plans for court reform in readiness for abolishing section 21.
Government plans to abolish assured shorthold tenancies and replace them with periodic lets could put landlords’ properties at risk, according to inspection specialists NoLettingGo.
Two letting agents in the South West has claimed that landlords are leaving the private rental market in droves.
The Scottish government has backtracked on plans to force the private rented sector to meet energy efficiency deadlines by 2025.
A First Tier Property Tribunal has criticised Barking and Dagenham Council for failing to support a landlord who mistakenly failed to get a selective licence.
A new Online Fraud Charter aims to thwart property rental scams including fake accommodation listings on Facebook Marketplace used to lure in unsuspecting tenants.
Landlords have been warned that a Court of Appeal decision issued late last week will mean that in future they will have to settle their differences with tenants via an ombudsman before going to court.
New licensing application software introduced by Portsmouth City Council has been slammed for being badly written, hard to use and too demanding.
A serving fire officer whose tenants were at risk of dying in a fire in his unsafe HMO has been fined more than £15,000.
The UK's leading property trade association has warned MPs that the Renters Reform Bill contains measures likely to make the PRS increasingly hostile to landlords.
A London landlord has been ordered to repay his tenants nearly £10,000 in rent following a Property Tribunal hearing.
Commercial tenants, with the landlord's consent, not to be unreasonably withheld, can assign their lease (transfer it) to a third party (a new tenant).
Liverpool City Council has launched a new taskforce to go after criminal landlords who exploit vulnerable tenants.
The government has signalled that it will bring in more leasehold reforms for flat owners following the introduction of the Leasehold and Freehold Reform Bill.
Leaders Romans Group (LRG) has called for a landlords’ reform bill to protect landlords and safeguard the housing sector.
Coventry has gone ahead with a huge new scheme to prevent properties being converted into HMOs without full planning permission.
This was a question answered during a recent appeal case covered here by Tom Entwistle In the Prempeh v Lakhany (Oct 2020) appeal the tenant claimed that a Section 8 notice was invalid because it did not contain the la
