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Landlord fights council over £15,000 HMO fine... and wins

Landlord fights council over £15,000 HMO fine... and wins

News

A landlord has successfully fought a licensing fine after an Upper Tribunal judge ruled it couldn’t be proved that a fifth tenant was living permanently in his HMO.

'Landlord bashing won't help solve housing crisis'

'Landlord bashing won't help solve housing crisis'

News

A mortgage lending expert has warned that landlord bashing risks pushing out more smaller landlords, creating a vicious circle of fewer available rental properties and higher rents for tenants.

Landlords spending 'too much' on EPC upgrades

Landlords spending 'too much' on EPC upgrades

News

Most landlords’ ignorance of the points-based EPC system means they can sometimes spend more money than necessary on energy efficiency improvements.

Tenants can now pay landlords via their credit card

Tenants can now pay landlords via their credit card

News

A digital platform that enables tenants to pay their rent via their credit or debit card rather than a BACS payment has officially launched in the UK.

Local authorities’ new powers to auction leases of vacant commercial premises

Local authorities’ new powers to auction leases of vacant commercial premises

News

Local authorities' now have new powers to auction off leases of vacant commercial units in Britain’s town centres and high streets

Landlords worried about missing payments discover agent in jail

Landlords worried about missing payments discover agent in jail

News

Landlords who complained about a missing letting agent have discovered that he had been jailed for assaulting a sex worker.

Government to spend millions stopping landlord evictions

Government to spend millions stopping landlord evictions

News

More money will be spent persuading landlords not to evict tenants as part of a huge cash boost to help prevent homelessness.

Northern council to expand selective licensing

Northern council to expand selective licensing

News

More landlords in Wirral could have to pay for a selective licence under plans being drawn up by the local council.

Rents rising by 9.1% a year on average, official figures reveal

Rents rising by 9.1% a year on average, official figures reveal

News

Rents charged for new tenancies across the UK continue to rise as landlords seek to offset higher costs and supply continue to be weak, latest Government data shows.

Labour to allow councils to 'take over' empty rental properties

Labour to allow councils to 'take over' empty rental properties

News

Councils will be given more power to force landlords to rent out vacant residential properties as part of the government’s English Devolution white paper.

Letting agents warn over Labour's plan to increase licensing

Letting agents warn over Labour's plan to increase licensing

News

Letting agents have slammed plans to ease licensing rules that will mean local councils can introduce large selective schemes without government approval.

HMO landlords warned as London council begins 1,000s inspections

HMO landlords warned as London council begins 1,000s inspections

News

Ealing Council has ramped up its crackdown on rogue landlords with a rigorous programme of HMO inspections.

Councils given more powers to licence landlord properties

Councils given more powers to licence landlord properties

News

Local authorities will no longer have to ask the Secretary of State for permission to introduced selective licensing schemes in England and Northern Ireland, it has been revealed.

Lenders warn of 'challenging' year ahead for landlords

Lenders warn of 'challenging' year ahead for landlords

News

Economic headwinds are set to shrink purchases in the buy-to-let market by 7% next year to £9 billion, predicts UK Finance.

Norwich landlords fume over missing rental payments

Norwich landlords fume over missing rental payments

News

Landlords in Norwich are chasing thousands of pounds in rent payments from a letting agency which appears to have gone under.

Tenant demo in London calls for rent controls

Tenant demo in London calls for rent controls

News

Hundreds of tenants have staged a protest in central London calling for the government to introduce rent controls.

Major national park moves to restrict holiday lets

Major national park moves to restrict holiday lets

News

One of the UK’s larger national parks is planning to stop any new homes that are built within it being used as holiday/short lets or second homes.

Legal Matters: Serving notices, don’t fall foul of the law

Legal Matters: Serving notices, don’t fall foul of the law

Information

A crucial task for landlords and agents is to correctly serve statutory notices and other documents

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Campaigners target landlord's workplace over leaky flat

Campaigners target landlord's workplace over leaky flat

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Tenant group Acorn has protested outside a landlord’s shop after he refused to return a former tenant’s deposit in a dispute over a leak.

City council slammed for 'double standards' over HMO licensing

City council slammed for 'double standards' over HMO licensing

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Edinburgh Council has responded to accusations of double standards when housing homeless people in 30 unlicensed HMOs by moving tenants out of the properties.

Northern council targets HMOs with new planning rules

Northern council targets HMOs with new planning rules

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Hyndburn Council wants to deter landlords from making the most of its cheap properties and ‘multiple deprivation’ by clamping down on HMO conversions.

Landlord Christmas carol reflects on rental sector

Landlord Christmas carol reflects on rental sector

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As we approach the festive season of 2024, like many of us, I find myself drawn to Charles Dickens's timeless tale, A Christmas Carol.

NEW: Landlords 'most worried' by tax rises and renting reforms

NEW: Landlords 'most worried' by tax rises and renting reforms

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Landlords blame upcoming legislation and tax changes for causing 73% of them to feel less confident than they did last year.

Rent rises 'out of control' says tenant campaigning group

Rent rises 'out of control' says tenant campaigning group

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Renter groups have called on the government to do more to tackle ‘out of control’ rents, as a government survey reveals that more than a third of landlords increasing rents on new tenancies did so by at least 15%.

More landlords planning to sell properties

More landlords planning to sell properties

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Official figures reveal growing number of landlords considering property sales amid rising costs.

Banning tenant fees has been a success - claim academics

Banning tenant fees has been a success - claim academics

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The 2019 Tenant Fees Act, which over the past five years has severely restricted what fees landlords and letting agents can charge tenants, has been a success, two academics have claimed.

New partnership to help landlords manage changeovers better

New partnership to help landlords manage changeovers better

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A partnership has been agreed that will enable landlord who are members of the National Residential Landlords Association and letting agents to better manage tenancy changeovers, for free.

Agents report fewer landlord instructions as 'unintended consequences' kick in

Agents report fewer landlord instructions as 'unintended consequences' kick in

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Signs that the Government’s assault on landlords coupled with higher mortgage costs are chasing more out of the market than usual have come from the Royal Institute of Chartered Surveyors (RICS) this morning.

Tory MP says court delays MUST be fixed before Section 21 is abolished

Tory MP says court delays MUST be fixed before Section 21 is abolished

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Theresa Villiers warns court delays risk worsening landlord exodus and housing supply issues, urging reforms before Section 21 abolition.

New way to control HMOs revealed in Coventry - but will rest of UK follow suit?

New way to control HMOs revealed in Coventry - but will rest of UK follow suit?

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Coventry Council is hailing its crackdown on unlicensed HMOs a success after it fined landlords more than £100,000 in just two of the city’s streets.

Notorious landlord to pay staggering £480,000 fine over damp HMO

Notorious landlord to pay staggering £480,000 fine over damp HMO

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A notorious rogue landlord and his property management company have been handed a staggering £480,000 fine for renting out an HMO so damp that mushrooms were growing on the upper floors.

Property market 'past peak pain' but values still down 7% in 12 months

Property market 'past peak pain' but values still down 7% in 12 months

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The UK’s housing market is past ‘peak pain’ after a rollercoaster 12 months and is forecast to grow by 17.9% – equivalent to a £45,521 gain on the average home – within five years.

Airbnb 'irresponsible' for encouraging tenants to sublet rented homes

Airbnb 'irresponsible' for encouraging tenants to sublet rented homes

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A legal expert has warned that landlords face prosecution for running illegal HMOs if tenants follow Airbnb’s suggestion that they sub-let their homes.

Landlords WILL get eviction certainy from reform Bill, King tells MPs

Landlords WILL get eviction certainy from reform Bill, King tells MPs

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King Charles has heralded the government’s commitment to the Renters Reform Bill in his first King’s speech as monarch.

'Short-lets offer returns of up to five times traditional rents'

'Short-lets offer returns of up to five times traditional rents'

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Homes bought by landlords to rent out via short-let contracts create gross returns of between 12% and 20%, an estate agency has claimed.

The Section 21 Ban, will it progress?

The Section 21 Ban, will it progress?

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Will the Renters (Reform) Bill progress and ban Section 21, despite mounting opposition from Conservative back-benchers?

Landlord fined thousands AGAIN for same offence in same building

Landlord fined thousands AGAIN for same offence in same building

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A rogue landlord firm has been handed a £18,300 fine for letting out an unsafe, unlicensed property - only three months after being fined for the same offence in the same building.

Concern mounts over Government's 'weak' leasehold reforms

Concern mounts over Government's 'weak' leasehold reforms

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Government's Leasehold and Freehold Reform Act 2024 excludes flats from new leasehold ban, prompting MPs to call for broader reforms.

Goverment tax grab on landlords prompts a third to go 'limited'

Goverment tax grab on landlords prompts a third to go 'limited'

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A third of landlords who own rental property in their personal name plan to incorporate their portfolio into a limited company structure within the next three years, according to Paragon Bank.

Landlord to pay £8,000 after ignoring 'shed with bed' prohibition order

Landlord to pay £8,000 after ignoring 'shed with bed' prohibition order

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Rogue landlords who assume they can convert outbuildings into ‘sheds with beds’ have been reminded of the likely fines they will face following a shocking case in Hertfordshire.

LATEST: Renting reforms to be within tomorrow's King's Speech

LATEST: Renting reforms to be within tomorrow's King's Speech

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The Prime Minister has confirmed that the Renters Reform Bill will be carried over to the next Parliament, as part of this week’s King’s Speech.

Subletting by tenants on Airbnb now 'growing problem' says NRLA

Subletting by tenants on Airbnb now 'growing problem' says NRLA

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The National Landlords Association (NRLA) has backed claims that the buy-to-let sector faces a significant subletting epidemic following an investigation by a national newspaper.

Can the leasehold system in England be easily changed?

Can the leasehold system in England be easily changed?

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Exploring challenges in overhauling England's leasehold system amid calls for reform and government proposals to shift to commonhold ownership.

Landlord's 'sham' defence fails to avoid licensing fine

Landlord's 'sham' defence fails to avoid licensing fine

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A professional landlord who tried to dodge responsibility for his HMO has been ordered to pay two former tenants more than £10,000.

Edinburgh housing services at breaking point

Edinburgh housing services at breaking point

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Edinburgh councillors have declared a housing emergency in a bid to force Holyrood to boost funding.

Welsh tenants see bigger annual rent rise

Welsh tenants see bigger annual rent rise

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Private tenants in England were most likely to face a rent hike in the last year, while tenants in Wales saw a larger average increase.

Extra landlords boost property income tax pot

Extra landlords boost property income tax pot

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Average income from UK property remained relatively stable at about £16,700 between 2017/18 and 2021/22, according to the latest HMRC data.

Why it's smart to keep track of energy use

Why it's smart to keep track of energy use

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Encouraging tenants to fit a smart meter should be a top priority for landlords as a way to help them stay debt-free, according to one energy expert.

Landlord and Tenant Act 1954

Landlord and Tenant Act 1954

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Anyone investing in commercial property, from small retail shops to offices and workshops should have an understanding of this legislation - the Landlord and Tenant Act 1954

Court rejects challenge to Scottish rent controls

Court rejects challenge to Scottish rent controls

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Scottish landlords have vowed to fight on after losing a judicial review of legislation that introduced a contentious rent freeze and eviction ban.

Landlords and homeowners face similar retrofit challenge

Landlords and homeowners face similar retrofit challenge

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EPC ratings in the PRS don’t appear to be markedly different to those in owner-occupied homes, according to Office for National Statistics data.

Student accommodation facing 'unprecendented problems' warns expert

Student accommodation facing 'unprecendented problems' warns expert

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The student rental market faces a bleak future unless urgent action is taken to support landlords and make providing rental homes a more attractive proposition.