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Dismay as renting reforms finally hit the buffers

Dismay as renting reforms finally hit the buffers

News

The Renters (Reform) Bill has been abandoned and must now go back to the drawing board after years of uncertainty and political wrangling.

South West properties see strongest tenant demand

South West properties see strongest tenant demand

News

Eight in 10 landlords are reporting strong levels of tenant demand, Paragon Bank research has revealed.

All for nothing? General election 'death knell for Tories' renting reforms'

All for nothing? General election 'death knell for Tories' renting reforms'

News

The Renters (Reform) Bill is almost dead in the water following the announcement of a 4th July general election which probably won’t leave time for it to become law before Parliament is dissolved next Thursday.

Comment: The Labour Party is at odds with itself over rent controls, just how effective are they?

Comment: The Labour Party is at odds with itself over rent controls, just how effective are they?

News

The threat of rent control still lingers, despite Labour claiming the party policy goes against it, landlords still leaving...

Experts pour cold water on Welsh rent controls plans

Experts pour cold water on Welsh rent controls plans

News

The Welsh Government should reinforce existing legislation, remove barriers to building more adequate homes and improve how it collects data instead of bringing rent controls into the housing debate, according to Propertymark.

Northern Mayor vows to seize properties from rogue landlords

Northern Mayor vows to seize properties from rogue landlords

News

New North East mayor Kim McGuinness has vowed to seize properties from irresponsible landlords as part of her plan to stand up for renters.

Right to Rent rules relaxed to help landlords and agents

Right to Rent rules relaxed to help landlords and agents

News

Changes to the EU Settlement Scheme mean tenants granted pre-settled status can continue to prove their right to rent easily while landlords will be better able to check their immigration status.

Sunak names date for election as 55% of landlords revealed 'undecided'

Sunak names date for election as 55% of landlords revealed 'undecided'

News

Landlords are likely to be targeted heavily by political parties as new research shows most remain undecided following Rishi Sunak’s decision to go for a July 4th General Election.

Council to 'educate' renters in person if they live within new licencing areas

Council to 'educate' renters in person if they live within new licencing areas

News

Gateshead plans to include a third of its private rented properties in a selective licencing scheme that also aims to improve tenants’ wellbeing and prompt landlords to boost energy efficiency.

Housing minister slammed over failure to weed out rogue letting agents

Housing minister slammed over failure to weed out rogue letting agents

News

A cross-party group of peers has attacked the government for sidestepping its proposals to clamp down on rogue letting agents.

Tenants should face consequences if they don't pay the rent, say landlords

Tenants should face consequences if they don't pay the rent, say landlords

News

Landlords are less worried by the Government’s looming Renters (Reform) Bill and more concerned about the financial squeeze they face including tenants who don’t pay their rent, a new poll reveals.

160,000 rented homes 'disappear' from rental market

160,000 rented homes 'disappear' from rental market

News

At least 163,000 privately rented properties disappeared from the market between 2019 and the end of 2023 as the number of landlords selling up outstripped purchases.

Legal Matters: Your Section 21 notice – is it valid?

Legal Matters: Your Section 21 notice – is it valid?

Information

Serving a Section 21 notice - you need to be meticulous in your preparation, making sure you have complied faultlessly with all the regulations

Ending fixed-term tenancies 'doesn't make sense' says Foxtons

Ending fixed-term tenancies 'doesn't make sense' says Foxtons

News

A big lettings agency has questioned why the government is set on pursuing the end to fixed term tenancies, while ignoring the needs of landlords and tenants.

Labour report says tenants should be given 'rights charter'

Labour report says tenants should be given 'rights charter'

News

A Labour-commissioned review of the private rented sector has called for a new renters’ charter to strengthen tenants’ rights and a mandatory National Landlords Register to help enforce compliance.

London landlords to repay tenants £45,000 after Tribunal decisions

London landlords to repay tenants £45,000 after Tribunal decisions

News

Three London landlords are to pay over £45,000 in rent back to their tenants following separate Tribunal decisions, highlighting the increasing risks of Rent Repayment Orders as renters become more aware of the huge sums that are often involved.

Council launches licencing despite 'NO' from 73% of landlords

Council launches licencing despite 'NO' from 73% of landlords

News

The London Borough of Lambeth is to launch a £923 per property selective licencing scheme in four wards this September after a lengthy consultation period that began in December last year.

EXCLUSIVE: Landlord reveals why his green upgrade cost £150,000

EXCLUSIVE: Landlord reveals why his green upgrade cost £150,000

News

A landlord who raised a rental property's EPC from a band F to an A has urged others to make energy efficiency improvements that benefit both their property and their tenants.

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'New model rental contracts in Wales put deposits in jeapordy'

'New model rental contracts in Wales put deposits in jeapordy'

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News
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Landlords in Wales have found themselves unable to make deductions to deposits when using occupation contract templates, it has been claimed.

Selective licencing given green light in 'blighted' seaside town

Selective licencing given green light in 'blighted' seaside town

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News
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Northumberland council is the latest to approve more selective licencing with two wards in the seaside town of Blythe.

Landlord minister joins new Labour housing team

Landlord minister joins new Labour housing team

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Five new housing ministers have been tasked with helping the government deliver homes and reform the PRS – and one of them is a landlord.

Labour told to address dire rental supply problem

Labour told to address dire rental supply problem

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News
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Frustrated surveyors have urged the government to introduce fair legislation that increases supply as landlords continue to quit the sector.

WARNING: Hasty eviction reforms will be 'nail in coffin' of PRS

WARNING: Hasty eviction reforms will be 'nail in coffin' of PRS

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News
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Propertymark has warned that abolishing Section 21 without an adequate replacement mechanism will add 'another nail in the coffin' of the PRS.

Council to launch third licencing scheme charging £609

Council to launch third licencing scheme charging £609

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News
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Salford Council is to launch a consultation into reviving one of its selective licencing schemes - offering landlords slightly cheaper licences than eight years ago.

POLL: Higher costs to force 85% of landlords to raise rents

POLL: Higher costs to force 85% of landlords to raise rents

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News
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Most buy-to-let landlords plan to raise rents in the next 12 months after being hammered by higher interest rates and operating costs.

Rental arrears ease as cost-of-living crisis recedes

Rental arrears ease as cost-of-living crisis recedes

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News
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Fewer tenants are going into rent arrears, according to the latest figures from Handelsbanken.

Idea of rent caps 'scares the life out of landlords' warns Shamplina

Idea of rent caps 'scares the life out of landlords' warns Shamplina

Podcast
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Podcast
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Paul Shamplina warns that introducing rent caps could drive landlords out of the market, potentially worsening housing supply issues.

Student landlord slams council over 'unfair' £45,000 licencing fee

Student landlord slams council over 'unfair' £45,000 licencing fee

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News
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A property management company has slammed its local council for charging a student accommodation block nearly £45,000 under the selective licensing scheme.

LibDems promise to give landlords tax breaks for green upgrades

LibDems promise to give landlords tax breaks for green upgrades

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News
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Landlords should be allowed to offset spending on insulation and energy-saving improvements against tax, according to the Liberal Democrats.

Landlord mortgage arrears jump by 29%, official figures show

Landlord mortgage arrears jump by 29%, official figures show

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News
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The tough economic conditions bearing down on landlords are starting to push up mortgage arrears, latest data from lenders’ trade body UK Finance has revealed.

Mystery shopper research 'proves landlords racially profile applicants' - claim

Mystery shopper research 'proves landlords racially profile applicants' - claim

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News
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New research by Generation Rent reveals that white people are 36% more likely to receive a positive response when applying to rent on SpareRoom than black people.

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

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

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News
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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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News
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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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News
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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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News
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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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News
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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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News
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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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News
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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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News
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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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News
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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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News
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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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News
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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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News
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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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News
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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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News
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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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News
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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.