The Home Office has revealed plans to hugely increase the level of fines that landlords can face if they are found to have not checked tenants properly to see if they have the
A landlord in the North West has been handed a �36,000 fine after a fire at his property revealed it had not been licenced.
Warwick is the latest local authority planning to more than double the size of its HMO licencing scheme, starting in January 2024. This follows a public consultation earlier t
Official figures out today revealing a huge increase in capital gains tax paid on residential property sales can be explained by more landlords than usual selling rental homes
Landlords have warned the Bank of England that its decision to raise the base rate by a quarter of a percent to 5.25% will only put more pressure on to renters and buy-to-let
The rental market in the UK has undergone something of a revolution in recent years, with a significant shift away from permanent or long-term renting towards Airbnb style hol
Landlords operating good-quality and well managed rented properties and who are of good character should fight unfair council fines for failing to licence properties, an unusu
Higher taxes and the pandemic have significantly increased the number of landlords starting up limited companies rather than owning and operating properties personally, new re
Market rents hit historic high of £1,367 PCM as void periods plunge—explore the market shift and what it means for landlords.
There is a burning issue within the rented homes market that is grossly unfair on private landlords and that is never discussed by politicians or the trade associations that o
Being ignorant of landlord law is no defence, a brutal legal point that has cost a landlord duo in London dearly after they were told by judges to repay their tenants �12,500
The Governments plans to force landlords to upgrade their properties to a minimum C energy efficiency standard is already affecting how rental properties are being purchased, the boss of a big money firm has claimed. Louisa Sedgwick, Commercial Director at Paragon Bank
The pattern of office working is changing and nowhere is its effect on commercial property being felt more strongly than in Londons Docklands Canary Wharf. A once thriving financial centre The development of the wharf into a thriving financial centre just outsi
Michael Gove has given Nottingham city council the green light to proceed with one of the UKs most expensive and controversial selective licensing schemes. Due to start on December 1st, it will require all rented properties within 20 of its wards to be licenc
A leading lender believes the governments likely decision to row back on EPCs is linked to fears that it will hit an already struggling PRS. Earlier this week, Housing Secretary Michael Gove suggested a delay in bringing in energy efficiency plans for rental properties to
Home buying company the Open Property Group (OPG) has reported a 56% jump in PRS property purchases during the past year, with landlords blaming red tape for their decision to sell up. It bought nearly �6 million worth of property from homeowners and landlords looking for a fas
Three tenants have won a �20,160 rent repayment order from their landlord who failed to licence his HMO. A First Tier Property Tribunal found that Simon Freed let out the three-bedroom flat in Frognal Court, Camden (main picture), a
The Scottish Government has decided not to publish details of how many landlords north of the border have applied to raise their rent above the 3% maximum allowed under the countrys Cost of Living (Tenant Protection) (Scotland) Act. This controversial legislation was first in
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
Penetrating damp, just as its name implies, is where water leaks into a building from outside the structure, through the walls or roof. Less common is where an internal leak from a water or drain pipe leaks into the structure of the building.Common causes of penetrating damp are: <ul <l
Fire Regulations in Rentals: There are several regulations relating to fire safety within rental dwellings; some affect all dwellings whereas others apply mainly to Houses in Multiple Occupation (HMO).This looks complicated, but fire safety management in reality boils down t
Damp & Mould: You may have seen or heard of the 1970s TV series Rising Damp, which featured a landlord and his tenants (lodgers in this case) which rather implies that all rental properties are troubled with this kind of damp.Far from the case, but some are. In fact the
How to Rent Guide : very important when setting up a new tenancy, or on renewal, and when serving a section 21 notice.
University students rate Bath as having the best letting agents in the UK based on the number of reviews and average ratings.
A rogue landlord has been prosecuted for letting eight unlicensed HMOs which breached health and safety rules that put his tenants at risk.
A Kent landlord who dumped a huge pile of his tenant’s belongings in a country lane was rumbled after an investigation traced it back to him.
One of the biggest discussion strings on any landlord forum including our own is how far tenants are allowed to modify or refurbish their property, with many users claiming some renters go too far.
A director of the Scottish Women’s Premier League (SWPL) has been found guilty of defrauding her landlord with an elaborate scam.
The Mortgage Works (TMW) has shaken up the BTL lending market by making improvements to the affordability assessment applied to portfolio landlords.
New Government schemes that are offering advice to help tenants with legal issues
The Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) is scrutinising green claims from boiler maker Worcester Bosch to see if they mislead landlords.
The Renters Reform Bill is expected to get its second reading on Monday, heralding a huge shake-up of the sector after four years in the planning.
A leading landlord has welcomed the Government’s recent U-turn on EPCs, telling a webinar this week that he was facing a ‘crazy’ bill to upgrade his portfolio of properties to the minimum ‘C’ band.
A quarter of landlords are to sell some of their property portfolio in the coming months but not in the volumes previously claimed, a big letting agency has claimed.
Energy Security and Net Zero Secretary Claire Coutinho (main picture) has rejected the idea of tax breaks for landlords to pay for green upgrades.
Harlow Council in Essex aims to take a harder line with private landlords by introducing civil penalties as an alternative to prosecution.
Landlord leader Ben Beadle has pinned the shortage of private rental sector homes squarely on the Government, saying George Osborne’s decision in 2015 to cut mortgage interest tax relief for landlords has been the key driver of the current stock crisis.
Tenants on benefits will get more help when paying court fees during evictions and claiming Rent Repayment Orders after the government expanded its Help with Fees scheme.
Burnley Council has launched plans to clamp down on landlords converting homes into small HMOs.
PRS chief Sean Hooker relects on the bumpy ride landlords face in the coming months, and how they can get prepared for the changes.
The average mortgaged landlord paid 37% of their rent on mortgage interest in August, up from a low of 24% in November 2021, according to Hamptons.
Thirty charities and non-profit organisations have written to the Prime Minister urging him to ensure the Renters Reform Bill is passed during this Parliament.
A WhatsApp-style ‘dating service’ designed to marry up landlords and tenants has launched seeking to simplify London’s ‘chaotic’ private rented sector and rival established portals such as Rightmove and Zoopla.
There’s now a significant proportion of adults in the UK struggling to meet their rent or mortgage payments
Landlords who took out a new mortgage between April and June this year made an annual cash loss for the first time since 2007.
A landlord who ignored improvement notices on his two unlicensed properties has been handed a £15,000 fine by magistrates.
It is very convenient and timely to accept documents relating to tenancies signed electronically and transmitted electronically - are they legal valid?
