A disgruntled landlord has convinced a judge to have his rent repayment order case re-heard after arguing that council systems hindered his ability to apply for an HMO licence during the pandemic. Paul Fashade was told to pay three tenants a total of �11,
The government should raise the stamp duty surcharge on BTL purchases to favour those buying their own home, according to a new report from Joseph Rowntree Foundation (JRF). The social change group believes the surcharge should at least double to effectively disincentivise specu
Citizens Advice has urged the government to extend Awaabs law to the PRS to help the estimated 1.6 million children living in damp, mouldy or excessively cold privately rented homes. Awaab Ishtak died aged just two years old after living in a mouldy and
A new survey has downplayed the scale of landlords ready to quit the sector due to heavy-handed government regulations and upcoming legislation. Leaders Romans Groups poll of 271 landlords found that only 7% plan to sell up in the next year while 12% aim to reduce their portf
Nottingham councillors have voted through a contentious additional HMO licensing scheme. The current scheme, covering central areas of the city, will soon come to an end and the council plans to introduce a new citywide scheme in January 2024. It says this would pre
Peers have slammed the governments Boiler Upgrade Scheme for attracting a disappointingly low� take-up of grants. Launched in https://www.landlordzone.co.uk/news/latest-official-boiler-upgrade-scheme-launches-today-but-is-it-enough/" target="_blank" <stron
A BBC investigation has uncovered a new property rental scam that uses Facebook Marketplace and then fake accommodation booking sites to lure in unsuspecting tenants. Called an advance rent payment scam, a technique that has been around for many years, this version of it is more
The Government has now committed to delivering Awaabs Law in a new amendment to the Social Housing Regulation Bill. But does the Government intend to place the same onus on private landlords, and is this law totally fair? I cant help feeling perplexed as
Landlords in Bradford and Leeds are enjoying the UKs best rental yields, with those in Exeter seeing the largest annual growth last year. Yields have increased by as much as 2.5% in the past 12 months, according to Sirius Property Finance, which reports that as rent values ou
Student landlords have been warned their existing contracts won’t be entirely accurate once the Renters’ Rights Bill takes effect after the summer.
Small landlords with one or two properties could end up being replaced by larger portfolio or corporate landlords as part of the Government’s push to improve standards, according to a top property lawyer.
The agent’s professional body NAEA Propertymark has raised concerns about the running of the rental auctions scheme
A Utilita study shows 25% of UK households pay up to four times more for heating by using electric heaters instead of gas central heating, with added CO₂ emissions of 34 kg per year.
Empty homes should be targeted by the Government, rather than punishing the short-let sector, a holiday let firm has argued.
Less than one in ten rental properties currently on the market are pet-friendly, new research has revealed.
Tenants lodged an estimated 47,405 disputes across the PRS in 2024, a 13% increase on the previous year and the highest number in the past five years.
The Government has vowed that “seismic reforms” in its new Planning and Infrastructure Bill will help get families out of temporary accommodation.
Rents in purpose-built student accommodation (PBSA) continue to outpace HMOs, with foreign students particularly bolstering their growth.
Exeter is considering extending its Article 4 direction to help manage the impact of the citys student population. The current Article 4 restricting landlords rights to convert properties into HMOs is in an area close to the University of Exeters Streatham and S
Leading figures on both sides of the private rented sector have agreed that the Renters Reform Bill, along with the Governments other changes including tax relief, are driving landlords into the short lets market. The comments were made during a debate chaired by former North
The Minsitry of Justice has blamed a 23% jump in the number of private landlord possession during the first three months of the year on the Welsh PRS reforms, although volumes are still below pre-Covid levels. Quarterly figures from the Ministry of Justice show that claims
Experts Sean Hooker and Kate Faulkner discuss the Renters (Reform) Bill and its impact on landlords and tenants in the private rented sector.
Running a storage rentals business, supplying and letting space for inanimate objects, as opposed to people, is potentially far more lucrative and a lot less troublesome than operating as a residential landlord. The UK self-storage industry has grown steadily over the last twent
At least 410 buy-to-let mortgaged properties were repossessed in the first quarter of 2023, 28% higher than in the previous quarter - the highest level since the start of the pandemic. https://www.ukfinance.org.uk/" UK Finance reports that 970 buy-to-let mortg
A https://www.landlordzone.co.uk/news/court-fines-unlucky-but-rogue-landlord-12000-over-unlicensed-hmo/" rogue landlord who illegally subdivided his property into seven separate flats has been ordered to pay back more than �110,000 through the Proceeds of Crime Act.<br><
Buy-to-let landlords could add the cost of making properties more https://www.landlordzone.co.uk/news/landlords-rush-to-offload-their-energy-poor-properties/" energy efficient onto their mortgage in an initiative to make more UK homes greener. https:/
In the second in a series of blogs for LandlordZONE on rental reform, Sean Hooker , Head of Redress at the https://www.theprs.co.uk/" <e
Tenants could effectively move in and give notice the same day under proposals in the https://www.landlordzone.co.uk/news/renters-reform-bill-we-take-a-first-look-at-the-radical-new-legislation/" Renters (Reform) Bill . The draft legislation scraps assured shor
Private landlords across the UK have found themselves in hot water, and its no surprise that many are rushing to sell their property portfolios. A recent article by the BBC reported that private landlords had expressed critical concerns that their rents wont cover the cost
Court reforms and extra funding are needed if the governments overhaul of the evictions process is to succeed, warn landlord groups and eviction specialists. It has promised to abolish section 21 no fault evictions as part of the https://www.landlordzone.c
A new ombudsman known as the landlord redress scheme - and property portal would be compulsory for all private sector landlords.
First look at the Renters (Reform) Bill: groundbreaking tenant protections, streamlined landlord redress & flexible ‘pets-in-lets’ rules.
Purplebricks, which at one stage was used by thousands of landlords to manage their properties, has announced that its assets and business are to be sold to rival Strike for �1, pending approval by its shareholders. Any funds remaining in the firm some �5.5 million are
Michael Gove approves relaxed HMO rules for asylum seeker housing, exempting safety standards and licensing; critics warn of potential exploitation.
The long-awaited Renters (Reform) Bill will finally be introduced in parliament after Prime Minister's Questions today. Setting out plans for 12 key reforms to the private rental sector, the 11th pledge - to give tenants the right in law to request a pet, which should not be unr
Bungling letting agents with a lack of legal understanding are putting landlords at risk of prosecution, it has been claimed. One landlord expert has advised caution when signing up with a firm in the current climate of increasing legislation and falling profits, particularly fo
It would seem that successive Tory governments have waged an ongoing and progressively more vicious war on buy-to-let landlords, but this latest layer of legislation goes much further. Yes, this latest iteration, and one thats https://bills.parliament.uk/bills/1768/s
Almost two thirds (63%) of private landlords who manage their own properties are tired of sorting out repairs and dealing with red tape and considering using a letting agency or property manager instead. A Uswitch poll of 2,000 landlords found that the most common reason t
Labour pledges stricter Decent Homes Standard 2 for private landlords, raising property quality and accountability ahead of next general election.
Keir Starmer is set to rebuff previous calls by London mayor Sadiq Khan to bring in a rent freeze, it has been reported. Khan has been banging his rent freeze drum for months now as the cost-of-living crisis has hit many tenants personal finances, telling the BBC in Oct
The much-delayed Renters Reform Bill is rumoured to be getting its first reading tomorrow after Prime Ministers Questions, although the 'full meat' of the proposals will come later. Rumoured to be renamed the Rented Homes Bill or Renters (Reform) Bill, landlords are waitin
The Government is to finally introduce its long-delayed renting reforms into parliament later today following Prime Ministers Questions (PMQs) in the Commons. The Bill, which is to be called the Renters (Reform) Bill, will get its first reading just aft
A tenancy deposit affordacility crisis is looming as new data reveals that nearly a third of renters are borrowing money to pay for them, new research shows. The poll of 1,000 tenants reveals how they are using credit cards, personal loans, overdrafts and family loans to scrape
