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Landlord slapped with �40,700 fine after 'honest mistake' over HMO licence

Landlord slapped with �40,700 fine after 'honest mistake' over HMO licence

News

A lettings agency boss and landlord has been slapped with a �40,700 Rent Repayment Officer despite claiming that his failure to licence an HMO was an honest mistake. A First Tier Property Tribunal handed five former tenants the maximum award for the period from September 2019 t

Scottish government unveils controversial rent reform plans

Scottish government unveils controversial rent reform plans

News

Scotland’s Housing Bill proposes rent controls, winter eviction bans, pet rights & tougher eviction penalties in private sector overhaul.

Bristol significantly expands HMO and selective licensing schemes

Bristol significantly expands HMO and selective licensing schemes

News

Bristol has approved plans to extend landlord licensing in Brislington West, Bedminster and Horfield wards in a bid to raise PRS standards. The scheme includes additional licensing - HMOs with three or more unrelated people sharing facilities and selective licensing - privat

Durham’s new licensing scheme for 29,000 homes: What you need

Durham’s new licensing scheme for 29,000 homes: What you need

News

Durham County Council's selective licensing scheme covers 29,000 homes, requiring landlords to apply by 31 July for a £350–£500 licence fee.

Test Case: Council advising tenants to stay put after valid s21 notice served

Test Case: Council advising tenants to stay put after valid s21 notice served

News

This is a Local Government and Social Care Ombudsman case involving an unnamed landlord (LandlordX or MrX) and Brentwood Borough Council. The case revolves around a common situation where the landlord required possession of the property after serving a valid section 21 notice un

'Let’s not forget property remains the best performing investment'

'Let’s not forget property remains the best performing investment'

Opinion

I've been in the property investment business for almost 30 years and during this period opportunities have come and gone but I've yet to discover an asset class that perf

OPINION: The EPC ratings system is 'not fit for purpose'

OPINION: The EPC ratings system is 'not fit for purpose'

Opinion

Ever since I started to market one of my commercial buildings around 10 years ago now, I began to doubt the efficacy of the EPC rating system. The guy that came along to do the inspection told me himself he had just completed a 6 week course, or whatever it was, to train to be a

BREAKING: Government toughens up smoke and C0 alarm regulations

BREAKING: Government toughens up smoke and C0 alarm regulations

News

Social and private landlords are to face tougher new rules which make it mandatory to fit smoke alarms in all rented accommodation regardless of tenure, and widen the conditions under which they must be fitted. Revisions to the smoke and carbon monoxide detector regulations also

ANALYSIS: Does buy-to-let still beat the stock market?

ANALYSIS: Does buy-to-let still beat the stock market?

News

If you had �50k to invest right now, where would you put it, buy-to-let property or stocks and shares? Certainly leaving it in a traditional savings account, with interest rates as they are at rock bottom, thats out of the question. And with the threat of rising inflation ea

EXCLUSIVE: Costliest and most common landlord insurance claims

EXCLUSIVE: Costliest and most common landlord insurance claims

News

Research carried out by LandlordZONEs insurance partner, Hamilton Fraser Total Landlord Insurance, revealed that the vast majority of landlords, https://hamiltonfraser.co.uk/knowledge/good-landlord-quiz-results/?utm_source=landlordzone&utm_medium=article&utm_campaign=lz_november

Opinion: Should landlords dive into heat pumps?

Opinion: Should landlords dive into heat pumps?

Opinion

The move to provide home heating and hot water by this method is part of a Government strategy aimed at making deep cuts to greenhouse gas emissions and decarbonizing the UK's power sector by 2035. Prime Minister Boris Johnson says the scheme was designed to bring low-carbon hea

UPDATED: Bailiff evictions to be suspended over Xmas and New Year for a month

UPDATED: Bailiff evictions to be suspended over Xmas and New Year for a month

News

Tenants facing eviction in England are to be protected from losing their homes during the Christmas and New Year period, HM Courts and Tribunal has confirmed. Between 13th December and 10th January no evictions should be s

Tax changes for Airbnb landlords 'in the pipeline' to stop gaming of the rates system

Tax changes for Airbnb landlords 'in the pipeline' to stop gaming of the rates system

News

Some holiday lets owners are gaming the system to claim business rate relief, comments made by the Housing Minister Lord Greenhalgh suggest, who has promised action to clamp down on the practice. In a Lords debate on second homes, peers voiced concerns that second homeo

Asylum seeker HMO operator fined �60,000 for running house without licence

Asylum seeker HMO operator fined �60,000 for running house without licence

News

A company that houses asylum seekers has been fined more than �60,000 for HMO offences in Newport. Clearsprings Ready Homes, which has the contract for operating accommodation for asylum seekers in Wales, was found guilty of letting an HMO in Redland Street (pictured), in the B

Bill to make EPC rules mandatory early 'unlikely to become law' after stabbing

Bill to make EPC rules mandatory early 'unlikely to become law' after stabbing

News

The Minimum Energy Performance of Buildings Bill, which aimed to advance the governments energy efficiency commitments, is in doubt following the tragic death of David Amess MP. He was the presentation bills main sponsor in the Commons, launching it at the same time as Lor

Should holiday-let owners be paying council tax?

Should holiday-let owners be paying council tax?

News

However, Carol Lewis writing for the Sunday Times newspaper thinks that holiday let owners should be paying council tax. Given that levelling up is the government's buzzword du jour, it is time to level the playing field and bring holiday-home owners in line wi

Landlords left struggling to claw back deposits owed after property firm ceases trading

Landlords left struggling to claw back deposits owed after property firm ceases trading

News

Landlords and letting agents hit by the collapse of Ash Residential Property Management Limited (ARPM) have been left struggling to claw back deposits and fees after it ceased trading last month with debts of almost �1.5m. At least 8,000 properties and their landlords are affec

HMRC warns holiday let owners about their tax obligations

HMRC warns holiday let owners about their tax obligations

News

HMRC warns that owners must accurately declare these earnings on their self assessment tax returns or face criminal charges if in default. A boom in bookings The Covid pandemic has stored up excess demand for stay at home Britains under the foreign holiday restrictio

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Councils given more powers to licence landlord properties

Councils given more powers to licence landlord properties

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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

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News
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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

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News
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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

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News
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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

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

What should the new rental contracts be called? Have your say!

What should the new rental contracts be called? Have your say!

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News
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Property experts are pondering what the government might name new tenancies created by the Renters’ Rights Bill.

Council takes unusual approach to signing off HMOs

Council takes unusual approach to signing off HMOs

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News
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A district council has come up with a set of exceptional circumstances to help decide when to give the go-ahead to new HMOs.

Student landlord lands £2.3 million refinancing deal

Student landlord lands £2.3 million refinancing deal

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News
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A landlord in Liverpool has secured £2.3 million to refinance eight student HMOs within the city and unusually has gone public about the deal.

TikTok craze ruining end-of-tenancy deposit returns

TikTok craze ruining end-of-tenancy deposit returns

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News
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Sticky back plastic tiles have been singled out as the biggest scourge faced by landlords at the end of a tenancy.

Most property investors give Labour planning reforms thumbs down

Most property investors give Labour planning reforms thumbs down

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News
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Three quarter of property investors have not welcomed the Government's planning reforms, saying they won't get Britain building.

Scots landlords meet new housing minister over rent control worries

Scots landlords meet new housing minister over rent control worries

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News
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Landlords in Scotland are encouraged by the new Housing Secretary’s willingness to collaborate but remain concerned abou rent controls.

BREAKING: Angela Rayner resigns as Housing Secretary

BREAKING: Angela Rayner resigns as Housing Secretary

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News
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Housing secretary has resigned from her three roles, admitting her actions didn't meet the highest standards given her senior position in Government.

DO YOU? Most landlords now happy to let tenants decorate

DO YOU? Most landlords now happy to let tenants decorate

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News
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Seven in ten landlords are now open to tenants personalising their homes, while a third of tenants get involved in decoration plans.

More tenants reporting maintenance and repair issues

More tenants reporting maintenance and repair issues

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News
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Leaks, alarms and boiler breakdowns are the most common problems facing tenants and property managers, according to new research.

Is Angela Rayner about to lose her job overseeing landlords?

Is Angela Rayner about to lose her job overseeing landlords?

Opinion
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The chance of Angela Rayner losing her job overseeing the housing market are growing following new revelations.

BLOG: Labour thinks landlord income is 'unearned' and must be taxed harder - why?

BLOG: Labour thinks landlord income is 'unearned' and must be taxed harder - why?

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News
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LandlordZONE's Nigel Lewis looks at Labour's odd obsession with landlording 'not being real work'.

REVEALED: How much more HMO operators earn than other landlords

REVEALED: How much more HMO operators earn than other landlords

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News
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Landlords who operate HMOs collect rents almost twice as much as those who operate ‘family homes’, new research shows.

Date set for Renters' Right Bill final stage next week

Date set for Renters' Right Bill final stage next week

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News
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The Renters’ Rights Bill is now almost certain to become law before the political parties break for the party conference season.

COMMENT: HMRC Spot Checks on Landlords – be prepared for a “Fishing Expedition”

COMMENT: HMRC Spot Checks on Landlords – be prepared for a “Fishing Expedition”

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News
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HMRC spot checks – “fishing expeditions” – what they mean for you and how to be prepared

Big pet charity warns Ministers off rental property pet deposits

Big pet charity warns Ministers off rental property pet deposits

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News
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Battersea Cats and Dogs Home has warned Labour not to allow landlords to demand that tenants take out pet deposits.

BLOG: 'Small landlords are under siege and it won't end well'

BLOG: 'Small landlords are under siege and it won't end well'

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News
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The UK’s private rental sector is undergoing one of the most dramatic shifts in decades and not for the better says leading broker.

Big NW council brings in unusual 'immediate' HMO restrictions

Big NW council brings in unusual 'immediate' HMO restrictions

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News
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Halton council, which includes two big towns outside Liverpool, wants to heavily restrict HMO conversions.

Two thirds of landlords 'unprepared' for renting reform tsunami

Two thirds of landlords 'unprepared' for renting reform tsunami

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News
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Only one in six landlords (16%) are fully prepared for the Renters’ Rights Bill says new poll.

Labour's NI taxation plan for landlords to cost £722 per property

Labour's NI taxation plan for landlords to cost £722 per property

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News
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The true extent of extra cost faced by landlords by the Chancellor's NI plans are revealed.

'Ensuring tenants can pay their rent isn't controversial'

'Ensuring tenants can pay their rent isn't controversial'

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News
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Fergus and Judith Wilson say their reputation isn't justified, and argue that they are good landlords.

Council faces backlash over selective licensing scheme renewal

Council faces backlash over selective licensing scheme renewal

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News
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Private tenants already been warned that rents will rise by £15 a month to pay for new scheme.

Angela Rayner urged by nearly 50 organisations to U-turn on pet damage insurance

Angela Rayner urged by nearly 50 organisations to U-turn on pet damage insurance

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News
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Pet campaigners have written to Angela Rayner in a last-ditch attempt to reinstate landlords’ ability to require pet damage insurance in the Renters’

Council leader attacks 'hard-nosed' landlords over illegal HMOs

Council leader attacks 'hard-nosed' landlords over illegal HMOs

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News
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Essex borough of Basildon reveals huge crackdown on landlords who run unlicensed HMOs.

Small-Scale Build-to-Rent, a hidden gem opportunity for SME landlords

Small-Scale Build-to-Rent, a hidden gem opportunity for SME landlords

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News
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Direction of travel: all the regulatory changes to the private rented sector (PRS) say, it’s go bigger or get out

How have Labour changed the lettings market in one year?

How have Labour changed the lettings market in one year?

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Labour’s first year: Renters' rights up, reforms underway, pace lags promises.

New report reveals shocking facts about UK's rogue landlords

New report reveals shocking facts about UK's rogue landlords

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News
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A major investigation into rogue landlords within he private rented sector has made some shocking claims.

BLOG: 'Renters' Rights Bill will change everything for landlords and tenants'

BLOG: 'Renters' Rights Bill will change everything for landlords and tenants'

Opinion
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Landlord and tenant dispute specialist explores some of the key issues that the looming Renters' Rights Bill will throw up.

Labour's NI tax raid 'to hit millions of pensions'

Labour's NI tax raid 'to hit millions of pensions'

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News
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Landlords have claimed that HM Treasury plans to charge National Insurance (NI) on rents is a raid on millions of people’s pension