Investigations have thrown new light on a series of solar energy investments which failed to switch the lights on for Thurrock Council. Conservative led Thurrock Council has saddled itself with an almost �500 million debt when it tried to bridge a funding gap by taking on risky
In this episode of the property cast, Eddie and Paul are joined by Nigel Lewis - award-winning property journalist and Editor in Chief at LandlordZONE, the most visited landlord news website in the UK. Nigel Lewis is a property writer and editor with a 27-year track record working for nation
In this episode of The Property Cast, we discuss the myriad of issues surrounding damp, mould and condensation a common problem for landlords and letting agents alike. To explore this topic, Sean Hooker, Head of Redress at the Property Redress Scheme, steps into Eddies sh
In this episode of The Property Cast, Eddie and Paul are joined by Maxine Fothergill, President of the leading membership body for property agents, ARLA Propertymark. The trio discuss the topical issue of rental reform and ROPA, delving into the detail of what lies ahead for age
Middle-income households are to be eligible for grants worth up to �15,000 to make their homes more energy efficient says Grant Shapps, the business secretary. Grant Shapps is to announce the plans for insulation grants to help households fund loft insulation, cavity wall insul
Portsmouth is to go ahead with its contested additional licensing scheme but has promised to reward good landlords by charging them a lower licence fee and doing fewer inspections. Landlords had urged their council not to go ahead with plans to extend licensing to about 4,000 th
The long awaited renting reforms first muted in 2019 will be implemented next year, promises Housing Secretary, Michael Gove MP. Admitting that the Government should have moved more quickly� on these reforms to protect tenants following the Grenfell Tower tragedy, Mr Gove
A landlord battling to evict his nightmare tenants using a Section 8 order is exasperated that county court bailiffs encouraged them to stay put. The Cumbrian-based landlord had been granted a possession order, but his tenants - on bail for alleged drug offences and owing �3,00
The Government has averted a looming crisis in the HMO sector that would have seen many tenants charged individually for council tax, rather than paying a share of the propertys annual bill. As LandlordZONEhttps://www.landlordzone.co.uk/news/exclusive-official-counci
Commercial property has been hit hard over the Covid period. Rightmove, with its copious amounts of data, has identified something of a turnaround
A former estate agent who founded one of the UK’s largest property firms has been named by Kemi Badenoch as shadow housing secretary.
The Government is to become a significant provider of affordable private sector rental homes with plans to build some 3,000 units under a new name, Habiko.
A landlord who forgot to chase up a licencing application for her rented property in London has paid a heavy price for her mistake after being ordered to return rent totalling £11,245 to her tenants.
Comment has been made the Chartered Institue of Health Officers, which says such schemes should be the key tool for improving PRS home quality.
Despite the overall good news, many landlords have remained in brace position and have reached out to exit the market and sell their buy-to-lets.
Property auctioneers gave revealed its concerns about the Chancellor’s decision to raise Stamp Duty for those who purchase buy-to-let properties.
Prince William has promised to upgrade the private rental properties he rents out via the Duchy of Cornwall after reports over the weekend.
A lobbying group for renters’ rights is hoping to persuade MPs to make the Government’s renting reform legislation regulated landlords even harder.
Commercial Property : A recent High Court decision in Co-Operative Group Food Ltdv. A&A Shah Properties Ltd (2019) relates to an authorised guaranteeagreement (AGA) dispute, in this case an agreement involving a guarantor of theoutgoing tenant. <p id
The Government has announced its intention to scrap Section 21 notices for eviction in an effort to offer tenants more long-term security.
Commercial: A new set of mandatory rules introduced from 1stApril 2019 and though the document itself is titled a first edition, itsupersedes 3 previous editions published as codes of practice. The RICS (Royal Institution of Ch
Security: Renovating a buy-to-let property can be a great way for landlords to increase the rental income
Abandonment: When times get hard the instances of tenants leaving without notice are known to increase. Doing a runner�, skipping� moonlight flitting� walking away� or gone away� and in the words of the immortal song;
Tenancy Deposits: According to TDS (Tenancy Deposit Scheme) less than 1% (0.85%) of tenancies they handle have resulted in a deposit dispute in the year to March 2018, nevertheless its important to get it right when dealing with tenants' deposits.Cleaning was the most com
Viewpoint by Tom Entwistle As winter approaches outside temperatures drop and the perennial landlords problem of winter condensation and black mould rear their ugly heads again.The question is, how do you know if this is caused by the building or the tenant, or is it a co
Landlords' Tax: Internet sites, such as AirBnB, have increased the number of landlords letting to lodgers and to guests on short stays. There are specific tax benefits to this type of letting business which are expanded upon below.Furnished holiday letting</st
Section 21: Most tenancies will never require the service of a Section 21, Housing Act 1988, (eviction) notice. However, on those occasions when it does become necessary, and you just never know, landlords (and agents) will thank their lucky starts they complied with the rul
Asbestos:Asbestos regulations were last updated in 2012 , bringing the UK in line with EU regulations, which means the current regulations have been in place long enough for most
The Application Form You should always use a comprehensive Tenancy Application Form when taking on a new tenant. You need a completed application for each adult tenant in the property.The Tenancy application form is a very important starting point for any residential or comm
End of an AST: Questions: What happens when an Assured Shorthold Tenancy (AST) comes to an end? Will the tenant have to leave or does she need to sign a new agreement? What if a tenant wants to leave early? How long can a periodic tenancy last?When the fixed term (minimum of
Landlords often buy flats which are either Leasehold or Shared Freehold. What are these tenures and what should landlords look out for in these different forms of ownership?Leasehold is one of three forms of tenure (property/land ownership) almost exclusively peculiar to the United Kingdom, thoug
Landlord's Access to Property: Many landlords will have experienced a tenant denying them access to a property - whether for an inspection, viewings or legal duties. Its easy to understand the view of Its my property, I can enter when I want, but unfortunately th
New Rules for Section 21 :Landlords and Agents need to be aware of the changes affecting Section 21 rules and Notices and other changes for the letting of residential properties in England (and in many cases Wales) introduced during 2015 . This article explains the new rules
Many landlords have long suspected that the DCLG approved national calculation methodologies and software programs were seriously flawed when they produced EPC ratings for buildings following energy assessments.So news that new software is being introduced which is claimed to be more accurate is
Serving Notices: Landlords and agents often get confused as to how they should serve Notices on their tenants.Ordinarily it wouldnt matter what method is used, but if you end up in court with a possession or money claim, or some such court action, then what and how you se
Tenant are Consumers: The UK Consumer Protection law applies to letting agents and landlords alike when they advertise a property to let or create a new tenancy. It also applies to most private landlords when they deal with letting agents, unless they operate as a company.
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
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 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
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
