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Rents in purpose-built student accommodation continue to outpace HMOs

Rents in purpose-built student accommodation continue to outpace HMOs

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Rents in purpose-built student accommodation (PBSA) continue to outpace HMOs, with foreign students particularly bolstering their growth.

Renting costs more than buying a home, Zoopla data reveals

Renting costs more than buying a home, Zoopla data reveals

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First-time buyers are paying 20% less a month on their mortgage payments compared to what tenants pay in rent, new figures have revealed.

Landlord slams lender after it sends letters to his tenants showing monthly mortgage payments

Landlord slams lender after it sends letters to his tenants showing monthly mortgage payments

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Nottingham benefits landlord Mick Roberts has slammed Barclays after it sent letters to 22 of his tenants, listing his monthly payments and erroneously alerting them that he is in mortgage arrears.

Rogue landlord duo hit with £90,000 fines after e-bike fire

Rogue landlord duo hit with £90,000 fines after e-bike fire

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A rogue landlord duo has been fined more than £90,000 for safety offences that led to the death of one of their tenants in a fire.

Rogue landlords are not always who they seem…

Rogue landlords are not always who they seem…

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Not all poor housing standards are in the private sector, many social landlords have problems reaching the new higher standards

House prices dip as buyers brace for higher stamp duty

House prices dip as buyers brace for higher stamp duty

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House prices dipped by 0.1% in February, but annual growth held steady at 2.9%, with the cost of an average property down £213 to £298,602.

Letting agents urge peers to listen to their concerns ahead of the Renters’ Rights Bill committee stage in the House of Lords

Letting agents urge peers to listen to their concerns ahead of the Renters’ Rights Bill committee stage in the House of Lords

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Letting agents have urged peers to listen to their concerns ahead of the Renters’ Rights Bill committee stage in the House of Lords.

More councils will launch selective licensing if 20/20 rule is ditched, legal expert warns

More councils will launch selective licensing if 20/20 rule is ditched, legal expert warns

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A legal expert has warned that ditching the 20/20 rule around selective licensing will prompt more councils to launch or expand schemes.

Tenants complain less about their landlords in reality, new survey suggests

Tenants complain less about their landlords in reality, new survey suggests

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Tenants complain less about their landlords in reality, a new survey has suggested.

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'FEELING THE SQUEEZE': Third of tenants spending half their salary on rent

'FEELING THE SQUEEZE': Third of tenants spending half their salary on rent

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More than one in three tenants in the UK spend at least half their salary on rent, according to new data from flat-share site SpareRoom. Its poll of 11,000 private renters reveals that 81% spend more than 30% of their take-home pay on rent, leaving them rent burdened, mean

Annual rent inflation climbs again hitting nearly 5% across much of UK

Annual rent inflation climbs again hitting nearly 5% across much of UK

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Rent inflation continued to climb last month up by 0.1% to 4.7%, the Governments latest data for England shows. The Official for National Statistics (ONS) reports the annual increase, which compares the 12 months to the end of April 2023 to the previous months rent data.</

LISTEN IN: The Renters (Reform) Bill - what do the experts think?

LISTEN IN: The Renters (Reform) Bill - what do the experts think?

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In this bonus episode of The Property Cast, Sean Hooker, Head of Redress at the Property Redress Scheme, and leading property expert Kate Faulkner OBE, share their initial reactions to the Renters (Reform) Bill. In perhaps the biggest shake-up of the private rented sector in ove

POLL: Portfolio landlords moving to commercial as PRS becomes more difficult

POLL: Portfolio landlords moving to commercial as PRS becomes more difficult

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Large portfolio&nbsp;landlords are feeling upbeat despite the tough economic climate, with many eyeing the commercial sector for their next property purchase. The https://www.handelsbanken.co.uk/en/about-us" target="_blank" Handelsbanken </a

Leasehold WILL be abolished if we get into power, promises Labour

Leasehold WILL be abolished if we get into power, promises Labour

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Labour has vowed to abolish the leasehold system as soon as it comes to power following Michael Goves U-turn earlier this month. The Housing Secretary dropped https://www.landlordzone.co.uk/news/new-gove-sets-sights-on-scrapping-leasehold-ownership/" target="_blank"

LATEST: Decent Homes Standard 'missing' from Renters (Reform) Bill

LATEST: Decent Homes Standard 'missing' from Renters (Reform) Bill

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Environmental health bodies are to press the government on why it omitted plans for a Decent Homes Standard in the Renters (Reform) Bill. Despite including most of the promised draft legislation, the expected standards were missing and only mentioned in an accompanying press rel

'Fixed term tenancies MUST be preserved within reform bill for students lets'

'Fixed term tenancies MUST be preserved within reform bill for students lets'

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A proposed ban on fixed-term tenancies could penalise students amid an already heightened rental crisis in many cities. According to student rentals platform StuRents�

Battle over holiday lets hots up as campaigning MP holds meeting

Battle over holiday lets hots up as campaigning MP holds meeting

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The increasingly rancourous debate between Airbnb landlords and legislators will come to a head in York this week as the city's MP convenes a public meeting to discuss the growing problem of short lets within its walls. MP Rachel Maskell (main picture) is one of six mostly Labou

'This is why built-to-rent will outperform BTL in the long term'

'This is why built-to-rent will outperform BTL in the long term'

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Property management professional David Goldberg recently revealed that in the long term, investing in so-called build-to-rent developments will prove to be more profitable for investors than buy to let. He claimed that built-to-rent looks to be a win-win for both tenant

New Section 21 Rules

New Section 21 Rules

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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

New algorithms to calculate EPC ratings

New algorithms to calculate EPC ratings

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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

How you serve a Notice can be just as important as what you serve'�

How you serve a Notice can be just as important as what you serve'�

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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

Consumer Protection - implications for Landlords & Agents

Consumer Protection - implications for Landlords & Agents

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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.

Section 21 Notices

Section 21 Notices

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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

Condensation, the Landlord's Curse...

Condensation, the Landlord's Curse...

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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 Returns 'mortgage interest' relief

Tax Returns 'mortgage interest' relief

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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

Debt Collection for Landlords

Debt Collection for Landlords

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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

What expenses can I actually claim?

What expenses can I actually claim?

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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

What is an Allowable Expense?

What is an Allowable Expense?

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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, how to deal with it

Penetrating Damp, how to deal with it

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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 Safety in Rented Premises

Fire Safety in Rented Premises

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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

Rising Damp - how to deal with it

Rising Damp - how to deal with it

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Damp &amp; 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 Much Should Landlords Spend on Renovating?

How Much Should Landlords Spend on Renovating?

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Renting Standards: Specialist residential property solicitor Amanda Sutcliffe of Bray &amp; Bray looks at the importance of keeping a rental property in good condition.Research conducted by Endsleigh Insurance and TrustMark claimed that over 75% of landlords s

Sub-letting fees should not be more than 40

Sub-letting fees should not be more than 40

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Sub-Letting Licenses: (SOLITAIRE) LIMITED Appellant and CHERRY LILIAN NORTON and other cases [2012]Landlords of leasehold buy-to-let flats are often asked to pay a fee (sub-letting licence or registration fee) to the freeholder when seeking permission to sub-let their flat,

Section 21 Notice and Deposit Protection rules

Section 21 Notice and Deposit Protection rules

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Validity of Section 21 Notice: Amak Property Investments v Laura Sonny [2016]This case was an appeal by the tenant following a county court judgement relating to the validity of a s21 notice on the basis that the landlord had not complied with the deposit protection (MyDepo

How to do a rent review - Part 2

How to do a rent review - Part 2

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1.0 Introduction 1.1 - At rent review, the starting point obviously is to read the lease. I say obviously because it never ceases to amaze me just how many landlords and tenants I come across having a go at rent review without bothering to read the lease. Its as

More than 4 tenants on a tenancy agreement?

More than 4 tenants on a tenancy agreement?

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Tenant Agreement: The Law of Property Act 1925 talks about having a maximum of 4 tenants on an agreement. So what to do when you have 5, 6 or more tenants sharing a house?There is a common misunderstanding of the rules here. Landlords and agents sometimes think or have heard

Is rent in advance a deposit?

Is rent in advance a deposit?

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Advance Rent: Piggot v Slaven and Johnson v. OldThere are two important cases which clarify (though not necessarily decisively) the position on landlords accepting rent payments in advance. One concerns the accepting of the final two months rent in advance, a common devi

Minimum EPC Rating for Rental Properties after 2018

Minimum EPC Rating for Rental Properties after 2018

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Following some confusion and debate about a deferral for the new standards following the MEES* deadline in April 2018, the new government has confirmed that changes to the EPC rules, preventing landlords from renting out homes below rating E, will definitely be introduced from April 2018.Accordin

Leasehold Repairs and Disputes

Leasehold Repairs and Disputes

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Responsibility for Repairs: Who is responsible and who is obliged to pay for repairs to leasehold blocks and flats? What is the procedure if repairs are unnecessarily delayed or not carried out to the leaseholders satisfaction? What is the Section 20 procedure?T

How to do a rent review - Part 1

How to do a rent review - Part 1

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In 1978, I published a pamphlet "The Framework of Rent Review Clauses" which was given free publicity in leading law and property journals. In 1983, I published a 28-page booklet ' How to do a Rent Review; priced at �5 it was an instant hit and in a letter to me was described by Professor Joh

Returning Deposits when in breach of the rules'�

Returning Deposits when in breach of the rules'�

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Test Case Yeomans v Newell [2016]:When a landlord is in breach of the tenancy deposit rules he or she is prevented from serving a valid s21 notice for possession proceedings. Despite the fact that the tenancy deposit legislation has been in force since April 2007, landlords

Tenancy Deposits, Superstrike and the Deregulation Act

Tenancy Deposits, Superstrike and the Deregulation Act

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Test Case: Superstrike Ltd v Marino. RodriguesThe case involved a landlord who had taken a deposit from the tenant before the deposit protection rules came into force in April 2007, since changed by the Deregulation Act 2015 see below. When the tenancy later became a st

Tenant's Liability to Pay Council Tax

Tenant's Liability to Pay Council Tax

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Test Case: Leeds City Council v Broadley [2016]This case and the subsequent High Court ruling has brought some clarification about who is liable to pay council tax, tenant or landlord, when a rental property is vacant due to a tenant vacating early, that is, before the tena