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Greens launch manifesto promising 'immediate rent freeze'

Greens launch manifesto promising 'immediate rent freeze'

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The Green Party is unlikely to win many votes from landlords after launching its manifesto ahead of a General Election later this year and the May 2nd local elections.

Landlords to repay former tenants £15,000 despite £11,000 rent arrears

Landlords to repay former tenants £15,000 despite £11,000 rent arrears

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A mother and son landlord duo are to repay their former tenants £15,000 in a case highlighting how the rent repayment order system can be very one-sided.

Warning: Are landlords being encouraged to sell too early?

Warning: Are landlords being encouraged to sell too early?

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By now you’ve probably heard of Landlord Sales Agency, and our articles that suggest the market is in favour of landlords selling.

Official 'local rents' tool launched for landlords

Official 'local rents' tool launched for landlords

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The Government has launched a service that enables landlords to see the rents being charged by other landlords in their area.

Number of 'home alone' renters drops by 8%, new data reveals

Number of 'home alone' renters drops by 8%, new data reveals

News

The number of people renting homes by themselves has reduced significantly over the past three years as the cost-of-living crisis has hit many renters’ pockets, new research reveals.

Leaseholder-owning landlords urged to fill in form or face big bills

Leaseholder-owning landlords urged to fill in form or face big bills

News

Landlords who own leasehold apartments in tower blocks are being urged to complete an official questionnaire or face being excluded from the protections afforded by the Building Safety Act (BSA).

NE of England landlord community goes national

NE of England landlord community goes national

News

A community of landlords launched in the North of England six years ago has revealed that it is now going national after being given a new name.

All rise! Court eviction fees paid by landlords to increase by 10%

All rise! Court eviction fees paid by landlords to increase by 10%

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Landlords taking tenants to court to repossess properties face a significant hike in the fees they are charged by the courts to process their cases, it has been revealed.

BREAKING: New report questions role of property licencing

BREAKING: New report questions role of property licencing

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A rental property compliance service has pitched into the debate over whether the nation’s landlord licencing schemes are fair or, given the looming Renters (Reform) Bill proposals, needed.

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EPC changes, what’s coming and what do you need to do?

EPC changes, what’s coming and what do you need to do?

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The new Labour Government has been busy changing the rules on EPCs for rentals and there’s ongoing consultation exercises to decide what changes are needed

Repeat offender landlord fined £5,000 over illegal HMO

Repeat offender landlord fined £5,000 over illegal HMO

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A landlord has been fined almost £5,000 after being found guilty for a second time of operating an illegal HMO.

Big NE town brings in HMO planning restrictions

Big NE town brings in HMO planning restrictions

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Middlesborough Council has brought in new planning restrictions to clamp down on the “wrong sort of HMOs”.

Big city to expand licensing five-fold despite landlord concerns

Big city to expand licensing five-fold despite landlord concerns

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Gateshead is to push ahead with new property licensing schemes despite local landlords and letting agents opposing them including 93% saying the fees are ‘too high’.

Is development more attractive than landlording?

Is development more attractive than landlording?

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Rental property yields are shrinking as the costs created by more regulations and legislation eat into landlord profits – so is it time more BTL landlords became SME developers?

Tenant group says 'landlords can't be trusted' to regulate themselves

Tenant group says 'landlords can't be trusted' to regulate themselves

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Scotland’s tenants’ union has warned that removing rent rise reprotections will lead to an uptick in de facto evictions and homelessness.

Big Kent council latest to offer landlords 'guaranteed rent'

Big Kent council latest to offer landlords 'guaranteed rent'

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Maidstone Borough Council has become the latest authority hoping to entice private landlords to hand over their properties in exchange for guaranteed rent.

Landlord to pay £37,000 after running overcrowded illegal HMO

Landlord to pay £37,000 after running overcrowded illegal HMO

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A rogue landlord who squeezed six people into one room of his HMO has been told to pay £37,000 in fines and costs.

CLAIM: Labour's 'new towns' will be all about BTR not private landlords

CLAIM: Labour's 'new towns' will be all about BTR not private landlords

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The UK’s new towns will favour build-to-rent developers rather than private landlords, according to a think tank which labels them “profit-seeking institutional investors”.

Polystyrene Ceiling Tiles

Polystyrene Ceiling Tiles

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Polystyrene Ceiling Tiles - is it legal to have these tiles in the kitchen of a rental property?</h2> There are currently no regulations specifically banning the use of polystyrene ceiling tiles in existing rented property.However, it is unlikely that local authority fire officers and en

Misrepresentation

Misrepresentation

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Misrepresentation - We recently rented out our rural cottage to a couple. As they wanted to use their computers I said it was possible to get high-speed broad-band. I thought this would be possible but it seems it is not at this time. The couple are now claiming that I misled them and that

Mail for Previous Tenants

Mail for Previous Tenants

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I'm receiving mail for previous tenants and some of them are from debt collectors. Will this get my property black listed and cause problems for my current tenants and myself in the future?</h2> It's fairly common to have mail arriving for months and even years after residents have left,

Long Term AST

Long Term AST

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Long Term AST - My prospective tenant has asked for a tenancy term of 6 years. Can I use the usual Assured Shorthold Tenancy agreement for this?</h2> The Assured Shorthold Tenancy is the default tenancy for residential lettings and since October 2010 this applies to rents up to �100,000

Lodgers Limits

Lodgers Limits

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Lodgers Limits - Is there any limit to the number of rooms I can rent out to lodgers, and are there any planning implications ?</h2> There are several parts of legislation in England and Wales that affect this question. Perhaps four main ones apply: Health &amp; Safety (HHSRS), HMO, Over

How long should accounts be kept

How long should accounts be kept

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Question: How long should accounts be kept to satisfy the authorities, things like accounting files, invoices and tax records, as a property landlord?Answer: You must keep your records for 6 years after the tax year to which they apply, whether or not you complete a tax return.It's a good idea, a

Expiry of Section 21 Notice

Expiry of Section 21 Notice

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Expiry of Section 21 Notice - I have served a Section 21 (s21) Notice on my tenant but don't wish to start proceedings immediately. Can I wait without the notice expiring?Once a Section 21 notice has been served correctly it continues indefinitely, until such time as the tenancy is ended, either

Covenant and Covenant Strength

Covenant and Covenant Strength

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Covenant and Covenant Strength - What is a legal covenant and what is the significance of the terms in relation to rental property and lettings ?</h2>The term covenant can have several meanings and has biblical origins but it is of particulalry significance

10 year lease

10 year lease

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2 years ago I purchased a company with a 10 year lease from my ex boss, on a 10 year lease, the lease was set up by a solicitor. After 2 years the business is struggling and is not viable. I feel that my solicitor ill advised me as there was no break clause mentioned. Where do I stand on t

Uncollected Goods

Uncollected Goods

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Good Left in the Premises or Uncollected GoodsFrequently, tenants leave goods after their tenancy has concluded or when they have abandon the premises during a tenancy. Uncollected goods and possessions left or abandoned in premises by tenants can pose a real problem for landlords.

Standing Order

Standing Order

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<h1 Standing Order</h1>What are Bankers' Standing Orders?</h3><ul <li Standing Orders allow landlords to automate the process of collecting rents</li> <li They safeguard tenants in that the landlord cannot change the payment amount, as is the case with direct debit

Section 8 Procedure

Section 8 Procedure

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The Possession Procedure - 1988 Housing ActThe possession procedure under Section 8 of the Housing Acts 1988 &amp; 1996 is known as the Section 8 Route and is available to landlords where the tenant is in breach of one or more terms of

Renting Business Premises

Renting Business Premises

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Renting or Leasing Commercial Property Renting commercial property usually represents a major part of the operating costs involved in running any business. If you include surveyor's and solicitor's fees, rent, business rates, insurance,

License Agreement

License Agreement

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Types of Tenure: A tenancy gives the tenant a legal interest in the land and property - in effect, legal ownership for the period of the tenancy. Tenancies can take several forms: <ul <li Rent Act or Regulated Tenancies - pre </li> <li

Joint or Single Tenancies

Joint or Single Tenancies

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<h1 Joint or Single Shared Tenancies</h1>Shared House (Joint Tenants) or Individual Rooms (Single Tenants)? Where a landlord lets to multiple and usually unrelated tenants there are two main ways of doing this:(1) As a Joint Tenancyng

Common Law Tenancies

Common Law Tenancies

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These are tenancies that fall outside the scope of the Housing Acts (1988, 1996, 2004), including the Regulated Tenancies, Assured Tenancies (AT) and Assured Shorthold Tenancies ASTs.In the case of a common law residential tenancy , the tenant's rights and obligations are ma

Business Tenancies

Business Tenancies

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What are Business Tenancies ?A tenancy is an "estate in land", granted for a determined period of time (term of years or fixed term - 6 months,1 year, 21 years, 99 years etc) or a specific period (a periodic tenancy - yearly, monthly, weekly, even daily).In return for the "time lim

Gas Safety

Gas Safety

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Landlord's Duty to Ensure Installations are SafeAll Landlords have a common law duty to ensure that gas installations and appliances supplied with their properties are safe. Tenants also have certain legal obligations when it comes to gas safety - see below.I

Gas & Electrical Certificates

Gas & Electrical Certificates

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Landlords' Gas and Electrical Safety Certificates:As a landlord, or as a letting agent acting on the landlord's behalf, you have a legal obligation to ensure that your accommodation is completely safe for your tenants.Several statutory regulations and general common law requirement

Furnished or Unfurnished

Furnished or Unfurnished

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Letting and residential property fully furnished, part-furnished or unfurnished in England &amp; Wales no longer has any implications regarding security of tenure for the tenant or for taxation. However, Council Tax and the 10% Depreciation Allowance may be affected - you don't pay Council Tax du

Fire Certificate

Fire Certificate

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What was the Fire Certificate is no longer required as it was previously under the Fire Precautions Act 1971 for hotels, boarding houses, factories, offices, shops and railway premises. All these premises must comply with Fire Regulations, now covered by t

False Statements By Tenants

False Statements By Tenants

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Ending a residential tenancy on the ground of "false statement by the tenant "The Housing Act 1988 as amended by the Housing Act 1996 makes provision for the possession of residential properties let under Assured and Assured Shorthold Tenancies.However

Bed & Breakfast Business

Bed & Breakfast Business

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Running a Successful Bed &amp; Breakfast Guest HouseRunning a successful Bed &amp; Breakfast Business from the comfort of your own home has many advantages and rewards as far as being self employed is concerned:</

Taking in a Lodger

Taking in a Lodger

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Taking in a LodgerIf you're considering taking a lodger there are some important things to think about first. Most of its common sense, but its a good idea plan carefully and get things right.[list type='3'] <ul <li Taking in Lodgers is a good way to earn extr

Section 8 Notices

Section 8 Notices

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Obtaining Possession Using Section 8 NoticesThis article explains how to gain possession of your residential rental property using the Section 8 procedure.Section 8 is a breach of contract court procedure.There are 17 grounds for possession listed in the Housing Acts 1988 &amp; 199