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Number of new tenancies agreed increases, Propertymark reveals

Number of new tenancies agreed increases, Propertymark reveals

News

The average number of new tenancies agreed per lettings agent branch climbed to around eight in the first month of this year, a new report has revealed

Rogue landlords face revised penalties of up to £30,000 per offence, Haringey Council warns

Rogue landlords face revised penalties of up to £30,000 per offence, Haringey Council warns

News

Haringey Council has introduced tougher fines for errant landlords in a bid to raise housing standards across the London borough.

Shrinking pool of rental homes continues to drive up rents, reports RICS

Shrinking pool of rental homes continues to drive up rents, reports RICS

News

A shrinking pool of rental properties continued to drive up rents last month, despite reduced demand from tenants

Rental homes that aren’t up to scratch are under increased threat

Rental homes that aren’t up to scratch are under increased threat

News

Private landlords whose properties aren’t up to scratch face a significant increase in pressure and threat when the Decent Home Standard kicks in.

Tenants urged by housing minister to challenge unfair rents

Tenants urged by housing minister to challenge unfair rents

News

Tenants are being urged by the housing minister to challenge unfair rent increases.

Parents acting as landlords for their children puts strain on family life

Parents acting as landlords for their children puts strain on family life

News

The ‘parent landlord’ phenomenon has caused increasing numbers of adult children to put a strain on family life, a new survey finds.

Student landlords warned their existing contracts may not be accurate

Student landlords warned their existing contracts may not be accurate

News

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 could soon be replaced, warns top property lawyer

Small landlords could soon be replaced, warns top property lawyer

News

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.

NAEA Propertymark nervous about the unintended consequences of high street rental auctions

NAEA Propertymark nervous about the unintended consequences of high street rental auctions

News

The agent’s professional body NAEA Propertymark has raised concerns about the running of the rental auctions scheme

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Rent Review

Rent Review

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Question - Rent Review - my landlord is asking for far more rent than I expected on review. Am I obliged to pay this?Answer - Commercial leases are contractual - the parties agree to and are bound by its clauses and that includes rent review provisions.The rent review process is a way of periodic

Re-selling Energy

Re-selling Energy

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Re-selling Energy - As a landlord am I able to make a profit by re-selling electricity or gas?</h2>Resale of Gas and ElectricityThe maximum amount that Residential Landlords or resellers� are permitted to charge for gas or electricity is the amount they

Providing a Reference

Providing a Reference

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Providing a Reference - I have been asked to provide a reference for one of my tenants who is moving on. What is my legal position in this and am I putting myself at risk if I say he was a bad tenant?</h2> Referencing (seeking verification of a tenants past performance) is an increasi

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

Labour MP declares war on 'too many' HMOs

Labour MP declares war on 'too many' HMOs

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A campaigning MP has helped her constituents get every new HMO application thrown out in the last three years.

Thinktank reveal unusual solution to renting 'crisis'

Thinktank reveal unusual solution to renting 'crisis'

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The landlord exodus is a once-in-a-generation opportunity for councils to buy up properties and restore what was lost under Right to Buy, according to a campaigning think-tank.

Renting reforms to move forward on 14th January

Renting reforms to move forward on 14th January

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The Renters’ Rights Bill is to get its latest airing in just under two weeks' time ahead of moving to the Lords.

Landlords to pay double stamp duty in April

Landlords to pay double stamp duty in April

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Stamp duty bills will almost double from £8,452 to £16,190 in April, an increase likely to spark higher rental costs as landlords attempt to recoup costs.

Sadiq 'rent controls' Khan knighted in New Year's Honours

Sadiq 'rent controls' Khan knighted in New Year's Honours

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One of the most ardent political supporters of rent controls in England has been made a knight within the 2025 New Year honours list.

Councils use Generation Rent to highlight unaffordable rents

Councils use Generation Rent to highlight unaffordable rents

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Three quarters of Suffolk renters have struggled to find an affordable home in the last six months, while half had a rent increase – an average of £58 – according to new research.

Midlands council slams 'horrendous' local private rented sector

Midlands council slams 'horrendous' local private rented sector

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Peterborough Council’s selective licensing scheme has uncovered some “horrendous” living conditions since its launch last March.

Landlord who ignored licensing for second time given huge fine

Landlord who ignored licensing for second time given huge fine

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A rogue landlord has been fined for a second time this year for failing to license his portfolio of houses.

PM's own rental house will soon fail EPC rules

PM's own rental house will soon fail EPC rules

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Prime Minister Keir Starmer is facing an EPC upgrade bill of up to £28,000 for the property he rents out in North London.

Merry Christmas and a Happy News Year to all our readers

Merry Christmas and a Happy News Year to all our readers

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The past 12 months have been a momentous time for private landlords as tax changes and looming new regulations have been unveiled by politicians of various hues.

'What's the point of good landlords if rogues aren't policed?'

'What's the point of good landlords if rogues aren't policed?'

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Councils are sending the wrong message to law-abiding landlords by failing to investigate those who can’t provide a valid EPC certificate.

Northern landlord fined £38,000 over multiple HMO offences

Northern landlord fined £38,000 over multiple HMO offences

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News
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A landlord in Liverpool has been prosecuted by its city council for 23 offences under national HMO management regulations.

Heat pumps 'don't help upgrade EPCs' warns new report

Heat pumps 'don't help upgrade EPCs' warns new report

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News
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Despite enthusiasm in Whitehall for heat pumps they not the best way to upgrade a rented property EPC rating, a new report has claimed.

Two thirds of private renters struggling to pay rent

Two thirds of private renters struggling to pay rent

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Nearly two-thirds of working private renters - 4,450,000 people - are falling behind with rent payments or struggling to pay their rent.

COMMENT: Year end 2024 heralds both optimism and some pessimism for property investing…

COMMENT: Year end 2024 heralds both optimism and some pessimism for property investing…

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News
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Tom Entwistle recalls the year in property and looks forward to the year ahead

Labour to help landlords trapped by unsafe cladding

Labour to help landlords trapped by unsafe cladding

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News
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Landlords who own flats in blocks with unsafe cladding have been given an assurance that developers must meet repair deadlines next year following the publication of the government’s Remediation Acceleration Plan (RAP).

'Bills-included' tenancies are more profitable, says EPC expert

'Bills-included' tenancies are more profitable, says EPC expert

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News
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Landlords offering a bills-included rental could dramatically increase their profit margins by improving its energy efficiency.

Council boasts about landlord prosecution success

Council boasts about landlord prosecution success

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News
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Sheffield Council has boasted that it’s one of the keenest prosecutors of rogue landlords in the UK.

Savills’ optimistic outlook for property in 2025 

Savills’ optimistic outlook for property in 2025 

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News
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Unveiling its 2025 cross-sector UK forecasts, Savills strikes an optimistic note and predicts highest returns for North West buy-to-let

Licensing expert slams Labour's selective scheme rule change

Licensing expert slams Labour's selective scheme rule change

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News
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An expected expansion in selective licensing schemes next year may fill council coffers but won’t improve housing standards, a leading landlord figure has claimed.

Labour's 'peverse' renting reforms will raise rents, warns TV landlord

Labour's 'peverse' renting reforms will raise rents, warns TV landlord

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The Renters’ Rights Bill will discourage landlords from renting out their properties and raise rents, according to Talk TV presenter and private landlord, Cristo Foufas (main image).

Famous landlord offers rental home at £180,000 a MONTH

Famous landlord offers rental home at £180,000 a MONTH

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Renters with only the deepest pockets will be getting the keys to what is understood to be the most expensive ever rental home marketed in the UK.

Every rental property 'chased by 11 tenants on average'

Every rental property 'chased by 11 tenants on average'

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UK letting agents are still receiving nearly double the number of enquiries about each available rental property than they were pre-pandemic.

Corporate landlords to be exempt from Decent Homes Standard

Corporate landlords to be exempt from Decent Homes Standard

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The Government has revealed more details about how the ‘corporate’ student sector, which competes with traditional landlords for tenants, will be regulated in the future.

Landlord fights council over £15,000 HMO fine... and wins

Landlord fights council over £15,000 HMO fine... and wins

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A landlord has successfully fought a licensing fine after an Upper Tribunal judge ruled it couldn’t be proved that a fifth tenant was living permanently in his HMO.