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 - 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 - 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 - 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 - 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
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 - 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 - 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 & Safety (HHSRS), HMO, Over
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
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
Haringey Council has introduced tougher fines for errant landlords in a bid to raise housing standards across the London borough.
A shrinking pool of rental properties continued to drive up rents last month, despite reduced demand from tenants
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 are being urged by the housing minister to challenge unfair rent increases.
The ‘parent landlord’ phenomenon has caused increasing numbers of adult children to put a strain on family life, a new survey finds.
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 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.
The agent’s professional body NAEA Propertymark has raised concerns about the running of the rental auctions scheme
Letting agents have slammed plans to ease licensing rules that will mean local councils can introduce large selective schemes without government approval.
Ealing Council has ramped up its crackdown on rogue landlords with a rigorous programme of HMO inspections.
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.
Economic headwinds are set to shrink purchases in the buy-to-let market by 7% next year to £9 billion, predicts UK Finance.
Landlords in Norwich are chasing thousands of pounds in rent payments from a letting agency which appears to have gone under.
Hundreds of tenants have staged a protest in central London calling for the government to introduce rent controls.
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.
A crucial task for landlords and agents is to correctly serve statutory notices and other documents
Property experts are pondering what the government might name new tenancies created by the Renters’ Rights Bill.
A district council has come up with a set of exceptional circumstances to help decide when to give the go-ahead to new HMOs.
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.
A letting agent has criticised police who failed to act when vandals threw a brick through one of his tenant’s windows.
The never-ending onslaught of landlords, including the abolition of Section 21, tough EPC rules, and changes to stamp duty, have left landlords fed up and thinking of throwing in the towel.
A tenants’ champion has slammed energy companies for failing to help renters with energy bill problems at HMOs.
Northwood letting agency in Romford has gone bust, leaving angry landlords out of pocket.
Most landlords who voted Labour wouldn’t do it again, a new survey from buy-to-lender Landbay has found.
Surveyors are the latest group to report a cooling rental market in the UK, with a slowing in demand among tenants for the first time since 2020.
Reading Council has given the go-ahead for an additional licensing scheme in the town – and defended the rising costs set to hit landlords.
Generation Rent has urged renters to get more MPs backing amendments to the Renters’ Rights Bill.
Rental growth in the UK has dropped to 3.9%, its lowest level in more than three years and down from 9.1% a year ago.
Demand for accessible homes is growing as the tenant population ages, a leading estate agency has reported, calling on Labour to help landlords finance upgrades.
With substantial capital gains gathered within your properties, selling the whole portfolio will probably leave you exposed to a substantial capital gains tax bill
The Welsh Government has followed its counterparts in England and Scotland and raised the stamp duty that landlords buying rental properties must pay, effective from tomorrow.
Landlords may need to prepare for a turbulent and potentially very costly ride once the Renters’ Rights Bill becomes law, a financial expert has warned.
