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Letting agencies warned over 'illegal and outrageous' deposit deductions

Letting agencies warned over 'illegal and outrageous' deposit deductions

Opinion

A shocked landlord has revealed on social media that their letting agency illegally deducted its �tenant finding' fee from the tenancy deposits of the renters involved.</p

'Build-to-Rent doesn't cherry pick posh tenants' insists leading figure

'Build-to-Rent doesn't cherry pick posh tenants' insists leading figure

News

The boss of a build-to-rent (BTR) property search website has insisted the sector is not out to only attract more affluent tenants, despite criticism in the past that it does.

Official 'repairs tool' launches to help tenants fight landlords and agents

Official 'repairs tool' launches to help tenants fight landlords and agents

Information

The Ministry of Justice (MoJ) has launched a tool that helps tenants take on landlords or letting agents who are failing to repair or maintain properties to the required stand

Tribunals 'not fair and weighted towards tenants' says frustrated landlord

Tribunals 'not fair and weighted towards tenants' says frustrated landlord

News

A landlord who's being threatened with a massive rent repayment order has told of his frustration at a court system that is unfairly weighted towards tenants.

Landlords need clarity on changes to EPCs before it's too late, says property firm

Landlords need clarity on changes to EPCs before it's too late, says property firm

News

A well-known property firm has made the unusual move of criticising the Government for not letting landlords know how they will afford and implement the proposed tightending o

Landlords say they'll 'shut down HMOs' if new rules aren't amended

Landlords say they'll 'shut down HMOs' if new rules aren't amended

News

Scores of HMO landlords in Portsmouth have threatened to sell up or convert their properties to family lets once a new additional scheme launches next month.

Court delays for landlords at their worst for 30 years

Court delays for landlords at their worst for 30 years

News

Evictions expert Paul Shamplina says UK court delays for landlords are the worst ever he’s seen during his legal career within the private rented sector.

NEW: More landlords selling properties than buying as pressure builds on BTL

NEW: More landlords selling properties than buying as pressure builds on BTL

News

The full impact of Tory policies and rising mortgage interest rates have been highlighted by new research commissioned by the National Residential Landlords Association (NRLA)

Landlords looking to re-mortgage 'should fix ASAP before another rate rise'

Landlords looking to re-mortgage 'should fix ASAP before another rate rise'

News

Specialist buy-to-let broker Mortgages For Business (MFB) has urged landlords approaching re-mortgage to secure a new rate as early as possible following the latest update on

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Tenants in England now pay half their income in rent

Tenants in England now pay half their income in rent

News
News
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Opinion
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Information

Rightmove says the average rent in the UK now eats up 50% of the net income of those living within the private rented sector where the monthly rent per property is now £1,526.

Housing quality in rented sector rising - but so's damp

Housing quality in rented sector rising - but so's damp

News
News
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Opinion
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Information

Numbers of non-decent homes and Category 1 hazards in the PRS have fallen in recent years, although problems with damp are on the rise.

Rent controls in Scotland 'favour landlords' says Generation Rent

Rent controls in Scotland 'favour landlords' says Generation Rent

News
News
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Opinion
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The Scottish government’s proposed rent control formula is generous to landlords but would leave tenants vulnerable to unaffordable rent rises, says Generation Rent.

Big council urges public to report rogue HMO landlords

Big council urges public to report rogue HMO landlords

News
News
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Opinion
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Information

Croydon Council is calling on local residents to report concerns about unauthorised HMOs as it ramps up action against errant landlords.

Landlords 'bewildered and frustrated' by Scotland's latest rent controls

Landlords 'bewildered and frustrated' by Scotland's latest rent controls

News
News
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Information

There is still widespread frustration and bewilderment among landlords and agent that rent controls are the only policy intervention to help tackle affordability in Scotland

CLAIM: Investors 'moving out of residential into commercial'

CLAIM: Investors 'moving out of residential into commercial'

News
News
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Opinion
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Information

Investors have started buying up shops and offices in London rather than houses in order to turn a profit.

Midlands landlord to pay £20,000 after ignoring improvement notice

Midlands landlord to pay £20,000 after ignoring improvement notice

News
News
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Opinion
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Information

A landlord in Telford is to pay a huge fine after his local council took him to court over a substandard property he rented out within the town.

Landlords caught up in latest cladding remediation problems

Landlords caught up in latest cladding remediation problems

News
News
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Opinion
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A Lib Dem MP has highlighted what he describes as an unfolding EWS1 form scandal after a fire safety consultant was sanctioned for unprofessional conduct.

How will landlords handle risky tenants when 'rent in advance' is banned?

How will landlords handle risky tenants when 'rent in advance' is banned?

News
News
Podcast
Opinion
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Information

One of the seismic changes for landlords and letting agents this year will be when the Renters’ Rights Bill bans taking rent in advance.

Former housing minister facing questions over rented property

Former housing minister facing questions over rented property

News
News
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Opinion
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Information

Former Housing Minister Esther McVey has been claiming tens of thousands of pounds in Parliamentary expenses for renting a London flat, despite her husband owning a property a mile away, it has been claimed.

MPs tell Government to protect landlords from rogue agents

MPs tell Government to protect landlords from rogue agents

News
News
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Opinion
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The government has been urged to stop “sitting on its hands” and bring forward changes to protect tenants, leaseholders and landlords from poor practices in the lettings industry.

DIY lettings service for landlords launches with big promise

DIY lettings service for landlords launches with big promise

News
News
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Opinion
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A new DIY lettings service for landlords should help Hello Neighbour fulfil its ambition of becoming the biggest letting agent in England, according to co-founder Richard Jenkins.

Council closes HMO after surprise visit reveals nightmare property

Council closes HMO after surprise visit reveals nightmare property

News
News
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Opinion
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Information

A landlord who rented out his unlicensed, seven-bedroom HMO to 13 tenants has been ordered to pay £3,000.

COMMENT: Rent rises not profiteering but just 'landlords tracking costs'

COMMENT: Rent rises not profiteering but just 'landlords tracking costs'

News
News
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Opinion
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Information

In February the average BTL mortgage rate fell to 5.5% which is the lowest since September 2022.

MPs urge Ministers to 'sort out' Local Housing Allowance rises

MPs urge Ministers to 'sort out' Local Housing Allowance rises

News
News
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Information

Landlord and tenant groups have welcomed proposals by MPs on the Work and Pensions Select Committee to introduce an annual ‘uprating guarantee’ to the Local Housing Allowance (LHA).

REFORMS: Many landlords have 'no idea what's about to hit them'

REFORMS: Many landlords have 'no idea what's about to hit them'

News
News
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Only one in five (18%) landlords understand the Renters (Reform) Bill, while just 3% have read guidance surrounding the legislation, according to a new Propertymark poll.

Landlord warns: "sell now” as Government urged to further reduce PRS

Landlord warns: "sell now” as Government urged to further reduce PRS

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News
Podcast
Opinion
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Information

The Guardian suggests that Government may start to veer towards a “surprisingly simple solution to the UK housing crisis” which could see them squeeze landlords further, blaming them for the current housing crisis affecting home-buyers.

Report reveals £45 billion contribution landlords make to economy

Report reveals £45 billion contribution landlords make to economy

News
News
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Opinion
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Information

A new report published today claims that 390,000 jobs rely on the private rented sector as critics of the sector, including the Guardian newspaper, have called for it to be shrunk or abolished entirely.

UK's only city-wide licencing scheme 'gets tough' on landlords

UK's only city-wide licencing scheme 'gets tough' on landlords

News
News
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Opinion
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Landlords in Oxford who fail to sign up to the city’s licensing scheme are being threatened with fines and enforcement action after a year of relative ‘grace’.

REPORT: Will lower inflation lead to lower BTL mortgage rates?

REPORT: Will lower inflation lead to lower BTL mortgage rates?

News
News
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Opinion
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Information

Falling UK inflation could herald some good news for BTL landlords over the coming months, according to mortgage experts.

A reminder for landlords that electrical safety checks are mandatory

A reminder for landlords that electrical safety checks are mandatory

Information
News
Podcast
Opinion
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Information

Until recently landlords only had to concern themselves gas safety checks - but now all residential landlords or their agents must arrange for regular electrical safety checks (every 5 years)

Court approves tough bankcruptcy limits on 'property guru'

Court approves tough bankcruptcy limits on 'property guru'

News
News
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Opinion
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Infamous property guru Glenn Armstrong, who misled dozens of investors by promising to make them rich, has been handed tough bankruptcy restrictions lasting 12 years.

Tenant pockets £5,000 from Tribunal after realising HMO was unlicenced

Tenant pockets £5,000 from Tribunal after realising HMO was unlicenced

News
News
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Opinion
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Information

A tenant who discovered that his landlord had not licenced the HMO in which he lived is to pocket £5,000 after winning a rent repayment order (RRO) during a Tribunal hearing.

Spring Budget shortfalls: What was missing for landlords?

Spring Budget shortfalls: What was missing for landlords?

Opinion
News
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Opinion
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In what was likely his last Budget Statement before the next General Election, Jeremy Hunt announced his plans for tax, housing, and cost-of-living measures. Where did the Budget fall short for the private rented market (PRS)?

Murder conviction bars landlord from running rental properties

Murder conviction bars landlord from running rental properties

News
News
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Opinion
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Information

A landlord who was jailed for culpable homicide in 2008 has been refused permission to rent out flats in Glasgow, despite claiming he has taken ‘responsibility for his actions’ and moved on.

Escalating 'housing emergencies' are Government's fault, say Scots letting agents

Escalating 'housing emergencies' are Government's fault, say Scots letting agents

News
News
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Letting agents have blamed poor Scottish government policies for the growing number of councils declaring ‘housing emergencies’.

Heat pumps still 'too expensive' warns national spending watchdog

Heat pumps still 'too expensive' warns national spending watchdog

News
News
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Information

Heat pump sales continue to be hampered by high costs, lown awareness and a lack of long-term financial support, the government’s spending watchdog has warned.

90% of landlords reject Scottish rent control plans, official poll reveals

90% of landlords reject Scottish rent control plans, official poll reveals

News
News
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Information

Vast majority of landlords have flatly rejected future widespread rent control across Scotland, in a new Holyrood survey.

Landlord fined after tenant harrassment revealed in court

Landlord fined after tenant harrassment revealed in court

News
News
Podcast
Opinion
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Information

A landlord has been ordered to pay £2,500 in fines, compensation and costs after he admitted harassing two of his tenants.

Will landlord MPs stymie the Rental (reform) Bill?

Will landlord MPs stymie the Rental (reform) Bill?

News
News
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Information

Momentum appears to be growing to torpedo the controversial legislation as evidence emerges that the Bill is ‘close to collapse’ in Parliament.

Should a good rent payment record count towards a mortgage application

Should a good rent payment record count towards a mortgage application

News
News
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Opinion
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Information

It used to be the case that renting was a temporary phase in a young persons life. It gave flexibility until their career settled down to a fixed employer and a fixed location. But todays property prices mitigate against this pattern. Many people are locked into renting fa

Generation Rent calls for big landlord regulation push in Wales

Generation Rent calls for big landlord regulation push in Wales

News
News
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Generation Rent has urged the Welsh government to introduce an ombudsman for the PRS along with more grounds for rent repayment orders (RROs) in order to improve tenants’ lives.

80% of landlords say banning Section 21 evictions 'a mistake'

80% of landlords say banning Section 21 evictions 'a mistake'

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News
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The vast majority of landlords and letting agents view the Government’s plans to abolish Section 21 evictions as a mistake, a new report has revealed.

Hunt's Spring Budget hid 'stealth' tax grab on landlords via CGT rules

Hunt's Spring Budget hid 'stealth' tax grab on landlords via CGT rules

News
News
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Jeremy Hunt’s recent Spring Budget hid a ‘steal tax’ on landlords seeking to sell properties after April 1st, it has been claimed.