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Why is it so difficult to find good tradespeople to repair and maintain properties?

Why is it so difficult to find good tradespeople to repair and maintain properties?

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One of the main tasks you have as a landlord is finding quality tradespeople to repair and maintain your rental properties. Whether its a big landscaping project, or a small leak its important to hire people who know what theyre doing.  Unfortunately for many landl

Landlords with leasehold properties in line for Ground Rent rip-off refunds

Landlords with leasehold properties in line for Ground Rent rip-off refunds

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More than 5,000 leaseholders including landlords could get refunds on their ground rent after the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) secured assurances from nine firms that bought freeholds from housing developer Taylor Wimpey. Those leaseholders who paid a doubled

EXPERT: Number of councils seeking to stop HMO conversions is on the rise

EXPERT: Number of councils seeking to stop HMO conversions is on the rise

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More councils are set to introduce Article 4 directions in a bid to clamp down on HMO development, with six currently waiting for approval. There are already about 45 local authorities in England partly or entirely affected by Article 4 which means planning permission is nee

Unintended consequences of plans to ban Section 21 evictions 'already happening'

Unintended consequences of plans to ban Section 21 evictions 'already happening'

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A new landlord survey has revealed the effects of the Government's proposals to ban Section 21 evictions already feeding into the private rented sector. Evictions specialist Landlord Action canvassed some 1,500 landlords and found that 26% of those who had evicted a tenant over

Speculation grows that Rees-Mogg will be Housing Secretary if Liz Truss wins

Speculation grows that Rees-Mogg will be Housing Secretary if Liz Truss wins

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Its known as silly season when the media focuses on light-hearted stories, but news that Jacob Rees-Mogg (pictured) is being mooted as the new Levelling Up Secretary has been seen by some as no laughing matter. As the leadership contest draws to a close, preparations fo

Making tax digital as a landlord: What you need to know

Making tax digital as a landlord: What you need to know

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Making tax digital (MTD) for income tax is part of the governments long-term strategy to digitalise tax and will have implications for how landlords pay tax on their income. For those used to self-assessment, it will represent a change, but providing digital records will give businesses

What are the special rules for VAT on commercial property?

What are the special rules for VAT on commercial property?

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VAT on Commercial Property is a complex topic and anyone wishing to understand these complexities in relation to their own situation should seek specialist advice. This article should give a broad brush general overview but you really should seek advice because errors can be irredeemable an

Landlord banned from letting properties in England for five years

Landlord banned from letting properties in England for five years

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A rogue portfolio landlord has been banned from letting properties for five years after she admitted multiple offences relating to fire safety issues. Naomi Knapp, a landlord with 34 properties in Bristol, was convicted of eight banning order offences and will now be added to th

'Spray foam must be regulated to stop properties becoming un-mortgageable'

'Spray foam must be regulated to stop properties becoming un-mortgageable'

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Urgent regulation of the spray foam industry is needed to prevent making thousands of homes un-mortgagable, warn leading property groups. Sprayed polyurethane expanding foams are often used in lofts, either to stabilise a failing roof covering or to provide extra insulation. But

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People over 55 years old are 'fastest-growing tenant group'

People over 55 years old are 'fastest-growing tenant group'

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Tenants heading for retirement age are the fastest growing group privately renting in England, according to new figures.

Campaigners target landlord's workplace over leaky flat

Campaigners target landlord's workplace over leaky flat

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Tenant group Acorn has protested outside a landlord’s shop after he refused to return a former tenant’s deposit in a dispute over a leak.

City council slammed for 'double standards' over HMO licensing

City council slammed for 'double standards' over HMO licensing

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Edinburgh Council has responded to accusations of double standards when housing homeless people in 30 unlicensed HMOs by moving tenants out of the properties.

Northern town popular with investors to clamp down on HMOs

Northern town popular with investors to clamp down on HMOs

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Hyndburn Council wants to deter landlords from making the most of its cheap properties and ‘multiple deprivation’ by clamping down on HMO conversions.

A landlord Christmas carol - reflecting on the past, present, and future of the private rental sector

A landlord Christmas carol - reflecting on the past, present, and future of the private rental sector

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As we approach the festive season of 2024, like many of us, I find myself drawn to Charles Dickens's timeless tale, A Christmas Carol.

NEW: Landlords 'most worried' by tax rises and renting reforms

NEW: Landlords 'most worried' by tax rises and renting reforms

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Landlords blame upcoming legislation and tax changes for causing 73% of them to feel less confident than they did last year.

Rent rises 'out of control' says tenant campaigning group

Rent rises 'out of control' says tenant campaigning group

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Renter groups have called on the government to do more to tackle ‘out of control’ rents, as a government survey reveals that more than a third of landlords increasing rents on new tenancies did so by at least 15%.

OFFICIAL: Number of landlords planning to sell their properties rising

OFFICIAL: Number of landlords planning to sell their properties rising

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Nearly a third of landlords plan to reduce the size of their portfolio in the next two years, with 16% aiming to sell all their properties, official research shows.

Banning tenant fees has been a success - claim academics

Banning tenant fees has been a success - claim academics

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The 2019 Tenant Fees Act, which over the past five years has severely restricted what fees landlords and letting agents can charge tenants, has been a success, two academics have claimed.

Letting agents call for short-lets crackdown in London

Letting agents call for short-lets crackdown in London

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Propertymark has urged London’s Mayor to crack down on short-term lets through licensing in a bid to tackle over-supply in the capital.

Struggling HMO giant sells off more properties

Struggling HMO giant sells off more properties

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Troubled property development company Home Holdings has put another raft of HMOs onto the market in a bid to shore up losses.

Osborne's 3% extra stamp duty is reason for BTL buying slump

Osborne's 3% extra stamp duty is reason for BTL buying slump

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The decision by George Osborne in 2015 to introduce a 3% additional stamp duty levy on landlords has seen a slump in the number of BTL properties bought in the Tory heartlands of Southern England.

'Scotland's fast-rising rents are the SNP/Green's fault'

'Scotland's fast-rising rents are the SNP/Green's fault'

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A leading letting agent in Scotland has laid the blame for the country’s rental supply woes firmly at the feet of former Tenants’ Rights minister Patrick Harvie.

Fugitive Midlands landlord faces long jail sentence

Fugitive Midlands landlord faces long jail sentence

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A rogue landlord and fugitive fraudster who intimidated his tenants is in jail after more than five years on the run.

Landlord fined for 'unlawfully profiting' from London flat

Landlord fined for 'unlawfully profiting' from London flat

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A landlord who used an agreement that tried to undermine her tenants’ rights has been fined a total of £5,800.

Protesters force South West council to evict their business tenant

Protesters force South West council to evict their business tenant

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Financially challenged Somerset Council has capitulated after a concerted campaign by protesters force it to abandon one of its business tenants

RICS survey shows signs of commercial property recovery

RICS survey shows signs of commercial property recovery

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Signs that the market is moving into a recovery phase, though there is still ample evidence that there remains a challenging backdrop. 

NEW:Landlords to face unimited fines if they illegally convert homes into HMOs

NEW:Landlords to face unimited fines if they illegally convert homes into HMOs

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New changes to planning rules mean rogue landlords who illegally convert HMOs could face an unlimited fine.

Scotland's 'rent controls tsar' Patrick Harvie loses power

Scotland's 'rent controls tsar' Patrick Harvie loses power

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The Scottish government has been urged to reverse its anti-landlord policies after the SNP ended their power-sharing agreement with the Greens.

MP's bill forcing private landlords to fix mould delayed AGAIN

MP's bill forcing private landlords to fix mould delayed AGAIN

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Private renters are most in need of Awaab’s Law due to the frequently worse conditions of mould in their homes, says Labour MP Fleur Anderson, who hopes to instigate stricter rules for the PRS.

'Ministers need to let landlords know when Section 21 is going'

'Ministers need to let landlords know when Section 21 is going'

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Figures across the private rented sector including TV star Paul Shamplina have warned that both tenants, landlords and letting agents need to know when the Section 21 eviction ban is going to take place.

Pro-landlord MP explains why he voted against renting reforms

Pro-landlord MP explains why he voted against renting reforms

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Conservative MP Anthony Mangnall warned the government that removing fixed term tenancies could have dire consequences for housing supply, with many rental properties taken off the market.

Labour plans to ban Section 21 immediately 'would cause chaos'

Labour plans to ban Section 21 immediately 'would cause chaos'

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Abolishing section 21 as soon as the Renters Reform Bill gains Royal Assent would cause chaos in the sector and leave the statute book a “confusing mess”, according to the government.

MP's bid to make landlords pay tenants' moving costs rejected

MP's bid to make landlords pay tenants' moving costs rejected

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Conservative MP Natalie Elphicke failed to convince the government to include relocation payments for tenants and to restrict tenancy grounds in its Renters (Reform) Bill.

Government agrees not to scrap selective licencing when Portal goes live

Government agrees not to scrap selective licencing when Portal goes live

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Environmental health officers have won a concession from the Government after it agreed not to stop councils using selective licencing schemes once England’s national property portal launches.

MPs vote through renting reforms including landlord-friendly changes

MPs vote through renting reforms including landlord-friendly changes

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The Renters (Reform) Bill has been voted through its final stage in the Commons and, much to some MP's annoyance, containing several new concessions to landlords.

'Landlords and tenants need clarity on how new pets rules will work'

'Landlords and tenants need clarity on how new pets rules will work'

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Animal welfare charity Battersea has called for more details on what constitutes ‘reasonable grounds’ for refusing a tenant’s request to keep a pet, in the Renters Reform Bill.

Plans to let tenants move out at short notice will 'disrupt market'

Plans to let tenants move out at short notice will 'disrupt market'

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A leading build-to-rent firm boss has urged the government to approve an amendment in the Renters Reform Bill preventing tenants from ending contracts in the first six months – or face disrupting the market.

Do tenants need more rights to have pets? Take part in our quick survey

Do tenants need more rights to have pets? Take part in our quick survey

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Tell the politicians whether you agree with their plans to give tenants more rights to have a pet in a rented property.

EXCLUSIVE: Landlord slams council over 'misleading' licencing report

EXCLUSIVE: Landlord slams council over 'misleading' licencing report

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Blackpool Council has been accused of deliberately disguising the results of its selective licensing consultation report to help it push through a new scheme.

Renting reforms are a 'fair deal' for landlords says NRLA

Renting reforms are a 'fair deal' for landlords says NRLA

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While most tenant campaigning groups have criticised the Renters (Reform) Bill for being too ‘watered down’, the National Residential Landlords Association (NRLA) has said it represents in its current form a fair deal for tenants and landlords.

Government 'has given into landlords' claim campaigners

Government 'has given into landlords' claim campaigners

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The Renters Reform Bill will be a failure in its current form unless ministers urgently table amendments that better protect renters, a tenant group has warned.

'Angry' anti-HMO protests spill onto streets in London

'Angry' anti-HMO protests spill onto streets in London

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A crowd of angry residents have clashed with councillors during a protest against burgeoning HMOs within the London borough of Ealing.

Liverpool footballer and landlord accused of poor housing standards

Liverpool footballer and landlord accused of poor housing standards

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Tenants living in Liverpool footballer Cody Gakpo’s flats have complained of disrepair, structural problems and vermin infestations.