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Bristol significantly expands HMO and selective licensing schemes

Bristol significantly expands HMO and selective licensing schemes

News

Bristol has approved plans to extend landlord licensing in Brislington West, Bedminster and Horfield wards in a bid to raise PRS standards. The scheme includes additional licensing - HMOs with three or more unrelated people sharing facilities and selective licensing - privat

EXCLUSIVE: 'We listened to landlords' claims Durham selective licensing chief

EXCLUSIVE: 'We listened to landlords' claims Durham selective licensing chief

News

Durham has been given the green light for a huge new selective licensing scheme although it is 40% smaller than its original plan. The scheme will cover about 29,000 homes, 42% of the countys private rented sector, and will go live on 1st April when landlords will need a

Test Case: Council advising tenants to stay put after valid s21 notice served

Test Case: Council advising tenants to stay put after valid s21 notice served

News

This is a Local Government and Social Care Ombudsman case involving an unnamed landlord (LandlordX or MrX) and Brentwood Borough Council. The case revolves around a common situation where the landlord required possession of the property after serving a valid section 21 notice un

'Let’s not forget property remains the best performing investment'

'Let’s not forget property remains the best performing investment'

Opinion

I've been in the property investment business for almost 30 years and during this period opportunities have come and gone but I've yet to discover an asset class that perf

OPINION: The EPC ratings system is 'not fit for purpose'

OPINION: The EPC ratings system is 'not fit for purpose'

Opinion

Ever since I started to market one of my commercial buildings around 10 years ago now, I began to doubt the efficacy of the EPC rating system. The guy that came along to do the inspection told me himself he had just completed a 6 week course, or whatever it was, to train to be a

BREAKING: Government toughens up smoke and C0 alarm regulations

BREAKING: Government toughens up smoke and C0 alarm regulations

News

Social and private landlords are to face tougher new rules which make it mandatory to fit smoke alarms in all rented accommodation regardless of tenure, and widen the conditions under which they must be fitted. Revisions to the smoke and carbon monoxide detector regulations also

ANALYSIS: Does buy-to-let still beat the stock market?

ANALYSIS: Does buy-to-let still beat the stock market?

News

If you had �50k to invest right now, where would you put it, buy-to-let property or stocks and shares? Certainly leaving it in a traditional savings account, with interest rates as they are at rock bottom, thats out of the question. And with the threat of rising inflation ea

EXCLUSIVE: Costliest and most common landlord insurance claims

EXCLUSIVE: Costliest and most common landlord insurance claims

News

Research carried out by LandlordZONEs insurance partner, Hamilton Fraser Total Landlord Insurance, revealed that the vast majority of landlords, https://hamiltonfraser.co.uk/knowledge/good-landlord-quiz-results/?utm_source=landlordzone&utm_medium=article&utm_campaign=lz_november

Opinion: Should landlords dive into heat pumps?

Opinion: Should landlords dive into heat pumps?

Opinion

The move to provide home heating and hot water by this method is part of a Government strategy aimed at making deep cuts to greenhouse gas emissions and decarbonizing the UK's power sector by 2035. Prime Minister Boris Johnson says the scheme was designed to bring low-carbon hea

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The top six misconceptions about limited company buy to let mortgages

The top six misconceptions about limited company buy to let mortgages

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Limited Company buy to let mortgages are increasingly popular, however there are still many myths that need debunking.

Landlords hit with former owners' massive council tax bills

Landlords hit with former owners' massive council tax bills

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Landlords in Kent are inheriting huge council tax bills racked up by the previous owners when buying empty properties.

Portfolio landlords boost share of incorporated properties

Portfolio landlords boost share of incorporated properties

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The proportion of incorporated property held in portfolios of landlords who use limited companies has more than doubled since Q1 2020.

Renters' Rights Bill could exclude scores of private tenants

Renters' Rights Bill could exclude scores of private tenants

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A leading property lawyer warns that removing risk mitigation strategies will make many tenants on lower incomes “unlettable”.

Landlord slapped with £20,000 repayment order for unlicensed HMO

Landlord slapped with £20,000 repayment order for unlicensed HMO

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A landlord must repay tenants £20,000 in rent after he failed to convince a tribunal he wasn’t aware of a licensing scheme.

London borough forces all landlords to license properties

London borough forces all landlords to license properties

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All private landlords in Barking and Dagenham must get a licence from April following the introduction of its selective scheme.

Divorce rates have their impact on rental demand

Divorce rates have their impact on rental demand

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There’s an often-overlooked impact of couples splitting on the demand for housing and particularly for rentals as splits occur every year in the UK

NRLA slams Welsh tenant compensation plan

NRLA slams Welsh tenant compensation plan

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The Welsh government has agreed to explore the possibility of making landlords give tenants compensation if they are evicted.

New book helps landlords prepare for renters' rights shake-up

New book helps landlords prepare for renters' rights shake-up

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A former solicitor and property expert has penned a book on how landlords can avoid litigants and potential crippling fines.

Rebel MPs demand ground rents abolished for existing leaseholds

Rebel MPs demand ground rents abolished for existing leaseholds

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A group of 30 Tory MPs have written to the Chancellor Jeremy Hunt warning that they may vote against the Government’s Leasehold and Freehold Reform Bill unless ground rents are abolished for both future and existing leaseholds.

Rent controls 'will undermine investment in PRS' says expert

Rent controls 'will undermine investment in PRS' says expert

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Rent controls will undermine investment in Scotland’s PRS unless there is more long-term certainty, according to one leading lettings expert.

London landlord narrowly avoids refunding tenant £32,000

London landlord narrowly avoids refunding tenant £32,000

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A landlord has avoided a £32,000 rent repayment order after a judge ruled his flat was at an address not covered by a licensing scheme, but only just.

Section 21 increasingly being used by landlords to evict as ban looms

Section 21 increasingly being used by landlords to evict as ban looms

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The latest quarterly homelessness figures from the Government for the final months of last year reveal that Section 21 notices as a reason for homelessness reached record levels during 2023.

'Time for bold action with rent controls has come' says mayor hopeful

'Time for bold action with rent controls has come' says mayor hopeful

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The Green Party’s mayoral candidate in London has said she will bring in rent controls saying the time for ‘bold action’ has come.

Landlords promised compensation as huge estate faces bulldozer

Landlords promised compensation as huge estate faces bulldozer

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Landlords have been promised fair compensation by a developer planning to bulldoze scores of homes on one of England’s most deprived housing estates.

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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News
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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.