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Gove to approve looser rules for HMO landlords housing asylum seekers

Gove to approve looser rules for HMO landlords housing asylum seekers

News

Housing Secretary Michael Gove is set to push through new rules on HMO safety for housing asylum seekers with little fanfare on the same day that the Renters Reform Bill is published. The changes outlined in the proposed https://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukdsi/2023/9780

BLOG: 'Reform bill will solve the problem of pet damage for landlords'

BLOG: 'Reform bill will solve the problem of pet damage for landlords'

News

The long-awaited Renters (Reform) Bill will finally be introduced in parliament after Prime Minister's Questions today. Setting out plans for 12 key reforms to the private rental sector, the 11th pledge - to give tenants the right in law to request a pet, which should not be unr

Agents who lack licencing law know-how 'putting landlords at risk'

Agents who lack licencing law know-how 'putting landlords at risk'

News

Bungling letting agents with a lack of legal understanding are putting landlords at risk of prosecution, it has been claimed. One landlord expert has advised caution when signing up with a firm in the current climate of increasing legislation and falling profits, particularly fo

Opinion: does Michael Gove know something we don't?

Opinion: does Michael Gove know something we don't?

Opinion

It would seem that successive Tory governments have waged an ongoing and progressively more vicious war on buy-to-let landlords, but this latest layer of legislation goes much further. Yes, this latest iteration, and one thats https://bills.parliament.uk/bills/1768/s

EXTRA red tape, scams and repairs drive more landlords to use agencies

EXTRA red tape, scams and repairs drive more landlords to use agencies

News

Almost two thirds (63%) of private landlords who manage their own properties are tired of sorting out repairs and dealing with red tape and considering using a letting agency or property manager instead.  A Uswitch poll of 2,000 landlords found that the most common reason t

Labour to 'go further than Tories' with harsher Decent Homes Standard

Labour to 'go further than Tories' with harsher Decent Homes Standard

News

Labour has promised to ramp up the pressure on private landlords by introducing a legally binding Decent Homes Standard 2. Its latest draft policy programme a provisional blueprint likely to shape the next general election manifesto includes a proposal to take the

Starmer 'set to U-turn on rent controls' as London Mayor pleads for more powers

Starmer 'set to U-turn on rent controls' as London Mayor pleads for more powers

News

Keir Starmer is set to rebuff previous calls by London mayor Sadiq Khan to bring in a rent freeze, it has been reported. Khan has been banging his rent freeze drum for months now as the cost-of-living crisis has hit many tenants personal finances, telling the BBC in Oct

'Disaster' renting reform bill to enter parliament tomorrow after PMQs

'Disaster' renting reform bill to enter parliament tomorrow after PMQs

News

The much-delayed Renters Reform Bill is rumoured to be getting its first reading tomorrow after Prime Ministers Questions, although the 'full meat' of the proposals will come later. Rumoured to be renamed the Rented Homes Bill or Renters (Reform) Bill, landlords are waitin

BREAKING: Renters (Reform) Bill to get first airing after PMQs today

BREAKING: Renters (Reform) Bill to get first airing after PMQs today

News

The Government is to finally introduce its long-delayed renting reforms into parliament later today following Prime Ministers Questions (PMQs) in the Commons. The Bill, which is to be called the Renters (Reform) Bill, will get its first reading just aft

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High-profile landlord warns Energy Secretary over EPC upgrade plan

High-profile landlord warns Energy Secretary over EPC upgrade plan

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Nottingham benefits landlord Mick Roberts has warned that the government’s push to get rental properties up to an EPC C by 2030 could backfire.

Labour struggling with house building – quantity as well as quality

Labour struggling with house building – quantity as well as quality

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Angela Rayner’s promise to build 1.5 million new homes this Parliament is looking increasingly optimistic

Buying BTL property via a limited company now 'most popular route'

Buying BTL property via a limited company now 'most popular route'

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Seven out of 10 landlords planning to buy a new rental property during the next 12 months will use a limited company structure, it has been claimed.

Landlord to repay tenants £21,000 after failing to license HMO

Landlord to repay tenants £21,000 after failing to license HMO

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Four tenants have won £21,076 from their landlord who failed to explain why she hadn’t licensed her damp and cold HMO.

Rocketing leasehold charges trapping landlords with unsaleable flats

Rocketing leasehold charges trapping landlords with unsaleable flats

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News
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Many landlords are struggling to sell leasehold flats because management charges have reached astronomical levels with many now forking out £2,000 or more a year.

Housing minister reveals plans to digitise property buying and selling

Housing minister reveals plans to digitise property buying and selling

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Landlords buying or selling homes will soon enjoy a smoother and quicker property transaction process after the Government announced that it is to digitise the system.

Salvation Army joins growing calls for Labour to unfreeze LHA

Salvation Army joins growing calls for Labour to unfreeze LHA

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The Salvation Army has joined calls for the UK government to help prevent homelessness in Scotland by scrapping the planned freeze on Local Housing Allowance (LHA).

Labour to force landlords to achieve EPC band C minimum

Labour to force landlords to achieve EPC band C minimum

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The government has confirmed its plan to force all private landlords to get their rental properties up to an EPC C – from the current EPC E – by 2030.

Renters’ Rights could scupper students’ uni plans

Renters’ Rights could scupper students’ uni plans

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Students from the UK and overseas could miss out on a university education unless the Government makes urgent changes to its Renters’ Rights Bill.

Landord fined £1.4m and has rental property confiscated

Landord fined £1.4m and has rental property confiscated

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An absentee landlord has been stung with a £1.44 million penalty after he continually broke planning rules in a decade-long stand-off with Ealing Council.

Report urges Labour to spend £11.8bn on affordable rented homes

Report urges Labour to spend £11.8bn on affordable rented homes

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Building 90,000 social homes a year will end the housing emergency and pay for itself within three years due to the wider economic benefits, according to a study by Shelter and the National Housing Federation.

ADVICE: How to deal with tenants who fake tenancy applications

ADVICE: How to deal with tenants who fake tenancy applications

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Tom Entwistle passes on some thoughts on dealing with tenant selection and securing a good tenant-letting in the current economic climate

Council chases former landlord for tenant's 20-year tax debt

Council chases former landlord for tenant's 20-year tax debt

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A former landlord has been ordered to pay a council tax demand dating back nearly 20 years.

Landlord pays heavy price for ignoring Improvement Order

Landlord pays heavy price for ignoring Improvement Order

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News
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A rogue landlord has been ordered to pay more than £9,000 for ignoring notices to improve his dangerous property.

Major building society stops lending to holiday let investors

Major building society stops lending to holiday let investors

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Leeds Building Society has stopped lending to investors buying holiday lets in areas of North Norfolk and North Yorkshire in a bid to relieve pressure on local housing.

Lords to put letting agents' service quality under spotlight

Lords to put letting agents' service quality under spotlight

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The quality of service provided by letting agents to landlords is under the spotlight again after an influential group within the Lords revealed it is to probe into the sector.

Rebel Tory MPs 'working hard to have renting reform legislation changed'

Rebel Tory MPs 'working hard to have renting reform legislation changed'

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It has been confirmed over the weekend that a group of 49 ‘rebel’ Tory MPs are working hard have the Renters (Reform) Bill amended.

MPs given more details on holiday short-lets clampdown

MPs given more details on holiday short-lets clampdown

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MPs have been given more details of the Government’s plans to clamp down on holiday lets in tourism hotspots following Michael Gove’s announcement this week.

Few councils policing minimum EPC rules or issuing fines

Few councils policing minimum EPC rules or issuing fines

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News
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Minimum energy efficiency standards (MEES) are not being enforced by overstretched councils who cannot keep any income they make from fines imposed for breaches.

HMRC's digital tax reporting scheme to cost landlords £460

HMRC's digital tax reporting scheme to cost landlords £460

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News
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Landlords will have to fork out an extra £460 to use the new Making Tax Digital for Income Tax Self-Assessment system.

Spray foam industry acknowledges problems with 'cowboy operators'

Spray foam industry acknowledges problems with 'cowboy operators'

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Landlords who have used cowboy spray foam firms to insulate their properties are to be offered help by one of the main trade associations for the sector.

Most tenants and landlords say Tory PRS policies 'wrong'

Most tenants and landlords say Tory PRS policies 'wrong'

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A staggering 94% of renters don’t have confidence in the government’s approach to housing, according to a poll by SpareRoom.

Big city council seeks more powers to curb HMOs

Big city council seeks more powers to curb HMOs

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Salford Council wants new powers to help stem the growth of HMOs in the city.

Rees-Mogg savages Tory party's rental sector policies

Rees-Mogg savages Tory party's rental sector policies

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Jacob Rees-Mogg has turned on Tory colleagues by labelling the Renters (Reform) Bill “desperate tinkering at the edges” which won’t help landlords or tenants.

Landlord faces big fine after ignoring HMO planning decision

Landlord faces big fine after ignoring HMO planning decision

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A landlord who ignored a council’s enforcement notice to stop operating an HMO without planning permission has been told to return it to a ‘traditional family home’ or face a huge fine.

Commercial to residential conversions, a new dawn!

Commercial to residential conversions, a new dawn!

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Opportunities for developers and investors in property will open up as new amendments are laid down.

Landlords over 55 turning to Landlord Sales Agency as BTL mortgages grind to a halt

Landlords over 55 turning to Landlord Sales Agency as BTL mortgages grind to a halt

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It’s another week of news suggesting that landlords need to sell. If you’ve not yet considered cutting your loses, this might be the sign it’s time to exit the market, fast.

Minister grilled over conflicting Section 21 evictions ban promises

Minister grilled over conflicting Section 21 evictions ban promises

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Cross-party peers have grilled Housing Minister Baroness Penn over the government’s ambiguous assurance that no-fault evictions would be banned before the general election.

Landlord hit with £45,000 fine over unlicenced HMOs

Landlord hit with £45,000 fine over unlicenced HMOs

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A rogue landlord who ignored requests to raise standards at his two unlicensed properties has been hit with a bill of more than £45,000.

Property investment duo under fire as SFO probes £140m collapse

Property investment duo under fire as SFO probes £140m collapse

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The Serious Fraud Office (SFO) has today raided homes and arrested four people connected to a group of investment companies that left some 1,000 investors out of pocket.

Leading Tory lobbyist warns Gove over Section 21 evictions

Leading Tory lobbyist warns Gove over Section 21 evictions

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A leading Tory lobbyist and political commentator has called on the government to ditch plans for abolishing Section 21 amid fears that it will only worsen the housing crisis.

60% of renters struggling financially and 11% using food banks

60% of renters struggling financially and 11% using food banks

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New research among tenants reveals a bleak picture as the cost-of-living crisis hits home within the private rented sector.

'Airbnb growth is down to Gove's anti-landlord policies' - claim

'Airbnb growth is down to Gove's anti-landlord policies' - claim

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Leading letting agent Marc von Grundherr (pictured) has labelled the government’s crackdown on short lets “ironic”, given its hard line on buy-to-let landlords.

Two thirds of landlords making leap to Ltd companies

Two thirds of landlords making leap to Ltd companies

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A surprising 65% of landlords are considering or have already become a limited company as thousands seek tax benefits to help their business succeed.