Portsmouths HMOs are in the firing line again as growing numbers are being referred to the Valuation Office Agency (VOA) to have their council tax bands reassessed. Rather than paying tax on the whole property, each room can be classified as a band A at a cost of �1,200, wit
A severely disabled tenant and his family have barricaded themselves into their home in a bid to prevent a controversial eviction. Quadriplegic Harvey Cowe, 62, and his wife Sheree, 55, have lived at the house in Brittany Road, Hove, for 25 years after Brighton & Hove C
A leading letting agent has criticised the reasoning behind the UKs ever-growing list of selective licensing schemes. Selective licensing covers all rented property in a given area or council borough and landlords are required to pay a five-yearly fee of between �500 and �9
Landlords in Bristol will soon be required to gain planning permission to convert properties into HMOs in three key areas, it has been revealed. South Gloucestershire Council is to bring in Article 4 directions in the Bristol neighbourhoods of Stoke Park and Cheswick and parts o
Londons mayor Sadiq Khan has urged private landlords who are planning to exit the private rented market to sell their properties to local councils instead of other landlords. Khan made the comments within a self-congratulatory statement on his website l
A landlord in London must now pay �40,000 after losing his appeal against his fine for breaching Mandatory HMO licensing conditions at a bedsit property above a pub. Earlier this year Islington council brought a prosecution against Mohammed Shahid for fai
For years now, what would appear to have been successive waves of anti-landlord legislation have been bearing down on buy to let, but will this change under a new prime minister? From George Osborne to Rishi Sunack, the Treasury, it would seem, has been milking the buy to let la
The next chapter in the troubling story of property guru Glenn Armstrong has begun after court records have revealed that the infamous �3m seven-bedroom trophy mansion he often used within his marketing effort has been repossessed by bailiffs. The 62-year-olds now form
Liz Truss and Rishi Sunak continue to battle it out to become Prime Minster, but what will this mean for housing? Sunak and Truss have talked about homeownership and with the challenges that many face getting onto the housing ladder, but have remain tight-lipped about detailed p
The National Trust has rejected claims that it stopped renting out its properties to avoid the growing legislative burden.
A Liverpool landlord has been hit with a fine of almost £14,000 for allowing tenants to live in a “house of horrors”.
Nearly half of landlords and three quarters of the general public support rent controls, a poll by YouGov on behalf of wealth inequality not-for-profit Common Wealth has revealed.
A Welsh politician has sounded the alarm over new legislation which risks exacerbating the mass exodus of private landlords.
A leading agency has warned that tenants could move into a property without having paid any rent once the Renters’ Rights Bill becomes law.
The next six months will see a huge increase in demand for rental properties, landlords and letting agents have been told.
The directors of a supported housing company who illegally evicted a vulnerable tenant have been handed suspended jail sentences.
The Government is evidently taking decisive steps to ensure swift progress of the Renters’ Rights Bill through the Commons and the Lords, with a view to having the Act implemented before Easter
Rightmove has called for more green home incentives for the private rented sector after its poll showed a big fall in landlords planning to make improvements to their properties.
Michael Gove has voiced his support for landlords and insists he wants to make the Renters (Reform) Bill work for them.
The Scottish government has urged tenants to tackle unfair tenancies before the emergency rent cap and additional evictions protections end on 31st March.
Landlords have been warned by a TV programme to watch out for tenants who attempt to steal their properties via title fraud.
Council leaders are the latest group to lobby Michael Gove over the Renters (Reform) Bill, urging him to extend notice periods for evictions from two to four months.
The group of rebel Tory MPs backing moves to make significant changes to the Renters (Reform) Bill has today published its comprehensive list of amendments, along with the full names of the 49 MPs within the group (see list at end).
A financial report has revealed Nottingham Council’s struggle to keep money raised from selective licensing ring-fenced.
The Government has delayed its already-announced reforms of the courts, making it even less likely that the UK’s County Courts will be ready to take on the extra work created by banning Section 21 evictions, it has been claimed.
The Government has taken on board a list of changes to the Renters (Reform) Bill requested by some 50 rebel Tory MPs, it has been reported
The anticipation surrounding the Renters (Reform) Bill has remained a constant topic recently, with discussions over the timing of the abolition of Section 21 constantly fluctuating.
The Government has admitted that the issuing of Biometric Residence Permits (BRPs), which are used by non-UK citizens to prove they have a right to rent properties, has been taking too long.
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.
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.
Tom Entwistle passes on some thoughts on dealing with tenant selection and securing a good tenant-letting in the current economic climate
A former landlord has been ordered to pay a council tax demand dating back nearly 20 years.
A rogue landlord has been ordered to pay more than £9,000 for ignoring notices to improve his dangerous property.
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.
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.
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 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.
Minimum energy efficiency standards (MEES) are not being enforced by overstretched councils who cannot keep any income they make from fines imposed for breaches.
Landlords will have to fork out an extra £460 to use the new Making Tax Digital for Income Tax Self-Assessment system.
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.
A staggering 94% of renters don’t have confidence in the government’s approach to housing, according to a poll by SpareRoom.
