Date

Library

Thank you! Your submission has been received!
Oops! Something went wrong while submitting the form.
Thank you! Your submission has been received!
Oops! Something went wrong while submitting the form.

EPC changes, what’s coming and what do you need to do?

EPC changes, what’s coming and what do you need to do?

News

The new Labour Government has been busy changing the rules on EPCs for rentals and there’s ongoing consultation exercises to decide what changes are needed

Repeat offender landlord fined £5,000 over illegal HMO

Repeat offender landlord fined £5,000 over illegal HMO

News

A landlord has been fined almost £5,000 after being found guilty for a second time of operating an illegal HMO.

Big NE town brings in HMO planning restrictions

Big NE town brings in HMO planning restrictions

News

Middlesborough Council has brought in new planning restrictions to clamp down on the “wrong sort of HMOs”.

Big city to expand licensing five-fold despite landlord concerns

Big city to expand licensing five-fold despite landlord concerns

News

Gateshead is to push ahead with new property licensing schemes despite local landlords and letting agents opposing them including 93% saying the fees are ‘too high’.

Is development more attractive than landlording?

Is development more attractive than landlording?

News

Rental property yields are shrinking as the costs created by more regulations and legislation eat into landlord profits – so is it time more BTL landlords became SME developers?

Tenant group says 'landlords can't be trusted' to regulate themselves

Tenant group says 'landlords can't be trusted' to regulate themselves

News

Scotland’s tenants’ union has warned that removing rent rise reprotections will lead to an uptick in de facto evictions and homelessness.

Big Kent council latest to offer landlords 'guaranteed rent'

Big Kent council latest to offer landlords 'guaranteed rent'

News

Maidstone Borough Council has become the latest authority hoping to entice private landlords to hand over their properties in exchange for guaranteed rent.

Landlord to pay £37,000 after running overcrowded illegal HMO

Landlord to pay £37,000 after running overcrowded illegal HMO

News

A rogue landlord who squeezed six people into one room of his HMO has been told to pay £37,000 in fines and costs.

CLAIM: Labour's 'new towns' will be all about BTR not private landlords

CLAIM: Labour's 'new towns' will be all about BTR not private landlords

News

The UK’s new towns will favour build-to-rent developers rather than private landlords, according to a think tank which labels them “profit-seeking institutional investors”.

Thank you! Your submission has been received!
Oops! Something went wrong while submitting the form.

Shrinking buy-to-let could see a buy-to-let mortgage drought

Shrinking buy-to-let could see a buy-to-let mortgage drought

News
News
Podcast
Opinion
Sponsored
Information

As landlords continue to exit the buy-to-let market, to the detriment of their tenants, could this rout also lead to buy-to-let mortgage lenders following their lead? This is a question posed by Chloe Cheung writing for the FT this last weekend. Its a serious question, a deve

Letting agents back HMO council tax re-banding reform proposals

Letting agents back HMO council tax re-banding reform proposals

News
News
Podcast
Opinion
Sponsored
Information

Letting agents have backed the Governments decision to reform the way HMO properties are banded for council tax. Propertymark, which represents the estate agency sector, says in its submission to a consultation by the Department of Levelling Up, Housing and Communities that p

LATEST: Greens say 'immediate' rent freeze is only answer to housing crisis

LATEST: Greens say 'immediate' rent freeze is only answer to housing crisis

News
News
Podcast
Opinion
Sponsored
Information

Landlords wanting to back the eco movement may want to pause for thought after the Green Party today vowed to bring in an immediate rent freeze and no-fault eviction ban to tackle the housing crisis. During an election campaign visit to Suffolk, party co-leaders Carla Denyer and

Landlord jailed after ignoring court order to improve rat-infested property

Landlord jailed after ignoring court order to improve rat-infested property

News
News
Podcast
Opinion
Sponsored
Information

A rogue landlord has been jailed for 10 months after he failed to comply with conditions set by a court concerning his rat-infested property. Martin Ambler admitted four counts of breaching a criminal behaviour order in May 2022 but sentencing was deferred so that he could instr

Have you been hit by the 'cost of landlording' crisis? Here's some help

Have you been hit by the 'cost of landlording' crisis? Here's some help

News
News
Podcast
Opinion
Sponsored
Information

There is a lot of talk at the moment about how rents are up by 11% across the UK and although I know its tough on renters, landlord costs have, in many cases, doubled. This includes mortgage premium payments following interest rates rises from 0.5% to 4% in just 12 months, an

Tory think-tank and Shelter push for three-year tenancies for PRS

Tory think-tank and Shelter push for three-year tenancies for PRS

News
News
Podcast
Opinion
Sponsored
Information

The government should introduce three-year tenancies to protect tenants from uncertainty and rising rents, according to a liberal conservative think tank report. The Bright Blue group has teamed up with Shelter to publish, <strong id

NEW: Coalition slams Scots Government over rent cap and evictions freeze

NEW: Coalition slams Scots Government over rent cap and evictions freeze

News
News
Podcast
Opinion
Sponsored
Information

Landlords have heavily criticised the Scottish governments decision to implement its evictions freeze and rent cap without a proper consultation. The measures, which were widely criticised earlier this year for being rushed through, are now being fought by a coalition of orga

Mortgage provider sets up �50 million fund to help landlords upgrade EPCs

Mortgage provider sets up �50 million fund to help landlords upgrade EPCs

News
News
Podcast
Opinion
Sponsored
Information

A BTL mortgage provider has pledged to invest �50 million in a fund to help landlords enhance their propertys energy efficiency. OSB Group will channel the cash through its recently launched https://landlordleaders.osb.co.uk/media/w5ajeto5/osb

'Letting agents must help landlords navigate looming renting reforms'

'Letting agents must help landlords navigate looming renting reforms'

News
News
Podcast
Opinion
Sponsored
Information

Evictions expert Paul Shamplina has warned landlords and letting agents that the looming Renters Reform Act will present major challenges for the private rented sector as a wall of new red tape arrives. Speaking to a group of Belvoir business owners Shamplina who is also

January sees a new surge of landlords selling their portfolios for higher prices than 2023

January sees a new surge of landlords selling their portfolios for higher prices than 2023

Sponsored
News
Podcast
Opinion
Sponsored
Information

There’s good news for landlords who have postponed selling their rental properties despite falling profits and new legislation making the private rental sector less appealing to most landlords.

Inflation rate surprise to delay mortgage interest rate drop for landlords

Inflation rate surprise to delay mortgage interest rate drop for landlords

News
News
Podcast
Opinion
Sponsored
Information

Landlords could have to wait slightly longer for the pressure on mortgage rates to ease after the annual rate of inflation hit 4% last month.

Record rent rises revealed by latest official PRS data

Record rent rises revealed by latest official PRS data

News
News
Podcast
Opinion
Sponsored
Information

UK rents increased by 6.2% in the year to December 2023 - the joint highest annual percentage change since 2016.

MPs told Commonhold is best replacement for leasehold

MPs told Commonhold is best replacement for leasehold

News
News
Podcast
Opinion
Sponsored
Information

Experts and campaigners giving evidence to the Leasehold and Freehold Reform Bill committee have endorsed a commonhold system.

Landlord slams 'over the top' DWP demands on tenants

Landlord slams 'over the top' DWP demands on tenants

News
News
Podcast
Opinion
Sponsored
Information

Tenants across the UK are being asked to comply with an extensive fraud checklist to confirm their eligibility for Universal Credit.

Landlords in Wales not obliged to flag homelessness risk

Landlords in Wales not obliged to flag homelessness risk

News
News
Podcast
Opinion
Sponsored
Information

Propertymark has welcomed the Welsh government’s commitment that private landlords shouldn’t have to refer tenants at risk of homelessness.

Family build-to-rent urged to meet PRS shortfall

Family build-to-rent urged to meet PRS shortfall

News
News
Podcast
Opinion
Sponsored
Information

Up to one million new rental homes will be needed to accommodate growing demand by 2031, particularly from young families, across England and Wales.

Fewer tenancies trigger letting agency closures

Fewer tenancies trigger letting agency closures

News
News
Podcast
Opinion
Sponsored
Information

Almost 2,000 letting agent branches shut up shop last year which meant 2023 ended with 659 fewer branches on the high street.

Funding concerns continue to stall retrofit plans

Funding concerns continue to stall retrofit plans

News
News
Podcast
Opinion
Sponsored
Information

Nearly a fifth of landlords believe the government should prioritise better access to finance so they can carry out retrofitting plans.

More landlords in cost-saving drive to incorporate

More landlords in cost-saving drive to incorporate

News
News
Podcast
Opinion
Sponsored
Information

A record 50,004 limited BTL companies were set up last year, driven by landlords looking to shelter themselves from higher interest rates.

Landlords told to fix mouldy homes within 24 hours 

Landlords told to fix mouldy homes within 24 hours 

News
News
Podcast
Opinion
Sponsored
Information

Michael Gove says that under Awaab’s Law, social housing landlords must deal with condensation issues without delay.

What is in store for landlords in 2024?

What is in store for landlords in 2024?

Sponsored
News
Podcast
Opinion
Sponsored
Information

Get ready for an intriguing year ahead in 2024, particularly if you're a hands-on landlord, as several forthcoming announcements are poised to reshape the landscape of property management.

Court agrees a vital new 'green lease' clause

Court agrees a vital new 'green lease' clause

News
News
Podcast
Opinion
Sponsored
Information

The importance of keeping commercial lease clauses up-to-date with changes in new legislation, in particular there's one clause that should be inserted into every commercial lease to take account of the new energy efficiency rules. Under the Landlord

Tribunal rules tenant at fault for safety check breach

Tribunal rules tenant at fault for safety check breach

News
News
Podcast
Opinion
Sponsored
Information

A landlord who was unable to conduct an electrical safety check due to his hoarding tenant has had a £3,500 fine quashed.

Commercial landlords to get more EPC breathing space

Commercial landlords to get more EPC breathing space

News
News
Podcast
Opinion
Sponsored
Information

The government has confirmed that commercial landlords won’t have to meet a proposed 2025 deadline to raise their properties to an EPC band C.

Tech tie-up helps tenants report rent payments

Tech tie-up helps tenants report rent payments

News
News
Podcast
Opinion
Sponsored
Information

CreditLadder has teamed up with Digital ID Connect so app users can report rental payments into credit reference agencies.

Rent fall 'no breakthrough' in challenging market

Rent fall 'no breakthrough' in challenging market

News
News
Podcast
Opinion
Sponsored
Information

Monthly rental costs fell by 0.9% across the UK during December and by 2.2% in Greater London - one of the biggest drops seen in 2023.

No law on cards for private landlords to tackle mould

No law on cards for private landlords to tackle mould

News
News
Podcast
Opinion
Sponsored
Information

The government has rejected calls for private landlords to be given similar deadlines to the social housing sector for dealing with damp and mould.

New year brings change in top jobs at NRLA

New year brings change in top jobs at NRLA

News
News
Podcast
Opinion
Sponsored
Information

The NRLA has made two top-level appointments to bolster its service at the start of a crucial year.

Letting agencies join forces to create franchise supergroup

Letting agencies join forces to create franchise supergroup

News
News
Podcast
Opinion
Sponsored
Information

The Property Franchise Group (TPFG) and Belvoir Group have agreed to a merger to create a wide-reaching property franchise business.

Drugs gang hid behind student lets firm to make millions

Drugs gang hid behind student lets firm to make millions

News
News
Podcast
Opinion
Sponsored
Information

An organised crime group which used a student letting firm as a front for their multi-million-pound empire have been guilty of drug offences.

Wales on track to license all holiday homes

Wales on track to license all holiday homes

News
News
Podcast
Opinion
Sponsored
Information

All short-term lets in Wales will soon have to be registered and licensed under plans announced by the Welsh government.

New year heralds brighter BTL mortgage outlook

New year heralds brighter BTL mortgage outlook

News
News
Podcast
Opinion
Sponsored
Information

Mortgage market drama should subside this year, thanks to stable property prices, strong rental demand, rising rents and softening mortgage interest rates.

Warning: New-look Scottish rent controls risk backfiring

Warning: New-look Scottish rent controls risk backfiring

News
News
Podcast
Opinion
Sponsored
Information

A new adjudication process for rent controls in Scotland could add further layers of bureaucracy without benefitting landlords or tenants.

Legal case: rent repayment orders - honesty the best policy

Legal case: rent repayment orders - honesty the best policy

News
News
Podcast
Opinion
Sponsored
Information

A Rent Repayment Order (RRO) is an order that allows a tenant or local authority to reclaim rent or housing benefit where a landlord rents out an unlicensed property such as a house in multiple occupation (HMO). Rent Repayment Orders are obtained through a residential property t