A lettings agency boss and landlord has been slapped with a �40,700 Rent Repayment Officer despite claiming that his failure to licence an HMO was an honest mistake. A First Tier Property Tribunal handed five former tenants the maximum award for the period from September 2019 t
Scotland has launched plans for an overhaul of its rented sector that include a controversial system of rent controls. Proposals also include increasing penalties for illegal evictions, restricting evictions during winter, giving tenants greater flexibility to keep pets, introdu
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
The Law Society of England and Wales has called for a multi-million-pound investment in renters’ representation via legal aid following a rise in eviction numbers.
Landlords in Scotland should be made to routinely provide data rather than simply respond to requests from local authorities, according to a report into the Housing Bill by the Local Government, Housing and Planning Committee.
More landlords are selling their properties than those buying, new research has highlighted
Landlords are having to wait longer and longer to evict tenants particularly for those using London’s County Courts, says specialist firm Landlord Action, which blames the problems to a greater extent on a lack of bailiffs.
It seems it’s one step forward, two steps back for landlords with the recent Budget introducing significant changes to Stamp Duty Land Tax (SDLT) that will impact property transactions from April 2025. The changes have caused panic amongst landlords, with a spike in numbers looking to sell before Ch
It is likely that under the Renters’ Rights legislation due in 2025, tenancy documentation will be highly scrutinised before an eviction trial is allowed
The time taken for landlords to evict tenants has increased, latest Government figures show.
The Bank of England has blamed higher rents on more landlords than usual quitting the private rental market within its detailed quarterly report on the economy.
Landlords have more of an incentive to make green improvements following PM Rishi Sunak’s announcement that they can now claim £7,500 for a heat pump installation.
Brighton & Hove Council hopes to introduce a huge selective licensing scheme that would eventually cover 17 of the city’s 23 wards.
The government is being urged to bring in a dedicated �sex for rent' law to protect tenants after it promised to clamp down on predatory adverts.
Westminster City Council has repeated its calls for a compulsory registration scheme for short-term lets, a tax on overnight stays and powers to issue penalties to unregistere
York Council has teamed up with Justice for Tenants (JFT) to help more residents claim rent repayment orders from errant landlords in what is claimed to be a ‘ground-breaking partnership’.
So called title fraud is on the rise, where someone steals your identity, transfers your property title and either mortgages it or sells it off
Birmingham Council has confirmed to LandlordZONE that its selective licensing scheme will continue to be enforced despite its dire financial situation.
North Devon Council could close a loophole that allows HMO landlords to rent out their rooms as holiday lets.
Haringey Council has given the green light to an additional HMO licencing scheme consultation.
York Council has teamed up with Justice for Tenants (JFT) to help more residents claim rent repayment orders from errant landlords in what is claimed to be a 'ground-breaking
Rishi Sunak is due to make a speech this week that will row back on several key green policies that were to cost landlords thousands but that were part of his key Net Zero pledges, it has been reported.
A property management firm and its fire risk assessors face a hefty fine for fire safety breaches following a blaze which saw 17 people evacuated.
The NRLA has urged the Welsh government to ditch rent control proposals as the worst possible idea for a PRS facing a chronic supply and demand crisis.
The PM is considering scaling back the Government’s green pledges by delaying the ban on new petrol and diesel cars from 2030 to 2035 and slowing the phase-out of oil and gas boilers.
Scores of landlords could be owed thousands of pounds in stamp duty overpayments, according to a specialist tax firm.
Rishi Sunak has made a speech rowing back on several key green policies that were to cost landlords thousands but that were part of his key Net Zero pledges.
The National Residential Landlords Association has warned the Government that the crumbling courts system for evictions will undermine its hoped-for reforms of the private renting sector unless they are reformed.
In an unusual move the Jersey government is to give local authorities on the island more powers to prosecute landlords who do not protect tenants’ deposits within the 30 days required, it has been reported. A tenant deposit protection scheme was introduced on Jersey in 2015 and landlords, as in mai
Landlords can effectively now charge what they like as the government’s draconian policies are stifling competition, says Nottingham benefits landlord Mick Roberts.
A rogue landlord who ignored fire risks and serious hazards at his flats and caravans has been fined £32,000.
In an unusual move the Jersey government is to give local authorities on the island more powers to prosecute landlords who do not protect tenants' deposits within the 30 day
Latest rental market data from London reveals a private rental sector still on fire as rents rise by 11% year-on-year, says agency Foxtons.
Rental properties with an EPC certificate below a band C are becoming more difficult to sell to other landlords, new research has suggested.
A landlord who ignored his tenants’ pleas to fix their boiler during sub-zero temperatures has been ordered to pay out nearly £10,000 in fines and compensation.