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Renters (Reform) Bill - we take a first look at the radical new legislation

Renters (Reform) Bill - we take a first look at the radical new legislation

News

The Renters (Reform) Bill has finally had its first reading in Parliament, promising a fair deal to renters, faster redress for landlords and giving more details on how 'pets with lets' will work. Heralded as a once-in-a-generation overhaul of housing laws�, the government

Purplebricks sold to rival for �1 after senior team throw in the towel

Purplebricks sold to rival for �1 after senior team throw in the towel

News

Purplebricks, which at one stage was used by thousands of landlords to manage their properties, has announced that its assets and business are to be sold to rival Strike for �1, pending approval by its shareholders. Any funds remaining in the firm some �5.5 million are

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

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Booking.com under fire over 'ghost' and 'scam' properties

Booking.com under fire over 'ghost' and 'scam' properties

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A holiday lets platform used by thousands of landlords to generate income has come under fire over ‘ghost’ properties.

'Labour nightmare for landlords! No rent? Well, you can’t evict or sell now'

'Labour nightmare for landlords! No rent? Well, you can’t evict or sell now'

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There is some uncertainty to what it actually means in practice until the details are written down but could the proposed hardship test mean even if your tenants won’t pay their rent, you will not be able to evict them if that makes them homeless or financially disadvantaged?

Big council takes unusual new role 'policing' all privately rented homes

Big council takes unusual new role 'policing' all privately rented homes

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News
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North Yorkshire Council has adopted a new housing enforcement policy to ensure all private rental properties across the county are up to scratch, the first time this has happened.

Tenant remanded in custody after landlord's death

Tenant remanded in custody after landlord's death

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News
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A tenant accused of murdering her landlord and stabbing his cat to death has been remanded in custody.

NEW: 'Dream home' raffle helps tenants pay their rent

NEW: 'Dream home' raffle helps tenants pay their rent

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News
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A property raffle has just handed out another £500,000 to a lucky winner to buy their dream house.

Council slammed for breaking property licencing scheme rules

Council slammed for breaking property licencing scheme rules

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News
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Hackney Council has been called out for continuing to process additional and selective landlord licence applications five months after both schemes ended.

Will the commercial property market revive soon?

Will the commercial property market revive soon?

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News
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The UK commercial real estate sector has faced significant challenges recently due to changing trends, will recent signs of a turnaround continue?

Rogue landlord and agent first to be banned from PRS in Essex

Rogue landlord and agent first to be banned from PRS in Essex

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News
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A rogue landlord and also letting agent who let out grotty and overcrowded properties has been handed the first banning order in Essex.

Number of tenants looking for properties to rent drops 39%

Number of tenants looking for properties to rent drops 39%

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Rental growth has slowed to its lowest level for nearly three years while demand has dropped by 39% during the past 12 months.

Court agrees a vital new 'green lease' clause

Court agrees a vital new 'green lease' clause

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News
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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

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News
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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

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News
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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

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News
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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

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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

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News
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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

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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

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News
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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

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News
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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

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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

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News
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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

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News
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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

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News
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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

Landlords forced to take a hit on costs by asking lower rents

Landlords forced to take a hit on costs by asking lower rents

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News
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More landlords are being forced to reduce advertised rents in the cost-of-living crisis.

Council bids to buy more private rented homes

Council bids to buy more private rented homes

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News
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A council plans to buy 65 private rental properties through its housing company in a bid to address the shortage of homes.

Disgruntled landlords threaten licensing scheme boycott

Disgruntled landlords threaten licensing scheme boycott

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Landlords in Middlesbrough have vowed to fight plans to expand selective licensing and a fee hike.

Landlord pays high price for ignoring mouldy bedroom

Landlord pays high price for ignoring mouldy bedroom

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News
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A landlord who failed to remove dangerous mould from a children’s bedroom has been handed a £10,451 fine.

Landlord's flood planning saves tenants from water surge

Landlord's flood planning saves tenants from water surge

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News
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A landlord living in Shropshire’s largest block of flats has vowed to stay put, despite his neighbours moving out during serious flooding.

REVEALED: Socialist Party's extreme plans for housing market

REVEALED: Socialist Party's extreme plans for housing market

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The Socialist Party has called for rent controls, compulsory control of private landlords and the nationalisation of house builders.

MAYOR: "Days of bad landlords being untouchable coming to end"

MAYOR: "Days of bad landlords being untouchable coming to end"

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News
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Greater Manchester mayor Andy Burnham has warned rogue landlords that they will soon have nowhere to hide.

Is the UK Government shunning its own advice?

Is the UK Government shunning its own advice?

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The Military is shunning heat pumps in favour of cheaper to install cutting-edge electric boilers in homes

Short lets and assisted living 'hottest tickets' for 2024 - claim

Short lets and assisted living 'hottest tickets' for 2024 - claim

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News
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Landlords are being encouraged to consider adding lucrative short lets and assisted living developments to their property portfolios this year.

Data regulator warns landlords and agents over privacy rules

Data regulator warns landlords and agents over privacy rules

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News
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Landlords and letting agents have been warned to be more careful when handling tenants’ personal data under GDPR rules.

Huge Right to Rent fines for landlords to go live on 22nd January

Huge Right to Rent fines for landlords to go live on 22nd January

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Steeper fines for landlords flouting Right to Rent rules in England come into force on 22nd January.

New selective licences will be 'tied to tackling anti-social tenants'

New selective licences will be 'tied to tackling anti-social tenants'

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Middlesborough Council has launched a consultation into plans to extend a selective licensing scheme in parts of its Newport ward.