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Legal case '� can there be a reasonable excuse for not licensing an HMO?

Legal case '� can there be a reasonable excuse for not licensing an HMO?

News

Weve all heard the expression, ignorance of the law is no excuse� and this applies without question in all areas of the law. But in some rare instances it seems the courts and tribunals are open to accepting a defence of what is termed reasonable excuse even when the regulatio

Landlord says protecting tenants during portfolio sale will cost him �500,000

Landlord says protecting tenants during portfolio sale will cost him �500,000

News

Nottingham benefits landlord Mick Roberts (main picture) has made another bid to sell 40 of his properties by offering to cut the sale price by a tenth if a landlord buyer keeps his existing tenants on. The regular LandlordZONE contributor has previously suggested https

LATEST: Guidance issued for landlords with tenants hoping to take in Ukrainian refugees

LATEST: Guidance issued for landlords with tenants hoping to take in Ukrainian refugees

News

Landlords have been warned to check a propertys potential status if their tenant wants to offer Ukrainian refugees a spare room. Updated guidance on the rules around the Homes for Ukraine scheme outlines that where a private tenant is paying rent for their accommodation, the

BREAKING: Wales delays introduction of controversial Renting Homes Act

BREAKING: Wales delays introduction of controversial Renting Homes Act

News

The Welsh government has announced a five-and-a-half-month delay to the introduction of its controversial Renting Homes Act which had been due to go live on 15th July this year. Now postponed until 1st December, housing minister Julie James says

Latest changes to Part L of the Building Regulations

Latest changes to Part L of the Building Regulations

News

Landlords are required to conform to the safety and environmental rules set-out in these regulations so its important you understand the law regarding the building regulations. The rules are in place to ensure that buildings meet a certain standard of safety to protect residents and memb

Welsh government clamps down on holiday let landlords with tougher council tax rules

Welsh government clamps down on holiday let landlords with tougher council tax rules

News

Landlords in Wales who rent out self-catering accommodation will no longer be able to dodge council tax under new and tighter rules announced by the Welsh government. In its bid to crack down on the impact many holiday lets and second homes are having on communities and the Wels

REVEALED: Shocking but true data behind landlord rent arrears and evictions

REVEALED: Shocking but true data behind landlord rent arrears and evictions

News

A staggering 71% of all landlords reported having at least one tenant in arrears due to the pandemic, according to the latest English Private Landlord Survey . Nearly a third (29%) were lucky not to have any, but landlords with one property most commonly ha

Amended rules for landlords on fitting carbon monoxide alarms

Amended rules for landlords on fitting carbon monoxide alarms

News

Landlords in England have since October 2015 been required to install carbon monoxide alarms in their residential rented accommodation where a solid fuel solid fuel heating appliance was fitted. This would include all open fireplaces that were available to be used, that is where

Office market weathering the storm better than expected

Office market weathering the storm better than expected

News

With rental growth in prime London offices set to outpace the rest of the country, the doom mongers predicting permanent working from home (WFH) and office flight have so far, it seems, been on the wrong tack. Quarter 1, 2022 has seen rent returns rise as UK commercial property

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Big Kent council latest to offer landlords 'guaranteed rent'

Big Kent council latest to offer landlords 'guaranteed rent'

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News
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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

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News
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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

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News
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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”.

Big London council to bring back selective licensing

Big London council to bring back selective licensing

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News
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Croydon has announced plans to bring back its selective licensing scheme after a five-year break.

Lettings agency pays high price for ignoring HMO regulations

Lettings agency pays high price for ignoring HMO regulations

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News
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A student housing firm has been told to pay £13,160 for breaching safety regulations at a Salford HMO.

Landlords in-line for a £20bn energy efficiency bill

Landlords in-line for a £20bn energy efficiency bill

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News
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Landlords will collectively have to spend more than £20billion making improvements to their rental properties to meet proposed new energy efficiency standards

Developer in hot water after Rightmove offers Premier Inn rooms to rent

Developer in hot water after Rightmove offers Premier Inn rooms to rent

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News
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Gravesham Council is looking into a possible planning breach after studio flats were advertised for rent at a disused Premier Inn.

OFFICIAL: Landlords now waiting 25 weeks to evict tenants

OFFICIAL: Landlords now waiting 25 weeks to evict tenants

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News
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Landlords are waiting even longer to repossess their properties - up to 25 weeks in the last quarter of 2024.

Students call for TripAdvisor-style reviews for rented student homes

Students call for TripAdvisor-style reviews for rented student homes

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Fed-up students in Bristol have launched a campaign to introduce a TripAdvisor style review system for the city’s accommodation.

Winchester council latest to become big private landlord

Winchester council latest to become big private landlord

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News
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Winchester City Council has set up its own housing company, Venta Living, one of a growing number of councils going down the private route to help meet the growing demand for rental properties.

Landlord fined £6,500 after member of public reports HMO

Landlord fined £6,500 after member of public reports HMO

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News
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A landlord in Norfolk has been fined £6,500 after a significant investigation by local housing officers.

Mental health – are we doing enough in the HMO sector?

Mental health – are we doing enough in the HMO sector?

Opinion
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One might immediately answer 'no' to this question, but does the HMO property industry possess adequate understanding of this delicate subject to address it effectively?

Lawyer warns landlords NOT to blame tenants for mould

Lawyer warns landlords NOT to blame tenants for mould

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News
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A senior lawyer has told landlords that they cannot blame their tenants if mould appears within privately rented homes.

Letting agent avoids jail after defrauding seven landlords

Letting agent avoids jail after defrauding seven landlords

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News
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A fraudulent letting agent who ripped off landlords by failing to register their deposits has escaped a jail sentence.

Absentee landlord to pay tenants £10k over mouldy, unlicenced property

Absentee landlord to pay tenants £10k over mouldy, unlicenced property

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News
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Three tenants have pocketed £10,060 between them after winning a rent repayment order against their landlord for letting out a mouldy HMO with “lamentable” fire safety.

Tribunal orders big landlord to pay £16m toward cladding costs

Tribunal orders big landlord to pay £16m toward cladding costs

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News
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One of the UK’s largest private landlords has been ordered to pay £16 million towards the cost of fixing cladding-related fire safety problems at a group of five residential towers in London.

Warwick latest town to start borough-wide big HMO licencing

Warwick latest town to start borough-wide big HMO licencing

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An Additional Licencing scheme covering all larger HMOs in Warwick has now gone live following approval of the scheme last year and a consultation.

MPs say private landlords must face same rules as social housing

MPs say private landlords must face same rules as social housing

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Select committee report is arguing for a change in the law to force private landlords to have to fix mould within days

New ombudsman will join forces with partner scheme

New ombudsman will join forces with partner scheme

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The government has revealed more details about how the new Private Rented Sector Ombudsman Service will work in practice.

MPs want landlords to sort out mouldy PRS homes

MPs want landlords to sort out mouldy PRS homes

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News
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A cross-party group of MPs says a crackdown on social landlords to tackle damp and mould should be extended to tenants in the private rented sector.

Mortgage broker's new look marks its evolution

Mortgage broker's new look marks its evolution

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News
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Buy-to-let intermediary Mortgages for Business is rebranding as Mortgage Finance Brokers (MFB) to reflect its more inclusive approach.

Growing demand means 1 million extra homes are needed in England & Wales

Growing demand means 1 million extra homes are needed in England & Wales

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News
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1 million extra homes will be needed in England and Wales to house singles and families – this is a continually growing market for the private rented sector.

NRLA backs MPs' pragmatic plans for Renters Reform Bill

NRLA backs MPs' pragmatic plans for Renters Reform Bill

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Tory MPs have tabled a raft of amendments to the Renters Reform Bill to ensure it works for the whole private rented sector.

Surveyors call for government action to tackle PRS woes

Surveyors call for government action to tackle PRS woes

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News
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Property surveyors across the UK have reported a slowdown in tenant demand along with continued levels of diminishing stock.

Rogue letting agent used 'smokescreen' to conceal ownership

Rogue letting agent used 'smokescreen' to conceal ownership

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Four tenants have lost their £309,000 claim for harassment but won a £21,160 rent repayment order for living in an unlicensed flat.

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

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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

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News
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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

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News
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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

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News
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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

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News
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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

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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

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News
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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

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News
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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

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