The government has been accused of pressing ahead with renter reform measures that will cause gridlock in the justice system, and pit landlords and tenants against each other in protracted litigation.
Few MPs stood to defend landlords during yesterday’s second reading of the Renters' Rights Bill in parliament, but a few did - with all of them being Conservative.
Landlords listing their properties for sale before potential capital gains tax rises are adding to a widening divide between supply and demand, report letting agents from around the UK.
The Renters’ Rights Bill is expected to fuel a surge in tenancy disputes following a 20% rise last year.
A big Midlands council has revealed plans to introduce an Article 4 direction across the borough while admitting that there is no strong link between HMOs and crime.
Lawyers have warned that an underfunded justice system will hinder any progress made in strengthening renters’ rights.
The biggest news to hit the private rental sector in 25 years is here: the Renters' Rights Bill. Scheduled for its second reading today, 9 October, this Bill is poised to reshape the landscape for landlords and tenants alike.
Here’s an initial reaction to the Renters’ Rights Bill, thoughts that could change as it progresses through parliament - the second reading is today.
A landlord whose properties are caught up in the cladding scandal faces a bill of up to �50,000 unless the government changes the rules about who it will subsidise. Neera Soni rents out a number of leasehold properties and says she and at least a quarter of those owners at
London Mayor Sadiq Khan has been urged to clamp down on rogue exempt accommodation providers who exploit the housing benefit system and put vulnerable tenants at risk. An investigation by the London Assembly Housing Committee found some rogue providers wer
The Isle of Wight Council has vowed to charge owners of second homes and empty properties more council tax as soon as it gets the go-ahead from the government. Its ruling Alliance Administration had suggested putting a 100% tax premium on second homes and empty properties, howev
A senior figure from the banking world has claimed that institutional investment is the golden ticket to solve the UKs supply and quality problems within the private rented sector (PRS). Cedric Bucher (main image), who heads up Hearthstone Investments </st
Another First Tier Property Tribunal has confirmed that a superior landlord cannot be held responsible for a Rent Repayment Order (RRO), following the landmark Rakusen case. Tenant Riaz Moola had tried to argue that landlord Khalil Mbarek was responsible for the property in t
The Government must stop its ongoing and irresponsible attempts to curry favour with tenants via its looming reform of the private rented sector, a buy-to-let lender has said. Mortgages for Business boss Gavin Richardson (main
A landlord couple have been convicted of a �1 million benefit fraud stretching over 20 years. Emmanuel Bay , 68, and Nancy Bay , 67, of Sudbourne Road, Brixton (pictured), were found guilty of 21 offences between 1999 and 2018 under t
Home Reit, an investment trust landlord, was set-up to house Britains homeless. But the company has found itself running into increasing difficulties, with tenants' complaints and failed rent payments, a negative short-seller's report, a financial squeeze with falling stock prices and al
A boost in court resources as well as measures to fast-track the most serious possession cases related to anti-social behaviour and rent arrears will be vital post-Section 21, says NRLA chief executive Ben Beadle . Without reform, a rise in cases will add t
The costs of running unlicenced rental properties have been highlighted once more after three tenants won a £9,600 Rent Repayment Order from their HMO landlord.
One in five tenants has lost out in a property bidding war during the last two years, with those in London, Southampton and Brighton facing the toughest competition.
Private landlords are often portrayed unfairly by some housing campaigners as greedy, concerned only with raising rents and increasing profits.
Periodic Tenancy: Under English law, once a fixed period tenancy comes to an end it is automatically replaced with a periodic one, based on the rent payment period (commonly monthly), unless the original tenancy is terminated. With an Assured Shorthold Tenancy (AST) terminat
Landlords have been reassured that would-be tenants holding EUSS pre-settled status will get an automatic two-year extension before their status expires, unless they have already acquired settled status.
Private renters now have potentially more political power, with Generation Rent analysis finding that 194 constituencies in England have populations containing 20% or more private renters, up from 114 in 2011.
Airbnb and two other big short-lets platforms have agreed to share their data on guest numbers and nights booked with the Office for National Statistics (ONS) to help shape policy decisions on the sector.
Two legal experts have told MPs probing the Government’s plans to abolish Section 21 ‘no fault evictions’ that improving the crumbling courts system could take years.
Latest changes to the Renters (Reform) Bill published a few days ago highlight the legal hill that many landlords faced with anti-social tenants will have to climb, it has been claimed.
More tenants living in flats could find themselves unable to have a pet than those in a house under the Renters Reform Bill, warns the founder of a campaigning group.
The second national awards for HMO landlords has been announced by property management platform COHO chief Helen Turner, who is one of the driving forces behind its creation.
Just over half of tenants surveyed about the cost of living want their rent to include all their utility bills, it has been revealed.
Rental homes should be confiscated from private landlords who repeatedly break the rules and exploit tenants, according to the head of the Commons housing committee.
Despite interest rate hikes battering investor confidence, the UK’s portfolio landlords remain focused on expanding their property portfolios, research from Shawbrook finds.
British Gas has urged the government to consider a raft of measures aimed at helping landlords increase energy efficiency, including Green Upgrade Relief which lets them deduct green improvements from their annual income.
At least 44% of landlords won’t let their property to tenants with pets and 15% won’t consider those with children, according to a new Confused.com mortgages poll.
Winter is coming and high energy bills are really focussing attention on to what it takes to properly insulate a home. A well insulated home can make the difference between living in freezing conditions or feeling warm and comfortable this winter.
The Government has revealed that it intends to overturn this year’s landmark Jepsen vs Rakusen rent repayment order decision in the Supreme Court within its Renters (Reform) Bill.
The Government has published some 100 amendments to its Renters (Reform) Bill including ‘missing parts’ left out of the first draft lodged with parliament earlier this year.
Tom Entwistle explains how landlords can proceed when faced with outstanding debts at the end of or even during a tenancy.
Private rental prices paid by tenants in the UK rose by 6.1% during the 12 months to October 2023, up from 5.7% during the 12 months to September 2023, ONS data shows.
The Chartered Institute of Environmental Health (CIEH) has told MPs that the Government's looming national property portal for landlords won’t diminish the need for selective licencing.
Landlords using a guaranteed rent scheme can earn £3,600 a year more than by conventional letting, according to one guaranteed rent provider.
Granting landlords and tenants the ability to give the same notice periods would prevent the private rented sector “becoming Airbnb by the back door”, NRLA’s chief executive Ben Beadle has told MPs.
Landlords in Luton claim to have once again persuaded the town’s council to delay its highly controversial additional and selective licencing schemes, the fourth time this has happened in as many years.
