The government should raise the stamp duty surcharge on BTL purchases to favour those buying their own home, according to a new report from Joseph Rowntree Foundation (JRF). The social change group believes the surcharge should at least double to effectively disincentivise specu
Citizens Advice has urged the government to extend Awaabs law to the PRS to help the estimated 1.6 million children living in damp, mouldy or excessively cold privately rented homes. Awaab Ishtak died aged just two years old after living in a mouldy and
A new survey has downplayed the scale of landlords ready to quit the sector due to heavy-handed government regulations and upcoming legislation. Leaders Romans Groups poll of 271 landlords found that only 7% plan to sell up in the next year while 12% aim to reduce their portf
Nottingham councillors have voted through a contentious additional HMO licensing scheme. The current scheme, covering central areas of the city, will soon come to an end and the council plans to introduce a new citywide scheme in January 2024. It says this would pre
Peers have slammed the governments Boiler Upgrade Scheme for attracting a disappointingly low� take-up of grants. Launched in https://www.landlordzone.co.uk/news/latest-official-boiler-upgrade-scheme-launches-today-but-is-it-enough/" target="_blank" <stron
A BBC investigation has uncovered a new property rental scam that uses Facebook Marketplace and then fake accommodation booking sites to lure in unsuspecting tenants. Called an advance rent payment scam, a technique that has been around for many years, this version of it is more
The Government has now committed to delivering Awaabs Law in a new amendment to the Social Housing Regulation Bill. But does the Government intend to place the same onus on private landlords, and is this law totally fair? I cant help feeling perplexed as
Landlords in Bradford and Leeds are enjoying the UKs best rental yields, with those in Exeter seeing the largest annual growth last year. Yields have increased by as much as 2.5% in the past 12 months, according to Sirius Property Finance, which reports that as rent values ou
Propertymark is calling for more local authority funding to ensure licensing schemes dont unfairly burden compliant landlords. It says councils scant resources and inadequate staffing levels mean processing licence applications takes longer than it should and hampers their
Landlords blame upcoming legislation and tax changes for causing 73% of them to feel less confident than they did last year.
Renter groups have called on the government to do more to tackle ‘out of control’ rents, as a government survey reveals that more than a third of landlords increasing rents on new tenancies did so by at least 15%.
Nearly a third of landlords plan to reduce the size of their portfolio in the next two years, with 16% aiming to sell all their properties, official research shows.
The 2019 Tenant Fees Act, which over the past five years has severely restricted what fees landlords and letting agents can charge tenants, has been a success, two academics have claimed.
A partnership has been agreed that will enable landlord who are members of the National Residential Landlords Association and letting agents to better manage tenancy changeovers, for free.
The Law Commission is reviewing Part 2 of the Landlord and Tenant Act 1954 (LTA) to “ensure that it works for today’s commercial leasehold market.”
TV star and Landlord Action founder Paul Shamplina has been named seminar speaker of the year, fighting off competition from 38 other candidates.
Home energy installation company BOXT aims to revolutionise the way heating systems are installed in private rented homes.
Landlords and agents have slammed the Scottish government’s decision to increase the Additional Dwelling Supplement (ADS) under Land and Buildings Transaction Tax from 6% to 8%.
A housing minister appointed just nine months ago by Rishi Sunak has now been asked to stand down during today’s reshuffle triggered by the sacking home Home Secretary Suella Braverman.
A big NE of England council is considering supplementing its landlord-led scheme with selective licensing in large parts of the town.
Landlords are selling more homes than they’re buying, according to Hamptons’ monthly letting index, although the sell-off is slowing down.
Fears that banning section 21 will harm the PRS in England are entirely misplaced, based on contradictory evidence in Scotland, according to The Social Market Foundation (SMF).
As a landlord, you want to ensure your property business is as profitable as possible – and that means minimising your tax liability, so you don’t pay HMRC any more than you need to. Here are some options that can help you do that.
The Landlord and Tenant Act 1954 Part II provides security of tenure to tenants of premises occupied for business purposes, or mixed residential and business purposes. Under the provisions of the 54 Act, it is possible for a lease or tenancy of a property, used for both resid
After a slew of bad news, this week’s headlines come as a welcome relief for landlords looking to sell. The Telegraph reported that despite higher rates and regulatory risks around rentals, a wave of new investors had entered the market, stepping in to take portfolios off landlords’ hands.
A business that rents out properties via Airbnb on behalf of landlords has raised another £1.75 million from investors, taking its total raised since 2016 to £12 million.
The Build-To-Rent (BTR) sector now accounts for 10% of all UK real estate investment after a record-breaking year.
The government has launched plans to slash ground rents on existing leaseholds as part of a consultation into widescale reform.
County courts are taking over half a year on average to process legitimate evictions by landlords and agents, it has been revealed.
A property management company has slammed its local council for charging a student accommodation block nearly £45,000 under the selective licensing scheme.
Landlords should be allowed to offset spending on insulation and energy-saving improvements against tax, according to the Liberal Democrats.
The tough economic conditions bearing down on landlords are starting to push up mortgage arrears, latest data from lenders’ trade body UK Finance has revealed.
New research by Generation Rent reveals that white people are 36% more likely to receive a positive response when applying to rent on SpareRoom than black people.
Signs that the Government’s assault on landlords coupled with higher mortgage costs are chasing more out of the market than usual have come from the Royal Institute of Chartered Surveyors (RICS) this morning.
Tory MP and former cabinet minister Theresa Villiers (main picture) has warned her own Government that the ongoing delays within the court system risk persuading more landlords to leave the sector and worsen the already acute rented home supply problem.
Coventry Council is hailing its crackdown on unlicensed HMOs a success after it fined landlords more than £100,000 in just two of the city’s streets.
A notorious rogue landlord and his property management company have been handed a staggering £480,000 fine for renting out an HMO so damp that mushrooms were growing on the upper floors.
The UK’s housing market is past ‘peak pain’ after a rollercoaster 12 months and is forecast to grow by 17.9% – equivalent to a £45,521 gain on the average home – within five years.
A legal expert has warned that landlords face prosecution for running illegal HMOs if tenants follow Airbnb’s suggestion that they sub-let their homes.
King Charles has heralded the government’s commitment to the Renters Reform Bill in his first King’s speech as monarch.
Homes bought by landlords to rent out via short-let contracts create gross returns of between 12% and 20%, an estate agency has claimed.
Will the Renters (Reform) Bill progress and ban Section 21, despite mounting opposition from Conservative back-benchers?
A rogue landlord firm has been handed a £18,300 fine for letting out an unsafe, unlicensed property - only three months after being fined for the same offence in the same building.
