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Opinion: dealing with the thorny issue of damp and mould

Opinion: dealing with the thorny issue of damp and mould

Opinion

Damp and mould has always been a very difficult issue to deal with for landlords, but the recent case of Awaab Ishak and the rapid and direct involvement of Government has really brought matters to a head. The death of a Rochdale social housing tenants son, Awaab Ishak, has l

NEW: Shelter says landlords 'still rejecting tenants based on race'

NEW: Shelter says landlords 'still rejecting tenants based on race'

News

The boss of housing charity Shelter has repeated the organisations previous assertion that tenants seeking properties in the private rented sector (PRS) too often face racism from both landlords and letting agents. Polly Neates comments have been published by the BBC withi

MOULD: Minister vows to speed up 'Awaab's Law' as thousands sign petition

MOULD: Minister vows to speed up 'Awaab's Law' as thousands sign petition

News

The government has vowed to expedite a proposed law forcing landlords to respond quickly to complaints about damp and mould. Housing minister Felicity Buchan (pictured) told MPs that proposals were being worked through, after it announced plans last week t

Birmingham proceeds with HMO licensing expansion despite opposition

Birmingham proceeds with HMO licensing expansion despite opposition

News

Birmingham council has concluded its consultation into an additional licensing scheme across the city that would include 9,500 properties in all 69 wards. Following a full cabinet meeting report on the scheme's consultation which included several landlords sessions organised by

Heartless' landlord fined �175,000 over dilapidated and unlicensed HMO

Heartless' landlord fined �175,000 over dilapidated and unlicensed HMO

News

A rogue landlord who let out an unlicensed HMO with no working kitchen, unusable toilets, blocked drains and rats, has been fined a whopping �175,000. Adam Ali had turned the former Anchor Hotel in Cobham Road, Westcliff-on-Sea (pictured), into an HMO whe

Former Tory housing ministers call for radical shake-up of policy

Former Tory housing ministers call for radical shake-up of policy

News

Four former housing ministers have backed a Tory thinktank policy paper that urges a radical rethink of government housebuilding policies. The Centre for Policy Studies report, The Case for Housebuilding , explains how the UKs massive shortfall in homes

Big Issue founder: Ministers must help landlords to prevent evictions

Big Issue founder: Ministers must help landlords to prevent evictions

News

Big Issue founder John Bird has called on the government to help landlords prevent rent rises. The magazines editor-in-chief - a crossbench peer in the House of Lords - says it needs to stop households who cannot pay their rent from being evicted, warning of a surge in homele

BREAKING: Scots government U-turns on rent freeze after 'listening to landlords'

BREAKING: Scots government U-turns on rent freeze after 'listening to landlords'

News

The Scottish government has seen sense and converted its controversial rent freeze announced last September into a rent cap, limiting rent rises in the private sector to between 3% and 6% from April 1st this year. This decision was announced by housi

NEW: Serial NW rogue landlord banned from PRS for three years

NEW: Serial NW rogue landlord banned from PRS for three years

News

A serial rogue landlord has become the first in the North West region to be served with a banning order after he failed to improve poor housing conditions in his unlicensed properties. Wirral Council had previously prosecuted Frank Morrow from New Brighton

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CLAIM: Rent in advance demands 'widespread among landlords'

CLAIM: Rent in advance demands 'widespread among landlords'

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The use of ‘rent in advance’ is widespread among landlords in the UK, the leader of a coalition of tenants’ rights groups has claimed

UK rents fall, house sales rise and the commercial property recover stalls

UK rents fall, house sales rise and the commercial property recover stalls

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It’s a mixed picture in the UK property markets - UK rents fall for first time in five years, house sales rise and commercial recovery property stalls

RICS warns landlords over 'unqualified' fire assessors' paperwork

RICS warns landlords over 'unqualified' fire assessors' paperwork

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The Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors (RICS) has urged flat owners to check assessors’ credentials after a fire engineer was sanctioned by the Institution of Fire Engineers for unprofessional conduct.

Council moves to ban 'To Let' boards in central London

Council moves to ban 'To Let' boards in central London

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Letting agents have warned Westminster Council that its plan to ban advertising boards outside landlords' properties borough-wide could cause delays for renters.

Tenants in England now pay half their income in rent

Tenants in England now pay half their income in rent

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Rightmove says the average rent in the UK now eats up 50% of the net income of those living within the private rented sector where the monthly rent per property is now £1,526.

Housing quality in rented sector rising - but so's damp

Housing quality in rented sector rising - but so's damp

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Numbers of non-decent homes and Category 1 hazards in the PRS have fallen in recent years, although problems with damp are on the rise.

Rent controls in Scotland 'favour landlords' says Generation Rent

Rent controls in Scotland 'favour landlords' says Generation Rent

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The Scottish government’s proposed rent control formula is generous to landlords but would leave tenants vulnerable to unaffordable rent rises, says Generation Rent.

Big council urges public to report rogue HMO landlords

Big council urges public to report rogue HMO landlords

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Croydon Council is calling on local residents to report concerns about unauthorised HMOs as it ramps up action against errant landlords.

Landlords 'bewildered and frustrated' by Scotland's latest rent controls

Landlords 'bewildered and frustrated' by Scotland's latest rent controls

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There is still widespread frustration and bewilderment among landlords and agent that rent controls are the only policy intervention to help tackle affordability in Scotland

Evictions taking over six months on average, says MoJ

Evictions taking over six months on average, says MoJ

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County courts are taking over half a year on average to process legitimate evictions by landlords and agents, it has been revealed.

Student landlord slams council over 'unfair' £45,000 licencing fee

Student landlord slams council over 'unfair' £45,000 licencing fee

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A property management company has slammed its local council for charging a student accommodation block nearly £45,000 under the selective licensing scheme.

LibDems promise to give landlords tax breaks for green upgrades

LibDems promise to give landlords tax breaks for green upgrades

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Landlords should be allowed to offset spending on insulation and energy-saving improvements against tax, according to the Liberal Democrats.

Landlord mortgage arrears jump by 29%, official figures show

Landlord mortgage arrears jump by 29%, official figures show

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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.

Mystery shopper research 'proves landlords racially profile applicants' - claim

Mystery shopper research 'proves landlords racially profile applicants' - claim

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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.

Agents report fewer landlord instructions as 'unintended consequences' kick in

Agents report fewer landlord instructions as 'unintended consequences' kick in

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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 says court delays MUST be fixed before Section 21 is abolished

Tory MP says court delays MUST be fixed before Section 21 is abolished

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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.

New way to control HMOs revealed in Coventry - but will rest of UK follow suit?

New way to control HMOs revealed in Coventry - but will rest of UK follow suit?

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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.

Notorious landlord to pay staggering £480,000 fine over damp HMO

Notorious landlord to pay staggering £480,000 fine over damp HMO

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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.

Property market 'past peak pain' but values still down 7% in 12 months

Property market 'past peak pain' but values still down 7% in 12 months

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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.

Airbnb 'irresponsible' for encouraging tenants to sublet rented homes

Airbnb 'irresponsible' for encouraging tenants to sublet rented homes

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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.

Landlords WILL get eviction certainy from reform Bill, King tells MPs

Landlords WILL get eviction certainy from reform Bill, King tells MPs

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King Charles has heralded the government’s commitment to the Renters Reform Bill in his first King’s speech as monarch.

'Short-lets offer returns of up to five times traditional rents'

'Short-lets offer returns of up to five times traditional rents'

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Homes bought by landlords to rent out via short-let contracts create gross returns of between 12% and 20%, an estate agency has claimed.

The Section 21 Ban, will it progress?

The Section 21 Ban, will it progress?

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Will the Renters (Reform) Bill progress and ban Section 21, despite mounting opposition from Conservative back-benchers?

Landlord fined thousands AGAIN for same offence in same building

Landlord fined thousands AGAIN for same offence in same building

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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.

Concern mounts over Government's 'weak' leasehold reforms

Concern mounts over Government's 'weak' leasehold reforms

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New leasehold reform legislation faces tough scrutiny from MPs and leasehold groups who are frustrated by an expectation that it will only cover houses, not flats.

Goverment tax grab on landlords prompts a third to go 'limited'

Goverment tax grab on landlords prompts a third to go 'limited'

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A third of landlords who own rental property in their personal name plan to incorporate their portfolio into a limited company structure within the next three years, according to Paragon Bank.

Landlord to pay £8,000 after ignoring 'shed with bed' prohibition order

Landlord to pay £8,000 after ignoring 'shed with bed' prohibition order

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Rogue landlords who assume they can convert outbuildings into ‘sheds with beds’ have been reminded of the likely fines they will face following a shocking case in Hertfordshire.

LATEST: Renting reforms to be within tomorrow's King's Speech

LATEST: Renting reforms to be within tomorrow's King's Speech

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The Prime Minister has confirmed that the Renters Reform Bill will be carried over to the next Parliament, as part of this week’s King’s Speech.

Subletting by tenants on Airbnb now 'growing problem' says NRLA

Subletting by tenants on Airbnb now 'growing problem' says NRLA

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The National Landlords Association (NRLA) has backed claims that the buy-to-let sector faces a significant subletting epidemic following an investigation by a national newspaper.

Can the leasehold system in England be easily changed?

Can the leasehold system in England be easily changed?

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Plans to phase out leaseholds, a reform is to feature in the King’s Speech on 7 November

Landlord's 'sham' defence fails to avoid licensing fine

Landlord's 'sham' defence fails to avoid licensing fine

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A professional landlord who tried to dodge responsibility for his HMO has been ordered to pay two former tenants more than £10,000.

Edinburgh housing services at breaking point

Edinburgh housing services at breaking point

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Edinburgh councillors have declared a housing emergency in a bid to force Holyrood to boost funding.

Welsh tenants see bigger annual rent rise

Welsh tenants see bigger annual rent rise

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Private tenants in England were most likely to face a rent hike in the last year, while tenants in Wales saw a larger average increase.

Extra landlords boost property income tax pot

Extra landlords boost property income tax pot

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Average income from UK property remained relatively stable at about £16,700 between 2017/18 and 2021/22, according to the latest HMRC data.