Date

Library

Thank you! Your submission has been received!
Oops! Something went wrong while submitting the form.
Thank you! Your submission has been received!
Oops! Something went wrong while submitting the form.

Government rejects calls for longer licencing schemes

Government rejects calls for longer licencing schemes

News

The Government has rejected calls for 10-year selective licensing schemes and insists that the government recognises the burden that licensing puts on landlords.

LATEST: Bank of England cuts base rate by 0.25%

LATEST: Bank of England cuts base rate by 0.25%

News

The Bank of England has cut interest rates from 5% to 4.75%, providing some welcome cheer for landlords looking to invest and remortgage.

Rent arrears climb by 22% as 'cost of living' crisis continues

Rent arrears climb by 22% as 'cost of living' crisis continues

News

The average rent arrears claim climbed to £2,064 in the third quarter of this year, a 22% rise on the same period last year.

Housing minister says rent controls would damage landlords and tenants

Housing minister says rent controls would damage landlords and tenants

News

Housing minister Matthew Pennycook has said rent controls in England would hit both tenants and landlords negatively by reducing supply and discouraging investment.

Generation Rent hires former Labour MP and housing campaigner

Generation Rent hires former Labour MP and housing campaigner

News

Former Labour MP Dame Karen Buck has been hired as Generation Rent’s new chair of the board.

Landlording 'not a real business' says Green politician

Landlording 'not a real business' says Green politician

News

Scotland’s Housing Bill has been diluted to keep landlord lobbyists happy rather than focusing on renters’ needs, according to a Green MSP.

Landlord trio given UK's largest ever HMO fine

Landlord trio given UK's largest ever HMO fine

News

Three rogue landlords who operated a string of unlicensed and unsafe HMOs across Northampton have been collectively fined a whopping £452,796.

New property 'powerhouse' organisation being planned

New property 'powerhouse' organisation being planned

News

The formation of a new ‘powerhouse’ organisation to represent the commercial property sector including build-to-rent and co-living is under way, it has been announced.

Labour confirms plan to force landlords to lease out shops

Labour confirms plan to force landlords to lease out shops

News

Labour has confirmed that it will compel landlords of high street shops to rent out their premises if they stand empty for too long.

Thank you! Your submission has been received!
Oops! Something went wrong while submitting the form.

'Exploitative' landlords should be taxed harder says Joseph Rowntree Foundation

'Exploitative' landlords should be taxed harder says Joseph Rowntree Foundation

News
News
Podcast
Opinion
Sponsored
Information

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

NEW: Citizens Advice says Awaab's Law must be extended to PRS

NEW: Citizens Advice says Awaab's Law must be extended to PRS

News
News
Podcast
Opinion
Sponsored
Information

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

Landlords leaving the sector 'not as bad as claimed' says leading estate agent

Landlords leaving the sector 'not as bad as claimed' says leading estate agent

News
News
Podcast
Opinion
Sponsored
Information

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

Council green lights more HMO licencing despite proof on higher rents

Council green lights more HMO licencing despite proof on higher rents

News
News
Podcast
Opinion
Sponsored
Information

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

Boiler Upgrade Scheme has been a flop, Lords climate committee warns

Boiler Upgrade Scheme has been a flop, Lords climate committee warns

News
News
Podcast
Opinion
Sponsored
Information

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

SCAM alert: Landlord and agent pics being used to lure rental ripoff victims

SCAM alert: Landlord and agent pics being used to lure rental ripoff victims

News
News
Podcast
Opinion
Sponsored
Information

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

Opinion: Should 'Awaab's law' be applied to private rented sector?

Opinion: Should 'Awaab's law' be applied to private rented sector?

Opinion
News
Podcast
Opinion
Sponsored
Information

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

LATEST: Bradford leads the way as rental yields rise across the UK

LATEST: Bradford leads the way as rental yields rise across the UK

News
News
Podcast
Opinion
Sponsored
Information

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

Expert slams licencing schemes for red tape that 'punishes good landlords'

Expert slams licencing schemes for red tape that 'punishes good landlords'

News
News
Podcast
Opinion
Sponsored
Information

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

Liverpool to spend £2 million on new 'rogue landlord' taskforce

Liverpool to spend £2 million on new 'rogue landlord' taskforce

News
News
Podcast
Opinion
Sponsored
Information

Liverpool City Council has launched a new taskforce to go after criminal landlords who exploit vulnerable tenants.

Leasehold WILL eventually be abolished for flats says minister

Leasehold WILL eventually be abolished for flats says minister

News
News
Podcast
Opinion
Sponsored
Information

The government has signalled that it will bring in more leasehold reforms for flat owners following the introduction of the Leasehold and Freehold Reform Bill.

Agency boss says mortgage interest tax relief for landlords 'must be reinstated'

Agency boss says mortgage interest tax relief for landlords 'must be reinstated'

News
News
Podcast
Opinion
Sponsored
Information

Leaders Romans Group (LRG) has called for a landlords’ reform bill to protect landlords and safeguard the housing sector.

Huge HMO prevention scheme launched by big Midlands city

Huge HMO prevention scheme launched by big Midlands city

News
News
Podcast
Opinion
Sponsored
Information

Coventry has gone ahead with a huge new scheme to prevent properties being converted into HMOs without full planning permission.

Does a missing landlord address invalidate a Section 8 notice?

Does a missing landlord address invalidate a Section 8 notice?

Information
News
Podcast
Opinion
Sponsored
Information

This was a question answered during a recent appeal case covered here by Tom Entwistle In the Prempeh v Lakhany (Oct 2020) appeal the tenant claimed that a Section 8 notice was invalid because it did not contain the la

Shamplina among 20 winners at landlord awards

Shamplina among 20 winners at landlord awards

News
News
Podcast
Opinion
Sponsored
Information

Paul Shamplina has won Seminar Speaker of the Year at the National LIS Awards 2023, the third time in a row the Landlord Action founder has received the honour.

Letting agent caught blatantly refusing to return tenant's deposit

Letting agent caught blatantly refusing to return tenant's deposit

News
News
Podcast
Opinion
Sponsored
Information

A letting agent has been found to have blatantly broken the law by refusing to hand back a holding deposit.

Landlords warned they must ensure property ads are accurate

Landlords warned they must ensure property ads are accurate

News
News
Podcast
Opinion
Sponsored
Information

Landlords have been warned that they will have to work much harder with their letting agent to ensure property adverts for their homes to rent include all the ‘material information’.

Up to 50% of southern England landlords looking to sell up

Up to 50% of southern England landlords looking to sell up

News
News
Podcast
Opinion
Sponsored
Information

One in five landlords hit by rising costs are considering selling up, with a stark divide between those with properties in the north and south of the country.

Minister claims rent controls 'are working' for tenants and landlords

Minister claims rent controls 'are working' for tenants and landlords

News
News
Podcast
Opinion
Sponsored
Information

Scotland’s housing minister has defended the country’s policy of rent and eviction controls despite new figures showing rents continuing to rise.

Landlord couple to face jail following HMO tenant's fire death

Landlord couple to face jail following HMO tenant's fire death

News
News
Podcast
Opinion
Sponsored
Information

A landlord couple could face jail after admitting a string of offences which led to the death of one of their tenants in a fire.

Social housing ombudsman to deal with private landlords too, says Minister

Social housing ombudsman to deal with private landlords too, says Minister

News
News
Podcast
Opinion
Sponsored
Information

Disputes between landlords and their tenants will soon be handled by the social housing ombudsman, it has been confirmed by Government minister Jacob Young.

Tenant abandonment - what is it?

Tenant abandonment - what is it?

Information
News
Podcast
Opinion
Sponsored
Information

What is Abandonment? Abandonment is when a tenant leaves the property (usually without notifying the landlord or agent) before the tenancy has ended.

Double council tax aims to get owners letting properties

Double council tax aims to get owners letting properties

News
News
Podcast
Opinion
Sponsored
Information

Argyll and Bute councillors have approved a plan to charge a double council tax on second homes.

London council bids to continue clampdown on small HMOs

London council bids to continue clampdown on small HMOs

News
News
Podcast
Opinion
Sponsored
Information

Haringey Council has urged landlords to share their views on plans for a new additional licensing scheme in the borough.

Rising UK rents forecast to break records

Rising UK rents forecast to break records

News
News
Podcast
Opinion
Sponsored
Information

A continued imbalance between supply and demand is set to grow rents by 6% next year, before hitting an affordability ceiling that will limit growth until 2028.

Unlawful extension lands landlord with hefty fine

Unlawful extension lands landlord with hefty fine

News
News
Podcast
Opinion
Sponsored
Information

A landlord who illegally rented out a property for years without planning permission has been ordered to pay £93,000.

Landlords warm to tougher energy rules - but need more help

Landlords warm to tougher energy rules - but need more help

News
News
Podcast
Opinion
Sponsored
Information

Most private landlords think they should be subject to stricter energy efficiency regulations, according to new research.

Landlords urged to beware the pitfalls of non-dom licensing

Landlords urged to beware the pitfalls of non-dom licensing

News
News
Podcast
Opinion
Sponsored
Information

A licensing expert has warned landlords living overseas about the dangers of asking UK-based friends or firms to apply for their selective licence.

Leasehold reforms herald huge shake-up for homeowners

Leasehold reforms herald huge shake-up for homeowners

News
News
Podcast
Opinion
Sponsored
Information

The Leasehold and Freehold Reform Bill has taken a step towards becoming legislation after it was introduced to Parliament.

Labour to stop landlords evicting if deposit has not been protected

Labour to stop landlords evicting if deposit has not been protected

News
News
Podcast
Opinion
Sponsored
Information

Labour MPs have tabled 26 amendments to the Renters Reform Bill that demand much tougher financial penalties for errant landlords and stricter rules around deposits.

New national lobbying group for landlords revealed

New national lobbying group for landlords revealed

News
News
Podcast
Opinion
Sponsored
Information

PRS organisations, forums and landlord groups have joined forces to launch the Housing Coalition, which aims to give the sector a voice and improve private rental housing standards.

Could it happen here? Ireland to give PRS tenants 'right to buy'

Could it happen here? Ireland to give PRS tenants 'right to buy'

News
News
Podcast
Opinion
Sponsored
Information

Tenants in Ireland could get first refusal on a property when a landlord puts it up for sale if new legislation gets the go-ahead.

Investors rush to snap up buy-to-let portfolios for cash before the year ends

Investors rush to snap up buy-to-let portfolios for cash before the year ends

Sponsored
News
Podcast
Opinion
Sponsored
Information

With just one month to go until the year ends, investors are continuing to snap up properties at an accelerated rate. With next year bringing uncertainty, and a potential change in government, the trend for new investors who have entered the market to step in and take whole portfolios...

OFFICIAL: Smaller landlords will NOT need to use digital tax system

OFFICIAL: Smaller landlords will NOT need to use digital tax system

News
News
Podcast
Opinion
Sponsored
Information

Landlords earning less than £30,000 will not have to use HMRC’s Making Tax Digital (MTD) software, the government has confirmed.