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New landlords: are you properly prepared for letting a property for the first time?

New landlords: are you properly prepared for letting a property for the first time?

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Letting for the first time can be a daunting prospect. Here is a summary of the key points you should look out for...

UPDATED: The importance of the residential property Inventory

UPDATED: The importance of the residential property Inventory

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Ever since the launch of the Tenancy Deposit Scheme in April 2007, the lettings industry has recognised the importance of a professional standard inventory if deposit damage claims by landlords or their agents are to succeed.

80% of landlords ‘were ready for EPC changes’ scrapped by Rishi Sunak this week

80% of landlords ‘were ready for EPC changes’ scrapped by Rishi Sunak this week

News

Rishi Sunak’s decision to scrap tougher EPC rules for rented properties may spark anger among some landlords following new research that four in five of them had already made preparations to meet the former minimum ‘Band C’ requirement.

Short-let landlords in London ‘must be regulated and taxed more’ says Westminster

Short-let landlords in London ‘must be regulated and taxed more’ says Westminster

News

Westminster City Council has repeated its calls for a compulsory registration scheme for short-term lets, a tax on overnight stays and powers to issue penalties to unregistered hosts, saying Airbnb is now causing an ‘enforcement nightmare’.

Offering sex for rent should be ‘specific offence’ say tenant campaigners

Offering sex for rent should be ‘specific offence’ say tenant campaigners

News

The government is being urged to bring in a dedicated ‘sex for rent’ law to protect tenants after it promised to clamp down on predatory adverts.

Higher rents caused by more landlords than usual quitting says Bank of England

Higher rents caused by more landlords than usual quitting says Bank of England

News

The Bank of England has blamed higher rents on more landlords than usual quitting the private rental market within its detailed quarterly report on the economy.

REVEALED: What the boiler replacement scheme change means for landlords

REVEALED: What the boiler replacement scheme change means for landlords

News

Landlords have more of an incentive to make green improvements following PM Rishi Sunak’s announcement that they can now claim £7,500 for a heat pump installation.

Offering sex for rent should be 'specific offence' say tenant campaigners

Offering sex for rent should be 'specific offence' say tenant campaigners

News

The government is being urged to bring in a dedicated �sex for rent' law to protect tenants after it promised to clamp down on predatory adverts.

Short-let landlords in London 'must be regulated and taxed more' says Westminster

Short-let landlords in London 'must be regulated and taxed more' says Westminster

News

Westminster City Council has repeated its calls for a compulsory registration scheme for short-term lets, a tax on overnight stays and powers to issue penalties to unregistere

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Panic selling as landlords fear capital gains tax raid

Panic selling as landlords fear capital gains tax raid

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News
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Chancellor of the Exchequer Rachel Reeves refusing to rule out a swinging increase in capital gains tax (CGT) for landlords

Report shows 11% of tenants paying 60% of their income as rent

Report shows 11% of tenants paying 60% of their income as rent

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News
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A new report based on data from 46,000 renters reveals shocking data on how much they are spending on their rent.

Big boiler manufacturer promises not to repeat 'greenwashing' claims

Big boiler manufacturer promises not to repeat 'greenwashing' claims

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News
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One of the UK’s biggest gas boiler manufacturers used by millions of landlords has promised not to ‘greenwash’ its part-hydrogen fuelled boilers.

How many laws must landlords adhere to, asks legal expert

How many laws must landlords adhere to, asks legal expert

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News
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Law-savvy landlords are being asked to help compile a definitive list of legislation impacting the PRS.

No.10 cat 'backs' mandatory pet damage insurance campaign

No.10 cat 'backs' mandatory pet damage insurance campaign

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News
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Larry the Number 10 cat has backed a charity’s campaign to change the law allowing tenants to keep pets.

Hardship test “bombshell” for landlords

Hardship test “bombshell” for landlords

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News
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Labour’s housing minister Matthew Pennycook is said to be planning a “hardship test”

New minister says transfer from housing benefit to Universal Credit 'smooth' but expert disagrees

New minister says transfer from housing benefit to Universal Credit 'smooth' but expert disagrees

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News
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Claims by the new Department of Work and Pensions (DWP) minister of state Stephen Timms that the transfer of remaining housing benefit claimants to Universal Credit is being done ‘as smoothly as possible’ have been questioned by a leading expert.

Landlord fined £10,000 over failure to do £169 safety check

Landlord fined £10,000 over failure to do £169 safety check

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News
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Booking in a five-yearly Electrical Safety Installation Certificate (ESIC) check for your rented property often seems like one of the plethora of minor tasks on the ‘to do’ list.

Higher BTL repossessions making rental shortage worse says Law Society

Higher BTL repossessions making rental shortage worse says Law Society

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News
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An increase in buy-to-let repossessions is exacerbating the rental supply shortage and leaving evicted families without legal aid needed to fight their case.

Property Portal could be deathknell for big selective licencing schemes, says MP

Property Portal could be deathknell for big selective licencing schemes, says MP

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News
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The mandatory national Property Portal for landlords to be introduced by the Renters (Reform) Bill next year will stop the spread of borough-wide selective licencing schemes, a leading MP has claimed.

Gove slams rent controls and defends Section 21 abolition

Gove slams rent controls and defends Section 21 abolition

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News
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Michael Gove used his speech to introduce the second reading of his Renters (Reform) Bill to pour cold water on calls for rent controls while also trying to reassure ‘good’ landlords that the abolition of Section 21 ‘no fault’ evictions will not affect them.

BLOG: 'Landlords as well as tenants face a cost of renting crisis'

BLOG: 'Landlords as well as tenants face a cost of renting crisis'

Opinion
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Following months of uncertainty, this year will be looked back upon as a tumultuous one for landlords.

Legal matters: terminology, lease or licence, what's the difference?

Legal matters: terminology, lease or licence, what's the difference?

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Yes, legal terms confuse and like many specialisms, the confusion is added to by the fact that different terms often have essentially the same meaning.

Landlords told to check tenancy contracts after landmark court case

Landlords told to check tenancy contracts after landmark court case

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News
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A judge has opened the door to higher compensation being paid by landlords if they fail to protect their tenants’ rental deposits within one of the official schemes.

Details of compulsory national Portal for landlords revealed

Details of compulsory national Portal for landlords revealed

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News
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More detail on what information landlords will have to provide to the looming Property Portal have been revealed by the Government.

LATEST: Landlords WILL be allowed to demand tenants have pet insurance

LATEST: Landlords WILL be allowed to demand tenants have pet insurance

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News
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The Government has said it supports measures that will allow landlords to either charge tenants with cats or dogs both pet insurance at the beginning of tenancies or request that they take out a policy themselves.

Majority of renters support banning Section 21 evictions and rent controls - claim

Majority of renters support banning Section 21 evictions and rent controls - claim

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News
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A renters’ lobbying says its polling of England’s private renters has found a majority support the changes within the looming Renters (Reform) Bill getting its second reading today in parliament.

Government U-turns on eviction and tenancy reforms

Government U-turns on eviction and tenancy reforms

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News
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The Government has confirmed that it will not bring in its controversial ban on Section 21 evictions within the looming Renters (Reform) Bill until problems with the courts have been fixed.

Court shake-up vital in next week's Bill debate

Court shake-up vital in next week's Bill debate

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News
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The NRLA has urged the government to address court hold-ups while debating the Renters Reform Bill – or risk undermining work to improve the sector.

Scottish eviction law continues to hamper PRS growth

Scottish eviction law continues to hamper PRS growth

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News
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Investors are losing confidence in the Scottish PRS, while rent caps and increased construction costs are halting rental developments, says one property solicitor.

The importance of the "How to Rent" Guide and Section 21

The importance of the "How to Rent" Guide and Section 21

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How to Rent Guide : very important when setting up a new tenancy, or on renewal, and when serving a section 21 notice.

Agents and student landlords are top of the class in Bath

Agents and student landlords are top of the class in Bath

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News
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University students rate Bath as having the best letting agents in the UK based on the number of reviews and average ratings.

Family operation ran string of unlicensed HMOs

Family operation ran string of unlicensed HMOs

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News
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A rogue landlord has been prosecuted for letting eight unlicensed HMOs which breached health and safety rules that put his tenants at risk.

Kent landlord rumbled fly-tipping tenant's waste

Kent landlord rumbled fly-tipping tenant's waste

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News
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A Kent landlord who dumped a huge pile of his tenant’s belongings in a country lane was rumbled after an investigation traced it back to him.

OPINION: Should landlords let tenants redecorate?

OPINION: Should landlords let tenants redecorate?

Opinion
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One of the biggest discussion strings on any landlord forum including our own is how far tenants are allowed to modify or refurbish their property, with many users claiming some renters go too far.

Landlord reveals football boss's £28,400 rental scam

Landlord reveals football boss's £28,400 rental scam

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News
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A director of the Scottish Women’s Premier League (SWPL) has been found guilty of defrauding her landlord with an elaborate scam.

Mortgage deal shock from leading BTL broker

Mortgage deal shock from leading BTL broker

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News
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The Mortgage Works (TMW) has shaken up the BTL lending market by making improvements to the affordability assessment applied to portfolio landlords.

ANALYSIS: New Government funded schemes to help tenants with legal issues

ANALYSIS: New Government funded schemes to help tenants with legal issues

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News
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New Government schemes that are offering advice to help tenants with legal issues

Big boiler firm's green claims to face official investigation

Big boiler firm's green claims to face official investigation

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News
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The Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) is scrutinising green claims from boiler maker Worcester Bosch to see if they mislead landlords.

Renting reform bill to progress next week - claim

Renting reform bill to progress next week - claim

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News
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The Renters Reform Bill is expected to get its second reading on Monday, heralding a huge shake-up of the sector after four years in the planning.

Leading landlord welcomes Rishi's U-turn on 'mental' EPC rules

Leading landlord welcomes Rishi's U-turn on 'mental' EPC rules

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News
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A leading landlord has welcomed the Government’s recent U-turn on EPCs, telling a webinar this week that he was facing a ‘crazy’ bill to upgrade his portfolio of properties to the minimum ‘C’ band.

'Renting reforms are worrying landlords, but it's not a stampede to quit'

'Renting reforms are worrying landlords, but it's not a stampede to quit'

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News
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A quarter of landlords are to sell some of their property portfolio in the coming months but not in the volumes previously claimed, a big letting agency has claimed.

Minister rejects call to give landlords green upgrade tax breaks

Minister rejects call to give landlords green upgrade tax breaks

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News
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Energy Security and Net Zero Secretary Claire Coutinho (main picture) has rejected the idea of tax breaks for landlords to pay for green upgrades.

Council to begin fining rogue landlords £30,000

Council to begin fining rogue landlords £30,000

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News
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Harlow Council in Essex aims to take a harder line with private landlords by introducing civil penalties as an alternative to prosecution.