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Stretched councils 'unable to police landlords' mouldy homes'

Stretched councils 'unable to police landlords' mouldy homes'

News

Local authorities are not enforcing private landlords’ legal duty to maintain safe housing, a BBC investigation has found.

High-profile landlord warns Energy Secretary over EPC upgrade plan

High-profile landlord warns Energy Secretary over EPC upgrade plan

News

Nottingham benefits landlord Mick Roberts has warned that the government’s push to get rental properties up to an EPC C by 2030 could backfire.

Labour struggling with house building – quantity as well as quality

Labour struggling with house building – quantity as well as quality

News

Angela Rayner’s promise to build 1.5 million new homes this Parliament is looking increasingly optimistic

Buying BTL property via a limited company now 'most popular route'

Buying BTL property via a limited company now 'most popular route'

News

Seven out of 10 landlords planning to buy a new rental property during the next 12 months will use a limited company structure, it has been claimed.

Landlord to repay tenants £21,000 after failing to license HMO

Landlord to repay tenants £21,000 after failing to license HMO

News

Four tenants have won £21,076 from their landlord who failed to explain why she hadn’t licensed her damp and cold HMO.

Rocketing leasehold charges trapping landlords with unsaleable flats

Rocketing leasehold charges trapping landlords with unsaleable flats

News

Many landlords are struggling to sell leasehold flats because management charges have reached astronomical levels with many now forking out £2,000 or more a year.

Housing minister reveals plans to digitise property buying and selling

Housing minister reveals plans to digitise property buying and selling

News

Landlords buying or selling homes will soon enjoy a smoother and quicker property transaction process after the Government announced that it is to digitise the system.

Salvation Army joins growing calls for Labour to unfreeze LHA

Salvation Army joins growing calls for Labour to unfreeze LHA

News

The Salvation Army has joined calls for the UK government to help prevent homelessness in Scotland by scrapping the planned freeze on Local Housing Allowance (LHA).

Labour to force landlords to achieve EPC band C minimum

Labour to force landlords to achieve EPC band C minimum

News

The government has confirmed its plan to force all private landlords to get their rental properties up to an EPC C – from the current EPC E – by 2030.

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OPINION: Has the Prime Minister's landlord bashing gone too far this time?

OPINION: Has the Prime Minister's landlord bashing gone too far this time?

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It may have gone unnoticed by many landlords that Boris Johnson made one of the most extraordinary attacks on the sector in living memory last week. And it is fair to say, one of the most unfair. Most landlords have become accustomed to the government's frosty rhetoric over the

EXCLUSIVE: New guidance to make EPCs more accurate after 10-year wait

EXCLUSIVE: New guidance to make EPCs more accurate after 10-year wait

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The government has finally updated the guidance it provides to property assessors on how to calculate EPCs for new homes and, in six months time, for existing homes too. This is the first time the methodologies of calculation have been updated for almost ten years for t

Landlord wins legal battle over �3,300 gas safety paperwork fine

Landlord wins legal battle over �3,300 gas safety paperwork fine

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A professional landlord has scored a partial win against his council fines for charges relating to gas safety inspections. Mahendra Maharaj , who owns 78 properties in Liverpool, had been fined �9,000 by the city council a decision confirmed by a First

Re-launched Right to Buy to take 'money from pockets of buy-to-let landlords'

Re-launched Right to Buy to take 'money from pockets of buy-to-let landlords'

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Boris Johnsons pledge to reform the housing market will see the government launching a dusted-off version of David Camerons right to buy scheme for social housing in order to turn the tables on private landlords, his housing secretary Michael Gove has suggested. During a s

HMRC is clawing back overpaid and fraudulent Covid support payments

HMRC is clawing back overpaid and fraudulent Covid support payments

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The self-employed who took advantage of the multi-billion pound self-employed income support scheme (SEIS), claiming grants they were not entitled to, when they were either not trading at all, or their profits did not fall within the specified limits, are now being asked to pay the money ba

EXCLUSIVE: What will happen after Section 21 evictions go? We ask the experts

EXCLUSIVE: What will happen after Section 21 evictions go? We ask the experts

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For several years now the government has promised to reform how landlords evict tenants including the abolition of possessions enabled under Section 21 of the 1988 Housing Act. This kind of eviction was a key plank of Margaret Thatchers attempts to persuade more landlords int

Comment: fears over the future of private rental market in the regions mount

Comment: fears over the future of private rental market in the regions mount

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While in England the housing minister Eddie Hughes has just https://www.landlordzone.co.uk/news/breaking-minister-confirms-government-will-not-consider-rent-controls-in-england/" target="_blank" ruled out rent controls , in Scotland, Wales, Northern Ireland and the Irish R

Legal case '� can there be a reasonable excuse for not licensing an HMO?

Legal case '� can there be a reasonable excuse for not licensing an HMO?

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Weve all heard the expression, ignorance of the law is no excuse� and this applies without question in all areas of the law. But in some rare instances it seems the courts and tribunals are open to accepting a defence of what is termed reasonable excuse even when the regulatio

Landlord says protecting tenants during portfolio sale will cost him �500,000

Landlord says protecting tenants during portfolio sale will cost him �500,000

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Nottingham benefits landlord Mick Roberts (main picture) has made another bid to sell 40 of his properties by offering to cut the sale price by a tenth if a landlord buyer keeps his existing tenants on. The regular LandlordZONE contributor has previously suggested https

Letting agents 'falling foul of holding deposit rules'

Letting agents 'falling foul of holding deposit rules'

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Ignorance and bad practice around these legitimate deposits is creating one of the biggest areas of illegal activity in the PRS.

Family's tax ploy ends in £10,000 fine

Family's tax ploy ends in £10,000 fine

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News
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A father and daughter who lied about the tenancy of a dangerously overcrowded and unlicensed HMO have lost their appeal.

Ministers back council tax change for HMO landlords

Ministers back council tax change for HMO landlords

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The government is to end the practice of banding individual rooms in HMOs separately for council tax purposes.

Ignore the buy-to-let doom mongers says Paragon

Ignore the buy-to-let doom mongers says Paragon

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Paragon Mortgages the buy to let specialist admits that there is a challenge from rising rates, but it's not all bad news.

Landlords more resilient than they look says estate agency chief

Landlords more resilient than they look says estate agency chief

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Most landlords are committed to their property portfolios, according to new research from Leaders Romans Group (LRG), with 68% planning to maintain their existing holdings, and 6% set to expand their investments.

Thinking of selling up? Don’t do it says Phil Spencer

Thinking of selling up? Don’t do it says Phil Spencer

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Property surveyor, landlord and property show host Phil Spencer says landlords should “hold firm and remember their reasons for investing.”

TENANCIES: Housing minister bats off calls for two-year fixed periods

TENANCIES: Housing minister bats off calls for two-year fixed periods

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Housing Minister Rachel Maclean has rejected another call for new tenants to be given two years before landlords can pursue a possession order.

Landlord fined £47,000 over dodgy Electrical Condition Report

Landlord fined £47,000 over dodgy Electrical Condition Report

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A landlord has been ordered to fork out more than £47,000 for failing to licence his eight rental properties, after ignoring numerous written and verbal warnings.

Landlord leader backs selective scheme 'crackdown' by council

Landlord leader backs selective scheme 'crackdown' by council

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A landlord leader has backed Southend-on-Sea Council’s crackdown on failing private rented homes.

Number of landlords fined for Right to Rent breaches triples

Number of landlords fined for Right to Rent breaches triples

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The number of Right to Rent penalties handed to landlords have tripled so far this year under a crackdown on illegal renting and working.

Phil Spencer warns landlords over tenant 'bidding wars'

Phil Spencer warns landlords over tenant 'bidding wars'

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Property expert Phil Spencer has urged landlords to be reasonable when signing up tenants who get into a bidding war – but recognises that competition is down to market forces.

Reform bill 'won't help landlords facing rent debt' admits minister

Reform bill 'won't help landlords facing rent debt' admits minister

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Housing Secretary Michael Gove has admitted that the Renters Reform Bill won’t help landlords claw back money from absconding tenants.

Renting reforms are a 'half baked cake' says sector leader

Renting reforms are a 'half baked cake' says sector leader

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The government has created a “half-baked cake” in the Renters Reform Bill, leaving the PRS desperate for clarity, says one industry boss.

Tax moves afoot to help give landlords financial relief says Gove

Tax moves afoot to help give landlords financial relief says Gove

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The Government is looking at how to give landlords more tax breaks in order to reassure those who are looking nervously at the looming radical renting reforms for the sector, changes which are due to sweep in next year.

Great news for landlords as private buying firms rush to snap up buy-to-let portfolios in bulk

Great news for landlords as private buying firms rush to snap up buy-to-let portfolios in bulk

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After a tough week, starting with reports from the Telegraph urging banks to “stop treating landlords like cash cows” we finally have some good news.

Landlord jailed for eight weeks following 'deplorable' behaviour

Landlord jailed for eight weeks following 'deplorable' behaviour

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A rogue landlord who tried to evict his tenant using “deplorable behaviour” has been jailed for eight weeks.

Give more legal aid to tenants facing eviction, say lawyers

Give more legal aid to tenants facing eviction, say lawyers

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The government is being urged to consider hard-up renters who won’t be able to take on their landlords despite any court system upgrade ahead of the Renters Reform Bill.

'Many non-compliant landlords are offshore' claims Gove

'Many non-compliant landlords are offshore' claims Gove

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Housing secretary Michael Gove has pinned the blame for non-compliance within the private sector on foreign offshore landlords during a Q&A session at yesterday’s NRLA Conference in Birmingham.

HMOs offer TWICE the returns of traditional rental properties, it is claimed

HMOs offer TWICE the returns of traditional rental properties, it is claimed

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A costly HMO conversion could prove a worthwhile long-term investment, with the average 8.1% HMO yield far higher than the 4.4% generated by a regular rental property, according to research by Octane Capital.

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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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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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'

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