VAT on Commercial Property is a complex topic and anyone wishing to understand these complexities in relation to their own situation should seek specialist advice. This article should give a broad brush general overview but you really should seek advice because errors can be irredeemable an
A rogue portfolio landlord has been banned from letting properties for five years after she admitted multiple offences relating to fire safety issues. Naomi Knapp, a landlord with 34 properties in Bristol, was convicted of eight banning order offences and will now be added to th
Urgent regulation of the spray foam industry is needed to prevent making thousands of homes un-mortgagable, warn leading property groups. Sprayed polyurethane expanding foams are often used in lofts, either to stabilise a failing roof covering or to provide extra insulation. But
Portsmouths HMOs are in the firing line again as growing numbers are being referred to the Valuation Office Agency (VOA) to have their council tax bands reassessed. Rather than paying tax on the whole property, each room can be classified as a band A at a cost of �1,200, wit
A severely disabled tenant and his family have barricaded themselves into their home in a bid to prevent a controversial eviction. Quadriplegic Harvey Cowe, 62, and his wife Sheree, 55, have lived at the house in Brittany Road, Hove, for 25 years after Brighton & Hove C
A leading letting agent has criticised the reasoning behind the UKs ever-growing list of selective licensing schemes. Selective licensing covers all rented property in a given area or council borough and landlords are required to pay a five-yearly fee of between �500 and �9
Landlords in Bristol will soon be required to gain planning permission to convert properties into HMOs in three key areas, it has been revealed. South Gloucestershire Council is to bring in Article 4 directions in the Bristol neighbourhoods of Stoke Park and Cheswick and parts o
Londons mayor Sadiq Khan has urged private landlords who are planning to exit the private rented market to sell their properties to local councils instead of other landlords. Khan made the comments within a self-congratulatory statement on his website l
A landlord in London must now pay �40,000 after losing his appeal against his fine for breaching Mandatory HMO licensing conditions at a bedsit property above a pub. Earlier this year Islington council brought a prosecution against Mohammed Shahid for fai
Four tenants have won £21,076 from their landlord who failed to explain why she hadn’t licensed her damp and cold HMO.
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.
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.
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).
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.
Students from the UK and overseas could miss out on a university education unless the Government makes urgent changes to its Renters’ Rights Bill.
A Birmingham Council officer has saved the lives of a family of renters during a selective licensing compliance visit.
Despite warnings about potential unintended consequences of the Renters’ Rights Bill, the Bill is speeding through Parliament
The Scottish government will scrap its temporary rent control legislation on 31st March, in a move which promises to boost landlords’ confidence.
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.
Property surveyor, landlord and property show host Phil Spencer says landlords should “hold firm and remember their reasons for investing.”
Housing Minister Rachel Maclean has rejected another call for new tenants to be given two years before landlords can pursue a possession order.
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.
A landlord leader has backed Southend-on-Sea Council’s crackdown on failing private rented homes.
The number of Right to Rent penalties handed to landlords have tripled so far this year under a crackdown on illegal renting and working.
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.
Housing Secretary Michael Gove has admitted that the Renters Reform Bill won’t help landlords claw back money from absconding tenants.
The government has created a “half-baked cake” in the Renters Reform Bill, leaving the PRS desperate for clarity, says one industry boss.
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.
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.
A rogue landlord who tried to evict his tenant using “deplorable behaviour” has been jailed for eight weeks.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
Following months of uncertainty, this year will be looked back upon as a tumultuous one for landlords.
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.
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.
More detail on what information landlords will have to provide to the looming Property Portal have been revealed by the Government.
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.
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.
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.
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.
