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EPC changes, what’s coming and what do you need to do?

EPC changes, what’s coming and what do you need to do?

News

The new Labour Government has been busy changing the rules on EPCs for rentals and there’s ongoing consultation exercises to decide what changes are needed

Repeat offender landlord fined £5,000 over illegal HMO

Repeat offender landlord fined £5,000 over illegal HMO

News

A landlord has been fined almost £5,000 after being found guilty for a second time of operating an illegal HMO.

Big NE town brings in HMO planning restrictions

Big NE town brings in HMO planning restrictions

News

Middlesborough Council has brought in new planning restrictions to clamp down on the “wrong sort of HMOs”.

Big city to expand licensing five-fold despite landlord concerns

Big city to expand licensing five-fold despite landlord concerns

News

Gateshead is to push ahead with new property licensing schemes despite local landlords and letting agents opposing them including 93% saying the fees are ‘too high’.

Is development more attractive than landlording?

Is development more attractive than landlording?

News

Rental property yields are shrinking as the costs created by more regulations and legislation eat into landlord profits – so is it time more BTL landlords became SME developers?

Tenant group says 'landlords can't be trusted' to regulate themselves

Tenant group says 'landlords can't be trusted' to regulate themselves

News

Scotland’s tenants’ union has warned that removing rent rise reprotections will lead to an uptick in de facto evictions and homelessness.

Big Kent council latest to offer landlords 'guaranteed rent'

Big Kent council latest to offer landlords 'guaranteed rent'

News

Maidstone Borough Council has become the latest authority hoping to entice private landlords to hand over their properties in exchange for guaranteed rent.

Landlord to pay £37,000 after running overcrowded illegal HMO

Landlord to pay £37,000 after running overcrowded illegal HMO

News

A rogue landlord who squeezed six people into one room of his HMO has been told to pay £37,000 in fines and costs.

CLAIM: Labour's 'new towns' will be all about BTR not private landlords

CLAIM: Labour's 'new towns' will be all about BTR not private landlords

News

The UK’s new towns will favour build-to-rent developers rather than private landlords, according to a think tank which labels them “profit-seeking institutional investors”.

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Awards scheme for HMO landlords launched to highlight best operators

Awards scheme for HMO landlords launched to highlight best operators

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News
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A new property awards has launched that aims to celebrate good landlords in the previously neglected HMO sector. The HMO Awards is dedicated to highlighting good practice and will hand out gongs to HMO agents, operators and investors at a ceremony with a difference that aims to

LATEST: Greenwich agrees £2.6m selective licensing scheme after Covid delay

LATEST: Greenwich agrees £2.6m selective licensing scheme after Covid delay

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News
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The London borough of Greenwich has re-started its planned roll-out of selective licensing across three of its key areas Woolwich, Plumstead and Shooters Hill. Expected to go live at the beginning of July following its Cabinet committee decision, this means nearly a fifth of

Currys closing its London head offices for flexible working space

Currys closing its London head offices for flexible working space

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News
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Currys plc, the leading electrical retailer, operating online and through 829 stores in 7 different countries, is vacating its London head offices for flexible rented space in serviced offices. A sign of the times? This could be the start of a trend that reflects a c

Company linked to high profile investor put into liquidation owing �1.5m

Company linked to high profile investor put into liquidation owing �1.5m

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News
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A high-profile property investor hailed as a rent-to-rent success story has put his company StayBC Ltd into liquidation, owing creditors nearly �1.5 million.<br><br>Newport-based Ben Brand charted his rapid rise on social media, describing his introduction to the property sector after atte

How can landlords afford to upgrade their properties to EPC band C by 2025?

How can landlords afford to upgrade their properties to EPC band C by 2025?

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News
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Like almost all industries the housing market is increasing its efforts to tackle climate change. Households account for 40% of the UKs carbon footprint and the government has forced landlords to move more quickly than others, and from 2025, all properties in the private rent

How can landlords make their properties more energy efficient?

How can landlords make their properties more energy efficient?

Information
News
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Rising energy prices are at the forefront of a cost-of-living squeeze that will be felt by many in the UK. If youre a tenant, the rising price cap on energy is out of your control but saving money through energy efficiency is within it. For landlords, increased energy effici

Barrister warns landlords over pitfalls of offering Ukrainian refugees whole properties

Barrister warns landlords over pitfalls of offering Ukrainian refugees whole properties

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News
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Landlords have been warned about the legal pitfalls of offering a home to Ukrainians fleeing the war. The governments newly launched Homes for Ukraine scheme lets individuals and businesses �360 a month to provide a spare room or separate self-contained accommodation for ref

It's time to consider challenging your business rates calculation, says RVA Surveyors

It's time to consider challenging your business rates calculation, says RVA Surveyors

Information
News
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Information

Business rates or non-domestic rates are a variant of a 500-year-old tax, the current version of which was introduced in 1990 to fund local services based on property values, raising approximately �25 billion a year. RVA Surveyors are business rates reduction specialists who ha

LATEST: Arguments over social problems linked to HMOs hot up in Hartlepool

LATEST: Arguments over social problems linked to HMOs hot up in Hartlepool

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News
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Labour councillors in Hartlepool campaigning to restrict HMOs in the town have been told to find evidence of problems caused by shared properties. <figure id="" class="w-richtext-figure-type- " data-rt-type="" data-rt-align=""><div><img src="https://cdn.prod.website-files.com/63bef2f3c329ef

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

Information
News
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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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Opinion
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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.

'I blame rental market stock crisis on mortgage interest relief withdrawal'

'I blame rental market stock crisis on mortgage interest relief withdrawal'

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News
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Landlord leader Ben Beadle has pinned the shortage of private rental sector homes squarely on the Government, saying George Osborne’s decision in 2015 to cut mortgage interest tax relief for landlords has been the key driver of the current stock crisis.

Tenants on benefits given more backing to fight evictions

Tenants on benefits given more backing to fight evictions

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News
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Tenants on benefits will get more help when paying court fees during evictions and claiming Rent Repayment Orders after the government expanded its Help with Fees scheme.

Northern town to clamp down on landlords converting homes to HMOs

Northern town to clamp down on landlords converting homes to HMOs

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News
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Burnley Council has launched plans to clamp down on landlords converting homes into small HMOs.

BLOG: Are the Tories still game for renting reform?

BLOG: Are the Tories still game for renting reform?

Opinion
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PRS chief Sean Hooker relects on the bumpy ride landlords face in the coming months, and how they can get prepared for the changes.

Landlord mortgage costs leap to nearly 40% of rental income

Landlord mortgage costs leap to nearly 40% of rental income

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News
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The average mortgaged landlord paid 37% of their rent on mortgage interest in August, up from a low of 24% in November 2021, according to Hamptons.

30 campaigning groups write to Rishi urging landlord reforms

30 campaigning groups write to Rishi urging landlord reforms

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Thirty charities and non-profit organisations have written to the Prime Minister urging him to ensure the Renters Reform Bill is passed during this Parliament.

Property 'dating service' for landlords and tenants launches

Property 'dating service' for landlords and tenants launches

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News
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A WhatsApp-style ‘dating service’ designed to marry up landlords and tenants has launched seeking to simplify London’s ‘chaotic’ private rented sector and rival established portals such as Rightmove and Zoopla.