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BTL lender reveals unusual EPC-linked mortgage deal just for expats

BTL lender reveals unusual EPC-linked mortgage deal just for expats

News

Suffolk Building Society has launched a new mortgage aimed at expat landlords with properties that boast a high EPC rating. Its five-year fixed expat buy-to-let product for properties with an Energy Performance Certificate rating of A to C is available on

NEW: Activists urge landlords and agents to stop property 'bidding wars'

NEW: Activists urge landlords and agents to stop property 'bidding wars'

News

Tenants union Acorn has pledged to continue targeting letting agents in the city until they stop encouraging 'bidding wars' to help landlords achieve higher rents. Members launched a noisy protest outside a number of branches; some agents which had started talks with Acorn ab

TAX: Raise stamp duty for landlords urges leading Tory MP

TAX: Raise stamp duty for landlords urges leading Tory MP

News

Leading Tory MP Anthony Browne (main pic) has urged the government to ditch stamp duty for home buyers but increase the tax rate for investors. The chair of the 1922 Backbench Treasury Committee says people buying homes to live in are over-taxed while those buying properties for

RENT RISE: Landlord pushes back against tenant's public complaint

RENT RISE: Landlord pushes back against tenant's public complaint

News

A landlord has spoken out to defend a substantial rent increase after its tenant complained about his eviction to the local newspaper. Richard Symonds told https://www.sussexexpress.co.uk/" target="_blank" Sussex World tha

Opinion: dealing with the thorny issue of damp and mould

Opinion: dealing with the thorny issue of damp and mould

Opinion

Damp and mould has always been a very difficult issue to deal with for landlords, but the recent case of Awaab Ishak and the rapid and direct involvement of Government has really brought matters to a head. The death of a Rochdale social housing tenants son, Awaab Ishak, has l

NEW: Shelter says landlords 'still rejecting tenants based on race'

NEW: Shelter says landlords 'still rejecting tenants based on race'

News

The boss of housing charity Shelter has repeated the organisations previous assertion that tenants seeking properties in the private rented sector (PRS) too often face racism from both landlords and letting agents. Polly Neates comments have been published by the BBC withi

MOULD: Minister vows to speed up 'Awaab's Law' as thousands sign petition

MOULD: Minister vows to speed up 'Awaab's Law' as thousands sign petition

News

The government has vowed to expedite a proposed law forcing landlords to respond quickly to complaints about damp and mould. Housing minister Felicity Buchan (pictured) told MPs that proposals were being worked through, after it announced plans last week t

Birmingham proceeds with HMO licensing expansion despite opposition

Birmingham proceeds with HMO licensing expansion despite opposition

News

Birmingham council has concluded its consultation into an additional licensing scheme across the city that would include 9,500 properties in all 69 wards. Following a full cabinet meeting report on the scheme's consultation which included several landlords sessions organised by

Heartless' landlord fined �175,000 over dilapidated and unlicensed HMO

Heartless' landlord fined �175,000 over dilapidated and unlicensed HMO

News

A rogue landlord who let out an unlicensed HMO with no working kitchen, unusable toilets, blocked drains and rats, has been fined a whopping �175,000. Adam Ali had turned the former Anchor Hotel in Cobham Road, Westcliff-on-Sea (pictured), into an HMO whe

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Landlords with mortgages 'to get early Xmas present'

Landlords with mortgages 'to get early Xmas present'

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Mortgage rates are likely to drop even further before the end of the year, providing some much-needed festive cheer for landlords.

Labour says renters face 'insecurity' but tenancies getting longer

Labour says renters face 'insecurity' but tenancies getting longer

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Private renters are increasingly staying for longer in their homes, contrary to tenant groups’ argument that they face ‘insecurity of tenure’.

PIX: Shocking size of 'rooms' within illegal HMO revealed

PIX: Shocking size of 'rooms' within illegal HMO revealed

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A rogue landlord who turned her three-bedroom bungalow into a 15-room unlicensed HMO where tenants slept on camp beds in windowless rooms has been handed a £12,000 fine.

HMO landlords should be Scrooge not Santa this Christmas

HMO landlords should be Scrooge not Santa this Christmas

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Landlords have been advised not to let their tenants deck the halls with flammable holly during the festive season.

Government promises to fix cladding remiation problems by 2029

Government promises to fix cladding remiation problems by 2029

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The government has set out new targets to fix unsafe buildings in England as part of its Remediation Acceleration Plan.

Gloucester plans clampdown on spread of HMOs

Gloucester plans clampdown on spread of HMOs

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Gloucester Council is to apply for an Article 4 Direction in a bid to curb the number of shared houses in the city.

'Labour's reforms will cost landlords and tenants'

'Labour's reforms will cost landlords and tenants'

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The Renters’ Rights Bill will add extra costs for tenants as well as landlords, and it will cause landlords to leave the private rented sector

Property groups call for more homes, not rent controls

Property groups call for more homes, not rent controls

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Property groups have called on the Scottish government to focus on building homes rather than rent controls in a bid to address the country’s housing crisis.

Labour to spend £20m helping tenants fight evictions

Labour to spend £20m helping tenants fight evictions

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Civil legal aid fees for eviction cases and immigration are to receive a £20 million boost, marking the first increase since 1996.

Insurance costs set to drop for leasehold properties

Insurance costs set to drop for leasehold properties

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A pledge by insurance brokers could mean owners of flats in buildings with identified fire safety issues see significantly lower insurance premiums.

Landlord handed £18,000 fine for banning order breach

Landlord handed £18,000 fine for banning order breach

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A rogue landlord has avoided serving jail time, despite breaching a banning order and being found guilty of harassment.

New rules on Gas Safety Checks give more flexibility

New rules on Gas Safety Checks give more flexibility

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Gas Safety Checks: Similar the car MOT, where the test can be done ahead of time, while retaining the existing renewal date, landlord gas checks will now be allowed on the same basis, up to 2 months ahead of time

County courts inquiry to probe slowdown in cases

County courts inquiry to probe slowdown in cases

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The Justice Committee has launched an inquiry into the work of county courts amid long-standing concerns over capacity and resources.

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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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.