Rent Arrears: At this time of year, soon after the Christmas spending spree, inevitably rent payments begin to suffer. If you are having problems with rent arrears, this article should help.As in most areas of life,prevention is better than cure . To re
Tax Return 2016-2017: As a general rule, and as outlined in the previous articles in this series on tax returns, landlords can claim the expenses of running and maintaining their rental properties.If the rent you charge includes additional services like water, or council tax
Tax Return 2016-17: With some costs its very easy to decide: a repair to a drain, downspout or roof tile are all allowable expenses, but what about replacing a broken single glazed window with a new plastic frame and double glazing, what about decorating and installing a
Penetrating damp, just as its name implies, is where water leaks into a building from outside the structure, through the walls or roof. Less common is where an internal leak from a water or drain pipe leaks into the structure of the building.Common causes of penetrating damp are: <ul <l
Fire Regulations in Rentals: There are several regulations relating to fire safety within rental dwellings; some affect all dwellings whereas others apply mainly to Houses in Multiple Occupation (HMO).This looks complicated, but fire safety management in reality boils down t
Damp & Mould: You may have seen or heard of the 1970s TV series Rising Damp, which featured a landlord and his tenants (lodgers in this case) which rather implies that all rental properties are troubled with this kind of damp.Far from the case, but some are. In fact the
Renting Standards: Specialist residential property solicitor Amanda Sutcliffe of Bray & Bray looks at the importance of keeping a rental property in good condition.Research conducted by Endsleigh Insurance and TrustMark claimed that over 75% of landlords s
Sub-Letting Licenses: (SOLITAIRE) LIMITED Appellant and CHERRY LILIAN NORTON and other cases [2012]Landlords of leasehold buy-to-let flats are often asked to pay a fee (sub-letting licence or registration fee) to the freeholder when seeking permission to sub-let their flat,
Validity of Section 21 Notice: Amak Property Investments v Laura Sonny [2016]This case was an appeal by the tenant following a county court judgement relating to the validity of a s21 notice on the basis that the landlord had not complied with the deposit protection (MyDepo
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.
Build-to-rent developer Grainger has seen impressive growth thanks to a supportive government and the battering of smaller private landlords.
From dwindling profits to tenant pressure groups and legislative interventions – landlords all over the UK have had enough.
The Bank of England has cut interest rates by 0.25 percentage points to 4.5%, raising hopes of better mortgage deals for landlords.
The latest RICS housing report has revealed a sharp downturn in property sales but in contrast a rental market bolstered by continuing �strong demand', landlords will be r
Many landlords will not have clocked the huge changes coming down the line within the Government's Renters (Reform) Bill due to become law next year - but h
Two rogue landlord firms which granted a tenancy in �cynical disregard� of licensing rules, then failed to properly repair ongoing faults, have been handed a hefty fine.</
London's rental market is contracting dramatically as landlords exist the market, a new joint report by estate agency Savills and the London School of Economics has highligh
A landlord in the Kent seaside town of Whitstable has won plaudits after deciding to rent her rental property to local people, it has been reported.
Both landlords and letting agents have slammed the Government's proposal to hugely increase fines for property managers who breach existing Right to Rent check laws.
A free service that helps landlords manage their portfolios more profitably but also sell individual properties to sitting tenants through an innovative funding model has secu
Bolton council has revealed its intention to begin a coordinated campaign to rein-in the creation of more HMOs within its boundary including via planning and parking rules and
Bidding wars, tenant CVs, queues outside properties � these phenomena have become common in the rental market across Britain.� So runs the editorial in this week's Su
The Home Office has revealed plans to hugely increase the level of fines that landlords can face if they are found to have not checked tenants properly to see if they have the
A landlord in the North West has been handed a �36,000 fine after a fire at his property revealed it had not been licenced.
Warwick is the latest local authority planning to more than double the size of its HMO licencing scheme, starting in January 2024. This follows a public consultation earlier t
Official figures out today revealing a huge increase in capital gains tax paid on residential property sales can be explained by more landlords than usual selling rental homes
Landlords have warned the Bank of England that its decision to raise the base rate by a quarter of a percent to 5.25% will only put more pressure on to renters and buy-to-let
The rental market in the UK has undergone something of a revolution in recent years, with a significant shift away from permanent or long-term renting towards Airbnb style hol
Landlords operating good-quality and well managed rented properties and who are of good character should fight unfair council fines for failing to licence properties, an unusu
Higher taxes and the pandemic have significantly increased the number of landlords starting up limited companies rather than owning and operating properties personally, new re
The average rent for a property in the UK has hit a historic high of �1,367 a month, helping push void periods between tenancies down to their lowest ever, an average of nine
There is a burning issue within the rented homes market that is grossly unfair on private landlords and that is never discussed by politicians or the trade associations that o
Being ignorant of landlord law is no defence, a brutal legal point that has cost a landlord duo in London dearly after they were told by judges to repay their tenants �12,500
The Governments plans to force landlords to upgrade their properties to a minimum C energy efficiency standard is already affecting how rental properties are being purchased, the boss of a big money firm has claimed. Louisa Sedgwick, Commercial Director at Paragon Bank
The pattern of office working is changing and nowhere is its effect on commercial property being felt more strongly than in Londons Docklands Canary Wharf. A once thriving financial centre The development of the wharf into a thriving financial centre just outsi
Michael Gove has given Nottingham city council the green light to proceed with one of the UKs most expensive and controversial selective licensing schemes. Due to start on December 1st, it will require all rented properties within 20 of its wards to be licenc
A leading lender believes the governments likely decision to row back on EPCs is linked to fears that it will hit an already struggling PRS. Earlier this week, Housing Secretary Michael Gove suggested a delay in bringing in energy efficiency plans for rental properties to
Home buying company the Open Property Group (OPG) has reported a 56% jump in PRS property purchases during the past year, with landlords blaming red tape for their decision to sell up. It bought nearly �6 million worth of property from homeowners and landlords looking for a fas
