The High Court has ruled that the Department of Work and Pensions acted unlawfully by making deductions from a tenant’s Universal Credit payments to his landlord without first consulting him – a decision which could impact thousands of other claimants.
MPs are continuing to press Housing Secretary Angela Rayner about the impact of freezing Local Housing Allowance rates on families in the PRS.
The North East offers BTL investors the best HMO rental yields in the UK, with the highest rental income to be found in the South East.
LandlordZONE caught up with Marcus Selmon, Chair of portfolio landlord group PLAN to discuss the state of the private rented sector and the soon-to-be enacted Renters’ Rights Bill from the perspective of his members.
This is a book I wish I’d had available when I first started out on my own property investing career
The government’s reluctance to properly fund eviction courts could cause chaos once the Renters’ Rights Bill becomes law, a leading lawyer has warned.
A landlord caught out for having an unlicensed property has managed to get her fine slashed after a First Tier Property Tribunal heard that the tenants owed more than £17,000 in rent.
Landlords who buy leasehold apartments will next month be able to extend the property’s lease without having to wait two years, as it presently the case.
A fed-up landlord has challenged tenants’ union Acorn for using social media to relentlessly bash the PRS without considering the bigger picture.
Property experts have warned that Labour’s promise to finish the job of ending the “feudal” leasehold system could complicate leaseholders’ situation.
A major high street lender has changed the terms and conditions of its mortgages to enable landlords to rent their properties out on short-term and holiday let sites such as Airbnb and Booking.com during void periods.
A Midlands council is on an unusual mission to get more students living in purpose-built student accommodation (PBSA) instead of traditional HMOs.
This morning’s King’s Speech to a packed House of Lords has revealed Labour’s radical plans for landlords, letting agents and tenants.
Keen thirty-something investors have helped to lower the average age of private landlords by four years over the last decade.
The number of former rental properties currently for sale has risen dramatically as more landlords exit the market or downsize.
Official figures show inflation has held steady at 2% over the past 12 months but the detailed briefing from the Office of National Statistics also reveals that property costs remain at historically high levels.
Tom Entwistle looks at the likely changes ahead of this week’s King’s speech - this should reveal a bit more detail and the general direction of travel by Labour
Brighton & Hove Council is to ask the government if it can start licensing short-term lets in a bid to combat their impact on local communities.
The new Housing Loss Prevention Advice Service could result in more landlords fighting and potentially losing - expensive court battles. There are fears that the threat of a �15,000 legal bill if they lose their possession claim hearing could be enough to dissuade some from
A Bristol Council report has urged caution when introducing rent controls for the city. Councillors have been calling for central government to put the brakes on rent rises for months and set up the https://www.bristolonecity.com/one-city-bristol-living-rent-commission/
The BBC has revealed that 24% of adverts it examined listed by landlords via online letting agency OpenRent showed said no families. Of some 8,000 adverts by landlords listed on the site over a recent four-day period, 1,800 said no families while 73% of the listings
Pro-tenant campaigners have claimed that the Governments looming overhaul of the private rented sector will cost landlords a meagre �10 each per annum. The https://www.rentersreformcoalition.co.uk/" target="_blank" Renters Reform Coaliti
Tax increases on private landlords are reducing supply but not increasing owner occupation, making it difficult for the PRS to be commercially viable, according to a housing sector academic. Giving evidence to the Pensions and Work Committee on benefit levels, Prof
A major Midlands council is considering a selective licencing when its additional licencing scheme for HMOs finishes in 2025 as it seeks to answer critics who believe this type of property is damaging social cohesion in many areas. The Cabinet committee of West Northamptonshire
Living in an era where the UK has concerns about the security of energy supply, rising energy costs, and the need to meet environmental considerations, looking to innovative energy back-up alternatives makes sense. Since the shock of the war in Ukraine, it has become increasingl
Housing secretary Michael Gove has moved to reassure private landlords that the Government backs them, describing their work as vital to a functioning rented sector. His column for the https://www.nrla.org.uk/" target="_blank" NRLA </a
Strange proceedings have been reported at Bristol Magistrates Court after a landlord was fined �44,000 over serious fire safety issues at an HMO he operates. Joe Sutera attended the court hearing but refused to identify himself saying he was a man and that Joe Sutera h
A rogue landlord has been handed a hefty fine for renting out a dangerous and mouldy property his second in two years. Hazmar Fauz, of The Avenue in Welwyn, admitted several serious defects at the house in London Road, Luton, when he appeared before magistrates and was fined
Letting agents are urging the government to boost Local Housing Allowance (LHA) each year to keep pace with market rents. Giving evidence to the DWP Commons Committee hearing on UK benefit levels, Timothy Douglas, Propertymark's head of policy and campaigns, said it must increas
Rising rents and frozen Local Housing Allowance (LHA) rates mean that more and more tenants on low incomes cant find an affordable place to live. Whats more, for those lucky enough to find a rental that they can afford, invariably they will cost more to run.
The Renters Reform Bill wont lead to a mass landlord exodus as an army of youngsters are already starting to take older investors place. The https://www.thepropertysourcingcompany.co.uk/" Property Sourcing Companys poll of its 3
The Heat Pump Association (HPA) wants the government to firm up a date for phasing out traditional gas boilers as UK heat pump installations continue to trail the rest of Europe. The governmentshttps://www.gov.uk/government/publications/heat-and-buildings-strategy" i
Universal Credit expert Bill Irvine says the DWP is using the benefits cap as a reason to halt Alternative Payment Arrangements (APA) which goes against previous advice from the departments boss. In a letter to Irvine, at https://universalcreditadvice.com/our-service
A landlord in Mansfield has been ordered to pay a �17,000 penalty after renting out a sub-standard and unlicensed HMO. The landlord, who was investigated by Mansfield District Council officers after a complaint about alleged overcrowding, was found not to
Landlords and student groups have teamed up to tidy Leedss streets during student changeover week. The city hosts about 37,000 students, the vast majority of whom will move house each year at the same time, leaving behind large amounts of rubbish, overflowing bins, furniture
A twenty-something entrepreneurial pair aim to shake up the HMO sector by building on their upmarket guaranteed rent model. Liverpool-based Cosi Living founders Joe Duggan , 24 and Olivia Maher , 25, (main picture) only rented their fi
Omitting BTL landlords from the governments mortgage charter will only hurt supply and push up rents as landlords are forced to pass on their costs, says Labour. The new agreementhttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B_76Y3b2cjM" https://www.youtube.com
A tenant who failed to convince a judge that his landlord did not give him statutory tenancy deposit information is taking his case to the High Court. Merryck Lowes application relating to a claim for �120,888 against charitable landlord, the Governors of Suttons Hosp
Landlords should pay more tax to balance inequalities within the tax system, according to the Resolution Foundation. The think-tanks new report points out that while the top tax rate for employees stands at 53.4% including employer NICs, only 28% is paid on property gains. </
Are you confident your buildings will meet the coming changes to energy performance rules? Energy Performance Certificate (EPC) legislation has been in statute since 2008. Since then there has been a progression of increasingly stringent regulations to cajole property owners to
Landlords buying properties via personal buy-to-let mortgages are facing greater stress testing of their affordability as economic jitters unsettle lenders, it has been revealed. Financial expert Louisa Sedgwick (main picture) from broker ht
Despite previously saying it would consider rent controls, Labours shadow housing minister Lisa Nandy has now confirmed that the party now opposes them, it has been reported. Speaking at the Chartered Institute of Housings conference today, Nandy told delegates that the po
Illegal evictions and harassment are set to become more expensive for landlords who get caught, as councils will be able to fine them up to �30,000 as an alternative to prosecution under the Renters Reform Bill. Lawyer Sam Kharabanda Groom (main picture) at https://cor
