The Scottish Government is to upgrade its Energy Performance Certificates (EPC) system.
A new consultation has been launched into how tenants at risk of unfair eviction could benefit from a £20 million a year boost in legal aid.
A rogue tenant has been prosecuted for running an illegal dog breeding service inside her filthy rented property.
Commercial property portal Rightmove sees a 28% increase across all sectors
The Energy Company Obligation 4 (ECO4) and Great British Insulation Scheme - used by landlords to insulate homes - have been hauled up for fitting substandard solid wall insulation.
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.
The Government must stop its ongoing and irresponsible attempts to curry favour with tenants via its looming reform of the private rented sector, a buy-to-let lender has said. Mortgages for Business boss Gavin Richardson (main
A landlord couple have been convicted of a �1 million benefit fraud stretching over 20 years. Emmanuel Bay , 68, and Nancy Bay , 67, of Sudbourne Road, Brixton (pictured), were found guilty of 21 offences between 1999 and 2018 under t
Home Reit, an investment trust landlord, was set-up to house Britains homeless. But the company has found itself running into increasing difficulties, with tenants' complaints and failed rent payments, a negative short-seller's report, a financial squeeze with falling stock prices and al
A boost in court resources as well as measures to fast-track the most serious possession cases related to anti-social behaviour and rent arrears will be vital post-Section 21, says NRLA chief executive Ben Beadle . Without reform, a rise in cases will add t
Councillors in Reading are set to rubber stamp plans to extend restrictions on the number of HMO conversions. An Article 4 direction already covers parts of the town where HMOs are prevalent, in much of Park, Redlands and Katesgrove wards, as well as Jesse Terrace.
Propertymark has called for a set of standards for developers and clear guidance for local councils as a way to effectively convert empty commercial properties into affordable homes - an increasingly popular path for some bigger PRS landlords. Responding to an inquiry from all-p
Converting commercial buildings to residential use would seem an ideal solution to a housing shortage, especially with and a glut of underused commercial buildings, but how easy is it? The planning regulation changes have made it easier to convert commercial buildings to residen
The new How to Rent guide due to come out today (17th March) has been delayed for a week, according to industry sources. The new guide forms part of the prescribed information that landlords in England must issue at the start of any new tenancy or renewa
John Lewiss build-to-rent strategy appears to be stalling amid local opposition to its plans for large developments in West Ealing and Bromley. The retailer has just announced pre-tax losses of �234 million as sales dipped 2% last year, making it even more vital to find new
An https://www.landlordzone.co.uk/news/braverman-under-pressure-to-reverse-outrageous-new-hmo-rules-for-asylum-seekers/" HMO landlord says desperate new tenants are moving in hours after the previous tenants leave due to a dearth of available properties. In he
A letting agent who ripped off dozens of landlord clients has been banned from being a company director for eight years. https://www.landlordzone.co.uk/news/letting-agent-who-stole-80000-from-dozens-of-landlords-admits-fraud/" Frank Smart , 46, the owner of Sma
With interest rates rising and this reflected in mortgage rates, landlords are being forced to contemplate rent increases. If you go down this road you need to be aware and follow the rules.As landlord you can't legally increase your rent whenever you like, or by any amount you see fit. You need
In a market where interest rates are sky high, tax bills are extortionate and mortgage payments are higher than rents, coupled with a backlog of refurb costs and difficult tenant situations, landlords are rushing to cash in and sell their property portfolios. If you were a landl
With one in five households now renting, the private rented sector is an essential part of the housing market. As the government has reduced its housebuilding strategy for all local authorities from mandatory to advisory, with some councils scrapping targets all together, the ho
A European lettings portal has launched in the UK aimed at globe-trotting students and young professionals. Rotterdam-based https://housinganywhere.com/" HousingAnywhere , which specialises in mid- to long-term rentals, now covers London,
Over the last 15 years, the HMO market has been transformed and there has been a boom. The reason for the boom was, quite simply, that HMOs could generate far better returns than single home lets. But as the market grew, regulations tightened. On top of the extra du
Nearly half of all Section 21 eviction notices have been prompted by landlords selling their properties, Citizens Advice has revealed. It also says that its seen a ramping up of evictions by landlords using Section 21 notices, handling some 2,000 cases last month. <p id=""
A guaranteed rent firm has taken down its website after being exposed for using spurious claims about its connections with reputable bodies. London-based UK Housing Group Ltd, which boasts of being, the largest social housing agency in London and the Midlands featured out-
A council in Wales is likely to become the first one to use an Article 4 Direction to clamp down on the use of houses as holiday lets. Gwynedd councillors approved the historic move after becoming frustrated with the increase in holiday homes across the county, and the effect th
Politicians and lobby groups are likely to continue blaming private landlords for the housing shortage largely created by the hostile regulatory environment imposed by the same politicians who want even more draconian laws, finds a new report. One of the most bizarre aspects of
Two unlicensed HMOs have been discovered during unannounced inspections by a council in the North, which says more 'surprise visits' are on the cards. <figure id="" class="w-richtext-figure-type- " data-rt-type="" data-rt-align=""><div><img src="https://cdn.prod.website-files.com/63bef2f3c3
Landlords in Wales have called for the countrys government to make more effort to encourage private investment in the sector during a face-to-face meeting with housing minister Julie James. The National Residential Landlords Association (NRLA) has asked her government to exem
Fewer than one in five private rental properties in England were within the Local Housing Allowance (LHA) rates last year, according to new joint research by the Chartered Institute of Housing and Shelter . The groups say the average
The government has missed a trick by not introducing a tenancy register instead of an anti-landlord landlord register, one property consultant has claimed. Blackbird Real Estate founder https://www.richard-berridge.co.uk/" target="_blank" Richa
The number of BTL investors buying properties has plummeted in the last six months while long-term landlords are selling up, according to one large conveyancing firm. Basildon-based https://pcslegal.co.uk/" PCS Legal
The Non-Domestic Rating Bill going through Parliament (House of Lords) will require business ratepayers to report any changes and also report annually to the Valuation Office Agency (VOA). These changes to the operation of business rates will apply to all organisations responsib
Yesterday I spoke to a room of 200 anxious landlords. The uncertainly surrounding the Renters (Reform) Bill really has whipped the housing market into a frenzy with landlords serving notices, selling up and exiting the sector in their droves. The mere thought of Sect
��Lender NatWest has been called out by commentators after it announced significant increases to its landlord mortgages. The bank, which is till 38% Government owned, announced late yesterday that it was increasing the interest rates it charges on a range of home loans, includ
A new report has revealed that London now contains 38,600 build-to-rent (BTR) properties with a further 34,100 in the pipeline with the boroughs of Newham, Tower Hamlets and Brent leading the field. The report, pulled together by Cortland Consulting , revie
Tenant groups in Scotland have called for councils to clamp down on landlords who rent out properties under the guise of holiday lets. <figure id="" class="w-richtext-figure-type- " data-rt-type="" data-rt-align=""><div><img src="https://cdn.prod.website-files.com/63bef2f3c329eff8e3a4af45/6
According to the Financial Times (FT), property investors have pumped around �2bn into converting under-used and unwanted London office space as the trend to Working from Home (WfH) continues, and as it looks like becoming an embedded employment practice in many inner city o
A management company has been ordered to pay out more than £49,000 for fire safety failures at an HMO. Monsoon Properties Ltd admitted breaches relating to a range of issues at the flat in Londons Tavistock Place, including inadequate fire detection system, obstructions to t
First-time renters accounted for just 4.6% of new tenancies during the first five months of the year, as more would-be tenants rely on the hotel of Mum and Dad. With average monthly rents topping �1,000, young adults can save �12,290 by living rent-free with their parents each
A large County Court in London has written to its legal clients to warn them that some of their scheduled evictions face being cancelled or rescheduled. The announcement has been made by the Civil and Family Court in Barnet (main picture), one of the major hubs handling eviction
