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York landlord group says 'collaboration not conflict way forward on HMO licencing'

York landlord group says 'collaboration not conflict way forward on HMO licencing'

News

Yorks Residential Landlords Association (York RLA) wants to clarify why it decided not to proceed with further legal action over the city councils proposals to bring in an Additional Licencing scheme for HMOs. Both local media and LandlordZONE recently reported that it had

NEW: Unions and campaigners call on Michael Gove to 'freeze' rents

NEW: Unions and campaigners call on Michael Gove to 'freeze' rents

News

Council leaders, unions and renters groups have urged Housing Secretary Michael Gove to bring in an immediate rent freeze in a bid to prevent widespread homelessness. In an open letter, the 34 groups and individuals including London Renters Union, mayor of London Sadiq Kh

Landlord wins reprieve from huge RRO claiming 'technical issues' at council website

Landlord wins reprieve from huge RRO claiming 'technical issues' at council website

News

A disgruntled landlord has convinced a judge to have his rent repayment order case re-heard after arguing that council systems hindered his ability to apply for an HMO licence during the pandemic. Paul Fashade was told to pay three tenants a total of �11,

'Exploitative' landlords should be taxed harder says Joseph Rowntree Foundation

'Exploitative' landlords should be taxed harder says Joseph Rowntree Foundation

News

The government should raise the stamp duty surcharge on BTL purchases to favour those buying their own home, according to a new report from Joseph Rowntree Foundation (JRF). The social change group believes the surcharge should at least double to effectively disincentivise specu

NEW: Citizens Advice says Awaab's Law must be extended to PRS

NEW: Citizens Advice says Awaab's Law must be extended to PRS

News

Citizens Advice has urged the government to extend Awaabs law to the PRS to help the estimated 1.6 million children living in damp, mouldy or excessively cold privately rented homes. Awaab Ishtak died aged just two years old after living in a mouldy and

Landlords leaving the sector 'not as bad as claimed' says leading estate agent

Landlords leaving the sector 'not as bad as claimed' says leading estate agent

News

A new survey has downplayed the scale of landlords ready to quit the sector due to heavy-handed government regulations and upcoming legislation. Leaders Romans Groups poll of 271 landlords found that only 7% plan to sell up in the next year while 12% aim to reduce their portf

Council green lights more HMO licencing despite proof on higher rents

Council green lights more HMO licencing despite proof on higher rents

News

Nottingham councillors have voted through a contentious additional HMO licensing scheme. The current scheme, covering central areas of the city, will soon come to an end and the council plans to introduce a new citywide scheme in January 2024. It says this would pre

Boiler Upgrade Scheme has been a flop, Lords climate committee warns

Boiler Upgrade Scheme has been a flop, Lords climate committee warns

News

Peers have slammed the governments Boiler Upgrade Scheme for attracting a disappointingly low� take-up of grants. Launched in https://www.landlordzone.co.uk/news/latest-official-boiler-upgrade-scheme-launches-today-but-is-it-enough/" target="_blank" <stron

SCAM alert: Landlord and agent pics being used to lure rental ripoff victims

SCAM alert: Landlord and agent pics being used to lure rental ripoff victims

News

A BBC investigation has uncovered a new property rental scam that uses Facebook Marketplace and then fake accommodation booking sites to lure in unsuspecting tenants. Called an advance rent payment scam, a technique that has been around for many years, this version of it is more

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Housing quality in rented sector rising - but so's damp

Housing quality in rented sector rising - but so's damp

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Numbers of non-decent homes and Category 1 hazards in the PRS have fallen in recent years, although problems with damp are on the rise.

Rent controls in Scotland 'favour landlords' says Generation Rent

Rent controls in Scotland 'favour landlords' says Generation Rent

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News
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The Scottish government’s proposed rent control formula is generous to landlords but would leave tenants vulnerable to unaffordable rent rises, says Generation Rent.

Big council urges public to report rogue HMO landlords

Big council urges public to report rogue HMO landlords

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News
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Croydon Council is calling on local residents to report concerns about unauthorised HMOs as it ramps up action against errant landlords.

Landlords 'bewildered and frustrated' by Scotland's latest rent controls

Landlords 'bewildered and frustrated' by Scotland's latest rent controls

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News
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There is still widespread frustration and bewilderment among landlords and agent that rent controls are the only policy intervention to help tackle affordability in Scotland

CLAIM: Investors 'moving out of residential into commercial'

CLAIM: Investors 'moving out of residential into commercial'

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News
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Investors have started buying up shops and offices in London rather than houses in order to turn a profit.

Midlands landlord to pay £20,000 after ignoring improvement notice

Midlands landlord to pay £20,000 after ignoring improvement notice

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News
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A landlord in Telford is to pay a huge fine after his local council took him to court over a substandard property he rented out within the town.

Landlords caught up in latest cladding remediation problems

Landlords caught up in latest cladding remediation problems

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News
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A Lib Dem MP has highlighted what he describes as an unfolding EWS1 form scandal after a fire safety consultant was sanctioned for unprofessional conduct.

How will landlords handle risky tenants when 'rent in advance' is banned?

How will landlords handle risky tenants when 'rent in advance' is banned?

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News
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One of the seismic changes for landlords and letting agents this year will be when the Renters’ Rights Bill bans taking rent in advance.

Big London borough to renew HMO licensing and raise fees

Big London borough to renew HMO licensing and raise fees

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News
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Camden Council wants to renew its additional licensing scheme with a potential £82 hike in fees.

WATCH: We interview landlord blogger Suzanne Smith for our NEW podcast

WATCH: We interview landlord blogger Suzanne Smith for our NEW podcast

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News
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LandlordZONE is launching a new podcast to enable our readers to gain entertaining insights into the world of landlording from some of the sector’s leading lights.

HMOs generating highest yields for landlords at 8.34%

HMOs generating highest yields for landlords at 8.34%

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News
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BTL landlords enjoyed average yields of 6.72% in September, up from 6.69% at the end of the second quarter and 6.48% in the previous year.

REVEALED: Key reasons why landlord/tenant relationships sour

REVEALED: Key reasons why landlord/tenant relationships sour

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News
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New report reveals that it doesn't take much to tip a landlord relationship into something that a tenant sees as negative, particularly when landlords are largely portrayed negatively in mainstream media.

Landlords warned after 10% of homes found without carbon monoxide alarms

Landlords warned after 10% of homes found without carbon monoxide alarms

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News
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New research among tenants has found that nearly 10% of rented homes with gas appliances don’t have a carbon monoxide alarm fitted, leaving the landlords of these properties open to fines of up to £5,000.

HMO landlord loses fine appeal after blaming agent for rules breach

HMO landlord loses fine appeal after blaming agent for rules breach

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News
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An HMO landlord who blamed a guaranteed rent firm for breaching his licence has failed in his bid to overturn a £7,500 fine.

RICS member agents predict growing rental shortages

RICS member agents predict growing rental shortages

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News
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RICS survey predicts growing shortage of rental properties. Demand is predicted to grow while supply declines.

HMO planning register rejected in East of England

HMO planning register rejected in East of England

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News
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Councillors in Ipswich have rejected plans for a register of all HMO licensing applications in the town.

Renting reforms will pose 'serious risk' to self-managing landlords

Renting reforms will pose 'serious risk' to self-managing landlords

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News
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Landlords face considerable risks from self-managing their properties when the Renters’ Rights Bill goes live, according to a letting agent expert.

Rent controls will backfire, landlords warn Scots ministers

Rent controls will backfire, landlords warn Scots ministers

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News
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Scotland’s landlords and letting agents have warned that the country’s imminent rent controls will backfire.

Rent rewards app urges tenants to pay by card not BACS

Rent rewards app urges tenants to pay by card not BACS

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News
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Landlords could soon be paid their rent via credit cards rather than bank transfer after a Spanish company said it plans to launch in the UK.

Renters' Rights Bill - a month on, what's happened?

Renters' Rights Bill - a month on, what's happened?

Opinion
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It's been just over a month since I last penned my thoughts for LandlordZONE, and in that brief period, the private rental sector has continued to evolve at rapid pace.

Landlord to pay £64,000 fine over 'hidden' HMO

Landlord to pay £64,000 fine over 'hidden' HMO

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News
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A rogue landlord has been handed a whopping £64,000 fine after he was found renting a five-bedroom house to 13 people.

House raffle boss slams UK's 'unaffordable' rental market

House raffle boss slams UK's 'unaffordable' rental market

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News
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A prize company CEO says the UK’s rental stock shortage is driving tenants’ anxiety about rent rises.

Online repairs service for self-managing landlords launched

Online repairs service for self-managing landlords launched

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News
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A new online property maintenance platform aims to help landlords stay on top of repairs, raise standards and attract and retain good tenants.

'Time to fight back against those who say every landlord's bad'

'Time to fight back against those who say every landlord's bad'

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News
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A leading landlord has slammed the pressure groups and campaigns who have been calling recently for landlords to be ‘eradicated’ from the housing market

Lawyers call for 'millions' more for renter representation during evictions

Lawyers call for 'millions' more for renter representation during evictions

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News
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The Law Society of England and Wales has called for a multi-million-pound investment in renters’ representation via legal aid following a rise in eviction numbers.

Landlords must help make rent control in Scotland workable, says committee

Landlords must help make rent control in Scotland workable, says committee

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News
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Landlords in Scotland should be made to routinely provide data rather than simply respond to requests from local authorities, according to a report into the Housing Bill by the Local Government, Housing and Planning Committee.

REPORT: Twice as many landlords selling homes than those buying

REPORT: Twice as many landlords selling homes than those buying

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News
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More landlords are selling their properties than those buying, new research has highlighted

'Lack of bailiffs lengthening evictions process for landlords'

'Lack of bailiffs lengthening evictions process for landlords'

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News
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Landlords are having to wait longer and longer to evict tenants particularly for those using London’s County Courts, says specialist firm Landlord Action, which blames the problems to a greater extent on a lack of bailiffs.

Landlords rush to sell before Xmas ahead of the Stamp Duty increase

Landlords rush to sell before Xmas ahead of the Stamp Duty increase

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It seems it’s one step forward, two steps back for landlords with the recent Budget introducing significant changes to Stamp Duty Land Tax (SDLT) that will impact property transactions from April 2025. The changes have caused panic amongst landlords, with a spike in numbers looking to sell before Ch

Will failure to present accurate documentation styme eviction under the Renters’ Rights Bill?

Will failure to present accurate documentation styme eviction under the Renters’ Rights Bill?

Information
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It is likely that under the Renters’ Rights legislation due in 2025, tenancy documentation will be highly scrutinised before an eviction trial is allowed

OFFICIAL: Time taken for landlords to evict tenants increases

OFFICIAL: Time taken for landlords to evict tenants increases

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News
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The time taken for landlords to evict tenants has increased, latest Government figures show.

Landlords persuade Government to U-turn on pet rules in Jersey

Landlords persuade Government to U-turn on pet rules in Jersey

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News
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Jersey landlords have avoided new rules that would have made imposing blanket bans on keeping pets illegal.

Big Norfolk council reveals new selective licencing plans

Big Norfolk council reveals new selective licencing plans

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News
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Great Yarmouth is asking landlords for their views on extending selective licensing in the town.

Landlord reveals nightmare cannabis factory saga

Landlord reveals nightmare cannabis factory saga

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News
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I’m writing this article to highlight the pitfalls landlords can face, and to share what I’ve learned from my experience.