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Landlord slapped with �40,700 fine after 'honest mistake' over HMO licence

Landlord slapped with �40,700 fine after 'honest mistake' over HMO licence

News

A lettings agency boss and landlord has been slapped with a �40,700 Rent Repayment Officer despite claiming that his failure to licence an HMO was an honest mistake. A First Tier Property Tribunal handed five former tenants the maximum award for the period from September 2019 t

LATEST: Scottish Government sets out its controversial rental reform plans

LATEST: Scottish Government sets out its controversial rental reform plans

News

Scotland has launched plans for an overhaul of its rented sector that include a controversial system of rent controls. Proposals also include increasing penalties for illegal evictions, restricting evictions during winter, giving tenants greater flexibility to keep pets, introdu

Bristol significantly expands HMO and selective licensing schemes

Bristol significantly expands HMO and selective licensing schemes

News

Bristol has approved plans to extend landlord licensing in Brislington West, Bedminster and Horfield wards in a bid to raise PRS standards. The scheme includes additional licensing - HMOs with three or more unrelated people sharing facilities and selective licensing - privat

EXCLUSIVE: 'We listened to landlords' claims Durham selective licensing chief

EXCLUSIVE: 'We listened to landlords' claims Durham selective licensing chief

News

Durham has been given the green light for a huge new selective licensing scheme although it is 40% smaller than its original plan. The scheme will cover about 29,000 homes, 42% of the countys private rented sector, and will go live on 1st April when landlords will need a

Test Case: Council advising tenants to stay put after valid s21 notice served

Test Case: Council advising tenants to stay put after valid s21 notice served

News

This is a Local Government and Social Care Ombudsman case involving an unnamed landlord (LandlordX or MrX) and Brentwood Borough Council. The case revolves around a common situation where the landlord required possession of the property after serving a valid section 21 notice un

'Let’s not forget property remains the best performing investment'

'Let’s not forget property remains the best performing investment'

Opinion

I've been in the property investment business for almost 30 years and during this period opportunities have come and gone but I've yet to discover an asset class that perf

OPINION: The EPC ratings system is 'not fit for purpose'

OPINION: The EPC ratings system is 'not fit for purpose'

Opinion

Ever since I started to market one of my commercial buildings around 10 years ago now, I began to doubt the efficacy of the EPC rating system. The guy that came along to do the inspection told me himself he had just completed a 6 week course, or whatever it was, to train to be a

BREAKING: Government toughens up smoke and C0 alarm regulations

BREAKING: Government toughens up smoke and C0 alarm regulations

News

Social and private landlords are to face tougher new rules which make it mandatory to fit smoke alarms in all rented accommodation regardless of tenure, and widen the conditions under which they must be fitted. Revisions to the smoke and carbon monoxide detector regulations also

ANALYSIS: Does buy-to-let still beat the stock market?

ANALYSIS: Does buy-to-let still beat the stock market?

News

If you had �50k to invest right now, where would you put it, buy-to-let property or stocks and shares? Certainly leaving it in a traditional savings account, with interest rates as they are at rock bottom, thats out of the question. And with the threat of rising inflation ea

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'New model rental contracts in Wales put deposits in jeapordy'

'New model rental contracts in Wales put deposits in jeapordy'

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News
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Landlords in Wales have found themselves unable to make deductions to deposits when using occupation contract templates, it has been claimed.

Selective licencing given green light in 'blighted' seaside town

Selective licencing given green light in 'blighted' seaside town

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News
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Northumberland council is the latest to approve more selective licencing with two wards in the seaside town of Blythe.

Landlord minister joins new Labour housing team

Landlord minister joins new Labour housing team

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News
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Five new housing ministers have been tasked with helping the government deliver homes and reform the PRS – and one of them is a landlord.

Labour told to address dire rental supply problem

Labour told to address dire rental supply problem

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News
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Frustrated surveyors have urged the government to introduce fair legislation that increases supply as landlords continue to quit the sector.

WARNING: Hasty eviction reforms will be 'nail in coffin' of PRS

WARNING: Hasty eviction reforms will be 'nail in coffin' of PRS

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News
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Propertymark has warned that abolishing Section 21 without an adequate replacement mechanism will add 'another nail in the coffin' of the PRS.

Council to launch third licencing scheme charging £609

Council to launch third licencing scheme charging £609

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News
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Salford Council is to launch a consultation into reviving one of its selective licencing schemes - offering landlords slightly cheaper licences than eight years ago.

POLL: Higher costs to force 85% of landlords to raise rents

POLL: Higher costs to force 85% of landlords to raise rents

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News
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Most buy-to-let landlords plan to raise rents in the next 12 months after being hammered by higher interest rates and operating costs.

Rental arrears ease as cost-of-living crisis recedes

Rental arrears ease as cost-of-living crisis recedes

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News
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Fewer tenants are going into rent arrears, according to the latest figures from Handelsbanken.

Idea of rent caps 'scares the life out of landlords' warns Shamplina

Idea of rent caps 'scares the life out of landlords' warns Shamplina

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Podcast
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Bringing in rent caps as a way to control the rental market would ‘scare the life out of landlords’ and cause many to exit the market, Landlord Action founder and TV star Paul Shamplina has warned.

Wales now has 1,107 fewer landlords, official data reveals

Wales now has 1,107 fewer landlords, official data reveals

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News
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The Welsh private rental sector has lost a worrying 1,107 landlords in the last five years, coinciding with tougher rules around evictions and new tenancy agreements.

Huge landlord gathering revealed in London next month

Huge landlord gathering revealed in London next month

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News
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One of the largest gatherings of landlords under one roof is due to take place on 19th March in London.

Kent landlord to pay £30k fine over unlicenced house

Kent landlord to pay £30k fine over unlicenced house

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News
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After pursuing a £30,000 fine against one landord, his local council has vowed to go for other non-complilant BTL operators.

ADVICE: What to consider before expanding your portfolio

ADVICE: What to consider before expanding your portfolio

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Our experts help landlords looking to expand to plan ahead on several fronts including legislation, financing, tax, insurance and the fast-changing rental market.

Landlords urged to document property inspections after eviction failure

Landlords urged to document property inspections after eviction failure

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News
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Landlords have been urged to make sure they document inspections after a tenant managed to avoid eviction by blaming the lack of a recorded carbon monoxide detector.

Should landlords worry about EPC deadline? No, says leading expert

Should landlords worry about EPC deadline? No, says leading expert

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News
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Rising EPC scores suggest that achieving a C rating by 2030 shouldn’t be such a cause for concern, according to landlord energy efficiency platform epIMS.

Exiting tenants' average rent debt jumps by 46%

Exiting tenants' average rent debt jumps by 46%

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News
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Rent arrears jumped by 44% to an average of £2,597 during the final three months of 2024, latest year-on-year figures reveal, while on a quarterly basis they increase by 26%.

Fed up with the hassle of selling, dealing with certifications, and tenant evictions? We've got the perfect solution!

Fed up with the hassle of selling, dealing with certifications, and tenant evictions? We've got the perfect solution!

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Landlords know the score – it’s tough out there and hordes of Landlords are rushing to sell before Section 21 is abolished.

More landlords selling properties than buying, warns NRLA

More landlords selling properties than buying, warns NRLA

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News
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New data reveals that 20% of landlords across England and Wales have sold property during the last 12 months, almost three times more than the 7% who had bought new homes to rent.

'Rent arrears set to rise when Labour PRS reforms go live'

'Rent arrears set to rise when Labour PRS reforms go live'

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News
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One of the UK’s largest tenant referencing firms has warned that the restrictions to be placed on landlords by the looming Renters’ Rights Bill will push up rent arrears.

EPC changes, what’s coming and what do you need to do?

EPC changes, what’s coming and what do you need to do?

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News
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The new Labour Government has been busy changing the rules on EPCs for rentals and there’s ongoing consultation exercises to decide what changes are needed

Repeat offender landlord fined £5,000 over illegal HMO

Repeat offender landlord fined £5,000 over illegal HMO

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News
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A landlord has been fined almost £5,000 after being found guilty for a second time of operating an illegal HMO.

Big NE town brings in HMO planning restrictions

Big NE town brings in HMO planning restrictions

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News
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Middlesborough Council has brought in new planning restrictions to clamp down on the “wrong sort of HMOs”.

Big city to expand licensing five-fold despite landlord concerns

Big city to expand licensing five-fold despite landlord concerns

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News
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Gateshead is to push ahead with new property licensing schemes despite local landlords and letting agents opposing them including 93% saying the fees are ‘too high’.

Is development more attractive than landlording?

Is development more attractive than landlording?

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News
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Rental property yields are shrinking as the costs created by more regulations and legislation eat into landlord profits – so is it time more BTL landlords became SME developers?

Tenant group says 'landlords can't be trusted' to regulate themselves

Tenant group says 'landlords can't be trusted' to regulate themselves

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News
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Scotland’s tenants’ union has warned that removing rent rise reprotections will lead to an uptick in de facto evictions and homelessness.

Big Kent council latest to offer landlords 'guaranteed rent'

Big Kent council latest to offer landlords 'guaranteed rent'

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News
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Maidstone Borough Council has become the latest authority hoping to entice private landlords to hand over their properties in exchange for guaranteed rent.

Landlord to pay £37,000 after running overcrowded illegal HMO

Landlord to pay £37,000 after running overcrowded illegal HMO

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News
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A rogue landlord who squeezed six people into one room of his HMO has been told to pay £37,000 in fines and costs.

CLAIM: Labour's 'new towns' will be all about BTR not private landlords

CLAIM: Labour's 'new towns' will be all about BTR not private landlords

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News
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The UK’s new towns will favour build-to-rent developers rather than private landlords, according to a think tank which labels them “profit-seeking institutional investors”.

Big London council to bring back selective licensing

Big London council to bring back selective licensing

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News
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Croydon has announced plans to bring back its selective licensing scheme after a five-year break.

Lettings agency pays high price for ignoring HMO regulations

Lettings agency pays high price for ignoring HMO regulations

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News
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A student housing firm has been told to pay £13,160 for breaching safety regulations at a Salford HMO.

Landlords in-line for a £20bn energy efficiency bill

Landlords in-line for a £20bn energy efficiency bill

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News
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Landlords will collectively have to spend more than £20billion making improvements to their rental properties to meet proposed new energy efficiency standards

Developer in hot water after Rightmove offers Premier Inn rooms to rent

Developer in hot water after Rightmove offers Premier Inn rooms to rent

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News
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Gravesham Council is looking into a possible planning breach after studio flats were advertised for rent at a disused Premier Inn.

OFFICIAL: Landlords now waiting 25 weeks to evict tenants

OFFICIAL: Landlords now waiting 25 weeks to evict tenants

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News
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Landlords are waiting even longer to repossess their properties - up to 25 weeks in the last quarter of 2024.

Students call for TripAdvisor-style reviews for rented student homes

Students call for TripAdvisor-style reviews for rented student homes

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Fed-up students in Bristol have launched a campaign to introduce a TripAdvisor style review system for the city’s accommodation.