Archive

Housing has been a priority since day one of the new Labour government, with its promised 1.5m new homes getting a good...

A property firm has branded the current council tax rules for holiday homes “a mess” and says local and national government...

A controversial council has launched a 12 week consultation on its policies restricting Airbnb-style short lets. Edinburgh council insists that new Airbnb...

A council has warned so-called “evaders” that they are in its sights after forcing the sale of a property on which...

The London borough of Wandsworth is the latest council to trigger a consultation for more licensing.   It’s inviting tenants, landlords, property...

Private landlords with properties in the Caerphilly borough can apply for free ‘green skills’ training. The local council is offering training to...

The government has released more information on its new Renters Rights Bill, which is expected to be launched into Parliament in...

A controversial council claims that HMRC is working with its enforcement team because many landlords who avoid licensing schemes are also...

A council has become the first to require home owners to secure planning consent before their property can be used as...

A convicted gangster caught with £500,000 worth of heroin has been refused entry to the landlord register in Scotland. This will mean...

Enfield council in North London is running a consultation on its proposals for a licensing scheme for small, shared HMOs in...

The activists who were so influential in steering the shape of the Renters Reform Bill under the old Conservative government are...

There’s been a substantial rise in landlords exiting the market or downsizing their portfolios, analysis by TwentyEA has found.   Figures show that the number...

A council has reported that its Selective Licensing scheme has had only 43% take-up from landlords after two years.  And a report...

A north of England local authority is launching yet another consultation on licensing - 17 years after it became one of...

The Chartered Institute of Environmental Health (CIEH) has written to Housing Secretary Angela Rayner urging her to make it even easier...

A Labour council is warning landlords to get licensing or face hefty fines or prosecution.  Brent council in north London says it...

A council dominated by a residents association is looking for landlords of three-, four- and five-bedroom houses to sign up to...

A group of 20 major local authorities - the biggest social landlords in England - have sent an open letter to...

The much-publicised and long-awaited Good Landlords Charter for the Greater Manchester area has at last been launched. A statement from the local...

A landlord has been convicted for the illegal eviction and harassment of a tenant. St Albans Magistrates Court heard how Olufemi Forseythe,...

Housing has emerged as a key talking point during Labour's first few days in government. This comes at a fractious time for...

Understanding Article 4 is crucial for HMO landlords and one legal expert says there is a big difference between HMO licensing...

Activist group Generation Rent has produced a report in tandem with a trades union, focusing on key worker tenants - and...

A council has thanked private landlords who have helped it cope with a homelessness crisis - but it says it wants...

The latest report from the Housing Ombudsman, which presides over social landlords, has named 27 local authorities and social housing providers...

A council is next week considering a move which is seen as a trigger for wider national policy changes regarding Airbnbs...

Salford council has launched a consultation on whether private housing landlords in parts of Broughton and Kersal should require a selective...

A Green councillor in a city which has a Green MP is calling for the local authority to require planning consent...

A legal expert is warning landlords to be wary of joining local council 'Safer Renting' schemes These seemingly well-intentioned projects may have...

A council is urging private landlords who let out properties locally to check if they need a licence under a new...

The Conservatives, reeling from a General Election which left them with just 121 MPs, have revealed their new shadow cabinet. The shadow...

The biggest rental sector headline from Labour’s manifesto may well be its pledge for the “immediate” abolition of Section 21 eviction...

A mortgage lender has introduced a product which effectively encourages a landlord to sell to a sitting tenant at a discounted...

A council has prosecuted a landlord for letting out two HMOs without a licence and failing to comply with HMO Management...

A landlord must pay £24,000 for failing to comply with an Improvement Notice issued to him.  Landlord Lakhbir Singh Rakhra was reported...

A council has issued a statement apparently celebrating the fact that it’s fined HMO landlords over £100,000 since the start of...

A council is working with a string of universities to keep waste and noise to a minimum over the summer. A statement...

As a homeowner in the UK, navigating the complex landscape of taxes and regulations enforced by HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC)...

The recent unveiling by several London councils of selective licensing schemes should raise concerns among private sector landlords - especially 'amateur'...

A move by one London council to refer itself to the Regulator of Social Housing should be seen as a 'national...

Build To Rent giant Grainger has issued a checklist of questions which it advises tenants to ask their landlords before agreeing...

A landlord with previous offences for breaching safety regulations has been hit with a series of fines in a new case.  Norfolk...

Half of HMO landlords say their property or portfolio is their sole source of income. Just under 30% of landlords who took...

Somerset council last year successfully prosecuted a Taunton landlord for bfailing to licence their various properties.  The landlord since appealed their conviction...

A landlord has been ordered to pay more than £20,000 after being found guilty of offences related to the living conditions...

“When it comes to housing policy, there is little difference between the two major parties” says Aneisha Beveridge, head of research...

A letter from a coalition of pro-tenant groups has been sent to the leaders of the Labour, Conservative, Liberal Democrat, Reform...

Local media in the Midlands say another Labour council is set to charge private landlords £1,000 for a licence allowing them...

Labour’s manifesto commitment to empower renters to challenge unreasonable rent increases has been slammed because it “would leave millions trapped in...

Plaid Cymru, the party of Wales, has issued a manifesto with a clampdown on the private rental sector as one of...

A consultation on a new licensing scheme has been launched by Reading council. The consultation will look at extending the current HMO...

The owners of a large HMO in London have been fined £13,500 after failing to repair multiple hazards within their property. A...

Labour’s manifesto, just released, makes a pledge to enact the “immediate” abolition of Section 21 eviction powers, along with other private...

Another raft of General Election pledges have been made to transform the private rental sector - this time from the Green...

The Generation Rent activist group says the Conservative manifesto pledge to give a tax break to landlords selling to tenants should...

The Conservatives have set out a 78-page manifesto, of which just over two pages are given to housing and related issues.  Here...

The British Property Federation wants the next government to give special assistance to Build To Rent developers to allow them to...

The Conservatives say they will scrap Capital Gains Tax for landlords who sell to sitting tenants, if they win the General...

The Liberal Democrats have set out a predictable set of pledges in their manifesto for next mon this election, centred on...

Generation Rent has raised detailed concerns about a proposal from the Liberal Democrats to introduce a national register of landlords.  The Lib...

An investigation by Sky News and a housing campaigner have revealed that there are some 33,993 vacant council properties in England...

Fiscal reform for the private rented sector  We’ve already seen some landlords leaving the private rented sector because of substantially increased taxes....

Private renters in England face a postcode lottery as councils are failing to properly inspect properties with potential hazards. That’s the view of...

Legal action has been launched against Middlesbrough’s Labour council amid claims a licensing scheme which charges landlords almost £1,000 for each...

The issue of homelessness and cost of temporary accommodation are being cited as reasons for a new version of the Renters...

From July 1 most privately rented properties in Lewisham, south London, will need a property licence.  With one in four households in...

New demands from the Generation Rent group go much further than the original Renters Reform Bill in removing landlords’ rights. The group...

A Labour councillor who has wanted restricted rights for buy to let landlords and short let hosts has been dropped as...

Landlord Mohammed Saleem has been found guilty of multiple planning enforcement violations related to properties in Bedford. Saleem, along with his company...

An event being held this month is aiming to help private landlords in part of Wales transform their properties into energy-efficient,...

A House in Multiple Occupation in Coventry, that came under the spotlight after reports of overcrowding, is being investigated for failing...

A couple who are portfolio landlords in the London borough of Haringey have been ordered to pay £10,000 after failing to...

There’s been a big rise in the supply of homes for sale - 20% up on this time last year. This is...

New figures released by Savills, and published by The Times, show exactly why it no longer makes sense to be a...

The landlord of a property has been hit with over £23,000 in legal costs after being found guilty of operating an...

A social housing tenant’s bid to sue their landlord has failed spectacularly. A statement from Mid-Devon council says the unnamed tenant was...

A council has obtained a Banning Order against a rogue landlord preventing him letting houses in England for three years. A First...

A council which this week announced that it would charge landlords almost £1,000 for a licence, is now being accused of kicking...

England’s dwindling social housing stock is poised to plummet by an additional 189,000 properties through the controversial Right to Buy scheme...

An agency that works with over 170 councils is promising rent guarantees and insurance cover to landlords who volunteer their properties...

London councils have slammed government plans for regulating the short-term and holiday lets sector. In a letter to Housing Secretary Michael Gove,...

The Housing Ombudsman - which currently presides over the social housing sector - has named and shamed 12 councils and housing...

All private landlords in four areas of Islington in north London - where the council claims there are particular problems with...

A private landlord who let three of his properties fall into dangerous disrepair has been ordered to pay almost £14,000 after...

Labour-controlled Lambeth council in south London is introducing a Selective Licensing Scheme at almost £1,000 per property. A statement from the council...

Just days after suggesting rent controls of any kind were off the table, it now appears Labour may be considering them...

The Generation Rent group of activists says it doesn’t matter if landlords sell up and leave the private rental sector. Appearing to...

High profile landlord Fergus Wilson has been sentenced to six months in prison suspended for three years and ordered to pay...

Grainger, the Stock Market listed corporate landlord, has been targeted by protesters over rent levels. A protest outside Grainger’s London HQ marks...

Newly re-elected Greater Manchester Labour Mayor Andy Burnham is to spend £600,000 of council tax payers’ cash on a clampdown on...

Landlords and managing agents in South Warwickshire are being encouraged to take part in an industry forum on Tuesday May 21...

A forum for private landlords, letting agents and anyone else on the management side of the private rental sector is being...

A landmark ruling about the invasive plant Japanese knotweed has been over-turned - with implications for landlords and other property owners.  In...

A group of energy professionals in the property sector are taking issue with a claim by consumer organisation Which? over the...

The fragile peace between different groups in the Renters Reform Coalition has ended in a dispute about a Labour-commissioned report on...

Seventeen London boroughs wasted over £2m in the last five years fighting rejected planning applications that were subsequently approved on appeal,...

The Labour Party will not introduce rent controls if it wins the election. A spokesperson for the party is quoted on today’s...

Data gathered by the National Residential Landlords Association (NRLA) shows that less than half the fines levied against rogue landlords have...

Over 40% of council houses and flats sold under the long-standing Right To Buy scheme are now owned by private landlords. That’s...