Archive

A lettings agent who has started a rental insurance business has launched another attack on landlords. Ajay Jagota, who runs KIS Lettings...

Welsh Nationalist politicians are complaining about a finance company which identified part of Wales as having attractive yields for buy to...

London Mayor Sadiq Khan wants to buy back former council houses now in the private rental sector. Right to Buy, part of...

Labour councils in London have backed the initiative from Mayor Sadiq Khan to buy back ex-council houses now in the private...

Some laws underpinning the private rented sector date back to the 18th century and are no longer fit for purposes, according...

Labour MPs have quizzed junior housing minister Eddie Hughes over the effects of the ending of the eviction ban. At the regular...

Former Labour Shadow Chancellor John McDonnell has spoken out against what he calls “the greed of the mega-landlords.” The veteran MP -...

Tenants with arrears accumulated during the pandemic are finding it tough to secure alternative accommodation because their credit scores have been...

The landlords’ trade body says there’s an enforcement postcode lottery across part of the UK. The National Residential Landlords Association’s Welsh Enforcement...

A cluster of councils in the south of England want to know how Covid-19 has impacted landlords and letting agents in...

The umbrella group representing London councils wants the government to use taxpayer money to help private tenants with Covid-related arrears. The call...

Tenant activist group Generation Rent says it’s working with five councils to find out more about private renters in those areas. The...

Investment bank and wealth management consultancy Arbuthnot Latham predicts the next big growth area for buy to let will be Houses...

A warning has been issued to landlords about a crackdown on compliance issues surrounding property management. No Letting Go, the country’s largest...

There are now 10 councils with licensing schemes covering more than 20 per cent of the rental market according to activists’...

The Generation Rent campaign group has entered the fray for the Police and Crime Commissioner elections which will be held in some...

The head of an agency is urging landlords to “embrace” tenants on housing benefits, instead of seeking to avoid them. Mish Liyanage,...

Greater Manchester’s Labour Mayor, Andy Burnham, wants to introduce a £1.5m Good Landlord Charter This would work in partnership with the city’s...

Only 39 rogue landlords and letting agents have been hit with banning orders in the first three years of their existence. The...

The landlords’ trade body wants more co-operation between the private rental sector and local councils as tenants’ needs change thanks to...

From April, almost two-thirds (67%) of England’s councils are set to increase their council tax by 4.90 – 5.0%. However, the pandemic has...

A council which has 20,000 unregulated rental properties within its area has launched a new charter to improve standards. The unregulated properties...

A senior Anglican priest has stood up for renting as a concept, and suggests Britain is too pre-occupied with home ownership. Angela...

Specialist buy to let broker Mortgages for Business says landlords buying now can use four tips to beat the chaos in the...

Labour MP Stephen Timms has asked Housing Secretary Robert Jenrick to commit to five measures to tighten controls on the private...

One of the country’s best known Labour politicians wants the eviction ban extended yet again. Currently there is a moratorium on bailiff-enforced evictions...

There is growing momentum for local councils to freeze their plans for landlord licensing while the pandemic continues. Lettings agency trade body...

Landlords concerned at licensing proposals put forward by Newcastle council have only until Sunday to respond with their views. The authority is re-designating...

Momentum is building against councils pushing ahead with licensing schemes despite the pandemic. Earlier this week ARLA Propertymark, the letting agents’ trade...

The government has been slammed for missing out landlords in proposals to enforce new energy efficiency regulations. Propertymark - the trade group...

A landlord who committed 33 offences at a property he owns has been issued with civil penalties totalling £50,500. Zaheer Uddin Babar,...

The Rent Smart Wales quango, now five years old, has been sharply criticised by the National Residential Landlords Association.  A report commissioned...

The government insists that its ban on bailiff-enforced evictions “protects the most vulnerable renters” during the pandemic. The claim comes in the...

The government has launched an unexpected consultation which may indirectly highlight a new opportunity for landlords and other investors - converting...

A lettings trade body says expensive council licensing schemes could force landlords to sell, making vulnerable tenants homeless or obliged to...

Councils in North Wales want to find out how the Coronavirus pandemic is affecting private tenants. Nearly one in five households in...

There’s been renewed media spotlight on landlords who register their holiday lets as businesses, and can thus claim a key grant. The...

London’s Labour Mayor Sadiq Khan has launched a new tool for tenants to check on their landlords - and possibly claim...

Airbnb claims a proposal to regulate short lets could put 17,000 jobs at risk and take almost £1m a day out...

The coronavirus crisis has hit the UK's economic outlook, and many buy-to-let landlords are understandably worried about their post-lockdown rental property...

With new regulations and rules now in place for landlords, our in-house property experts outline their 10 essential safety requirements for...

Campaigning charity Shelter is back on the warpath against private landlords, criticising how much of the country’s temporary accommodation budget for...

Generation Rent activists are back on the warpath, this time accusing councils of not doing enough - and sometimes nothing -...

Over two million homes in England - that’s almost one in 10 - do not have a working smoke alarm according...

A PropTech firm has drawn up a list of those regions with the highest proportion of rental properties with EPC rating...

Private landlords and tenants across Nottinghamshire and Derbyshire are being urged to seek further advice if they are having problems with...

The government has been criticised by the Fire Brigades Union (FBU) for taking far too long to remove all flammable cladding...

Renting out a property as a short-term let or holiday home has proved extremely profitable for some property investors, and a...

The government’s decision to extend the ban on evictions in England and Wales by a further two months has left victims...

With a number of tenants suffering financial hardship due to coronavirus, Wandsworth Council is among a number of councils in the...

With buy-to-let landlords across the country being pushed out of the market by increasing costs and legislation, and new investors deterred...

Those who rent out homes short-term in either the London borough of Camden or Westminster could soon face fresh restrictions. Both councils...

The minister for local government, housing and planning in Scotland, Kevin Stewart, has received a joint letter from the UK Short...

Renters have higher levels of harmful stress levels than homeowners, according to new research.  A survey of almost 4,000 renters by Shelter...

While some rogue landlords and bad players grab the headlines, the reality is that the vast majority of private sector landlords...

The Scottish government has announced new measures to regulate short-term lets north of the border.  The government is handing local authorities fresh...

The government’s decision to invest an additional £4m in funding for local councils to tackle criminal landlords and letting agents has...

When it comes to investing in property, it pays to know about the latest property hotspots and up-and-coming areas whether you...

A buy-to-let landlord who was originally fined £31,499 by Coventry City Council for breaches of the Housing Act 2004 has had...

With just one day until voting day, each of the main political parties has outlined its plans for the country, including for...

Fresh funding for local councils in England to tackle unscrupulous landlords has been made available, the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local...

The government crackdown on the buy-to-let sector has seen landlord regulations increase by a third since the Conservative party came into...

The Residential Landlords Association (RLA) has compiled a manifesto that it hopes all political parties will take note of ahead of...

A buy-to-let landlord has been ordered to pay almost £6,000 after the council was unable to determine if his property in...

Letting agents who fail to obtain licences for rented properties that fall under selective licensing rules could be prosecuted either alongside...

Tenant eviction specialist, Landlord Action, reports that up to half of Section 21 cases they handle are as a consequence of...

The Residential Landlords Association (RLA) has criticised the London Trading Standards (LTS) for what it says is an admission of failure in...

With new figures showing that almost half of letting agents do not comply with the law, London Trading Standards (LTS) has...

Hundreds of buy-to-let landlords have expressed concerns for the future of the buy-to-let industry if Labour comes into power.  Boris Johnson is...

Hounslow Council has u-turned on plans to introduce a licensing scheme for landlords.  Plans for an additional licensing scheme for landlords were...

With the government consistently missing its housebuilding targets, Britain’s housing shortage has now reached crisis point, with the number of prospective...

Universal credit is not working in its existing form, with households on the benefit significantly more likely to have housing debt than...

The National Landlords Association (NLA) is calling on local authorities to take much firmer action against rogue letting agents that tarnish...

Citizens Advice has called for more regulation of the private rented sector after research revealed that hundreds of thousands of tenants...

The National Landlords Association (NLA) has slammed the government’s Selective Licensing Review for failing to listen to landlords. The report, which was...

Earlier this month the Tenant Fee Ban was introduced, after much fanfare from the Government. However, it is not the only...

Renters would stop paying council tax under radical plans being considered by the Labour Party. A Labour-commissioned report calls on the party...

Six months on from the introduction of licencing that regulates Homes for Multiple Occupation (HMOs), and awareness of the new laws...

A new All Party Parliamentary Group (APPG) has been launched with a view to looking into short-term lets. The new group, which...

Fresh guidance for local authorities to crackdown on rogue landlords has been unveiled by housing minister Heather Wheeler. Local authorities across the...

The widening gap between housing benefit rates and market rents means that many buy-to-let landlords are now forced to rely on...

Landlord licensing schemes are being introduced across England, while they are mandatory in Scotland and Wales, as local authorities attempt to...

The Ministry for Housing, Community and Local Government (MHCLG) has announced that £45.5m will be made available to help find homeless...

Local authorities across England are spending significantly less on dealing with rogue landlords than in 2009-10, new research shows. According to Residential...

As an income investment, buy-to-let continues to look attractive, especially compared to low savings rates and stock market swings, but when...

Despite the growing popularity of Airbnb and other short-term letting websites, less than 3% of landlords are currently engaged in the informal...

Tenants living in sub-standard rented accommodation need greater support, according to Neil Cobbold, chief operating officer of PayProp UK, who has...

Buy-to-let investors should be ‘extremely wary’ of buying property in an area affected by selective licensing rules because many local authorities...

A new multi-housing report reveals five trends that are set to dominate the private rented sector between now and 2025.   The...

The proportion of income spent by private tenants on rents in England has continued to fall, according to an official report...

Ever since Margaret Thatcher declared her belief in a ‘property-owning democracy’ and introduced Right to Buy in 1980, the UK was...

Buy-to-let landlords are “getting away with murder” according to Advice4Renters, after new figures revealed that just two out of almost 2,000...

There is growing concern in Reading that thousands of landlords could soon face enforcement action if they do not sign up...

A growing number of local authorities are using selective licensing to introduce penalties for buy-to-let landlords that go well beyond the...

Close to £2.4m of additional funding designed to clampdown on unscrupulous landlords will be made available for more than 50 councils...

Deposit-free renting is growing increasingly popular, with more providers than ever before now providing tenants with a range of nil deposit...

We all know that buy-to-let investors provide a vital service for people looking for housing, and yet an article in The...

More needs to be done to stem the rise in short-term lets on Airbnb in Scotland to ensure that the market...

The introduction of new guidance on room sizes in rented homes has been warmly welcomed by the Residential Landlords Association (RLA). The...

The Homes (Fitness for Human Habitation) Bill will soon become law after passing its third reading at the House of Lords...

Tenants are on the verge of being handed fresh powers to take action against rogue landlords thanks to the Homes (Fitness...

The Residential Landlords Association (RLA) has warned that growing speculation the mayor of London Sadiq Khan is considering introducing rent controls...

A 50% council tax increase could be on the way for owners of empty properties across many parts of the country...

A notorious rogue landlord who illegally built a number of tiny bedsits across North West London has been ordered to pay...

The new regulations introduced last month to bring mandatory licensing to all Houses in Multiple Occupation (HMOs) was designed to better...

Two thirds of councils in England and Wales responding to a FOI request by the Residential Landlords Association brought no prosecutions...

Trading standards will almost certainly need help from consumers to help police the ban on letting fees, according to PayProp. As part...

Yesterday’s announcement that councils in England are going to be handed an additional £2m in government funding to tackle the small...

Tenant Fees Bill that will ban most charges set by landlords and letting agents to tenants in England will continue its...

The Residential Landlords Association (RLA) has threatened Great Yarmouth Borough Council with a judicial review over ‘unlawful’ licensing plan because it...

Landlord licensing schemes are popping up all over the UK as local authorities step up their efforts to clampdown on rogue...

Tenants look set to be given more powers to take action against rogue landlords renting out properties “unfit for human habitation”,...

Tenants will be offered access to the government’s rogue landlord database under fresh plans unveiled by Theresa May. The Prime Minister was...

Thousands of vulnerable people facing homelessness look set to benefit from a new £20m initiative designed to help them secure a private...

The next stage of the Tenants’ Fees Bill through Parliament will be a Second Reading in the House of Lords this...

Changes to mandatory Houses in Multiple Occupation (HMO) licensing come into force in England today, requiring properties with five or more...

With just a few days left until changes to mandatory HMO licensing are introduced, there is growing concern that many landlords...

Changes to mandatory Houses in Multiple Occupation (HMO) licensing coming into force in England on 1 October 2018 will collectively cost...

Buy-to-let landlords must prepare for new licensing laws for Houses in Multiple Occupation (HMOs) to ensure that they do not fall...

Citylets has adopted blockchain technology to help track and store rental data in Scotland.   The Scottish property rental portal has teamed...

Councils must do more to root out unscrupulous landlords that give the sector a bad name, according to the Residential Landlords...

Buy-to-let landlords who operate houses in multiple occupation (HMOs) in Cheshire East will face new licensing fees after the local council...

Rogue landlords in Ashford will now face fines of up to £30,000 after Ashford Borough Council voted to adopt new rules...

There was an increase in the number of tenants in the private rented sector experiencing a rent increase in May compared...

Buy-to-let landlords are having an adverse impact on home ownership, according to new research. Fresh analysis by Onward suggests that the government...

New guidance for landlords to further protect tenants from poor living conditions has been published by the Ministry of Housing, Communities...

The government yesterday announced a review to look at how selective licensing is used across the private rental sector in order...

The government’s decision to review how selective licensing is used across the private rental sector in order to find out how well...

One of the most active councils in London when it comes to prosecuting rogue landlords and letting agents has now extended...

Celebrate the shows 5th Birthday and 57th event to date in the Landlord Investor Lounge with a glass of prosecco with...

A consortium of businesses has joined forces to form a new regional landlords association in the North East of England. The North...

Criminal landlords across London will be named and shamed on an online database after all London boroughs signed up to a rogue...

The government’s Tenant Fees Bill now introduced to the Commons is a ‘missed opportunity’ to make quicker and more lasting improvements in...

Local authorities should be given the power to confiscate properties from landlords who break the law, according to a committee of...

New ‘Home Safety Guidance’ has been released by the Electrical Safety Roundtable (ESR) to help landlords meet their obligations and ensure...

Doncaster Council’s Cabinet will be discussing new ways to tackle rogue landlords at their meeting later today. The proposal is to introduce...

Unscrupulous landlords who rent out substandard properties face being driven out of the private rented sector as new banning orders are...

The security deposits that tenants leave with their landlord or their letting agent could be capped at no more than five...

Councils will be handed tough new powers to punish rogue landlords up to £30,000. Under the new legislation, being introduced in October,...

Councils are being urged to do more to crack down on rogue landlords who are leaving thousands of tenants living in...

The government is being urged by the National Landlords Association (NLA) to repeal the fee that councils can now charge when...

Rotherham Council wants to do more to protect private tenants by using tougher new laws to clamp down on rogue landlords. Local...

The National Landlord Show arrives at Olympia on Thursday 15 March to give advice via complimentary seminars, leading suppliers and two...

Councils cannot use selective licensing conditions to impose new standards on private rented homes, the Court of Appeal ruled yesterday. The case...

In 2006, selective licensing was introduced, giving councils the power to force landlords to clean up their acts. These licenses allow...

The buy-to-let property market is currently experiencing a wave of reforms, with the government looking to alter the way in which...

Rogue landlords are profiting from the housing benefit system by enticing desperate local authorities to place single homeless people into small...

The Residential Landlords Association (RLA) has expressed its support for new legislation that will help ensure rented homes are safe and...

Tenants will be given the right to take legal action against landlords who offer properties that are not ‘fit for human...

West Suffolk councils have agreed to clamp down on dodgy landlords by adopting new powers to tackle them, following a joint...

Ever since Margaret Thatcher declared her belief in a ‘property-owning democracy’ and introduced Right to Buy in 1980, the UK was...

Buy-to-let landlords could soon be hit with an empty homes tax after the Chancellor Philip Hammond yesterday gave local councils the...

As the letting fees ban looms ahead, it is clear that however it plays out we are seeing more and more...

People living in high rise tower blocks across the UK are being let down by a system in which it is...

The 10th annual Bournemouth and Poole Landlord Exhibition will take place tomorrow (Wednesday). The event, which is being organised in conjunction with...

The decision to launch a new inquiry into the private rented sector has been welcomed by letting agents. The Communities and Local...

A new licensing system in the West London neighbourhoods of Hammersmith, Shepherd’s Bush, Fulham, Chiswick and Ealing aims to protect landlords...

New landlord registration enforcement guidance has been issued by the Scottish government to all local authorities on regulating landlords in the...

Contradictory and outdated fire safety guidance urgently needs updating to better support private landlords, according to the Residential Landlords Association (RLA). The...

An MP’s bid to make homes in the rented sector ‘fit for human habitation’ has received support from the Residential Landlords...

A new ‘Rent with Confidence’ scheme, which features a list of approved landlords and letting agents, has been created by local...

With only a few hours left of voting in the general election, the balance of power will have a major impact...

A buy-to-let landlord in Newport has become the first to be prosecuted for breaching new laws demanding that all private landlords...

Stronger enforcement and streamlining of legislation in the private rental sector is urgently required to ensure the abolishment of what is in...

A charity that receives thousands of pounds in housing benefit to accommodate vulnerable people, including the homeless with addiction problems, has...

Close to 6,300 private renters in the North East of England lodged formal complaints to their local council about their landlord between...

The private rental sector is in urgent need of reform to make it easier and less costly for buy-to-let landlords to...

The Conservative party should put rent controls at the heart of their general election manifesto as part of a wider effort...

The mayor of London Sadiq Khan has vowed to crackdown on criminal landlords by ensuring that they are ‘named and shamed’...

Local councils are calling on the government to close a legal loophole that allows landlords to get away with converting properties...

Having long provided mega double-digit returns for investors, investment in buy-to-let continues to outperform other major asset classes, including bonds, cash...

In a concerted effort to improve standards in the private rented sector (PRS), the North Tyneside Council has joined forces with...

With a growing number of buy-to-let landlords in London now using short-term letting platforms like Airbnb to breach the rules for...

A lack of affordable rented homes are contributing to rising levels of homelessness, according to a new report from the national...

The chancellor’s pledge to create a £690m competition fund for English councils to tackle urban congestion and develop local transport networks,...

The appalling rise in the number of people sleeping rough in England illustrates the importance of private rented accommodation, according to...

Councils across the country are being urged to raise their game when it comes to protecting private tenants from a minority...

Aaron Cambden reflects on the Leeds City Council v Broadley Appeal Court ruling, including his tips for landlords.  Landlords are not responsible...

The Department for Communities and Local Government (DCLG) has ended a consultation on ‘Houses in Multiple Occupation (HMO) and residential property...

There is growing concern that thousands of buy-to-let landlords could face fines and possibly even prosecution for failing to sign up...

Landlords in Wales who have not yet signed up to Rent Smart Wales, designed to drive up the quality of rented...

John Warburton, director of Belvoir Leamington Spa, reveals some simple steps to investing in a successful student let. Providing properties for students...

Our new Chancellor, Philip Hammond, looks like a considered man and one hopes that he will be able to ‘kick away’...

The government’s plan to tighten licensing requirements for landlords of shared accommodation in an effort to clamp down on rogue landlords...

The Residential Landlords Association (RLA) has once again defended the private rented sector (PRS) after Shelter’s latest analysis of housing trends...

Thousands of private tenants claim to have suffered abuse at the hands of landlords according to Shelter, which include threats, assaults...

Unfortunately for private landlords looking to regain possession of their rental home, private tenants are often advised by local councils and...

A local authority has opted not to introduce a new landlord licensing scheme, an investigation by London Property Licensing has revealed. Wandsworth...

The Homelessness Reduction Bill, which was published by the Communities and Local Government Select Committee last week, has received backing from...

Landlords in Cumbria are being offered grants to install gas or oil fuelled central heating systems in their homes for free...

Gavin Barwell has been appointed the new Minister for Housing, Planning and London, taking over from Brandon Lewis, who has moved...

We all know headlines sell newspapers, but a report in yesterday’s Daily Mirror brought shame on a host of letting agents...

A landlord in Wirral has been slapped with the highest ever fine handed out across the borough after pleading guilty for...

The government and local councils are not doing enough to clampdown on rogue landlords, according to a new report. A survey of...

A landlord has been ordered to pay more than £100,000 for developing illegal flats at her property after being prosecuted by...

Unscrupulous landlords are providing vulnerable tenants with substandard housing and getting away with it due to low levels of enforcement of...

Action is needed to tackle the scandal of ‘buy-to-leave’ investors who are denying Londoners the homes they need, according to the...

Housing Minister Brandon Lewis has written to all local councils in England in order to clarify homelessness guidance following pressure from...

Several local authorities in London have launched an investigation into a multi-million pound business model where a number of letting agents...

Proposals to make it easier for London boroughs to introduce landlord licensing schemes will do nothing to root out criminal landlords,...

Rogue landlords are being weeded out by councils for some of the worst cases of illegal eviction, according to the Local...

The National Landlords Association (NLA) has criticised local councils for telling private tenants to ignore eviction notices served by their landlords...

The consumer charity Citizens Advice is the latest body to say the government’s heavily-publicised £5m given to councils to tackle rogue...

New funding from the government to tackle criminal landlords is just not sufficient according to the Residential Landlords Association. It has been...

Ealing Council in London is undergoing a formal consultation about a proposal that all houses in multiple occupation within its boundaries...

The Telegraph has raised the issue of how local authorities are increasingly encouraging evicted tenants to stay put in a property...

A joint scheme for accrediting landlord and agents has been launched by four county authorities in the West of England. The West...

The Residential Landlords Association (RLA) has accused the Government of declaring war on individual landlords and described 2015 as an “annus...

The Government is poised to introduce tough new laws for landlords this week – with fines of up to £30,000 for...

The legislative system dealing with rogue landlords is ‘unfit for purpose’ and should be replaced with a national database covering all...

Local authorities that charge landlords for licences solely to collect information on the number of landlords in an area have been...

The government has announced new funding to crack down on rogue landlords and tackle 'beds in sheds'. Communities secretary Greg Clark said...

Local councils are being urged to drop landlord licensing schemes following the publication of new laws showing that they are not...

Evictions firm Landlord Action has questioned whether the government has enough resources in place to enforce new Section 21 measures introduced...

The vast majority of tenants are unaware of new laws introduced today which change the Section 21 evictions process.  From today, under...

Councils need to be handed greater powers to tackle rogue landlords ‘taking advantage’ and ‘ripping off’ tenants. This is the call from...

Half (52%) of private sector tenants on housing benefit have experienced delays over its payment from their local council, according to...

Labour leadership hopeful Jeremy Corbyn would introduce right-to-buy for private tenants if he came to power. Corbyn has a published his proposed...

MPs have introduced two new bills that will crackdown on rogue landlords. The first measure introduced to parliament yesterday was by the...

The Residential Landlords Association (RLA) has written to Camden Council urging reconsideration of a borough-wide additional licensing scheme for houses in...

The Residential Landlords Association (RLA) is calling on ministers to take action to find and root out the criminals who bring...

In a surprise move, Prime Minister David Cameron said the Tories will introduce a mandatory licencing scheme for private landlords. In a...

Victorious housing campaigner Lindsey Garrett from the New Era Estate in Hackney is taking on Labour and the Conservatives for the...

After months of campaigning and deliberating, polling day is now behind us. With all the election stories doing the rounds, we...

Q: What does it say on your business card?  Director of Operations – South Q: Who are Orchard and Shipman?  Orchard and Shipman is...

Local councils are offering landlords cash payments of up to £4,000 to accommodate homeless families as a shortage of social housing...

The National Landlords Association (NLA) has launched an initiative to enable tenants to check if their landlord is accredited.   Tenants can check...