Archive

One of the leaders of the Generation Rent group claims it can be “an uphill struggle for private renters to get...

A senior committee of MPs claims that it’s “too difficult for renters to realise their legal right to a safe and...

The government appears to have admitted that the long-awaited Rental Reform White Paper has now been delayed yet again, this time...

A new voluntary redress scheme has been launched to help landlords and tenants solve disputes.  The scheme - by the National Residential...

It goes without saying that any decent landlord wants to provide their tenants with a safe and secure home and to...

A proposal that landlords be fined up to 36 months rent has been put forward in a consultation paper. The Scottish Government’s...

A council says it’s going to clampdown on landlords who are “keeping deposits unnecessarily” and agents “charging unpermitted fees.” The pledge comes...

Last October, stakeholders across the private rented sector were told by ministers that the Government needed extra time to create a...

The activist group Generation Rent says it’s celebrating a victory in its campaign to secure a national mandatory landlord register. Newspaper leaks...

The government is expected to announce the introduction of a national landlord register in England on Wednesday as part of its...

A House of Lords report claims that the private rental sector has become ”increasingly unaffordable” and says out welcomes the proliferation...

A leading experts on the private rental sector predicts it will take three years for the government to scrap Section 21...

ARLA Propertymark has launched a radical programme of reform for the private rental sector - getting in before the government’s own...

A report by the National Audit Office has sharply criticised the government and councils for not doing enough to help tenants...

The National Residential Landlords Association has thrown its weight behind the recommendations of the National Audit Office report urging the government...

A landlord is going to court to try to recover £150,000 allegedly owed by an agency in the form of guaranteed...

As founder of Landlord Action and chief operating officer at Hamilton Fraser, I’ve been talking to landlords for over 25 years...

A small proportion of private landlords grab the spotlight because of their poor treatment of tenants and properties - yet figures...

The leader of a council in one of the areas of the UK with the highest number of Airbnb-style short lets...

Perhaps unsurprisingly, landlords formed the bulk of the complainants about letting agents in the 2020 calendar year according to The Property...

A new scheme has been launched encouraging tenants to complain about their landlords and seek compensation. Ajay Jagota - who used to...

The government has pledged to  bring forward a White Paper in the Autumn, focussing on its commitments to reform the private...

Propertymark has issued a guide to help landlords choose lettings agents.   Angela Davey, ARLA Propertymark president, says she has five tips aimed...

Shelter says tomorrow’s Queen’s Speech should herald the start of a widespread reform of all renting, particularly the private sector. In a blog...

Three lettings agencies have been expelled for The Property Ombudsman for failing to pay compensation to landlords. And as they are now...

A webinar being held tomorrow will consider whether mediation is a valid way of addressing tenant arrears during the Coronavirus pandemic. A...

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

Landlord Action and the Property Redress Scheme, both part of the Hamilton Fraser group, have teamed up to help buy-to-let landlords...

A new tenancy mediation service for landlords and tenants has successfully resolved 50% of cases where the renter was willing to...

A number of organisations from across the housing sector have teamed up to support landlords and tenants facing rent arrears as...

The majority of letting agents think their working conditions are unsafe, according to a new survey.  More than 70% surveyed by the...

The Property Ombudsman (TPO) has announced that Rebecca Marsh, the existing chief ombudsman at the Legal Ombudsman, will become the new...

Landlords should be aware that eight estate and letting agents have been expelled from The Property Ombudsman scheme (TPO), which means...

Property Redress Scheme (PRS) has launched a tenancy mediation service for residential and commercial landlords, or their appointed letting agent, and...

A deluge of taxes and an uncertain market has seen a number of landlords abandon the buy-to-let industry in recent years.  Some...

Landlords have welcomed the news that Labour has dropped its proposed ‘right to buy’ policy that would have allowed long-term tenants...

Letting agents are being urged to do more to raise consumer awareness about rogue operators in the industry by demonstrating their...

Council officers from Brent and Harrow Trading Standards have pledged to clampdown on unscrupulous letting agents in the London boroughs of...

ARLA Propertymark is urging the government to continue taking action to clampdown on unscrupulous agents in the letting industry.  A significant number...

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

The Labour Party’s planned ‘right to buy’ policy could cost landlords almost £50bn, an average of £18,400 each, according to calculations...

The Labour Party’s proposed ‘right to buy’ policy would have a devasting impact on the private rented sector and lead to...

Private landlords will soon need to obtain a new licence to rent out property with multiple individually let rooms in Slough,...

There was a significant increase in the number of disputes under the Property Redress Scheme last year, according to the organisation’s...

On April 1 2019, the rental sector shifted into a new era of even greater professionalisation with the introduction of mandatory...

Landlords are being urged to seek guidance to ensure that they are clear on the ‘bombardment’ of regulatory changes that could...

Who are you?  Paul Shamplina What does it say on your business card? Founder and Director of Landlord Action and Brand Ambassador of...

The Civil Justice Council has said it cannot support government plans for a specialist housing court, deeming it unnecessary.  Responding to the...

For the first time ever, buy-to-let landlords will be legally required to become members of a redress scheme, as part of measures...

Property management company Titlecroft Limited has been fined £5,000 for failing to join a government-approved property redress scheme, which is a...

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...

Landlords in West Bromwich should be aware that local letting agent, The Lettings Shop (TLS), located in High Street has been...

The launch yesterday of a consultation by the government on establishing a new housing court has been welcomed by the Residential...

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

Private renters who complain to their landlord about problems at their rental property, including issues such as damp and mould, are...

The Ombudsman Services (OS) is no longer handling consumer complaints in the property and housing sector after withdrawing from the industry. The...

When a tenant paid his initial one month’s rent in addition to a tenancy deposit in exchange for the keys to...

The Association of Independent Inventory Clerks (AIIC) remains hopeful that independent inventory reporting will become a compulsory requirement. The AIIC, the UK’s...

A single housing ombudsman is crucial to ensure that the current system for complaining about housing is no longer confusing, according...

The Property Ombudsman (TPO) scheme has released its latest annual report revealing an increase in the number of consumers contacting the...

Almost seven in 10 people find the current system for complaining about housing confusing, according to the results of Ombudsman Services'...

Plans to introduce a new rental complaints system to help support private tenants who are forced to live in shoddy housing...

A new rental complaints system has been proposed to help support private tenants who are forced to live in shoddy housing...

In order to solve tenant disputes, landlords will soon be required to register with a redress scheme, helping to improve operating...

Given that thousands of landlords and tenants are not protected by client money protection (CMP), placing money held by letting agents are...

The Conservative Party’s pledge to give tenants greater rights as part of a regulatory shake-up of the private rented sector has...

The Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, Sajid Javid, yesterday pledged to offer private sector tenants’ greater rights by...

With more sales and letting agent branches than ever before now signed up to redress schemes, partly because it has been...

The Property Ombudsman (TPO) has opted to extend its exclusion of a letting agency by an additional four years after seven...

Tenants and landlords accounted for over 85% of complaints made to The Property Redress Scheme (The PRS) in 2016.  The organisation's annual...

After a tenant paid his rent, he did not expect a few weeks later to be contacted by the landlord wanting...

Thousands of tenants are evicted from their homes every year, but to make sure that eviction firms follow correct procedure they...

When a tenant paid his initial one month’s rent in addition to a tenancy deposit in exchange for the keys to...

Despite recent tax changes, buy-to-let property remains an attractive investment at a time of low interest rates and volatile stock markets,...

The recent closure of Morgan Hampton letting agents in Wimborne, Dorset, has been ceased upon by the CEO of Keep It...

Private renting policy changes will undoubtedly challenge many private landlords, and could even drive some small buy-to-let investors out of the...

Four out of five buy-to-let landlords believe that client money protection (CMP) should be made compulsory when they use a letting...

The Association of Independent Inventory Clerks (AIIC) has announced that it is now offering a comprehensive range of high quality online...

The government will not force landlords of leasehold properties to belong to a redress scheme, despite growing pressure from conveyancers pushing...

There has been a sharp rise in the volume of agents that have signed up to The Property Ombudsman (TPO) scheme’s...

It is good practice to have a detailed and accurate inventory completed at the start of the tenancy, and again when...

One of Britain’s largest local authorities has beefed up its powers so it can issue fines of up to £5,000 on...

Two estate agent firms have been expelled from membership of The Property Ombudsman (TPO) for a minimum of two years. AS Moon...

Two of the three government-approved property redress schemes have made announcements in recent days.  The Property Ombudsman Scheme (TPO) has revised its...

Mystery surrounds the redress scheme membership status of a letting agent expelled from The Property Ombudsman (TPO). Bruten & Co Ltd, an agent...

City of York Council is holding a “decision session” today to discuss the introduction of fixed penalty notices for letting agents...

The Property Redress Scheme (PRS) has expelled Croydon-based Jordan Residential following non-compliance with a redress decision. The complaint regarded a holding deposit....

MT Properties Central Limited (MTPC), a Birmingham-based sales and letting agent, has been expelled from membership of The Property Ombudsman (TPO)...

Rogue landlords are raking in £5.6billion a year for unsafe homes that fail to meet legal standards, a report by Citizens...

New rules about letting agents’ fees contained within the Consumer Rights Act 2015 come into effect next week on 27 May. The...

There was a 42% rise in referrals to The Property Ombudsman (TPO) last year according to the annual report for 2014. TPO...