Tenants are being warned not to hand over money in ‘advanced fees’ to landlords at the start of a new tenancy. The National Landlords Association reported a rise in tenancy scams, which target desperate tenants seeking somewhere to live. The NLA says some scammers even have the audacity to use NLA branding on their marketing […]
Tough new energy efficiency legislation has now come into effect in the private rental sector and one in three landlords are saying they can’t afford to make the necessary improvements. Any property rated F or G in the Energy Performance Certificate ratings needs essential improvements that lift it to at least an E rating. Unfortunately, […]
The rise of build-to-rent blocks of housing is changing the face of the private rental sector. In large cities like London, private landlords are being slowly edged out by corporate landlords promising long-term rentals and professionally managed tenancies.
Chris Skidmore, the government’s Universities Minister, has fired a shot across the bow of rogue landlords. He warns that landlords who fail to meet minimum standards for student accommodation risk being taken to court by their student tenants under new legislation.
Property website Zoopla is one of the largest portals in the UK. It is a one-stop shop for tenants looking for rental properties, as most agents have listings on the site. In a move sure to please tenants, the site has banned all rental ads from using the words ‘NO DSS’ in their listings. So, […]
The mayor of Greater Manchester, Andy Burnham, is setting up a Rogue Landlord Hub in Manchester. The scheme is being funded by a £128k grant from the government. The Rogue Landlord Hub was first announced at the RLA’s Future renting North conference in the region last year. Other schemes, including an ethical lettings agency, are […]
Hundreds of tenants are facing eviction as Fergus Wilson prepares to sell his entire empire of buy to let properties. The sale has been in the pipeline for a while now, but Mr Wilson has had enough of letting homes out and now he wants to retire.
A new pilot scheme has been launched to help give social housing tenants a stronger voice in the wake of the Grenfell Tower disaster. The scheme brings eight social housing landlords and their tenants together so they can debate fire and building safety issues.
If a Labour government gets into power, the private rental sector could change dramatically. Labour wants to force landlords to switch to tenancy agreements of indefinite length, as is the case in the German rental market. The Shadow Housing Minister says this would give tenants greater security and prevent landlords from evicting tenants for no […]
The Humber Landlords Association (HLA) has lost a landmark legal case against Hull Council. The association took the council to court after it introduced a new housing policy that meant landlords were handed formal improvement notices, even for relatively minor repairs. Landlords complained that mortgage lenders might withdraw funding if they were the subject of […]
After an official visit to Blackpool, Prince William and his wife, Kate, are reported to have been horrified at the state of some of the town’s HMOs. The royal couple were given a tour of some of the worst housing in Blackpool. They saw dangerously rundown properties covered in black mould and littered with rubbish. […]
The High Court has ruled that the government’s Right to Rent legislation is in breach of EU Human Rights legislation. Mr Justice Spence said the scheme was causing widespread discrimination in the UK’s private rental sector, with landlords thinking twice about renting properties to non-UK Nationals.
ARLA data indicates rents have risen by 7% in the last 12 months and they predict things are unlikely to improve for tenants with a ban on fees coming into effect in June. The data compiled from more than 9,500 UK letting agents in January also shows around three landlords per branch were quitting the […]
A landlord has been left with a criminal record after Trading Standards prosecuted him for allowing tenants to sell contraband tobacco and drink from his retail premises. This is the first prosecution of its kind and it could open the floodgates for similar convictions in the future.
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