Landlord and Agent Legislation in the Pipeline for 2018
We thought it would be useful to provide a summary of upcoming legislation in 2018 affecting landlords and agents. This will be useful for our own use as a reminder for dates and articles too! It’s quite a busy year coming up but some of the legislation in the...
The Changes to HMOs You Need to Know About
From 1 October 2018, significant changes are being made to which HMOs are licensable and minimum room sizes in HMOs in England. Changes to mandatory licensing Currently, a property requires a mandatory licence if all of the following apply: the property is a House in...
Introducing Buy to Let Finance for Landlords
We are pleased to inform you about a new service we are able to introduce to for landlord finance such as buy to let mortgages via Commercial Expert. But first, a little background as to how we got here and our personal experience with the company. As most know, in...
Paying Tax May Become a Council Landlord Licence Condition
Landlords signing up to council licensing schemes will have to pass a tax check if HM Revenue & Customs gets its way with a new policy proposal. HMRC says most landlords pay the right amount of tax but claims some are dodging what they owe. To tackle the problem,...
Councils Step Up Campaigns Against Rogue Landlords
Councils are stepping up campaigns to root out rogue landlords by putting more cases before the courts. In Brighton, housing officers are investigating 109 cases of unlicensed shared houses (HMOs) where tenants are living in substandard and unsafe conditions in many...
Letting Agent Pays £20,000 Over Shared House Licence Sham
A letting agent has to pay £20,000 for handing shared house tenants licences instead of tenancy agreements in what is thought to be the first prosecution testing the issue ever. Islington Council, London, took the case to court to test the theory that tenants in...
Thousands of Landlord Tax Cheats Caught in Licensing Scheme
Thousands of landlords who have failed to pay tax on their rental problems face having their names passed to HM revenue & Customs by councils running licensing schemes. The move was revealed by East London’s Newham Council, which has shared the registration...
Corporate Lenders Jump on Buy to Let Bandwagon
The property media is rife with the idea that landlords are turning to owning property with a company in a bid to avoid tax changes. Companies House and the Office of National Statistics cannot support the claim and both say they neither track the data nor have seen...
50 Landlords Face Court Threat After Home Safety Crackdown
Fifty landlords running nearly 250 private homes to rent have been warned they must carry out immediate repairs or face the courts. Hereford and Worcestershire fire service has cracked down on landlords after inspecting hundreds of houses in multiple occupation,...
How to Understand Rent Repayment Orders – Housing and Planning Act
The Housing and Planning Act 2016 received Royal Assent in May 2016 and is gradually being commenced. A number of items affecting the private rented sector in England will – over time – be introduced through the Act including: banning orders database of...
HMRC Plans New Tax Burden for Landlords With Licences
Landlords face a new regulation threat as anyone letting a property with a local authority licence may have to prove they file tax returns before moving in a tenant. HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) is moving forward with efforts to tackle the black economy with a new...
How The Tribunal Assessed Suitable Room Sizes In A HMO
Nottingham CC v (1) Dominic Parr (2) Trevor Parr Associates Ltd (2016) UKUT 71 (LC) Martin Rodger QC, Deputy President Introduction Where a property has three or more storeys and five or more occupiers sharing facilities a HMO licence is required. Where a licence is...
HMO Failures Lead To £250,000 In Fines And Landlord Jail Term
Landlords and letting agents have been handed suspended jail sentences and almost £250,000 in fines and costs for failing to manage rented properties in recent weeks. In Luton, Bedfordshire, a landlord and letting agents were fined over £26,000 for a string of housing...
New Laws To Tackle HMO Overcrowding
Councils in England are to get new powers to tackle landlords squeezing too many tenants into overcrowded homes. The new rules will impose a minimum room size of 6.52 square metres in a shared house of multiple occupation (HMO) where five or more people live. The aim...
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