Housing Minister Reveals More Letting Fee Ban Details
Holding deposits are excluded from the upcoming letting fees ban, says Housing Minister Alok Sharma. In a recent House of Commons debate, he confirmed draft legislation is nearly ready but the deposits will not form part of the new rules. The minister also revealed he...
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Time Running Out for Rogue Letting Agents in Scotland
We don't normally do articles affecting Scotland only but, landlords can soon start to take action against poor performing letting agents who fail to keep to standards set by a new statutory code of practice. From January 31, 2018, every letting agent in Scotland must...
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Overview of The Money Laundering Regulations 2017
The Money Laundering, Terrorist Financing and Transfer of Funds (Information on the Payer) Regulations 2017 commenced on 26 June 2017 and replace the Money Laundering Regulations 2007. The regulations apply to: credit institutions; financial institutions; auditors,...
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Letting Fee Ban on the Way in Wales
Welsh lawmakers are collecting views on proposals to change how letting agents and landlords charge buy to let tenant fees. They have launched a consultation to find out how much tenants are charged and if the fees are fair as part of the cost of letting a private...
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How the Homeless Reduction Bill Aims to Help Landlords
The Homeless Reduction Bill has now been agreed by both houses. and is awaiting Royal Assent when it will become an Act. No date has been set for the Royal Assent. Update: The Bill has now received Royal Assent on 27 April 2017 and so this is now the Homelessness...
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Ban on Letting Fees Moves a Step Closer
More than 4,700 people responded to the recently closed government consultation on banning letting fees for tenants. The paper was seeking views on a proposal to stop letting agents and landlords charging tenants upfront fees before renting a buy to let home in...
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Prescribed Information (How To Rent Guide) To Be provided
Prescribed Information (How To Rent Guide) To Be provided The next job for landlords in England is to provide "prescribed information" which should be given to a tenant at the time of granting a new tenancy and ultimately before a section 21 notice can be served in...
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Tenant Fee Ban Resurrected in Queen’s Speech
The government has green-lighted a tenant fee ban for letting agents in the Queen's Speech. The proposal was first put to consultation during the last Parliament and ditched in the run-up to the 2017 General election. The draft bill will stop landlords and letting...
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Prescribed Legal Requirements Before Serving A Section 21 Notice
Prescribed Legal Requirements Before Serving A Section 21 Notice In this part of our series we look at "prescribed legal requirements" which must have been completed before a section 21 notice can be served in England. The Assured Shorthold Tenancy Notices and...
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Landlords Targeted to Make London Homes Warmer
London mayor Sadiq Khan is being urged to plug into a scheme to make private rented homes more energy efficient. A new report claims London has more leaky and hard to heat homes than most other cities. With one in four homes a buy to let, the London Assembly...
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London Mayor Aims to Name and Shame Bad Landlords
Bad landlords and letting agents convicted of exploiting tenants in London face public naming and shaming online. The city’s mayor Sadiq Khan will start the campaign to improve housing standards with an online database allowing tenants to check out their new...
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Landlords Get Cold Comfort From Energy Efficiency Rules
Thousands of buy to let landlords are unaware the government is ready to the plug on them renting out homes that fail to meet energy efficiency standards. From April 1, 2018, all rented homes will have to meet strict energy efficiency rules. Landlords must stop...
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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 rogue...
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How To Comply With The Energy Efficiency Regulations 2015
In March we reported draft energy efficiency regulations which concerned the private rented sector. The Energy Efficiency (Private Rented Property) (England and Wales) Regulations 2015 have now been passed. The regulations phase in two obligations for landlords....
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Landlords Lose Mortgage Interest Tax Relief From Now
Landlords lose the right to claim full tax relief for mortgage interest payments from today (April 5, 2017). Many landlords will pay more tax as the way property business profits also changes. Despite a year of protests and a High Court legal challenge, the government...
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Compulsory Money Protection on the Way for Letting Agents
Letting agents will face fines or closure if they do not have safeguards in place to protect landlord and tenant cash they handle under a proposed new law. Housing minister Gavin Barwell has confirmed that the government is ready to consult on compulsory money...
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Housing Part of UC Not to Be Available to Many 18 – 21 Year Olds
Quietly under the radar, the government has issued new regulations which remove the entitlement to the housing element of Universal Credit for certain 18 - 21 year olds. The Universal Credit (Housing Costs Element for claimants aged 18 to 21) (Amendment) Regulations...
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Budget 2017 Is No Big Deal for Landlords
Chancellor Phillip Hammond gave buy to let landlords little cause to cheer his Budget 2017. Property investors wanted to hear that he was scrapping or watering down the tax changes on the way in April, but to no avail. He did not mention mortgage interest tax relief –...
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Letting Agent Fee Ban Is a Stealth Tax for Landlords
Scrapping letting agent rip-off fees for tenants will result in another government stealth tax, say landlords. Cynical buy to let landlords suspect the move will mean they must fork out to pay the fees instead of renters with the result that rents will rise to cover...
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New Landlord Handbook and Cardiff Meeting Agenda
Cardiff Meeting agenda As previously reported, our next meeting in Cardiff is to be held on Tuesday 28 February 2017 from 7.30pm. We have now published the agenda for the meeting which will include: Steve Collard of Clifton Water Solutions will be speaking about...
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