Tax Checks for Landlords Licensing Homes on the Way
Landlords may have to prove they pay the right taxes if they apply for licences to rent out property. Squirrelled away in Chancellor Phillip Hammond’s Budget 2018 documents is a scant paragraph outlining the measure. The move is a follow-on to the almost forgotten...
Buy to Let Lender Backs Tenant Deposit Shake-Up
One in three renters have lost money from their deposits, while landlords and letting agents take too long to return the money at the end of a tenancy, says a new survey. Building society Nationwide is calling for a law change to help tenants find the cash to move...
Budget 2018 – Tax for Landlords at a Glance
Chancellor Phillip Hammond restrained from tinkering with landlord tax too much in his Budget 2018. The major changes impact on the capital gains tax reliefs available to buy to let landlords when they sell a property that they had lived in as their main home for some...
Licence Conditions and Occupation by Students
Under the Housing Act 2004, where a licence is required and a local authority issue a licence, they may impose conditions on the licence holder under section 67 Housing Act 2004: (1) A licence may include such conditions as the local housing authority consider...
Lawyers Called in as Court Defeats Undermine Licensing Schemes
Government lawyers are looking into how recent court defeats will impact how councils charge shared house licensing fees. In the first case, the High Court declared Richmond Council, in South West London, illegally levied a fee to cover the cost of managing a shared...
Petition Protest Against ‘No Benefits’ Buy to Let Lenders
A buy to let landlord who could only remortgage a rented home if she evicted her tenant has started a petition protest calling for the government to outlaw lenders with a ‘no benefits’ policy. NatWest told the landlord, Helen McAteer, that she could only increase her...
Buy to Let Rent Rises Slowing Down
UK average rents were up by 1.7% in the 12 months to the end of September, according to new data. Tenants are paying an average £943 a month. But they pay far more in London, where year-on-year rents increased by 3% to an average £1,640 a month. If the London figures...
Landlords Pulling the Plug on Buy to Let
Buy to let property purchase data would suggest landlords are pulling out of the market. In the first six months of this year, buy to let purchases were £12.1 billion, down a third by £5.2 billion compared to £17.3 billion in the same period of 2015. The spend was the...
Buy to Let Landlords Flouting Fire and Gas Safety Laws
Buy to let landlords are ignoring fire and gas safety in millions of homes they rent out, according to a leading insurer. The insurer, AXA, claims that many landlords are breaking the law after asking 2,000 private renters about safety standards in their homes. The...
What Tenants Want From a Rented Home
The easy way to become a successful landlord is to boost the appeal of a buy to let home by giving tenants what they want from a property. The problem is uncovering what they like and dislike about a home. To help, consumer watchdog Which? took the survey results and...
Poor Buy to Let Housing Is the Government’s Fault, Say Academics
Buy to let regulation is too confusing and patchy because the government does not have a joined up policy for the private rental sector, claims a new report. Too many departments and agencies are involved and make decisions without evidence leaving landlords and...
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...
Hefty Penalties for Landlords Missing HMO Licensing Deadline
Time is running out for landlords to apply for shared house licences in England under new legislation that starts from October 1. Around 160,000 houses in multiple occupation in England need a licence under the new rules even though they fall outside of the current...
HMRC Cracks Down on Home Owners Claiming CGT Relief
The tax man is cracking down on cases where home owners are claiming reliefs against capital gains tax. Two recent appeals before the First Tier Tax Tribunal demonstrate how HM Revenue & Customs is scrutinising filings by home owners living in properties for a...
Ruling Outlaws Landlord Eviction Services as Illegal
Landlords instructing rent eviction specialists who are not solicitors to evict tenants need to be careful as the eviction specialist will normally not be allowed to represent the landlord. A judge has ruled that eviction services that take tenants to court are acting...
Landlord Damage Claims Curtailed in Tenants Fees Bill
Landlords will no longer be able to claim excessive fees for minor damage or lost keys when tenants move out of a private rented home. The move is a much-sought after amendment to the Tenant Fees Bill which bans landlords and letting agents claiming upfront fees at...
Shared House Was Worst Housing Officers Had Seen in a Decade
Landlord David Green owns the worst letting property housing officers have seen in Birmingham for a decade. Inspecting his four-storey shared house split into 10 flats, they recorded a catalogue of shameful breaches of fire, health and safety rules. The home had...
How Buy to Let Profits Can Fund Uni Tuition Fees
Investing in buy to let to help children through university is proving profitable with landlords. Property prices in the leading university towns and cities have risen so fast over the past three years that the profits in some easily cover tuition fees. Coventry leads...
Banning Orders – Housing and Planning Act 2016
As previously reported, from 6 April 2018, parts of the Housing and Planning Act 2016 commence introducing banning orders and a database of rogue landlords and property agents in England. Banning orders If a landlord is convicted of a “banning order offence” a local...
New Law to Tackle Bad Landlords and Unsafe Rented Homes
Landlords will have to take a more professional approach to managing rental property if a bill before Parliament becomes law. The Homes (Fit for Human Habitation) Bill is awaiting the last stage of debate and amendment in Westminster. Having won government backing,...
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