Landlords and Freeholders Urged to Test Cladding
The Department for Communities and Local Government (DCLG) have written to us asking us to disseminate some information to our members in relation to fire safety and in particular the testing of Aluminium Composite Material. We have, of course, agreed. In summary,...
Buy to Let Set for Change as Build to Rent Corporates Move in
Build to rent corporates are about to make a huge dent in buy to let, according to new research. Although private landlords hold the keys to around 5 million homes, build to rent is picking up pace and is expected to surge from a £24 billion market in 2017 to be worth...
Property Firm’s Letting Advert for Flat Banned as Misleading
A listing describing his former rented home on Rightmove upset a former tenant so much he complained to advertising watchdogs. He felt the description of his old flat was inaccurate and that prospective tenants were being misled by the landlord. The listing, by Castle...
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...
Landlord Possession Claims Drop, but Courts Take Longer to Evict Tenants
The number of tenants evicted from private rented homes are down again – for the eighth quarter in a row. The time taken to evict a tenant is also down, say the latest statistics from the Ministry of Justice. The figures – comparing the first three months of this year...
How to Know Which Flat Works Notice Should Be Served On
Under the Housing Health and Safety Rating System (HHSRS), a range of measures are available to a local authority. One of those measures is that they may serve an improvement notice seeking specified works to be carried out by the recipient of the notice. A person who...
The Only Way for House Prices Is Up, Say Property Experts
Property experts are telling landlords not to worry about stagnant home prices as the market will bounce back. Although current comparative data shows house prices in London and the South are dropping off, two new sets of data offer some respite. Analysts at Barclays...
Rent Smart Wales Secures First Conviction
A Newport landlord has been fined £4,400 for operating a dangerous, unlicensed house in multiple occupation and failing to comply with Rent Smart Wales. Robert Ivor Grovell of Tram Lane, Llanfrechfa, Cwmbran is the first landlord in Wales to be prosecuted for failing...
Record £250,000 Fine After Tenants Rescued From Blaze Flats
Tenants escaping from a fire that ripped through a block of private rented flats sparked a record £250,000 fine. The blaze broke out in two neighbouring homes in Eccleston Square, Westminster, London. The six-floored terraced buildings had been converted into flats....
First Landlord Fixed Penalty Follows Flat Blaze
A London council has slapped a £5,000 fixed penalty fine on a landlord only days after becoming the first local authority to adopt the new powers. Newham Council, East London, fined the landlord of a block of flats in Plaistow following a fire. An investigation...
Councils Send Mixed Messages Over Voluntary Rental Accreditation
Most landlords agree that any action to raise standard for tenants in private rented homes does a power of good. But councils in London and Leeds are sending mixed messages. Within days of Leeds announcing a new rental standard for the city, London's Mayor Sadiq Khan...
Tax Judge Throws Out Landlord’s CGT Loss Claim
The importance of keeping receipts and records of payments was underscored by a judge rejecting a property owner’s appeal against a capital gains tax bill. HMO landlord James O’Donnell argued before the First-Tier Tax Tribunal that he had made a CGT loss and owed no...
How To Ensure Your Tenant Is Liable For Council Tax At The End Of Term
Introduction We have already reported a council tax material interest case where it was shown that a tenancy which continues as a contractual periodic tenancy will hold the tenant liable for the council tax on an empty property until the tenancy is brought to an end...
Free App For Tenants Cuts Out Letting Agent Fees
Landlords can undercut expensive letting agents and check out rogue tenants with a new smartphone app. RentalStep gives tenants the chance to boost their credit rating by tracking their rent payments each month. Instead of relying on letting agents for expensive...
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...
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...
Buy to Let Cools as Tax and Borrowing Curbs Slow Market
The great buy to let boom may be over as measures to cool the market begin to bite. The government and Bank of England have set tax and mortgage changes going that have seen landlord borrowing slump by 20% in 12 months. This follows the phasing out of buy to let...
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,...
Dishonest Tenants Try to Dodge Paying for Buy to Let Repairs
Don’t trust a tenant who damages a rented home to pay up for the repairs, according to a new survey. Two thirds of tenants would not offer to pay for the repair – with 40% not bothering to tell a landlord and another 27% keeping hold of their money until asked to foot...
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...
Coronavirus Guidance
Landlords Building Insurance
Guild subscribers can get preferential rates for landlords buildings insurance especially designed for landlords
