Property Scammers Dupe Investors Out Of £9 Million
Property investment companies that scammed more than £9 million from almost 500 hopeful investors failed to show any profit. The three linked companies offered investors the chance to earn money from buying and refurbishing property. But no investors saw any cash back...
Landlords Before Courts In Illegal Eviction Crackdown
Bad landlords are facing a nationwide campaign by local councils to stamp out illegal evictions. The Local Government Association (LGA) is leading the crackdown and is calling for the government to give councils greater powers to tackle landlords who break housing...
Long Term Empty Property In Wales
A short note about long term empty properties in Wales. From 1 April 2016, section 139 Housing (Wales) Act 2014 amends the Local Government Finance Act 1992 to introduce an ability for a local authority to determine council tax payable in their area for ‘long term...
Tenant Wins £128,000 Home Cover Case With Insurer
A home insurer has lost a claim for almost £128,000 compensation after paying out for damage caused by a leaking pipe against a multi-millionaire tenant. NFU Mutual went to the High Court after scientist Galina Govina rejected a demand from the company to pay for the...
How Regulators Are Ready To Slow Down Buy To Let Lending
Booming buy to let borrowing is a worry for Bank of England chief Mark Carney who is ready to step in and cool the market. Lending statistics from banks and building societies show that money is pouring into buy to let as more landlords take out mortgages. Carney and...
Ryanair Case Has Not Led To Right To Rent Crash Landing
Right to Rent has not crash landed as a result of a judge ruling that airline staff should not be blamed for failing to spot forged passports that immigration officers could not tell from real documents. Although the judge criticised the Home Office for forcing...
How The Tax Man Will Get More Information About Landlords
The tax man wants electronic payment providers to pass over more information about landlords renting out buy to lets and holiday lets. HM Revenue & Customs (HMRC) requires more businesses processing online transactions to pass them any financial details about...
Update To Right To Rent Statutory Code Of Practice
Just a short note to comment that the right to rent statutory code of practice has had a small update. The statutory code has been in place since December 2014 for the trial period. Then, a new code was published for any tenancy in England granted on or after 1...
Letting Agent Ordered To Pay £4,000 For Tenant Check Failures
A letting agent who failed to spot tenants lied about their finances despite carrying out a credit check was ordered to pay more than £4,000 in damages and costs to a landlord by a judge. The judge at Bristol Crown Court ruled against specialist credit referencing...
Letting Agent Jailed For £200,000 Landlord Scam
A crooked letting agent ("G") swindled landlords out of £200,000 by providing fake invoices for repairs and safety checks carried out at buy to let homes despite other contractors already completing the work at a cheaper rate for him. G was jailed for 33 months by a...
Tenant Guilty Of Fraud For Moving Pets Into Buy To Let
A tenant who moved a pet dog and three cats into a buy to let home without permission was taken to court for allegedly allowing the animals to cause £12,000 to the property. Magistrates decided the tenant, Martin Starsmore, 28, signed a tenancy agreement banning pets...
A Practical Guide To The New HMO Planning Class In Wales
From 25 February 2016, a new House in Multiple Occupation (HMO) class will be added into the use classes...
Nine April 2016 tax changes you need to know about
April 6 – the start of the 2016-2017 tax year is a big day for tax with a number of new measures covering pensions and earnings affecting landlords taking effect. Now’s the time to check out your finances in readiness for the day – and to make sure you do not lose...
Saving Tax With Wear And Tear Allowances
Landlords can save tax with changes to the way Wear and Tear Allowance is claimed that are due in April by holding off on spending money on replacing furniture, white goods and other items supplied to tenants. Current rules only allow buy to let landlords renting out...
Claims Of 100% Returns Held To Be Misleading
A property firm’s advertising claiming investors could make gains of up to 100% in 18 months on homes in London’s fashionable Docklands was declared as misleading by consumer watchdogs. The Advertising Standards Authority has order Newbuild Sales Ltd to change their...
Rent Smart Wales Announces First Approved Training Providers
The Guild of Residential Landlords has been approved as a training provider for Rent Smart Wales! Rent Smart Wales is the name given to the requirement to register and licence when renting property in Wales. From 23 November 2015, landlords and agents have 12 months...
Councils Want National Blacklist Of Bad Landlords
Local councils want more powers to crack down on bad landlords who are dodging bans on letting out unsafe homes. The Local Government Association (LGA) claims landlords convicted of housing offences are simply moving to another council area to carry on offering...
Buy To Let Has A Gloomy Future, Claim Mortgage Lenders
Buy to let has an uncertain future thanks to tax and mortgage changes, according to mortgage professionals. Landlords have come under attack from the Bank of England governor Mark Carney and Chancellor George Osborne, who both fear buy to let is undermining the...
HMRC Outlines Plans For Pay-As-You-Go Tax Bills
The tax man wants banks and building societies to hand over information about rent payments made to buy to let landlords as they are paid as part of a ‘big data’ expansion. Although financial institutions and letting agents already have to make annual returns about...
Tax Changes Trigger Buy To Let Mortgage Stampede
A buy to let lender say tax changes announced by Chancellor George Osborne has set off a stampede for corporate borrowing. From April 2017, landlords paying tax at a higher rate will start to lose mortgage interest relief and see a new way of working out tax on rental...
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