Up and Down Rents for London Landlords
London's landlords are abandoning short term holiday lets in favour of a return to buy to let. But the transition has triggered a glut of homes for rent in the capital, pushing rents down as fewer tenants have more properties to choose from. Buy to let rents across...
Eviction Appeal Threat to Corporate Landlords
Nearly 50,000 property people turned to start a limited company last year mainly as a step towards paying less tax. But the reward of less tax comes with the financial risk of unforeseen consequences. One of those consequences is the case of letting agents Northwood...
Are New Welsh Occupation Contracts Gobbledy-Gook?
New standard letting contracts are so long and full of jargon that the Welsh Government is considering publishing a guide to the terms used to make them more understandable for renters and landlords. Replies to a consultation criticised the lay-out, format, order of...
What’s the Problem With Section 21?
Section 21 is the short name of the housing act legislation that allows landlords to repossess their homes from tenants without proving breach of contract. Section 21 (s.21) is much criticised by housing charities as a legal device landlords use to evict tenants at...
Holiday Let Tax Loophole Set to Close
Holiday let landlords and second homeowners face a year tax hike that closes a business rates loophole. Levelling Up and Housing Secretary Michael Gove is set to announce the business rates shake-up that could cost property owners up to £1,000 a year in extra tax. The...
Launch of New Inventory (Schedule of Condition) Creator
When we conducted a quick survey of members, we asked what product/service we should make next. The most popular request was an online inventory creator. We are pleased to officially launch the beta version of our inventory (schedule of condition), which is available...
Renting Homes (Wales) Act Commencement
Julie James, the Minister for Climate Change, has today announced the implementation of the Renting Homes (Wales) Act 2016 (RHWA) to be from 15 July 2022 in Wales. The RHWA is...
Pets for Lets Protest Gathers Pace
Pet for lets protesters seem to have sunk their claws into ministers over their campaign to make landlords accept pets in private rented homes. Campaigners and MPs supporting their efforts have recently met with housing minister Eddie Hughes to voice their complaints....
Carbon Monoxide Alarm Consultation Response
The government has responded to a consultation conducted in 2021 in respect of proposed changes to the Smoke and Carbon Monoxide Alarm (England) Regulations 2015. Currently, a carbon monoxide alarm is only required in a room with a solid fuel appliance (such as a log...
Rents Nudge Down but End Year on a High
Average asking rents have ploughed through the £1,000 ceiling to reach an average of £1,058 a month - an 8.6 per cent increase in a year. New tenancy costs have nudged down 0.1 per cent from October following a similar fall in London, where the average rent is now...
Changes to Checking Biometric and Frontier Work Permits
Under right to rent rules, it's a requirement to check documents of all adult occupiers (not just tenants) in England. The way in which Biometric Residence Card (BRC), Biometric Residence Permit (BRP) and Frontier Worker Permit (FWP) holders evidence their right to...
Bumper 2022 on the Way for House Prices
A bumper Christmas and New Year are on the way for landlords as house prices show no sign of falling after the boost of an extended stamp duty holiday. Experts say the only thing holding the market back is a shortage of properties, as continuing demand from buyers...
Welsh Government Further Extends Six Months Notice
The Welsh Government has announced that the requirement to give six months notice in most cases has been extended until at least 24 March 2022 which is when the Coronavirus Act ends. We expect the Coronavirus Act to be extended in due course. The current six-month...
25 Years of Buy to Let and the Clock’s Still Ticking
The year has slipped by with few landlords realising 2021 is the silver anniversary of buy to let mortgages. Although private rented homes have been around for hundreds of years, the market picked up in 1996 thanks to action by the Association of Residential Letting...
Buy to Let Rents Spark Into Action
Private rents seem reinvigorated after spending months stuck in the doldrums, according to the latest data. The Office of National Statistics (ONS) reports rents up 1.5 per cent in the year to October - a modest 0.2 per cent increase over the month before and a return...
House Prices Soar by 11.8% to Hit Record High
House prices were predicted to fall following the end of the stamp duty holiday, but still increased over the past year by 11.8 per cent to hit a new average record high. Average UK homes rose in value by £28,000 to £270,000 in the 12 months to the end of September,...
B2R Juggernaut Gearing Up To Battle Buy To Let
Build to rent is finally gaining a foothold in the housing market as a viable alternative to letting from a private landlord. A new report lifts the veil on build to rent, revealing how far the concept has jumped off the drawing board to provide thousands of homes...
Returning A Deposit to Serve Section 21
Where a deposit has not been protected within 30 days of being received, the only way a section 21 can then be served is by returning the deposit in full to the tenant or agreeing deductions. In this article, we summarise cases about the return of a deposit and...
Practice Direction 55C Phasing Out
Practice Direction 55C was brought in last year to ease back into possession proceedings after they were suspended during the pandemic. It’s reported that it will partially end on 30 November 2021. PD55C includes the requirement for the landlord to provide a notice...
Understanding Possession Action During Covid-19
As of 1 November 2021, the 'Overall Arrangements for Possession Claims' have ended. At the time of updating, Practice Direction 55C remains in force (see below under the heading "Applying for Possession") From 1 December 2021, most of this article...
Coronavirus Guidance
Landlords Building Insurance
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