Unravelling the House Price Mystery
What go up, down and remain at the same level at the same time? The answer is house prices, depending on whose stats you follow. Often the headlines simply don’t match and that’s because so many property portals, mortgage lenders, estate agents and government...
Longer Notice Periods and Evictions Ban Extended (Again)
The government have announced that the six-month notice periods and the ban on bailiff evictions in England is to be extended. The announcement also confirmed that the ban on commercial evictions is also extended. For residential premises, the requirement for a...
Is Buy To Let Still Worth The Bother?
Income tax changes and stricter borrowing rules are leading lots of property to investors to ask if shifting a buy to let business from private ownership into a company is worth the bother. Make no mistake, buy to let is all about crunching the numbers and...
Budget 2021: Tax Hike Traps Corporate Landlords
Landlords and letting agents are in the front line of those bearing the financial brunt of the cost of tackling the coronavirus pandemic from the Budget 2021. In his Budget 2021 statement to MPS, Chancellor Rishi Sunak raised Corporation Tax – the tax companies pay on...
Delayed Landlord Law Amended Before Coming Into Force
The government in Wales has amended a new landlord law before the ink is dry and the terms have come into force. The Renting Homes (Amendment) (Wales) Bill is meant to clarify the Renting Homes (Wales) Act 2016, and heralds major changes in the way landlords work in...
Guild of Landlords House Prices Digest – February 2021
House prices are still rising as buyers race to beat the stamp duty holiday deadline, but many may face disappointment as properties for sale dry up. Estate agents say owners don’t want to sell during the COVID-19 lockdown because they fear contracting the deadly...
Tenant Spotted Keeping Goat in Flat
Landlords and tenants often clash over the keeping of pets without permission in a private rented home, but sometimes bigger beasts (such as a goat) are at the root of the conflict. The Property Ombudsman is often called in to rule on disputes concerning animals but...
Guild of Landlords Rent Digest – February 2021
Tenant demand for buy to let housing is running at the highest level landlords have seen for five years. This is the Guild rent digest for February 2021. A third of private landlords say they are dealing with increasing numbers of inquiries, according to a survey from...
Green Homes Grants Are A Mess, Claim Critics
The much-heralded Green Homes Grants Scheme to help landlords with the cost of improving homes is in tatters. The flagship scheme offered to pay for two-thirds of the cost of energy efficient improvements to rental homes up to a maximum £5,000. In his last Budget,...
Landlord Eviction Ban Extended Again
Housing Secretary Robert Jenrick has extended the eviction ban for renters again. The ban on bailiffs attending to enforce a possession order which was set to run out on February 22 will last until 31 March 2021 at the earliest in England. The ban is subject to a...
New Electrical Safety Rules for Landlords
April 1 is the day when all landlords in England must have electrical installations in private rented homes inspected and tested. The rules changed on June 1, 2020 for new tenancies as part of a drive to improve safety and living standards for private tenants. From...
Does Announcement Stop Landlords Banning Tenants With Pets?
Housing minister Chris Pincher has caused a stir by announcing a change to the government's model assured shorthold tenancy agreement that stop landlords banning pets from private rented homes. Landlords can still object to pets – but they must have a good reason for...
Self-Assessment Deadline Extended
HMRC is setting aside the automatic £100 penalty for missing the self-assessment filing deadline for hundreds of thousands of taxpayers due to the COVID-19 pandemic. More than 1.8 million taxpayers who missed the deadline on January 31 now have until midnight on...
The Debt Respite Scheme (Breathing Space) Regulations
The Debt Respite Scheme (Breathing Space Moratorium and Mental Health Crisis Moratorium) (England and Wales) Regulations 2020 commence on 4 May 2021 and applies to England and Wales. An FCA authorised debt advisor or local authority can start a breathing space...
Deposit Prescribed Information and Company Signing
An interesting case has been published on the Nearlylegal blog about...
Tenancy Builder Version 3 Now Live
We are thrilled to announce a significant update to the Tenancy Builder, which is now at version 3. View a video introduction on YouTube here. This huge update is effectively a brand-new version built from scratch. When creating a new agreement, we’ve tried to keep...
Lettings Market Rent Digest – January 2021
The lettings market shrank last year as renters turned to buying a home with space to work remotely rather than opting to live close to work in more expensive urban locations. New instructions and lets agreed were both down 8% last year, while completed lets fell by...
Rogue Landlords, Dodgy Estate Agents and Vicious Tenants
Rogue landlords who flout shared house safety rules have picked up huge fines for letting tenants live in unsafe and filthy conditions. Landlord Zaheer Barbar faces selling his rental property to pay £50,500 owed to Northampton Council after losing an appeal, while...
HMRC Accepts COVID-19 Excuses For Late Filing
Landlords who can’t complete a self-assessment tax return by the deadline due to the impact of the coronavirus pandemic can put forward COVID-19 as a reasonable excuse for late filing, says HM Revenue & Customs. HMRC will still issue an automatic £100 late-filing...
Landlords Confess Evading Tax Last Year
Buy to let landlords have confessed to evading tax on rental income by underpaying an average £4,480 each in the last tax year. That’s a massive 72% more than they admitted in dodging the year before, according to research by accountancy firm UHY Hacker Young....
Coronavirus Guidance
Landlords Building Insurance
Guild subscribers can get preferential rates for landlords buildings insurance especially designed for landlords
