A charity is calling for landlord licensing schemes which cost enough to fund annual inspections, and the issuing of “sentencing guidelines”...
Archive
28 March 2024
From: Breaking News
The Scottish Government’s Housing Bill allows SNP and Green politicians to create rent control areas, triggered by local authorities, and this...
28 March 2024
From: Breaking News
Changes to empty home council tax rates could generate an additional £540m from Monday, a lettings agency claims. Since April 2013, billing...
27 March 2024
From: Breaking News
A landlord referred to only as ‘Mr Gurung’ has been named by two councils as being penalised £3,000 for an overcrowded...
25 March 2024
From: Breaking News
The chief executive of a short lets service says Chancellor Jeremy Hunt is wrong to think penalising landlords will help solve...
11 March 2024
From: Breaking News
Agents’ trade body Propertymark has called for equal parity between short-term lets and the private rented sector to ensure they meet...
08 March 2024
From: Breaking News
A property industry commentator has set out what he calls a plan of action to rejuvenate the buy to let sector. Jonathan...
05 March 2024
From: Breaking News
Supporters of council selective licensing start rearguard action Some of those involved in local councils have started a campaign to save selective...
01 March 2024
From: Breaking News
The National Residential Landlords Association says it wants a speedy implementation of the Renters Reform Bill to avoid uncertainty - and...
29 February 2024
From: Breaking News
Generation Rent has issued an angry statement about amendments to the Renters Reform Bill - just as one MP says agreement...
29 February 2024
From: Breaking News
Media outlets in Scotland are reporting that Edinburgh council is considering charging short let landlords for bin collections. The plans are to be...
28 February 2024
From: Breaking News
Government proposals on limiting short lets "fall a long way short of what's needed and will do nothing to put right...
28 February 2024
From: Breaking News
SNP councillors in Scotland have come up with an innovative suggestion to improve energy efficiency in private rental properties. They want councils...
27 February 2024
From: Breaking News
A council is reminding prospective tenants about the importance of making sure their next shared rental is licensed as a house...
27 February 2024
From: Breaking News
Labour deputy leader and shadow housing secretary Angela Rayner says she is not ashamed to have brought her council house at...
26 February 2024
From: Breaking News
Countryside campaigning charity CPRE has given a warm welcome to Michael Gove’s clampdown on short lets. Last week Housing Secretary Gove announced...
26 February 2024
From: Breaking News
Reversing the tax penalties imposed on buy to let landlords in recent years would reduce the impact of short lets on...
23 February 2024
From: Breaking News
A Labour MP who has campaigned for some years against short let landlords says proposals to crack down on the sector...
21 February 2024
From: Breaking News
Housing Secretary Michael Gove’s proposals to restrict Airbnb-style short lets do not go far enough, a group of activists has said. Yesterday...
20 February 2024
From: Breaking News
The Conservative leader of a council which claims it has had problems with Airbnbs and short lets has given wholehearted backing...
20 February 2024
From: Breaking News
Housing Secretary Michael Gove has this morning announced wholesale changes to planning and regulations surrounding short lets. His proposals include: - planning permission...
19 February 2024
From: Breaking News
Airbnb has given its backing to a proposal from Housing Secretary Michael Gove to introduce a mandatory register of short let...
19 February 2024
From: Breaking News
Generation Rent has given a qualified thumbs up to Housing Secretary Michael Gove’s ideas for homes on brownfield land. This week Gove...
15 February 2024
From: Breaking News
A survey of local council private rental licensing schemes says 19 selective and additional licensing schemes and consultations will be taking...
13 February 2024
From: Breaking News
Labour says there’s a link between Section 21 powers granted to landlords and what it claims is a total of 4,400...
02 February 2024
From: Breaking News
The Generation Rent activist group says the government must “make it clear that landlords and letting agents can let homes to...
01 February 2024
From: Breaking News
The all-party Levelling Up, Housing and Communities Committee of MPs is looking into housing for disabled people. It’s considering how the government, local...
30 January 2024
From: Breaking News
Some local authorities are quick to criticise private landlords for trying to avoid rent arrears but it appears councils themselves have...
24 January 2024
From: Breaking News
Amendments to the Renters Reform Bill, designed to give landlords more protection, have won the backing of a prominent industry figure. Neil Cobbold,...
23 January 2024
From: Breaking News
The National Residential Landlords Association is urging MPs to back what it describes as “pragmatic” changes to the Renters Reform Bill...
19 January 2024
From: Breaking News
A building society is calling upon politicians, government, the Bank of England and local councils and other bodies to cooperate on...
13 January 2024
From: The Big Issues
There is to be no comparable law for private landlords, following the introduction of Awaab’s Law. Earlier this week the Department of...
12 January 2024
From: Breaking News
A building society says it is considering ending its policy of lending to buyers of holiday lets. Martese Carton, the director of...
09 January 2024
From: Breaking News
The National Residential Landlords Association wants to show the government that some local councils still advise tenants served with a valid...
08 January 2024
From: Breaking News
Labour’s Mayor of Greater Manchester and former Cabinet minister Andy Burnham says this year is when he will ”get serious” about...
05 January 2024
From: Breaking News
Letting agents’ trade body Propertymark has issued a warning to the rental sector about scams based on energy efficiency measures. An increase...
05 January 2024
From: Breaking News
A local authority is calling for emergency legislation to help it and other councils stop the spread of Airbnbs and other...
27 December 2023
From: Breaking News
A lack of Energy Performance Certificate enforcement is putting tenants at risk from high energy costs or cold homes, according to...
23 December 2023
From: The Big Issues
Christmas goodwill towards landlords seems in short supply from activist group Generation Rent. It has this week issued a statement saying the...
21 December 2023
From: Breaking News
Michael Gove has written to 10 social housing providers - housing associations and councils - slamming them after findings of severe...
13 December 2023
From: Breaking News
Councils in Greater Manchester admit to charging landlords over £14,000 for “officer time” involved in licensing schemes. There are currently eight selective...
11 December 2023
From: Breaking News
After the Autumn Statement unveiled a major tax cut for January, you’d be forgiven for thinking you’ll pay less tax in...
09 December 2023
From: Tax & Finance
London Labour Mayor Sadiq Khan and the leader of activist group Generation Rent have teamed up for an anti-damp and mouldy...
01 December 2023
From: Breaking News
A trade body representing short lets operators has slammed government housing failures. The Short Term Accommodation Association says it’s analysed local authority...
27 November 2023
From: Breaking News
Many have welcomed the move by Chancellor Jeremy Hunt to unfreeze the Local Housing Allowance - but some tenant activists say...
23 November 2023
From: Breaking News
The rising cost of living - especially housing - remains the top issue on Londoners’ minds for the second year in...
22 November 2023
From: Breaking News
London’s Labour mayor Sadiq Khan wants 10,000 private homes in the capital to be brought into the social rental sector within...
20 November 2023
From: Breaking News
A senior Labour MP associated with the moderate wing of the party says private rental properties should be confiscated from serial...
17 November 2023
From: Breaking News
Changes put forward to the Renters Reform Bill to crack down on rogue landlords, protect vulnerable residents and improve the safety of...
15 November 2023
From: Breaking News
Help2Rent, a social housing platform that matches housing list tenants with available homes, has made a desperate plea to private landlords. An...
14 November 2023
From: Breaking News
Almost 60,000 Londoners in the private rented sector are likely to become homeless over the next six years if the government...
10 November 2023
From: Breaking News
Recent data from the Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities show that 24,260 households served a valid Section 21 notice...
04 November 2023
From: Rental Reform
The Renters Reform Bill could end up with landlords going bankrupt, a housing law specialist is warning. Des Taylor, director of compliance...
26 October 2023
From: Breaking News
A council has been slammed for its “absolutely outrageous” failure to stop the eviction of up to 80 tenants - a...
12 October 2023
From: Breaking News
A collection of pressure groups, fronted by Generation Rent, wants all private rental homes going on sale to be offered first...
06 October 2023
From: Breaking News
New research shows that 676,000 homes in England are sitting empty. The research comes from property purchasing firm House Buyer Bureau which...
06 October 2023
From: Breaking News
More councils should be encouraged to buy homes from landlords, an industry expert says. This follows reports last week which revealed that...
13 September 2023
From: Breaking News
New directives issued by the government put the emphasis firmly on private landlords to take responsibility for issues of damp and...
08 September 2023
From: Breaking News
Landlords and managing agents operating in South Warwickshire are being encouraged to take part in the next industry forum on Wednesday...
08 September 2023
From: Breaking News
The Scottish Government says rent controls - already existing as a so-called emergency measure - will become permanent. Scottish First Minister Humza...
07 September 2023
From: Breaking News
The Generation Rent campaign has launched a petition on its website to give councils power to license holiday lets. The campaign claims...
01 September 2023
From: Breaking News
London local authorities say there’s been a surge in landlords withdrawing from the sector providing temporary accommodation for homeless households. A survey by the...
31 August 2023
From: Breaking News
Bristol’s Labour-controlled council says it wants to spend some £17m of local council tax payers’ money on two new licensing schemes...
31 August 2023
From: Breaking News
Trade bodies and short let landlords have made a last-ditch appeal to politicians to stop new rules which could see the...
29 August 2023
From: Breaking News
A website claims that Banning Orders on private landlords have not been served because of local government funding shortfalls. Open Democracy says...
24 August 2023
From: Breaking News
There are only a few days left for landlords to have input to a government consultation on council tax hikes for...
22 August 2023
From: Breaking News
Landlords are unwittingly exposing their tenants to the serious danger of fire because they opt for the cheaper option when hiring...
16 August 2023
From: Breaking News
An MP says owner occupiers are “scared, unable to sleep at night, worried about their safety and even concerned about whether...
14 August 2023
From: Breaking News
A group of local authorities is asking the government to give individual councils the cash to buy properties off private landlords. London...
09 August 2023
From: Breaking News
Owners of short-term let properties are being urged to apply for a licence under Scotland’s short-term licensing scheme before the October...
03 August 2023
From: Breaking News
Airbnb has issued a statement responding to the call for a clampdown on short lets demanded by Labour’s outspoken London Mayor,...
01 August 2023
From: Breaking News
Labour controlled Brent council in London has taken the possibly-unique step of paying a landlord’s legal fees and rent to avert...
27 July 2023
From: Breaking News
London Mayor Sadiq Khan, who wants the government to give him the powers to impose rent controls, is now demanding licensing...
21 July 2023
From: Breaking News
A prominent accountant is warning that the upcoming Renters Reform Bill, when it becomes law, will be used by HMRC to...
18 July 2023
From: Breaking News
There have been several examples of local councils asking private landlords to help find accommodation for refugees - but now the...
18 July 2023
From: Breaking News
A prominent Labour councillor in Liverpool has told the local media: “Parts of Liverpool are blighted by landlords who treat the...
14 July 2023
From: Breaking News
An attempt to introducing statutory licensing for Airbnbs and some other tourist accommodation has got a frosty reception. The Welsh Government -...
14 July 2023
From: Breaking News
London landlords and letting agents have so far been hit with more than £900,000 in fines in the first half of...
10 July 2023
From: Breaking News
Across the country landlords and renters are struggling as mortgage costs soar, tax hikes bite and uncertainty remains about the impact...
08 July 2023
From: Tax & Finance
A long-standing and respected property firm has slammed the government for presiding over the “mess” of taxes applied to holiday lets...
07 July 2023
From: Breaking News
New research shows a 41 per cent reduction in the number of London properties available for private rent since the Covid-19...
05 July 2023
From: Breaking News
The Labour Mayor of Greater Manchester, Andy Burnham, says he is demanding the powers to seize usage or poor quality homes...
28 June 2023
From: Breaking News
A leading buying agent says changing planning priorities amongst London councils are likely to mean that large lateral apartments will maintain...
21 June 2023
From: Breaking News
A Labour MP has spoken of loopholes in the Renters Reform Bill - a narrative now being pursued by some activists...
21 June 2023
From: Breaking News
An experienced property lawyer who has specialised in residential landlord and tenant law for 22 years says she is embarrassed at...
20 June 2023
From: Breaking News
Households are being hammered by higher council tax rates year after year with no sign of local authorities moderating the burden,...
15 June 2023
From: Breaking News
Unsurprisingly an overwhelming 81 per cent of landlords in a survey feel they are badly portrayed by the media Landlords say they...
09 June 2023
From: Breaking News
The Nationwide Foundation - a charitable foundation founded by the Nationwide Building Society - says the Renters Reform Bill should be...
08 June 2023
From: Breaking News
The Generation Rent activist group claims holiday homes are eroding the supply of available properties in key tourist areas. It claims 80...
06 June 2023
From: Breaking News
A Tory MP representing a popular tourist area has attacked the proliferation of short lets, and wants a “locals first” policy...
26 May 2023
From: Breaking News
The Generation Rent campaign has given its support to a call by London Mayor Sadiq Khan to be given powers to...
26 May 2023
From: Breaking News
The co-leader of the Green Party wants the Renters Reform Bill to go further in restricting the powers of private landlords. Carla...
25 May 2023
From: Breaking News
An area has been identified for a two-year study of the impact which second homes, Airbnbs, other holiday lets and empty...
25 May 2023
From: Breaking News
The Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan, wants new powers to impose higher tax on empty homes - and even seize them...
24 May 2023
From: Breaking News
A Labour MP who wants a licensing system to be introduced for Airbnb-style short lets and holiday accommodation is holding a...
24 May 2023
From: Breaking News
The body representing local councils is backing the government’s Renters Reform Bill - even though Labour dominates most local authorities. Councillor Darren...
18 May 2023
From: Breaking News
TV property expert Phil Spencer has called for a radical simplification of the rules surrounding landlord licensing, fees and other regulations. In...
15 May 2023
From: Breaking News
Housing Secretary Michael Gove says the long-awaited Renters Reform Bill, first promised in 2019, will finally be introduced into Parliament next...
05 May 2023
From: Breaking News
The government is proposing to slash the regulations on HMOs used to house asylum seekers. Part 2 of the Housing Act 2004...