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1086 articles
Could letting agents bounce back from lettings fee ban?
A recent report from Fixflo, the proptech firm, has discovered that the lettings fee ban could decimate some letting agents’ profits, with around half of agents predicting that they could lose between 10 and 30 per cent of their revenue. Around 10 per cent of those questioned in the survey claimed they could lose at […]
Selective licensing across the UK
Additional and Selective Licensing Schemes continue to be adopted by local councils across the UK, despite evidence suggesting that they do not work. Recent licensing schemes have been implemented in Hackney, from 1st October after a consultation, and Nottingham, where it was introduced in August. Newcastle upon Tyne is expected to implement new schemes for […]
Councils given £2 million to tackle rogue landlords
Councils will now be able to bid for a portion of a £2 million fund, intended to help local authorities boost enforcement action to fight rogue landlords, the government has announced. According to new figures from the government, there are over 4.5 million homes in the private rented sector located in England, with 82 per […]
Landlord may have license revoked following dispute over tenant eviction
A buy to let landlord based in Edinburgh is facing the prospect of losing his license following the eviction of a young family, and has been left appealing to his remaining tenants for support in preventing being blacklisted by Edinburgh Council. David Love, the landlord, owns a portfolio consisting of 15 investment properties located in […]
Tenants fee ban will come into force from 1st June 2019
The Government has announced that from the 1st June 2019 the Tenants Fees Bill will be enforced across England. The announcement follows the Third Reading for the Bill in the House of Lords, and it is likely to receive Royal Assent in the near future. Lord Bourne of Aberystwyth, speaking at the House of Commons, […]
Tenants Fee Bill will be fast-tracked through House of Commons
The Tenants Fee Bill is set to get a smoother and faster passage through Parliament, enduring fewer amendments than usual, due to Brexit negotiations taking centre stage in the House of Commons. The controversial Bill looks likely to pass, and will ban most charges by letting agents and landlords to tenants at pre-tenancy stages in […]
Equality laws broken by landlords rejecting tenants on housing benefits
Thousands of letting agents and landlords across the UK could be breaching equality laws by rejecting tenants claiming housing benefit, according to recent research from Shelter and the National Housing Federation. The study discovered that 20 percent of letting agents located in England, some of which were acting on instructions from their landlord clients, are […]
Five month wait for possession after eviction for landlords
According to statistics released from the Ministry of Justice, private landlords are waiting an average time of at least five months to attain possession of their property after applying through the courts. Landlords usually resort to possession claims as a last effort and want repossession as soon as possible due to the increased sum of […]
Government’s U-turn on deposits could cause vulnerable tenants to suffer
Landlord associations have warned tenants who are currently receiving benefits or who own a pet that they could suffer under the Government’s amended plans to cut the new deposit cap from six weeks to five. The cap is being introduced as part of the new Tenants Fee Bill being implemented next year, and was originally […]
Fitness For Human Habitation (FFHH) Act 2018
On the 20th December 2018 the Fitness For Human Habitation Bill received Royal Assent and is therefore now enshrined in law. The Bill revives a clause which already exists in the Landlord and Tenant Act 1985, requiring all rented homes to be ‘fit for human habitation’ at the start of the tenancy, and to remain […]
Risk of hidden charges despite tenants fee ban
The plan from the Government to launch a ban on the fees charged to tenants from letting agents and landlords is likely to take effect from next year. However, campaigners have highlighted that the new laws being passed through Parliament will not be enough to stop all the hidden charges and fees for renters. Introduced […]
The most affordable boroughs in London to rent property based on salary
It has been revealed that tenants renting property within the London borough of Kingston upon Thames are paying the lowest portion of their salary on rental payments. The new research has been collected by OnTheMarket.com, and has discovered that when renting a single bedroom property in Kingston upon Thames, an average rent of £1,099.15, which […]
Letting agents in Islington found guilty of fraud totalling £105,000
A company of letting agents, after a major investigation from Islington Council, has been found guilty of fraud. The three men behind the deceptive letting agency failed to pass rent payments onto landlord clients and return deposits to tenants. Earlier this month they were convicted of fraud by the jury following a crown court trial […]
Traditional tenant referencing is outdated and overpriced, claims PropTech entrepreneur
According to a PropTech entrepreneur and letting agent based in Sheffield, traditional tenant referencing is obsolete, as it uses slow and old systems, does not have adequate technology support as well as being extremely overpriced. Director of Vouch and SheffLets, Simon Tillyer, explains that consumers using traditional referencing methods and suppliers are paying far too […]
Upad launches a new rent collection system using direct debit
Upad, an online letting agency, has announced that it is now offering a new proprietary system to landlords which collects rental payments by direct debit. Rent Manager, the name of the new system from the agent, by using a method of collection controlled by direct debit, will provide assurance to landlords each month that the […]
How to winter proof rental properties
You will be well aware of how winter can push your rental properties to their limits, and you no doubt want to avoid any tenant emergencies during the winter months. A few precautions before the cold weather truly sets in can help reduce the possibility of emergencies to an absolute minimum. The first step is […]
Bill could empower tenants and expose rogue landlords
Lord Best has recently outlined the hopes for the Homes (Fitness for Human Habitation) Bill to overhaul the out-of-date current legislation for the private rented sector. The private member’s bill was introduced by MP, Karen Buck, with the aim of redressing the clear imbalance within the lettings sector, while empowering renters. With the private rented […]
Independent inventory clerks key in bypassing tenant landlord disputes
The AIIC (Association of Independent Inventory Clerks) has reminded letting agents, landlords and tenants that a key justification for engaging an independent inventory clerk is their ability to act independently from all parties involved. Inventory clerks, especially those belonging to a professional association, take pride in their neutrality between agent, landlord and tenant, according to the […]
Banks criticised for imposing restrictions on tenants on benefits
Banks have been criticised by MPs for imposing restrictions on lending for buy to let mortgages, which has ultimately lead to discrimination against tenants receiving benefits. Some letting agents and landlords are therefore receiving accusations of indirect discrimination as they refuse tenants on benefits. Currently, landlords are unable to secure mortgages from the majority of […]
Could deposit free renting benefit landlords?
With the problems of Universal Credit being experienced by a growing amount of claimants, and forcing some into rent arrears and destitution, anti-deposit campaigners are urging letting agents and buy to let landlords to consider deposit free renting. Recent reports have shown that Universal Credit, which has replaced 6 benefits, has more than doubled the […]
Changes in legislation could push agents into embracing modern technology
With the impending implementation of new measures such as the Tenants Fees Bill, professionally conducted inventory inspections are predicted to become an even more vital and important part of managing property. There will be many other aspects of the new regulations that will transform the way letting agents operate. Many letting agents will likely face […]
More controversy for agency at centre of ‘viewing charges’ scandal
It has been discovered that the agency at the focus of a scandal on alleged charges for viewing property has been at the centre of even more controversy recently. The London-based single office agency, Flintons, hit the headlines this week when it was accused by the BBC of effectively charging hundreds of pounds to prospective […]
Government proposes new Housing Court
The Government has launched a consultation, with the aim of reforming the avenues to justice for tenants and landlords, with the most controversial measure being the introduction of a new Housing Court. At the moment, most housing cases, such as possession cases, are taken to County Court and the first-tier Tribunal Property Chamber. However, many […]
Nottingham Council loses £95k court case against landlord
Nottingham City Council, which has implemented a selective licensing scheme, has been criticised after misusing £95,000 worth of taxpayers’ funds on an unsuccessful appeal case at the Supreme Court. Nottingham Council lost the two cases against a landlord, who they took to court to contest the size of two HMO student bedrooms, which were built […]
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