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1083 articles
Blog

Legionella is not a risk that can be ignored

The subject of risk assessments for Legionella has been prompting debate ever since the onus was placed on landlords to take reasonable preventative measures a few years ago. Yet, the discussions have reached a new peak as New York is rocked by the disease. Thus far, there have been 121 (86) confirmed cases of Legionnaires’ […]

S Sarah Marshall October 22, 2015 3 min
Blog

Can Section 21 notice demands be met without adequate resources?

An organisation representing landlords with problem tenants has raised concerns about whether there are enough resources available, particularly at local authority level, to make it possible to fulfil the demands of new Section 21 regulations introduced on the first of October. The start of the month saw changes to the S21 form and the rules […]

S Sarah Marshall October 20, 2015 3 min
Blog

Is Mandatory Tenants Liability Insurance a Good Idea?

An increasing number of landlords and letting agents are demanding that tenancy liability is in place, but is this good for the industry, or is such a mandatory requirement a recipe for abuse? Many landlords believe that having the requirement for tenancy liability insurance included in tenancy agreements is a way of ensuring that damage […]

S Sarah Marshall October 16, 2015 3 min
Blog

Inventory Clerks Can Carry out Alarm Checks

The Association of Independent Inventory Clerks (AIIC) has highlighted its members’ ability to bear some of the burden in relation to the recently-introduced regulations regarding landlord’s fire and smoke alarm obligations. AIIC inventory clerks can be used by landlords and letting agents to carry out required checks on carbon monoxide alarms and smoke detectors in […]

S Sarah Marshall October 7, 2015 3 min
Blog

Study Claims Students Losing out to Utility Firms and Landlords

New research claims that students are losing cash to landlords and utility companies because they don’t understand what their rights are or are afraid to make complaints. The study says that students are ending each year around £240 out of pocket because of this lack of knowledge or unwillingness to complain, according to the Ombudsman […]

S Sarah Marshall October 5, 2015 3 min
Blog

Section 21 Changes Will be Implemented on October 1st

New regulations surrounding Section 21 notices will come into force at the start of October despite problems with the drafting of the legislation. As we reported recently, the implementation of the new regulations was left in serious doubt because of high-profile drafting issues but, it seems, that landlords will now have just a matter of […]

S Steve Rad September 29, 2015 2 min
Blog

ARLA Issues Gas Safety Guidelines

ARLA, the Association of Residential Letting Agents has highlighted the importance of landlords and agents being aware of gas safety and regulatory obligations. The association released two fact sheets giving updates on the issues surrounding gas safety in the approach to Gas Safety Week, which runs from the 14th to the 20th of September. The […]

S Steve Rad September 23, 2015 3 min
Blog

Sitting Tenant Inventory Advice for New Landlord

The Landlord Law Blog has offered advice to inventory clerks, letting professionals and landlords about what they should do in relation to the inventory if a landlord purchases a property which has a sitting tenant in place. The article resulted from a query from an inventory clerk who was working for a landlord who needed to […]

S Sarah Marshall September 23, 2015 3 min
Blog

Two thirds of flat sharers affected by disputes over deposits

New research from flat sharing marketplace Weroom has revealed that almost two thirds of all flat sharers in Britain have had a dispute over their deposit with a landlords. The survey found that 60 per cent of flat sharers in the UK had experienced a dispute and those in London were most likely to be […]

S Sarah Marshall September 15, 2015 3 min
Blog

Consultation begins on code of practice and training for letting agents

A consultation on a new letting agents’ code of practice has been launched in Scotland. The consultation will gather opinion not just on the code of practice but on the need for agents to undergo suitable training before admission into a compulsory register. The Housing (Scotland) Act 2014 places considerable focus on the regulation of […]

S Sarah Marshall September 9, 2015 3 min
Blog

Fixed penalties for landlords and letting agents on the cards

A local council has announced plans to introduce fixed penalty notices as a means of punishing rogue landlords and letting agents operating in the city of York. York Council believes that the notices will help it to tackle agents and landlords who are discovered to be flouting the law deliberately. The authority wants to fine […]

S Sarah Marshall September 2, 2015 3 min
Blog

Government proposals to target rogue landlords

Rogue letting agents and landlords could be blacklisted and forced to repay all rent, in addition to facing higher fines, if the Government goes ahead with its plans to overhaul the private rental market. The proposals include the headline-hitting eviction of illegal immigrants but also feature many more aspects with potentially serious consequences for landlords […]

S Sarah Marshall September 2, 2015 3 min
Blog

‘Worst landlord’ claims tenants are to blame

A landlord labelled the UK’s worst by a national newspaper has said it is her tenants who are to blame rather than her. Katia Goremsandu is a 64-year-old London landlord who has seven convictions for property offences under her belt. This puts her at the top of the list of landlords who have faced prosecution […]

S Sarah Marshall August 27, 2015 3 min
Blog

Rogue landlord fined thousands for putting tenants’ lives at risk

A landlord has been fined more than £10,000 after turning a property he owned into what local newspaper the Coventry Telegraph called a ‘death trap’. Fire crews had to attend a house in Westlea Road in Leamington Spa in January after reports of a blaze in the property containing seven individual bedsits. On arrival, fire […]

S Sarah Marshall August 27, 2015 3 min
Blog

Ignored complaint leads to PRS expulsion for agency

A letting agency has been expelled by The Property Redress Scheme after it failed to comply with a decision on redress. The expulsion came as a result of a complaint about a holding deposit and centred on a tenant who had viewed what was advertised by Jordan Residential of Croydon as being a three-bedroomed dwelling. […]

S Sarah Marshall August 21, 2015 3 min
Blog

Campaign continues against tax break changes

A campaign group has been launched in protest at the Government’s proposals in the summer Budget to limit tax breaks in the buy to let market. The group has been given the title of the Landlord Tax Levy Campaign Group and is seeking more members who can give 15 minutes each day to campaign against […]

S Sarah Marshall August 21, 2015 3 min
Blog

Is there a place for the inventory clerk?

In a world where technology now exists to streamline and improve the inventory and check-in and check-out processes, as well as simplifying regular inspections, landlords may wonder if employing a specialist inventory clerk is necessary. Inventory professionals may equally wonder whether the new technology could impact their business or even mark the end of their […]

S Steve Rad August 16, 2015 3 min
Blog

The cost of inventory neglect

Many student tenancies have recently come to an end and countless young people are regretting their inventory decisions when the time comes to get their deposits back. A significant proportion of these students are unable to withstand this sort of financial loss, leaving them facing hardship as a result of neglecting the importance of a […]

S Steve Rad August 13, 2015 3 min
Blog

ARLA responds to wear and tear payment proposals

The Association of Residential Letting Agents (ARLA) has welcomed some aspects of proposals to replace the allowance for wear and tear but has reservations about the effects that changes could have on both landlords and tenants. In a formal response to a consultation paper by HM Revenue and Customs on replacing the allowance with tax […]

S Steve Rad August 4, 2015 3 min
Blog

Change to wear and tear allowance under consultation

Landlords have until October 9 to comment on proposals to get rid of the ten per cent allowance for wear and tear in favour of tax relief on replacement furnishings for rental properties. The Government announced the proposals in its summer Budget and the consultation paper was published in July. Interested parties have been given […]

S Sarah Marshall July 28, 2015 3 min
Blog

Draft version of new property sales guidelines released

Revised guidelines have been released by The National Trading Standards Estate Agency Team (NTSEAT) focussing on property sales and associated regulations. The draft guidelines are designed to replace previous guidance originally released by the former Office of Fair Trading, which are now deemed to be in need of an update. The 47-page draft document was […]

S Steve Rad July 23, 2015 3 min
Blog

Protecting your property from tenants

Inventories are not compulsory as part of tenancy deposit protection but, in reality, they are vital. An inventory and schedule of condition will not only list the items that are included as part of a tenancy, they will also record the condition of items. Landlords asking for a deposit with the intention of covering damage […]

S Sarah Marshall July 20, 2015 3 min
Blog

Continuing row over ‘failing to display’

A pressure group has hit the headlines after claiming that it had identified more than 20 letting agents in just one London borough who were in breach of newly-introduced legislation. The group, which goes by the name of Waltham Forest Renters and claims to be ‘an independent group’, says that it found 21 of 56 […]

S Sarah Marshall July 17, 2015 3 min
Blog

Landlords hit back at buy-to-let tax relief cuts

Landlords have slammed George Osborne’s July budget after the chancellor announced that tax relief would be cut for landlords with buy-to-let mortgages. Some are now predicting rent increases for tenants as landlords attempt to make up for the fact that they will lose the relief on their mortgage interest payments. The tax change will be […]

S Steve Rad July 14, 2015 3 min
Compliance & legislation

Compliance and legislation updates

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