Julie Ford

We Don’t Work in Property — We Work in Customer Service

We Don’t Work in Property — We Work in Customer Service...

When someone asks “what you do?”, it might feel natural to say, “I work in property.” This phrase has a clear and straightforward meaning: your job revolves around selling, renting, developing...

Local Housing Allowance Freeze: Rising Rents and Decreased Affordability Deepen the Housing Crisis

Local Housing Allowance Freeze: Rising Rents and Decreased Affordability...

In the 2023 Autumn Statement, the government announced an end to a four-year freeze in local housing allowance rates (LHA) rates. However, on the 30th October 2024 Rachel Reeves quietly froze them again,

What a Landlord Must Do if a Tenant Leaves Possessions Behind After Eviction

What a Landlord Must Do if a Tenant Leaves Possessions Behind...

When a tenant is evicted from a rental property, it is not uncommon for them to leave behind personal belongings. As a landlord, you might be unsure about your legal rights and obligations when dealing...

Rent-to-Rent Disaster Averted – How I Helped A Landlord Reclaim Control of Their Property

Rent-to-Rent Disaster Averted – How I Helped A Landlord...

When faced with the challenges of a rent-to-rent (R2R) agreement gone wrong, a landlord of a 3-bed HMO (House in Multiple Occupation) found themselves in a difficult position. With tenants in varying financial...

Tenant In Prison – How I Helped To Solve The Rent Arrears Problem

Tenant In Prison – How I Helped To Solve The Rent Arrears...

A professional landlord with a large portfolio faced a challenging situation when their tenant stopped paying rent and failed to communicate. Upon visiting the property, the landlord was met by an unfamiliar...

How landlords can respond to extensive flooding of rental properties

How landlords can respond to extensive flooding of rental properties...

With the severe flooding that has hit the UK in recent weeks many people have experienced damage to their homes as well as in some extreme cases having to evacuate, but what does this mean for landlords?

Why the Standard Rent-to-Rent Model Will Struggle Under the New Renters’ Rights Bill

Why the Standard Rent-to-Rent Model Will Struggle Under the New...

Rent2Rent has taken the rental market by storm, offering landlords a handsfree option with guaranteed rent, but has time run out for the standard R2R model as we know it? The Renters’ Rights Bill...

A Tenant’s Right to Sublet: Key Provisions from the Housing Act 1988

A Tenant’s Right to Sublet: Key Provisions from the Housing...

It’s every landlords worst nightmare, you do a property inspection or your trade arrives and low and behold the person living in the property is NOT the tenant. Subletting is not an uncommon practice...

Landlord’s obligation to re-house tenants

Landlord’s obligation to re-house tenants...

A common question I get asked after a disaster like a fire or flood is whether a landlord is obligated to re-house a tenant. The straightforward answer is “no.” However, a related question...

Are residential tenants liable to pay SDLT?

Are residential tenants liable to pay SDLT?

Since December 2003 under the Finance Act, residential tenancies have the potential to be liable for Stamp Duty Land Tax (SDLT) and with more and more people finding it harder and harder to get their first...

Why Failing To Increase Rent Annually Is Bad for Business and Bad for Your Tenant

Why Failing To Increase Rent Annually Is Bad for Business and...

Increasing rent on an annual basis is a standard practice among many landlords, designed to help them keep pace with inflation and sustain the profitability of their rental properties. While some landlords...

E-Bikes in Rental Properties: Key Considerations for Landlords

E-Bikes in Rental Properties: Key Considerations for Landlords...

As e-bikes and scooters become an increasingly popular mode of transportation, both for personal use and for tenants who work as local food delivery riders, landlords must navigate the unique challenges...

Protecting Tenants’ Deposits: Navigating Legal Requirements and Unfair Damage Claims

Protecting Tenants’ Deposits: Navigating Legal Requirements...

It has been a legal requirement since April 2007 for landlords to protect a tenants security deposit in one of the three government schemes or face a financial penalty, since 2015 not protecting a deposit...

The Realities of Private Sector Landlords: Profit, Costs, and the Rental Market

The Realities of Private Sector Landlords: Profit, Costs, and...

In recent years, the private rental market has come under intense scrutiny, with accusations of landlords profiteering at the expense of tenants. On average, tenants are spending about 38% of their income...

Understanding Section 11 of the Landlord and Tenant Act 1985: Repairing Obligations

Understanding Section 11 of the Landlord and Tenant Act 1985:...

The Landlord and Tenant Act 1985 is a cornerstone of English property law, providing essential guidelines for the maintenance and repair obligations of landlords. One of the most critical sections of this...

What Can a Landlord Do if the Cost of Repair Exceeds the Deposit Held?

What Can a Landlord Do if the Cost of Repair Exceeds the Deposit...

When a tenant vacates a rental property, it’s not uncommon for the landlord to discover damages or the need for repairs that exceed the amount of the security deposit held. This situation can be...

The Challenge of Pets in Rental Properties

The Challenge of Pets in Rental Properties...

Landlords have long struggled with tenants wanting to keep pets in rental properties. For landlords, pets pose an unpredictable risk of property damage. For tenants, pets are cherished family members,

The Importance of Material Information When Advertising a Property to Let

The Importance of Material Information When Advertising a Property...

As a landlord, ensuring your property is attractive to potential tenants is vital to ensure you are not left with voids and you attract the right kind of tenant. But something as simple as the advert now...

The Dangers of Renting Your Property to a Charity for Subletting to Vulnerable Tenants

The Dangers of Renting Your Property to a Charity for Subletting...

Renting your property to charities that sublet to vulnerable tenants can seem like a benevolent and socially responsible thing to do, coupled with the reassurance of ‘hands off’ passive income guaranteed...

Ending a Tenancy – How to Give Notice Correctly

Ending a Tenancy – How to Give Notice Correctly...

One of the most common questions landlords ask is how to give notice to end a tenancy. To address this, I’ve crafted this article to explore the various scenarios under which a standard Assured Shorthold...

8:26 AM, 17th September 2024, About A year ago

Frustration only applies to contracts which have become impossible to perform.

A supervening event changes the circumstances of performance of the contract so significantly, that the parties no longer need to perform the contract.
If the intention of both parties is for the tenant to return to the property when the emergency is dealt with or the repairs complete. this would not lead to frustration.
Although frustration can be applied to AST it rarely is, instead surrendering the tenancy is the preferred option... Read More

13:37 PM, 24th June 2024, About 2 years ago

Buying a flat where the deposit has not been protected?

Hi Mike, under deposit protection regulations, you are only legally responsible for protecting the deposit when you Receive it.
So the non-protection is the current LL/agents problem.
When you purchase the property you inherit the existing AST with all its terms and conditions, there is no legal obligation to issue a new one, nor does the tenant have to sign it.

You or your solicitor do have to issue S3 &s48 notices on your new tenants to show you are the new landlord and that rent is now due to you etc..

Your legal obligation for the deposit starts when it is transferred to you (you receive it) you then have the 30days to protect and issue the tenant with the certificate and prescribed information... Read More

8:03 AM, 18th June 2024, About 2 years ago

16:17 PM, 17th June 2024, About 2 years ago

That is one of the reasons why an immediate ban of s21 wouldn’t be legally possible, because landlords would need to be able to regain possession for reasons other than the tenant breaching the tenancy.

In the now defunked Renters Reform Bill we did see additional s8 grounds allowing the landlord to sell or move back in.
It would be anticipated that Civil servants who write the Bills will bring these concerns forward.

There is a small possibility that if Labour get in they could issue a monetorium on issuing section 21 as secondary legislation, similar to what we saw during covid, but this can only be temporary... Read More

11:43 AM, 17th June 2024, About 2 years ago

Ending a Tenancy - How to Give Notice Correctly

Hi JB, if Labour do get into power they will not be able to abolish s21 with immediate effect as they are claiming.
All legislation has a process that needs to be followed before it becomes law
It must pass through both Houses and receive Royal Ascent, this won’t happen in 1 day

Now, we saw during covid how quickly laws can be passed, but that’s when all parties and houses agree and have no amendments
Abolishing s21 is not as simple as just issuing a ban and that’s that.
It has a knock on effect which will need consideration... Read More

12:36 PM, 10th March 2020, About 6 years ago

No housing benefit but what if they need it during tenancy?

As the other replies have said, there is more to this situation than just a blanket ban on those in receipt of benefits.
If you have had your tenant for 5yrs, they keep the property in good nick, they don’t bother you with petty maintenance issues, have paid the rent and are friendly with the neighbours.
Why would you serve notice if their source of income changes?
Also with UC, how would you know the tenant now gets benefits?
I’m struggling to see the logic in the original post.
What if said tenant is on UC but between jobs and by the time the S21 expires they have a job again
Personally as a tenant I would not want to continue with a landlord like that and would be looking to move ASAP.
Remember that being a landlord is a business and tenants are your customers. Businesses work with their customers not against them... Read More

16:55 PM, 20th February 2020, About 6 years ago

Live in tenant, so can’t be AST, Tenant Fee Ban doesn’t apply here... Read More

16:44 PM, 3rd February 2020, About 6 years ago

Failed EPC Due to assumed no insulation?

Do you need the higher rated EPC so that you can rent it out?
A property with a G rating can still be used as a rental property it just needs to get an exemption.
There are a number of exemptions, if you go to the Gov website it will give you these and how to apply for the exemption, these usually last 5 yrs.... Read More

17:31 PM, 27th January 2020, About 6 years ago

Having read the draft bill, it does state the commencement date is April 2020 but effects tenancies from July 2020.
The draft bill is full of errors as it then goes on the day that the law will effect all tenancies on 1st April 2021, which doesn’t support its enforcement date.
Let’s hope they get it right before it gets Royal Ascent... Read More

16:49 PM, 23rd January 2020, About 6 years ago

Serving Section 21 during fixed term - right or wrong?

The date the AST was signed is a bit of a red herring as it’s the tenancy start date that is important.
From the classes you have posted here this looks like a very old AST which the LL is just reusing yr in yr and wouldn’t conform to current regs.
If the tenancy started 1/9/19 then if there was a BC the S21 could be served at month 4 to active at month 6, but as Neil has said the BC must be balanced and work for both parties.
I do not believe this is a valid BC and if a S21 has been served then the earliest it can be acted on is 31/8/20 which would render it over 6mo this old and therefore invalid... Read More

16:49 PM, 7th January 2020, About 6 years ago

Boyfriends/girlfriends: Is it now an HMO?

Usually for someone to be classed as in occupation they need to be using the property as their main and principle home.
If the boyfriend has another property that he has a tenancy for, then I would say he is a guest of the girl not an occupier.
In law there is no legal stipulation on how many night equates to occupation as this still is determined by the occupiers tenure.
He is not paying rent and not using the property as his home.
So I would say not an HMO... Read More

9:50 AM, 29th May 2019, About 7 years ago

Periodic Tenancies and what if How to Rent guide changes?

I understand the new regulations for correct service of a S21 (form6a) does require the most up to date version of the How to rent guide to have been issued.
Interestingly legislation supporting the new S21 service and validity contradicts existing legislation and this has made for many lost case at court... Read More

10:27 AM, 4th February 2019, About 7 years ago

Tenant appealing sect 21 possession order and transcript lost?

Your tenant can appeal the outright possession if they believe the S21 was not served correctly for some reason.
They also appeal if the court made an error on the original possession order, this is called the slip rule.
A tenant can also request a hearing for a S21 possession to request an extention of the evict term of up to 42 days.
The court should have provided you with your tenants defence, contact the court and ask for the court bundle... Read More

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Thursday 3rd August 2017

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Bio

With over 30 years of extensive 360° experience in the Private Rented Sector, I bring a wealth of knowledge and expertise to the table. My career has encompassed roles from Housing Law Caseworker at a national solicitor firm to Head of Property and Asset Management in the City. I have had the privilege of managing properties for high-profile clients, including premiership footballers, actors, and A-list comedians.

I successfully founded and ran a Lettings and Property Management company, building an impressive portfolio of over 500 single-let properties. After selling the business, I transitioned to the third sector, providing specialist housing and homelessness law advice for Citizens Advice, and working with a local homeless charity to optimize their mixed property portfolio and lease options.

Currently, I serve as a board member on the Zoopla Lettings Advisory Board and act as a judge for several industry award ceremonies. I am also a frequent property commentator in the media. In addition, I am a qualified property and civil mediator with over 600 mediations to my credit, and a registered expert witness for the courts.