Thurrock Council has revealed the growing challenges it faces in providing housing help to its residents, as the cost-of-living crisis and the exit of landlords from the private rental market put pressure on the system. The council’s housing service has seen a 22% increase in homelessness demand compared to the same period last year and […]

Bristol City Council’s new licensing schemes for rented homes have sparked a backlash from landlords who claim they are unfair and costly, Bristol Live reports. The council says the schemes, which were approved last week, aim to improve living standards for renters by ensuring that homes meet certain criteria and are well-managed. The schemes will […]

The number of homeowners and landlords falling behind with mortgage payments has jumped, according to UK Finance. The trade body for lenders says that there were 13,570 buy-to-let mortgages in arrears compared to the previous quarter. UK Finance said the rise in arrears is driven by cost-of-living pressures and higher interest rates. More and more […]

Annual house prices in England and Wales fell slightly in January, according to the latest e.surv house price index. However, according to the data monthly house prices have seen a small increase. E.surv says average house prices in England & Wales are £361,029, up 0.2% on December, down 3.7% annually. House prices saw a slight […]

The National Residential Landlords Association (NRLA) is urging the Government to address the growing gap between the demand and supply of private rented housing, as new research shows a sharp rise in tenant enquiries. According to an NRLA survey, 63% of landlords reported increased demand from tenants in the last quarter of 2020, compared to […]

Scottish tenants are facing a looming crisis in the private rented sector as emergency protections against rent hikes and evictions expire on 31 March, campaigners have warned. The Scottish government has “in effect rubber-stamped rent increases from April”, Ruth Gilbert, the national campaigns chair of the Scotland-wide tenants’ union Living Rent told the Guardian newspaper. […]

Hello, I applied for a selective property licence on behalf of a landlord on 27/9/2023. At that time, the licence fee was £735. A new scheme came into force on 1/11/2023 and the fee increased to £860 On 21/12/2023, I received an email inviting me to pay the final instalment due of £445.00 and to […]

Hello, I have only had to serve one section 8 in 25 years. To my horror, the disrespect of the law the tenant is allowed to do freely, and without consequence, is costing me more time than waiting for the county court case and judgment! Served section 8 first week November 2023, got court hearing […]

Housing Secretary Michael Gove has pledged to ban Section 21 ‘no-fault’ evictions in England by the next general election, which is due by January 2025. No-fault evictions allow landlords to evict tenants without giving a reason, which campaigners say leaves renters vulnerable to unfair treatment and insecurity. The Conservative Party promised to end this practice […]

A housing legal expert says that councils are guilty of severe maladministration, excessive enforcement and unfair licensing conditions against private sector landlords while neglecting their own housing stock and ignoring tenants’ complaints. That’s the view of Des Taylor, a director of Landlord Licensing and Defence, a company that helps landlords comply with regulations and defend […]

What do you want from the upcoming budget? A journalist at The Times wants to hear from landlords about what help they would like to see in the budget. Lucy Alderson, the money reporter for The Times wants to ask landlords about the upcoming budget and their experience of the market and ask: Are you thinking […]

Hello, I am in the middle of protracted litigation with my Residents Management Company. I have discovered lease assets such as garages have been sold between leaseholders on the estate in contravention of an Absolute prohibited Covenant. The covenant says ‘Not any time to assign transfer sublet charge or part with possession or occupation of […]

Hi all, I have unfortunately found myself in the position where I need to sell the house that I rent out to a young family. I served them with a section 21 notice 6 weeks ago and as expected they are finding it very difficult to find anywhere else. Only one partner working and also […]

Hi all, not too sure how to proceed with this tenant, the tenant has paid rent regularly for about 1.5 years late at times but never ridiculously late. The tenant has not paid rent for either January or February because their father passed away in tragic circumstances, I let it slide for a while but […]

The number of couples living in a flatshare has increased dramatically since the pandemic. New data from Spareroom reveals the number of people flat sharing as a couple increased by 67% in 2023 (compared to 2019). The website says almost half of couples (47%) state that the primary reason for deciding to move in together […]

Scotland has experienced a dramatic fall in new build starts across all sectors in the last year, a report reveals. DJ Alexander Ltd, Scotland’s biggest lettings and estate agency, analysed the most recent quarterly housing statistics until September 2023. It found that new build starts fell by 24.4% from 21,534 in 2022 to 16,274 the […]

Tenants of NCH Enterprises, a council-owned company, are facing eviction as the firm tries to sell 44 properties to repay a £18m debt to Nottingham City Council, the Local Government Chronicle (LGC) reveals. The news comes just days after it was revealed that the council had failed to ringfence its selective licensing fees. The company, […]

Are you a landlord who is using a letting agent to manage your property and frustrated by the fees charged by estate agents for tenancy renewal? Then Alexa Phillips a journalist from the i newspaper wants to speak with you. Alexa Phillips a reporter from the i newspaper, wants to ask Property118 readers about: • […]

The housing charity Shelter has condemned the government for ‘bowing to vested interests’ and delaying the implementation of the Renters (Reform) Bill, which would ban section 21 ‘no-fault’ evictions. It points to Ministry of Justice figures revealing that 9,457 households were evicted by bailiffs in 2023, a 49% increase from 2022. Also, 30,230 landlords started […]

Landlords evicted more tenants in the final quarter of 2023 than they have since 2018, the Ministry of Justice (MoJ) reveals. It says that in the last quarter of 2023, there were 23,382 landlord claims, 18,003 landlord orders, 9,833 landlord warrants and 6,649 landlord repossessions in the county courts of England and Wales. These figures […]

The government has abandoned a plan that would have exempted landlords of asylum seekers from houses in multiple occupation (HMO) regulations, which ensure safety and quality standards for shared properties. The government claimed that this would have increased the availability of housing for asylum seekers, who are often placed in hotels or other temporary accommodation. […]