The Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) is threatening enforcement action against landlords and letting agents who do not follow consumer protection rules. The CMA has published an initial assessment of the private rental sector (PRS) and it says there is a ‘significant minority’ who are breaching the rules. Sarah Cardell, the CMA’s chief executive, said […]

Hi there, I found similar topics on this forum, but none addressing this specific question – so I posted a new one. We had a lady staying with us for nearly a year. She did not leave on great terms, and still owes us £3,000 of unpaid rent. She did not give us a new […]

Hello, I’m reaching the end of my large family home mortgage and the end of 2 BTL company ones. In the past I’d always leveraged the large personal interest only one as the interest is so low and only took up company ones as I expanded. (They are all are interest only). Given the environment, […]

Hi, we have recently had a long term tenant die in hospital. We have served notice to his representative (assuming he has one) and sent it together with form NL1 to the relevant address. The question we have is: What do we do with the tenant’s possessions once we legally have the property back? As […]

Hello, I have received the form VO6048 from the Valuation Office Agency (VOA) to complete in connection with their review as to whether Business Rates continues to be appropriate for my holiday lets block of 13 flats or whether Council Tax should apply. Does anyone know the answer to the following areas of confusion? Do […]

Councils across England are struggling with a surge in demand from households facing homelessness with nearly a quarter of a million households looking for a home, one organisation reveals. The findings from Crisis are part of its annual ‘state of the nation’ survey and it found that the equivalent of 1 in 100 households are […]

The property consultancy Fisher German is urging the government to provide more clarity on the future of Energy Performance Certificate (EPC) regulations, which may affect thousands of landlords and tenants across the UK. The EPC regulations, which aim to improve the energy efficiency of rental properties, have been under scrutiny by the new housing secretary […]

The Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan, has come up with a bonkers idea to deal with hundreds of thousands of London homeowners who are at risk of a mortgage ‘bomb’ next year. He says that the cost-of-living crisis is putting more pressure on households that are already struggling to pay their mortgages. And to resolve […]

The Housing Ombudsman has hit social landlord Sanctuary Housing with a charge of severe maladministration and demand they pay compensation to a tenant after a poorly managed case of damp and mould in a home. The decision will see Sanctuary paying £5,600 in compensation after failing to address the prolonged exposure of a tenant and […]

How soon after nominating our main residence to HM Revenue & Customs can we sell it and still get partial Private Residence Relief on the Capital Gains Tax? We bought a London flat 25 years ago, lived there for 11.75 years then moved out to an apartment in a country house in Surrey when we […]

Hello, I need to write an addendum to a new tenancy agreement that I got from LawDepot, to reflect the fact the tenant has already paid the security deposit, and am concerned to word it properly. Not sure if anyone can help? I’ve looked online and got part way – apparently it must be written […]

Would you regard one pane of misted glass in a total window span of 8 panes as an issue? Would it be deemed an issue in so far as the council would be concerned about it? Is there a legal requirement to replace it? I would not regard some condensation between the glass that meant […]

Most UK property investors are still confident in the value and performance of their portfolios – and 71% have not seen a decline in the value of their portfolios since December 2021. That’s when the Bank of England began raising interest rates from the historic low of 0.1%. The research from Sourced Franchise also found […]

Hello, I am having to get a DBS (Disclosure and Barring Service, I’m not sure of all the abbreviations for lettings etc.,) for my Selective License. I emailed the council, asking what the point was, and if I had a criminal record, that doesn’t stop me from owning a house and renting it out. The […]

The supply of homes to rent in London is improving, two leading firms in the sector say. Flat share platform SpareRoom says that the ratio of tenants looking for somewhere to live has fallen, year-on-year. It adds 5.6 active renters were looking for rooms last month – down from 6.2 in July last year. For […]

Hi, My Fire Risk Assessment and myself have a difference of opinion on whether emergency lighting is required in the communal area of a small block of flats. The block has 2 ground floor flats with separate entrances and 2 first floor flats who enter via a communal hallway. The communal entrance door is glass […]

Landlords need more help in achieving the government’s energy performance certificate (EPC) aims for the private rented sector (PRS) by reducing the number of hurdles to access cash help. That’s the view of Gina Peters, the head of landlord and tenant at Dutton Gregory Solicitors, who says that the government needs to review its Energy […]

Just days after threatening private rented sector (PRS) landlords with taking control of properties they don’t license and look after; a council has been told to pay a tenant £5,400 in compensation. The Housing Ombudsman announced the payment for prolonged damp and mould neglect in a home – a problem that ran for more than […]

Hi everyone, I’m seeking help for an issue the RTM (Right to Manage) is dealing with. The RTM gained legal status on April 28th, 2023, and we (I’m one of the two directors) hired a managing agent to handle the block on our behalf. Unfortunately, there’s a disagreement with the freeholder due to plans to […]

A tenant activist group says the government needs to step in and help renters and put in place long-term solutions to the housing crisis – including the unfreezing of Local Housing Allowance (LHA). The call comes from Generation Rent after the housing charity Shelter warned that 51% of tenants are ‘just one pay cheque away’ […]

Thousands of sitting tenants are facing eviction due to struggling landlords selling their properties before the tenancy agreement ends, research reveals. House Buyer Bureau says there has been a ‘landlord exodus’ in recent months across the country as landlords struggle to make a profit in the face of rising BTL mortgage rates. Its analysis also […]