One of Britain’s biggest social landlords has been hit with the largest fine handed out by the Housing Ombudsman. The fine comes after a special investigation found what the ombudsman says is ‘a prolonged period of decline’. L&Q must now pay £142,000 in compensation to its tenants after evidence of severe maladministration, including the mishandling […]

Hello, I have recently been granted (from the local council) a possession order and the tenant should have moved out in May – however I have been working alongside the tenant and the local emergency homeless council worker who is trying to find her some housing so that she doesn’t actually become homeless and end […]

Time is running out! The deadline for submitting nominations for The Property Investors Awards 2023 is just around the corner! Don’t miss the incredible opportunity to gain national recognition and propel your success in the property industry. Submit your nomination for one of the 20 coveted awards categories before it’s too late. The nominations deadline […]

A leading industry body has urged the Scottish government not to raise council tax premiums for second and empty homes. Propertymark has responded to the Scottish government’s consultation on raising council tax for second and empty homes by more than 100%. The industry body recommends homeowners should be incentivised to bring empty homes back into […]

Landlords would rather sell their properties than make energy efficiency improvements, according to a new Rightmove survey. A consultation on new EPC and minimum energy efficiency standards (MEES) requirements ended two years ago. The government has given no response to it, leading to widespread uncertainty in the PRS about what is expected from landlords. 61% […]

The UK’s housing market has been hit hard by soaring mortgage rates, resulting in an 18% drop in buyer demand over the past two months alone, one property platform reveals. However, Zoopla’s latest house price index reveals that the drop in buyer demand since last year is a shocking 40% . Reasons for that include the […]

Short-term letting has become extremely popular in recent years but whilst it may be one of the fastest-growing accommodation channels there is a darker side. Tenants who sublet without the landlord’s permission can make a huge fortune by renting out a home on Airbnb whilst the landlord is left to pick up the pieces when […]

The Property Energy Professionals Association (PEPA) has expressed its ‘disappointment’ with the comments made by Housing Secretary Michael Gove over the proposed deadline of implementing an EPC deadline on the private rented sector (PRS). Mr Gove said the Government is ‘asking too much too quickly’ of landlords to comply with Minimum Energy Efficiency Standards (MEES) […]

Hello, I have a nightmare freeholder. We are leaseholders of 3 apartments, in a block of 3. We had a bad leak from the flat roof into our apartment and the freeholder refused to repair it, which is typical. He has the obligation under the lease terms etc. We got the council involved who forced […]

The first national Property Educator Summit has been hailed as an overwhelming success. Property educators across the country gathered at the Biltmore Hotel in London to collaborate and shape the future of property education. The summit facilitated by the Property Investors Bureau enabled attendees to participate in high-end workshops that offered invaluable knowledge and strategies […]

The housing charity Shelter says a major contributing factor to rising homelessness is the instability of private renting – and the use of section 21 ‘no-fault’ notices. It says that as homelessness surges, there should be no more delays to the Renters (Reform) Bill. Pointing to new government figures that show 79,840 households faced homelessness […]

Hello, tenants pointed out a problem with a neighbour’s overgrown (Buddleja) tree that was overhanging and damaging the wall (back yard of a terraced house) it is actually dangerous and they have a toddler. I emailed the neighbour and he replied 9 days later suggesting it’s a joint problem and we should pool our resources! […]

Hello, I am a professional letting agent and I am trying to assist one of our landlords with an issue that relates to another firm. Mrs X instructed the agent to let and manage the property as she was unwell and she wanted the security of an agent to support her. She then went on […]

Most landlords – 61% – said they would raise rents to meet rising mortgage costs, a survey reveals. The study from Landbay, also revealed that nearly two out of 10 BTL landlords (18%) will not increase rents and 21% say they are unsure about their course of action. However, over the last 12 months, 76% […]

They’ve been dubbed “fireproof tenants” – news this week reached fever pitch for landlords who rallied together in outrage to hear that multiple local councils had advised tenants “not to move out of their houses” no matter what, even if the landlord was in financial difficulty and needed to sell. It’s shocking, but it comes […]

A worrying trend among tenants who have been secretly subletting their landlords’ properties has been revealed. The study from Direct Line business insurance delved into the practices of renters across the country and found that a staggering 48% of subletting tenants had failed to disclose this arrangement to their landlords. Even more alarming was the […]

Let-only agents are being urged to turn their landlord clients into fully managed clients after government figures show that the Renters (Reform) Bill could cost agents an astonishing £278.7m. The call is being made by PayProp UK which points to the Renters (Reform) Bill Impact Assessment published by the Department for Levelling Up, Housing and […]

Hello, I am continually perplexed that PRS landlords have no collective voice and just mutter in the background. Surely we can muster an organised campaign through all the various membership bodies and write an open letter in major national papers. I’m pretty sure Telegraph or another red top would relish this doubt among the sector […]

A think tank wants landlords to compensate tenants if they are forced to move out.   The Fabian Society lists a number of proposals supposedly designed to raise living standards for all of England’s regions. The Commission on Poverty and Regional Inequality by the society makes a series of recommendations to strengthen the Renters Reform […]

An industry body has warned letting agents not to become complacent when it comes to the Renters Reform Bill. Propertymark has said letting agents should still continue to comply with current requirements to avoid financial penalties. The Bill has only had its first reading and could undergo various amendments before it becomes law. Crucial to […]

The UK government’s EPC proposals to make rental properties more energy efficient may backfire, as a new survey suggests that most landlords would rather sell up than invest in green upgrades. The survey by cleantech company GreenBuildingRenewables.co.uk, polled more than 1,000 landlords across the UK and found that 63% of them said they plan to […]