Hi, Our block of flats has recently had a section 20 notice issued, with a large cost attributed to the four leaseholders in the building. All of us have contested this as we believe that not only are the works unnecessary, the costs are unfair and unreasonable. We feel that the lease is ambiguous on who […]

Hello, I have adequate landlord buildings insurance etc and that comes with legal protection etc. What I do not have is rent guarantee insurance. I don’t want to sign up to an agent to get access to this, nor do I need cover that overlaps with what I have. I also only want it for one […]

One firm says it has been seeing landlords panic and sell up over the prospect of what the Renters’ Reform Bill means for them. The eviction and housing law specialists Landlord Action says April was its busiest month for 23 years. It also says that the serving of section 21 notices has rocketed by 91% […]

The number of landlords in England and Wales using a section 21 ‘no-fault’ notice is higher than ever before, according to new government figures. The latest data from the Ministry of Justice (MoJ) shows that there has been a 116% increase to 2,252 households being evicted by bailiffs under s21 proceedings between January and March, […]

Hello, my agent sent this in response to a tenant in arrears. Is this legal? Response: The tenant currently owes £2350 in rent arrears we will take steps to secure this debt by way of a CCJ. It will be about 14 days before we are in a position to submit the CCJ application, the […]

It is only a Bill and has just been published but the Renters’ Reform Bill appears at first sight worse than many have feared. All tenancies are to become periodic, meaning landlords will have no security of income and student landlords in particular will find the tenants will not pay for the summer holidays. One […]

If landlords were rushing to sell their properties before, there’s certainly yet another reason to get out now. Following Prime Minister’s Questions earlier this week, the news hit landlords hard: a Renters (Reform) Bill is to go ahead. The changes to Section 21 will now mean it will be increasingly difficult to evict tenants without […]

Hello, I have a tenant on a six month assured tenancy agreement who is currently refusing to pay rent. I have issued a section 8 notice and this is going through due process. The tenancy ends on 15th July 2023 with the last rent due on 16th June. My concern is, among others, that the […]

Hello, I own a flat on the top floor of a social housing block of 60 flats owned by Wandsworth Council. I’ve just had the EPC renewed in order to replace my mortgage as it is coming off its cheap deal and it has come in as a poor D on account of the flat […]

Hello 118ers, Some advice please. Can I apply for a Joint CCJ to recover the thousands of pounds my ex-tenants owe me for damages and rent arrears? They are a couple and were joint tenants and both signed the tenancy agreements and the inventory list. He has a well paid job and she looks after […]

Hello, There’s more red tape for landlords to come – From April 2026, self-employed individuals and landlords with an income of more than £50,000 will be required to keep digital records and provide quarterly updates on their income and expenditure to HMRC through MTD-compatible software Those with an income of between £30,000 and £50,000 will need […]

Labour is backing green belt developments to help solve the housing crisis. In an interview with the Times, Keir Starmer said he wants to relax planning restrictions and allow more homes to be built on the green belt. According to new research by Searchland just 1% of green belt land could deliver over 738,000 homes. […]

Hello, with all the ‘multi-agency landlord bashing’ that seems to be going on at the moment, I’ve been giving some thought about the stage when existing tenancies end and new tenancies begin. My concerns revolve around deposits when a new tenancy begins. Generally, a new tenant will pay a ‘deposit’ of one month’s rent + […]

Hello – long-time reader, first-time poster – many thanks in advance for any suggestions! I have a repair which has significantly overrun, due to mistakes made by the freeholder’s repair company. Looking for suggestions on appropriate compensation/mitigations for me to offer to tenants. I am the landlord of a 2-bed flat in London, shared by […]

Hello, Renting Homes Wales processes for agencies and landlords to cope with the Transitional Information Period. After first becoming aware of the Renting Homes Wales Act when presenting training for the Rent Smart Wales licensing I have followed the twists, turns and delays closely and can now see the light at the end of the […]

The housing secretary Michael Gove has spoken for the first time about the Renters’ Reform Bill and what the potential impact of it will be on landlords and tenants. Speaking on Radio 2’s Jeremy Vine show, Mr Gove was asked what the problems with section 21 were. He replied: “The problem with no-fault evictions these […]

The unveiling of the long-awaited Renters’ Reform Bill has led to a strong reaction from the property sector. The legislation, which was first promised in 2019, will see the end of section 21 ‘no-fault’ evictions. And landlords will be able to recover their properties more easily from anti-social tenants. The Bill also protects landlords by […]

The long-awaited government plan to overhaul the private rented sector (PRS) with the publication of the Renters’ Reform Bill has been condemned as ‘going back to the dark Ages’. The government says that more than 11 million tenants in England will now enjoy safer, fairer and higher-quality homes thanks to the introduction of the ‘ground-breaking’ […]

Commercial rents have bounced back across Britain, with an impressive 9.7% growth in the last year alone, data reveals. According to Sirius Property Finance, the boom has overturned a previous downward trend which saw prices fall by -2.9% between 2021 and 2022. The current average commercial rent is now £1,036 per week – that’s 42% […]

Self-managing landlords who are fed-up dealing with new legislation and falling profits are being warned to be wary before signing up with a letting agent who could land them in hot water. The warning comes from Landlord Licensing & Defence which says landlords must research potential agents before making any commitments. According to the firm’s […]

Hello, I have a serious concern about Michael Gove who is practising divide and conquer between landlords and tenants. If a landlord can no longer evict a tenant via a Section 21 notice, then I believe that they won’t be able to submit a claim via their landlord’s house insurance as my policy states that […]