Eight agents have been expelled by The Property Ombudsman (TPO) for failing to pay a compensatory awards following consumer complaints. The agents were referred to the scheme’s independent Compliance Committee, which ruled that they should be excluded from The Property Ombudsman scheme. The excluded agents include: Doorsteps.co.uk – TPO supported a complaint and ordered Doorsteps.co.uk […]

London’s councils look set to double the amount in fines they collected from landlords and agents last year under selective or additional licensing schemes, one company is reporting. Geospatial tech firm Kamma says that in the last three months, landlord and agent fines have increased by £500,000 with London’s fines now reaching £8.6 million. The […]

We are delighted to announce that nominations for the 2023 Property Investors Awards are officially open. This year there are 20 different award categories to nominate for, which is more than ever before. We invite you to take this opportunity to submit your nominations and have the opportunity to be nationally recognised for your property […]

Homebuyer demand has now been down for 11 consecutive months – with new properties and agreed sales also taking a downturn, RICS reports. The cautious market is still seeing house prices fall with agents predicting this trend will continue for the next 12 months. However, there’s a mixed picture for the price falls with notable […]

A controversial appearance by Labour MP Diane Abbott on ITV’s ‘Good Morning Britain’ led to claims that landlords are ‘charging tenants to view’ a property. But when Ms Abbott was asked by Property118 for evidence to back up this claim, there has been no response. The claim starts with co-presenter Richard Madeley asking Ms Abbott […]

Hello, I’ve just heard from our managing agent that our tenants are planning to have a friend of theirs, plus teenage son, move into our flat, because they (the friends) can’t find anywhere affordable in London and there is space for them (there will be 4 people in a 2-bed flat). I am concerned about […]

Faced with the prospect of a rent increase, half of all tenants say they would move out in the hope of finding a cheaper rent elsewhere, research reveals. That’s despite the demand for rented homes being 10% higher currently than it was in March 2022. As a result, many tenants face the tough decision of […]

There is strong support for the introduction of a minimum set of property standards for the private rented sector (PRS), research reveals. Paragon Bank says that six in 10 landlords would support such a move – 34% ‘strongly support’ the measure and 28% express ‘general support’. However, 8% of landlords are not aware of plans […]

Renters say they want more financial help from the government for first time buyers and help with paying their bills, research reveals. The findings from The Mortgage Lender (TML) found that more than two-fifths of tenants (44%) want government support to help combat the cost-of-living crisis. And 30% would like to see lower interest rates […]

Hello, We are a small block of 7 flats with a mix of owner occupiers and owners who let their flat. Approx 22 years ago we set up a Ltd company and jointly purchased the freehold so that each flat owner has 1 share in the company. Since purchasing the freehold, I have been an […]

The time has come! The Property Investors Awards Early Bird Tickets are released today (Wednesday 12th) from 10AM. This year, the Property Investors Awards will be hosted at the luxury five-star Intercontinental Park Lane on Saturday 2nd December 2023. The demand for this year’s tickets at early-bird pricing has been unbelievable. To avoid disappointment, make sure you sign-up for […]

A council’s selective licensing scheme has been criticised by a First-tier Tribunal (FTT) for covering a wide area rather than focusing on areas with rogue landlords and anti-social behaviour. The comments come in a Rent Repayment Order (RRO) decision after a case was brought by Justice for Tenants to support a claim by a tenant […]

Hello, I have a new tenant, whose last two months rent had to be chased and chased every month. I told her the AST set out she must set up a standing order, which she did but then it must have been cancelled as the rent never came at the time. Her previous communication normally […]

A manifesto calling on the Government to step up its support for the under-pressure lettings industry has been unveiled. It’s the brainchild of rentech firm Goodlord which says that its manifesto, called Renting Done Right, is a ‘call to arms’ for the private rented sector. It will be unveiled at an industry event next week […]

The cost of maintaining monthly buy-to-let mortgage interest payments has rocketed by 75.7% in the last year – with those making a full mortgage repayment every month seeing an increase of 31.6%, research reveals. The findings from specialist property lending experts, Octane Capital, analysed the cost of the average BTL mortgage and how this has […]

Hello, Today I increased the rent on a flat from £1,400 to £1,600, effective 1 June 2023, which is the tenancy anniversary date. I advised the tenant verbally and also sent the new agreement. The tenant has stated he won’t pay. Does anybody have any advice on what I should do? Thank you, Enina

It has been a busy time for landlords with several stories that would normally make my blood run cold, but let’s start with a question: ‘Since when did a rent freeze mean no need to pay rent?’ I ask this, because this was one of the takeaways from the issues in Scotland where the number […]

Propertymark, the body for letting agents, says ‘enough is enough’ and is calling for an end to the freeze on local housing allowance (LHA) and it wants more support for renters. The organisation’s policy and campaigns officer, Tim Thomas, made the announcement to MPs at a Westminster Hall debate covering LHA. The allowance provides tenants […]

The UK’s average house price grew by 0.8% in March, the second month running that prices have picked up after February’s 1.2% rise, Halifax says. However, the lender says that the annual rate of house price growth continues to slow and was 1.6% in the year to March. In February the year-on-year rise was 2.1%. […]

Would you like to be paid for property deals that you don’t want? When you are looking for property deals in your area, you will probably find some deals that don’t meet your personal investing criteria. Instead of passing these unwanted deals, you could sell them to other investors for a fee, as long as […]

Landlords in Scotland are being urged to back a National Residential Landlords Association (NRLA) campaign that will challenge policies from the Sottish Government that damage the country’s private rented sector (PRS). The move follows a decision by the government to develop a rent freeze and ban on repossessions in the PRS without proper consultation with […]