Hello, Our flat in London has failed its EICR with code 2s and 3s. The electrician says it needs a full re-wire. That’s ok (except that it will cost) as the flat’s wiring is maybe 40 yrs old. What I need advice on is what, as landlords, is our position? The managing agent has established […]

Dear all, Our utility is supplied by one main meter divided into 6 flats. Tenants are asking for the government’s £400 credit off the energy bill. How can a landlord with one utility meter give a £400 energy rebate to six tenants with an all-inclusive tenancy contract? Looking forward to suggestions Kind regards, Navin

Hello, My sister gave a property to an agent via guaranteed rent. They are up to date with the payments. After viewing the property, I could see that it was in a state of disrepair. There was a leak in the ceiling and the agent claimed to have fixed and sent a bill to say […]

The latest organisation to call for rent controls in a bid to tackle ‘rocketing rent prices’ is the National Union of Students (NUS). The NUS has just published its Student Cost of Living report and says that the cost-of-living crisis is affecting students. The union is also recommending that the government reforms universal credit and […]

All landlords and agents will know that when renting out a property, repairs are inevitable and now one firm has worked out how much. Towergate Insurance has surveyed the UK’s landlords to find out how much they spend on maintaining and repairing a rental property. They found that, on average, landlords spend £1,088 on maintenance. […]

The latest rental index highlights that rents in the UK are continuing to rise. According to HomeLet, the average rental price for a new tenancy was £1,159 per calendar month in September – a rise of 1.4% from August. The rent price is also 9.2% higher than it was in September 2021. Every region has […]

A leading property organisation has reacted with concern to the Scottish Government’s emergency legislation to introduce a rent freeze and a moratorium on evictions in the country. The Scottish Property Federation (SPF) says its biggest fear is that if passed, the legislation could allow for Scottish Ministers to maintain a rent freeze well beyond the […]

Hello, I have a flat that has modern electric panel wall heaters with thermostats and timer switches which run on standard-rate electricity. The tenant has a direct contract in their name with the electricity supplier. The EPC rating for the flat is D. The local Housing Officer has recently visited the flat and has now […]

Just a day after the Scottish Government unveiled its legislation for introducing a rent freeze, politicians in Wales are calling for the same measure. Plaid Cymru says it has forced the Welsh Government to look again at enacting a rent freeze and a moratorium on evictions. The party’s housing spokesperson, Mabon ap Gwynfor MS, has […]

Landlords with private-rented single-household properties in a London borough will need a license in a bid, the council says, to root out criminal landlords. The Royal Borough of Greenwich has introduced the selective licensing scheme – which went live on 1 October – for PRS properties with just one household in Woolwich Arsenal, Woolwich Common, […]

While landlords in Scotland are worried about the rent freeze and ban on evictions until next March, one leading politician says that ‘good landlords have nothing to fear’. That’s the belief of Scottish Green co-leader Patrick Harvie, the Scottish Government’s tenants’ rights minister. He was speaking about the proposals on BBC Good Morning Scotland when […]

The increasing cost of renting is putting a squeeze on rental market affordability for the nation’s tenants, research reveals. The specialist rental platform Ocasa looked at the current cost of renting across each area of England and what percentage of income is required to cover this cost. They then analysed the areas that have seen […]

Hello, We have a leasehold property in London which is unexpectedly vacant. The letting agent can find a good credit tenant at an increase in rent. Or another estate agent wants to sell it and quote a good price. This will expose us to a good chunk of CGT. If we sell, we can buy […]

Hello, There are 62 flats in a purpose-built block, which is now getting on. From time to time there are leaks from communal areas and from pipes under the floorboards in addition to the normal leaks from kitchen pipes and appliances or bathroom furniture and fittings and associated pipes. Leaks from the communal are dealt […]

The Scottish Federation of Housing Associations (SFHA) is urging a rethink on Scotland’s proposed rent freeze because it will threaten the delivery of social housing. The SFHA says that without increased government investment, housing associations will not be able to build the affordable homes that are needed to tackle poverty if a proposed rent freeze […]

After the Scottish Government unveiled its proposed legislation that would bring in a rent freeze and a moratorium on evictions, one landlord organisation has hit out at ‘political rhetoric’. The Scottish Association of Landlords (SAL) says that the SNP and Greens are pushing for ‘rhetoric over results’ and this stance is already affecting housing supply. […]

The Scottish Government has unveiled its emergency legislation that ‘seeks to increase protection for tenants from rent rises and eviction action’ during the cost-of-living crisis. If approved, the Cost of Living (Tenant Protection) (Scotland) Bill will give Ministers temporary power to cap rents for private and social tenancies’ The cap will be set at 0% […]

Hi, I would appreciate your help with regard to the lifetime transfer of property to my soon-ex-to-be wife. We are amiable and have agreed on the assets to transfer. I understand that the flats in question must be transferred in the same financial tax year to be free of capital gains tax, but will she […]

Landlords everywhere are feeling the pinch and looking at how they can increase their rents to help cover increased interest rates and inflation. You must ensure you approach this correctly and understand what you can and can’t do! Alphaletz, the Property Management Software company, has worked with Landlord Law to explain how to approach this […]

Hello, All landlords should write to their local MP and ward councillors to express why they are exiting the PRS market. Without a collective voice we remain silent. I suggest that a draft template letter that can be modified. It is important that we do not continue to express ourselves in an echo chamber forum […]

It’s just over a week since the Chancellor, Kwasi Kwarteng, presented his tax-cutting mini-budget, that kick-started a crisis of confidence in the markets. The tax cuts triggered a drop in the pound to a record low. The SWAP rates, the mechanism that lenders use to set their 2, 3, 5 and 10 year fixed rates, […]