As mentioned in the Levelling Up White paper the Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities has released a job advert for the role of Policy Advisor – National Landlord Register. Click here The summary of the job states: The Leasehold and Private Rented Sector Directorate is leading on an ambitious reform programme at the […]

The government scheme for EV chargepoint grants gives financial support to buy and install electric vehicle (EV) chargepoints at residential or commercial properties in the UK: Click here for the full details. The grant amount is per chargepoint socket installed and provides up to 75% of the cost towards the purchase and installation of a […]

Live online TONIGHT (Thursday 31st May) at 8pm! Brand new training all about how you can find better property deals in your area. If you are struggling to find great deals, or don’t know what to look for, or just want to find even better deals, then you really need to join this live training […]

The government will “name and shame” failing social housing providers as part of major reforms to give residents a stronger voice and drive up standards. This means social landlords providing sub-standard housing and services would be publicly called out on the government’s website and across social media channels. Measures announced also include a Resident Panel […]

The Deposit Protection Service (The DPS) is warning tenants and landlords to avoid leaving discussions about damp and mould to the end of the tenancies. It is urging tenants and landlords to talk openly throughout the tenancy and take a common-sense approach to the subject instead of broaching it at the end and risk falling […]

Homes headed by a person over the age of 45 will account for at least half of all privately renting households by 2035, analysis conducted on behalf of Paragon Bank has found. A report by the Social Market Foundation (SMF), Where next for the private rented sector?, found that 35% of households currently private renting […]

Thousands of severely disabled people who need specialised facilities when they are out and about will benefit from over 500 new Changing Places toilets in England. The Chancellor confirmed in his Spring Statement over £23.5 million has been allocated to 191 councils across England to install life-enhancing Changing Places toilets in public places and tourist […]

Some of the more onerous restrictions which were imposed on landlords in Scotland in the first dark days of the pandemic are about to be rescinded at the end of the month, and it might be assumed that this would be a good thing for the private rental sector. But will it? Or will the […]

I’d be extremely grateful for the benefit of your expertise regarding: (a) the interpretation/enforceability of what is either a poorly or craftily worded ground rent review clause in a 999-year lease on a flat (b) the remit of the expert surveyor in dispute resolution (eg can they simply ignore the formula in the lease for […]

One of our tenants is 2 months in arrears and we have served the appropriate notices. However, there is a guarantor in place for this tenant. My question is at what point can we look to the guarantor to cover the rental payment arrears? Do we however have to wait until we have a Court […]

I’ve had a couple of tenancy applications recently each involving a couple where they’ve requested the tenancy be taken out in one of their names only. It transpires that in each case, the person they want to leave off the tenancy has poor credit history which explains a lot. The other applicant on each respective […]

If you want to become a more successful property investor, you need to get really good at finding great deals in your investing area.  This is the most important skill you need to learn. Most people search online, go to estate agents, or attend property auctions looking for potential property deals. Whilst there is nothing […]

It’s a theme that’s becoming ever more common, if you were in any doubt, now is the time for us to sell up our portfolios, cash in and retire while the market is still high, and before the window closes. Many of us have hit our fifties and sixties and have been in the landlord […]

The EPC on a top floor flat has recently been downgraded from an F to a G with a score of just 19! The three suggestions for improving that score are : 1. Increase loft insulation to 270 mm at a cost of £100 to £350 (Score 24 i.e. F) 2. Internal or external wall […]

The annual rough sleeping statistics, published 24 February 2022, show that rates have fallen for a fourth year in a row with a 9% reduction in rough sleeping compared to last year. Numbers have fallen in every region of England, taking levels to an 8-year low overall. The number of people in emergency accommodation has […]

Research Rentd, has found that the earnings of the average tenant sit below the rental affordability threshold in five of the nation’s nine regions.   The research looked at the current average income of a tenant and how it compared to the average level of rental affordability based on the benchmark of two and half times […]

I recently started to rent out a room in my home. At first, the person seemed reasonable, but sadly I came home from work one night and found she was smoking cannabis at the entrance to my property. I share this main entrance with two other properties in my block. I spoke to her and […]

Chancellor Rishi Sunak has just presented his Spring Statement to Parliament, focussing on the cost of living crisis and its exacerbation by immediately falling into another crisis, supporting global economic sanctions against the war in Ukraine. The Chancellor’s policies to relieve the cost of global inflation to households included: The threshold for paying National Insurance […]

As most Property118 readers will be aware, properties where there are three or more occupiers forming more than one ‘household’ will be classed as an HMO.  Making landlords liable for extra regulation. Properties, where there are five or more occupiers forming more than one household, will be subject to mandatory licensing. Other HMOs or indeed […]

Hello, there, I’m looking for some advice, please. I own a flat in a block of 160 flats where the Freeholder owned the management company that dealt with the service charge, after a battle for many years we eventually got the RTM. We found out that the Freeholder owns quite a few flats within the […]

Here we go again…another Council rubbing their hands with glee looking forward to a windfall of £’M’s which will improve absolutely…. NOTHING, but just serve to increase rents further. Click here The fact that Shabrana Hussain, believes a private Landlord will be expected to ALSO address issues that are decreed in the licence ranging from […]