Residential tenants will be supported as the ban on bailiff-enforced evictions in all but the most serious circumstances, such as incidents of fraud or domestic abuse, and the requirement for landlords to provide 6-month notice periods to tenants before they evict will also be extended until at least 31 May. Business owners are being given […]

Rented sector strategy will be part of a major new housing publication written by the Scottish government apparently looking to improve accessibility, affordability and standards, as part of a new 20 year route map for housing to be published next week. The Rented Sector strategy will be a key element of Housing to 204. Scotland’s […]

If a couple agrees to separate permanently, but without getting a court order they will be treated for SDLT purposes as an unmarried couple. This means that for the purposes of the 3% surcharge each spouse can buy a house without being treated as owning any property the other spouse owns. This also means that […]

I’ve recently received an email from my Management Company saying an inspection of the doors to the flats is required to see if they are rated FD30a. The flats are in Cornwall and according to the Management Company, it is an initiative which is likely to become law later this year. I am a bit […]

For the second year, I’ve received notification from the agent that in addition to the charge for a new tenancy agreement they want renewing fees which amount to over £1000 for doing nothing. This is a SCAM. I don’t mind paying for the new tenancy agreement which essentially is a copy and paste exercise with […]

Our next webinar is with Housing Barrister Dean Underwood from Cornerstone Chambers and specialises in HMO and licensing issues. In this webinar Dean will be looking at three key HMO issues relating to licensing. Essential watching if you are an HMO landlord (and even if you are not!). Failure to comply with HMO licensing rules […]

Social housing residents will be helped with improving their living conditions through a new government campaign, ‘Make Things Right’, will help residents raise complaints if they are unhappy with their landlord and struggling to get problems resolved, with clear advice on how to progress issues to the Housing Ombudsman if necessary. The launch of the new campaign […]

For those that have never had the joys of coming across the Housing Health and Safety Rating System, here is a quick introduction: The Housing Health and Safety Rating System (in short, the HHSRS), has been in place for some 15 years! It is still used by Council Enforcement Officers to assess property conditions based […]

A challenging weekend! I have two tenants in two one-bed flats. Tenant B calls me in a right state to Tenant A, is smashing up his own flat and trying to break down the door to Tenant B’s flat, so much so that B cannot now actually get out of his flat at all so […]

I own a first-floor leasehold flat in a converted detached building containing 2 x 2-bed s/c flats. The freeholder owns and lets the ground floor flat and is responsible for the Buildings Insurance for which I am obliged to pay 50% For the past 20 years, I have had issues with the Insurance (the first […]

Changes are afoot in the world of commercial property, to make it far easier to repurpose commercial buildings for other commercial and residential uses. These changes will offer tremendous opportunities for property investors who know how to exploit them and use them to their advantage! Watch this video to find out more, and join us this Sunday for a FREE […]

The Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors (RICS) announces a step forward in unlocking the flat market for buyers and sellers. The new guidance Valuation of properties in multi-storey, multi-occupancy residential buildings with cladding, clarifies types of properties that will, and those that will not require additional inspections, as a result of concerns about fire safety. […]

Lambeth Council is consulting on the introduction of Additional HMO licences – deadline 12th March. There seem to be quite a few conditions that I would think are unenforceable/unmanageable and would like to know your views please so that I can respond to them. It seems the council don’t know the difference between an HMO […]

A single lady tenant was given an AST in 2005 and many years later her daughter moves in. Although she never asked permission we are aware she now lives there with her mum. No issues at all with them. Rent all on time, in fact, model tenants, they look after garden etc treat the place […]

How the Government’s so-called protection for renters is damaging decent tenants’ prospects and leading to empty properties. Enquiry 1: Hi, I’m John and i work as a sales assistant in Bristol, I would probably want the tenancy to start within the next month and go on for as long as possible really, also I don’t […]

Sefton council has reached a new low in cynical entrapment in its relentless war against landlords. Like many councils waging war against landlords, they do this in the single-minded pursuit of raising revenue from Landlords’ investments and pensions. So here is how it happened, blow-by-blow: Michelle Ball, the owner of the Cresta Hotel in Southport, […]

The FCA has now confirmed that all LIBOR settings will either cease to be provided or no longer be representative: – Immediately after 31 December 2021, in the case of all sterling, euro, Swiss franc and Japanese yen settings, and the 1-week and 2-month US dollar settings – Immediately after 30 June 2023, in the […]

The February Halifax House Price index is 0.1% lower on a monthly basis against January, but in the latest quarter (December to February) house prices were 0.5% higher than in the preceding three months. House prices were 5.2% higher annually than in February last year with the latest UK average property value now £251,697. Russell […]

Hi, I am a landlord for one property, which was my old house. The tenant is refusing to leave with no rent for nearly a year, and we went to court on the 24th of February under a section 8. The tenant now says she’s never had a tenancy agreement (expired May 2019) and no […]

Unpicking reality from requirement: Is it acceptable that an EICR is signed off by the company the electrician works for, or should it be signed off by the electrician undertaking the EICR complete with their EICR Certificate registration number? Interestingly the NICEIC, Stroma and generic forms from the previous EICRs that I have vary in […]

Manchester City Council has quietly announced that they are making a proposal for Selective Licence Schemes in areas of Manchester. They hail that it will: Make more people want to live in the area – Make people want to stay in the area for longer – Cut the length of time houses are empty increasing […]