The Chancellor must use his first Budget to take immediate action to reverse the decline in the supply of rented housing, say landlords. With landlords selling more properties than they are buying and others switching to short-term holiday lets for tax reasons, unless action is taken tenants are going to find it increasingly hard to […]

In the wake of Britain’s exit from Europe, a Belvoir survey reveals that almost three quarters of franchisees anticipate rental increases throughout 2020. “Belvoir commissioned media property expert Kate Faulkner to survey a representative cross-section of Belvoir franchisees in England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland,” says Belvoir CEO Dorian Gonsalves. “The results show an overwhelming […]

I haven’t increased the rent on a flat in over 7 years as there have been no issues with the tenant and he is very settled. However, to be in line with flats in the rest of the block I’m going to have to increase the rent a little (£50 a month) but it will […]

Kevin Humphrey has started a Change.org petition for Councils and government to review Council Tax rules for Houses of Multiple occupancy (HMO). Click here to sign the petition. “Some local councils are starting to charge by the room for houses of multiple occupancy (HMO), so the bills for tenants are increasing by 20% plus. “A […]

Shelter Press Release: Thousands of vulnerable private renters across Greater Manchester were boosted today as the £600,000 test and learn fund for Fair Housing Futures was announced. The partnership project, hosted by the housing charity Shelter and funded by the Nationwide Foundation, aims to transform the way the private rented sector works for vulnerable* and […]

Two previous agents did not manage my flat effectively, no inspections were carried out for the past 7 yrs. The Flat got mould which I have now cleaned off after deciding to self manage. Since taking over the management tenant has become very intimidating to myself and contractors that have been repairing the damages. The […]

A landlord I am working with has a HMO and would like to issue section 21 to all tenants (many of which are long term) as they would like to fully refurbish the property. However they are an elderly couple and haven’t kept up with all of the compliance and regulations surrounding lettings. As such […]

A friend wants to gift his unencumbered, mortgage-free, own residence to his son and move into a previously let property. He is concerned that an old flame of his son might try to cook up a story of stalking/harassment to sue his son for financial benefit. The son is a mature student and would be […]

We recently had a mid term inspection, usually we like to be present at these inspection. However, this was not possible on this occasion and the letting agent entered using management keys. We have now received the inspection report which describes the property as being in a good, clean and tidy condition and they remarked […]

Esther McVey has been sacked from her Housing Minister job and replaced by Christopher Pincher, MP for Tamworth, who becomes the tenth Housing Minister in ten years after Boris Johnson’s Cabinet reshuffle. The Junior Minister role of Housing has become a staging post for rising political stars to get their feet wet or a test […]

The latest data by rental deposit replacement scheme, Ome, has revealed which areas of the UK have seen the biggest uplift in deposit disputes, as well as the areas with the highest number of total disputes raised. Research shows that London is home to the highest proportion of rental disagreements between landlords and tenants when […]

The RLA is claiming claiming that a string of data released today demonstrates the failure of government policy for the private rented sector. The Royal Institution for Chartered Surveyors is warning that private sector rents are set to increase by 2% over the next year as a result of the demand for such housing exceeding […]

Our Hon. Legal Counsel, Mark Smith, Head of Chambers at Cotswold Barristers will be presenting an overview of several landlords tax strategies at the pin Liverpool Meeting property networking event Thursday 27th February 2020. The event will be held at The Shankly Hotel, Millennium House, 60 Victoria St, Liverpool, L1 6JD The Event hosts are […]

I recently read the shocking story about Mr Valentine-Brown who was murdered by his landlady, her partner and two accomplices when they decided they would take the eviction process into their own hands.  Although an extreme case, this story serves to highlight just how quickly problems can escalate when emotions are running high and landlords […]

The Welsh government have introduced a Renting Homes (Amendment) (Wales) Bill that amends the Renting Homes (Wales) Act 2016. The new law would give tenants in Wales a guaranteed minimum of 12 months’ protection against eviction at the start of a new tenancy if they have not breached the terms of their contract. The Bill […]

As painful as the planning process is – the council have approved our plans, but scuppered us with the worse possible restriction if we proceed. How they can come to such a conclusion and feel it is a viable solution. Basically the property is in London (NW10). It is a large Victorian property and we […]

I have a friend who bought a property 11 years ago, but had to add his mother to the deeds and the mortgage to be able to get the mortgage amount needed. The plan was, or should have been, to hold the property as tenants in common with his mum only owning 1%. However, from […]

Help! I have taken a tenant to court (section 8) rent arrears and the court provided the tenant with a solicitor. The tenant is now claiming that the property is not fit for purpose as it has damp mould in various places ( this has never been reported to me). The court case has now […]

I am an overseas landlord and have a property that needs minor fixes and gas safety certification. The tenant claims to be a busy person so he can not accompany(open the door) for our contractor to get those done. However, he is willing to charge us £1000 for the time he accompanies(open the door) our […]

I’m looking to buy an ex-local authority flat on the first floor of a 10-storey block in Hackney. The building has several lifts and, in general, is in good condition.  There is no deck access – the corridor where you enter the flat is closed to the elements. But only 16% of the flats in […]

I am at an advanced stage of selling a flat in a building with 6 storeys, but at this late stage my buyer has come forward to tell me their lender will not progress the sale unless my managing agent can produce a certificate confirming the building does not have high risk cladding. This would […]