The government has delivered a sharp rebuke to Labour-controlled city council after hearing from the National Landlords Association that it was found to be “unfairly penalising” landlords. Hull City Council has been taking an aggressive stance against landlords whose tenants report them for an alleged failing in their property, serving them with enforcement notices before […]

Local authorities are failing in their duty to prosecute rogue letting agents, undermining efforts to improve the image of the private rented sector, the National Landlords Association warns today. The NLA found that more than half of local authorities did not prosecute a single letting agent in the four-year period from 2014/15 to 2017/18. In […]

We have been in the student lettings business for a number of years. With the changes that have recently come in with regard to fees etc. we would now like to update our tenancy agreement to include the guarantor agreement. We have been advised by the NLA that the guarantors should always sign first before […]

Almost four out of ten landlords (39%) would like the Government to introduce a fast track housing tribunal if the Section 21 ‘no-fault’ eviction process is abolished as planned according to Paragon’s PRS Trends Report for Q2 2019 which surveys the views and experience of over 200 landlords. The Section 21 ‘no-fault’ eviction process was […]

The roll out of Universal Credit has had an impact on rental arrears for claimants. Rent owed by Universal Credit claimants in the UK is, on average, £663 compared to just £263 for those on housing benefit (source: a FOI request made by Panorama). In July the Government will begin porting over legacy claimants of […]

My letting agent took on a lady in May last year who I knew was vulnerable. She was on the higher rate of both care and mobility Disability Living Allowance so her total income was £470 per week including her housing benefit. Her rent was £850 per month which was at the higher end of […]

Speech by Communities Secretary James Brokenshire at the Local Government Association Annual Conference. Click here to read the full speech: Housing “Housing is another vital area where local authorities need to strengthen their ability to deliver. This is, undoubtedly, our top domestic priority – the challenge of a generation. Whatever else changes, that will not […]

New research* for specialist lender**  Precise Mortgages, shows 52% of landlords use letting income to boost earnings from a full-time job.  The findings highlight the need for lenders to offer top slicing to help more customers achieve greater flexibility on buy to let products and loan size. The study found that even among landlords with […]

I let a ground/lower ground floor flat out in a converted property of twelve flats. It is let out on a standard AST where there is a clause for the tenant to pay for the removal of “vermin, pests and insects, if the infestation occurs during the term”. During the hot spell the flat was […]

Competition within the first-time landlord buy-to-let mortgage market has increased significantly over the last five years seeing a rise in the number of products available and a reduction in rates, research from Moneyfacts.co.uk reveals. Over the last five years, the number of products available for first-time landlords has increased from 645 in 2014 to 1,405 […]

Following on from the onslaught against the PRS emanating from Government, Councils and other anti-landlord bodies, the Alliance has now published its housing policy. We have stated our case at the Fair Possession Coalition summit regarding the abolition of section 21. As the curtains come down on May’s failed Premiership, there is an opportunity for […]

I wanted to share this story, because it demonstrates the importance of direct payments from tenants in receipt of Universal Credit to Private Rented Sector (PRS) landlords.  Not only does it give landlords peace of mind, it also safeguards tenancies, ultimately preventing homelessness. Last week, (Tuesday 18th June) a landlord contacted Caridon Landlord Solutions (CLS) because […]

Landlords are urging the candidates to lead the Conservative Party to adopt a more positive approach to the private rented sector. In a letter sent to Jeremy Hunt and Boris Johnson the Residential Landlords Association warns that the interests of tenants are not being well served by policies which are reducing the supply of homes […]

I pay £70 a month for an agent to collect rent on my property. For this they have done nothing since finding the tenant. Oh yes, they did an inventory, but it never materialised. With 2 months’ notice of the end of the 1 year tenancy, they want to charge £600 to let me take […]

Nearly two years ago my Husband and I separated, at this point he went to live in one of our properties recently purchased on an Option Agreement. I stayed in the marital home, which is now going to be sold so that I can move on. We didn’t want to get solicitors involved as we […]

I would be delighted to learn from Shelter just what their intentions are for accommodating elderly people. Do they propose Retirement Villages and if so where does the land come from? Who funds these Retirement Villages? Not Private Sector landlords (PSLs) I fear. The position in the real world is the PSL has just one […]

Given that the Government appears to be rushing to scrap Section 21s possibly before the end of this year (and notwithstanding any change Boris Johnson might make to this if he becomes and stays as Prime Minister for any length of time), how are you as a landlord responding? “Section 21 could be outlawed within […]

More than 4 million people live in the private rented sector, yet when moving home, some tenants can find it a struggle to provide a second deposit to their new landlord, risking falling into debt or becoming trapped in their current home. Ministers want to understand the scale of this problem. Ministers are inviting proposals to make […]

All new-build houses will be sold as freehold in a move to tackle unfair leasehold practices and prevent future home-owners from being trapped in exploitative arrangements, the Communities Secretary said. In a wide-ranging speech to the Chartered Institute of Housing conference in Manchester, the Rt Hon James Brokenshire MP confirmed plans to abolish the selling […]

With the law changing to only allow 5 weeks rent equivalent for a deposit, can this be contested with Local Councils’s? One Local Council (LC) I deal with has a Deposit Bond system whereby the deposit is essentially guaranteed by them from day 1 of the tenancy. The deposit is paid back to Council by […]

An extra 19 garden villages will be created across the country, with the potential to deliver 73,554 homes, it has been announced today. The government is providing £2.85 million to support the development of plans for housing from County Durham in the North to Truro in the South West. Each of the projects will be given £150,000 to […]