After reading the comments posted here, I wanted to begin a new discussion about Universal Credit and I hope that Ben Reeve-Lewis will join me to give his take on what the future holds for landlords who take tenants on benefits. I hope that others will also join in.

Councillors are blaming student landlords for a shortage of affordable homes for families that is ‘distorting’ the housing market. Now, councillors in Chichester, Sussex, are considering planning controls to stop landlords opening new houses in multiple occupation shared by students. An internal council report claims student landlords cater for around 40% of the local university’s […]

The secret’s finally out about the best performing international house markets for property investors over the past decade – and the results are not what most property people would think. Top of the league is India, where prices have surged by 284% since 2001 – an average annual increase of 14%. The UK returned a […]

The latest news and tips for private landlords. Angus Ryan discusses the issues of repossession, harassment and illegal eviction. John Paul covers the importance of forms and procedures in his fourth article of a series of LHA top tips.  And Glenn Ackroyd poses a thought provoking tenant based question.

If you are a regular reader of our news and blogs here on Property118 you may have noticed that in the last few days we have added some new badges to the right margin of our website advertising Commercial Mortgages and Development Finance. When we started property118.com we made a pledge never to charge our […]

LHA Top Tips for landlords. Article 4 in a series of 8 The most important things are that you need everything in writing; you need to keep it clear and simple for the tenant and you must understand timings.

I’ve just booked a table for Property118.com for the ELA Grand Summer Ball & ELA Excellence Awards taking place at De Vere Dunston Hall, Norwich on 15th June 2012. The event looks to be a great networking opportunity and fun too, not the typical Summer Ball sitting around tables, listening to a boring speaker and […]

Buy to let rents nudged down by 0.6% in February – the third fall in the past year, according to the UK’s largest chain of letting agents. Letting activity dropped back over recent weeks, according to LSL Property Services, mainly due to the end of the stamp duty holiday for first time buyers triggering a […]

Missing a rent payment could affect a tenant’s credit rating as one of the largest credit checking firms opens a new service for landlords and letting agents. Experian is opening data files on a tenant’s rent payment history as a new check for landlords and letting agents vetting renters who want to move in to […]

The landlord of a shared house where a mum and her three-year-old daughter died in an arson attack may face jail for ignoring fire safety laws. They died when a spurned girlfriend set light to her former boyfriend’s room in an unlicensed house in multiple occupation (HMO) in Milton Keynes last year.

A university had to take on extra staff to deal with complaints about a landlord who stole deposits on student housing. Detectives claim 18 theft charges admitted by Tariq Zaman, 42, at Leeds Crown Court were just a ‘representative view’ of the money he stole over several years letting houses in multiple occupation (HMOs) owned […]

The only way to bring a tenancy to an end is the voluntary surrender on the part of the tenant or for a landlord to obtain a court order for possession. Any other way is likely to be construed as unlawful eviction which is a criminal offence, using violence or changing the locks when the […]

It’s not often the tax man gives something away, but from the start of the next tax year landlords can pick up a little extra. For many landlords, big tax savings do not often come from major strategies, but from adding together several small reliefs and allowances. Two to watch are home as office costs […]

Rent arrears and debt problems are mounting up for thousands of tenants – with the number calling for help soaring by 55% last year. Debt charity Consumer Credit Counselling Service (CCCS) says renters have suffered disproportionately from the country’s economic woes. A combination of rising living costs, increasing joblessness and rents continuing to surge upwards […]

If you had a choice of the two tenants below which would you choose? A middle-aged couple (one working and earning minimum wage, one at home) with two school age daughters, who have rented their current two-bedroom home for 4 years, and now want a 3 bedroomed house so that their daughters can have a […]

The spotlight is on letting and estate agencies in today’s edition as we report on a sharp rise in letting agent complaints and ARLA issue their own response to the dramatic increase. We warmly welcome Ray Brooks Estate Agency who bring a rich history and wry sense of humour to the fold. John Paul continues […]

Following the report from the Property Ombudsman that revealed a sharp rise in complaints about lettings agents, ARLA have issued their response. They are “disappointed” by the figures but believe a closer look creates a slightly different picture, given that only 10% of complaints made it to the Ombudsman.

LHA Top Tips for landlords. Article 3 in a series of 8 The longer you keep a tenant the less paperwork and voids you will experience. Start by finding a tenant you feel confident is right for your property and your management strategy and start as you mean to continue.

Complaints against rogue letting agents surged by 26% to more than 7,600 in 2011, according to independent adjudicator The Property Ombudsman. In a year that saw continuing fraud and bad management leading to landlords and tenants losing cash to businesses that often closed without warning, the ombudsman is calling for higher standards across the industry. […]

Buy to let lenders are squeezing the availability of loans as funding problems ripple out through the industry. Landlords are finding loans more difficult to locate as lenders topple like dominoes due to exceptionally high demand for limited cash.

New online services are springing up that let property people and renters share information about ‘bad’ landlords and tenants – but are the details fair and accurate? The problem for a landlord is these sites can open the door for equality and diversity claims. If a landlord acts on the data and refuses to let […]