The 1st of March will see the launch of the countries first tenant accreditation Scheme, (UK TAS), bred from a pilot scheme trialled in Southend-on-sea by the private sector housing of the Borough Council. The UKTAS is in stark contrast to the numerous accreditation schemes out their aimed at agents and landlords to drive out […]

“I only rent out one property”, “I use a letting agent”, “I’m a passive property investor”, “I do buy to let but I’m not a landlord”. Why do people say these things? If you own a property, even if it’s only one, and you collect rent from it, YOU are a landlord in the eyes […]

Government need to take note because this illness has reached epidemic proportions and, in my opinion, is the reason many private landlords are refusing to take tenants on benefits. If a cure is not found soon Shelter may need to build shelters to house sufferers. I know that it is not PC to suggest that […]

About 500,000 new tenants have registered to rent buy to let homes over the past two years with just one network of national letting agents. Over 275,000 signed up in 2011 – an increase of 53,000 (24%) over the 222,000 who were desperately seeking to rent a home in 2010.

– News Sourced by Property118 News Team – Landlords have been told to ensure their tenants know how to deal with and prevent mould from condensation by The Association of Independent Inventory Clerks. With the cold meaning bathrooms windows will be firmly shut, condensation could be creating costly-to-fix damp. The AIIC have created a check […]

We have witnessed a variety of different challenges which have impacted upon the housing market at different times and in different ways. In the early 80s the problem was one of excessively high interest rates; there have been times when rampant inflation has caused house prices to escalate by thousands a week in certain areas […]

As stories of Letting Agents who cease trading owing large sums of money continue be reported, Norwich based landlord Mark Alexander has launched an e-petition advocating the compulsory licensing of UK Letting Agents to protect both landlords and tenants. Over 4 million homes are provided by the Private Rented Sector in the UK by 1.5 […]

– News Sourced by Property118 News Team – Following Shelter’s five point plan to step up its fight against rogue landlords, The RLA have released a damning response labeling it a “charter of clichés which can spell danger for tenants too.” Local authorities should be doing more to track down the rogue landlords that are […]

Buy to let landlords added 84,000 rental properties to their portfolios in 2011, according to the latest figures from mortgage firms. To put the market into perspective, at the peak of buy to let lending, 93,000 loans worth £12.7 billion were advanced in just three months between June and September 2007. That compared to 69,100 […]

News Sourced by Property118 News Team The rise of buy to let is more about the decline of social housing in the UK over recent years, according to the latest housing statistics from the Communities and Local Government Department. The gap between private and social renting has steadily shrunk from 3 million to just 200,000 […]

Buy to let looks to continue to prosper as surveyors presented a drab picture of the construction industry. The government has admitted the country needs an influx of infrastructure and housing projects to boost the economy and provide much needed homes over the few years. Although difficulties in sourcing mortgages are holding back home buyers, […]

Buy to let investors searching for homes offering the best value need to look north, according to online portal Zoopla. Property prices in London and South East – and towns within easy commuting distance like Northampton and Swindon – are commanding higher values with less room for price negotiation.

The latest landlord and property related news including guest articles from industry experts covering property management best practice.  Angus Ryan stresses the importance of having the right landlord property insurance, the ever entertaining HMO landlady shares her tale of cowboy builders and Mark Alexander adds two more compelling blogs to his Landlord’s Log posing questions […]

Too many self-interest groups are inflating the real rents buy to let landlords are picking up, claims letting specialist Belvoir. Data and interpretations are out of step with reality because most of the claims are from operators around London, where rents are much higher than elsewhere. Belvoir – which has 140 nationwide offices – has […]

Time is running out for buy to let investors in Wales who wish to make their feelings known about proposals to set up a compulsory landlords register. The date for responses to the Welsh Assembly Government ‘Meeting the Housing Challenge’ closes on February 14. The government is planning a nationwide register and accreditation of landlords […]

After moving into my ex-HMO and refurbishing it last year, I decided that I wanted an open fire or woodburner. I’ve always wanted one and seemed to have come so close a few times but then sold a house before my dream could become a reality – husband citing it as a poor investment. During […]

Buildings insurance for a property is generally the responsibility of the owner or landlord. Tenants must still take out contents insurance to cover their possessions if they want to be protected against theft or fire damage, though for example. This is even more relevant in a House in Multiple Occupation letting to students or professionals. […]

Premium tenancies are something I’ve heard a bit about from a few different landlords in various parts of the Country who don’t know each other. This leads me to believe that these tenancies are more than just an urban myth but I have to admit that they are something I know very little about. However, I’ll share […]

The tax man has lost a key case that allows holiday let owners claim business property relief against inheritance tax. HM Revenue & Customs has argued for many years that holiday lets are an investment, not a business, and as such are not allowed to claim the relief unless the owner was ‘substantially’ involved with […]

Firms buying homes and renting them back to struggling home owners who are often trying to avoid repossession have stopped trading after a Financial Services Authority investigation. The FSA says most of the schemes should never have been sold as they were either unaffordable or unsuitable solutions for homeowners. The schemes were marketed under several […]

Do you think Landlords need to have a Data Protection Licence? My opinion of this is that the rules are very clear. Any person carrying on business who holds personal and/or financial data about other people should be licensed and take proper care to protect any data they hold, whether that’s computer or paper records. To quote […]