Research data published by the 2018-19 English Housing Survey has revealed that tenant demographics are changing. Many landlords assume that the vast majority of tenants fall in the under 30 age group, as these are the people who can’t afford to buy. However, the stats indicate that there has been a sharp rise in the […]
We hear a lot about rogue landlords in the press, but not so much about rogue tenants. Don’t let this lull you into a false sense of security! There are some shocking stories of rogue tenants out there, some of which are so stomach-churning that your breakfast could be in jeopardy…
In England, it takes a landlord 17 weeks, on average, to evict a tenant – that’s 119 days. North of the border, things are a lot different.
100 councils across England have been given a share of a £4m pot of cash, to help them tackle issues brought by rogue landlords in their boroughs. Some of this money will be invested in new technology, such as smartphone apps.
Legislation capping tenants’ deposits has led to a festive bonus for some tenants in the UK. Now that deposits are capped at five weeks’ worth of rent, tenants are receiving a rebate when they come to renew their tenancy.
2019 has been a difficult year for landlords. The continued loss of mortgage interest tax relief, as well as the introduction of Making Tax Digital, have not helped instil a sense of confidence in the private rental sector. As a result, many landlords are predicting more doom and gloom ahead…
A district judge has slammed a rogue landlord for his crimes against tenants. In his ruling, the judge told the court that the landlord, George Lindsay from Birmingham, was worse than Scrooge and he wished he had the powers to send him to jail. Sadly, he didn’t, so he was fined £19,970 instead…
The next General Election is just around the corner. So, to help you out, we have looked at what each party has planned for the buy to let sector. Read on to find out what your choices are.
Landlord repossessions are on the rise. Data released this week has revealed that 800k landlords had their properties repossessed in Q3 of 2019, which is a huge 40% rise on the same period of the previous year. Serious mortgage arrears have risen by 9%, although arrears overall are slightly below the figures from last year.
The Tenant Fees Act came into force in June. It is designed to prevent landlords and letting agents from overcharging tenants. Since this has come into force it’s meant that landlords must now refund any part of a tenant’s deposit that exceeds the statutory five-week cap.
Heat and hot water are two things a landlord must provide. Bedrooms should be at least 18 degrees Celsius and living areas 21 degrees Celsius. Most tenants expect to have control over when the heating comes on, for how long, and also whether there is any hot water…
A leading alternative deposit provider is calling on the government to incentivise deposit reforms by offering landlords tax breaks if they move away from traditional upfront deposits.
An Edinburgh landlord has been fined after claiming his flat was a holiday let when it clearly wasn’t. He told the tribunal the property was owned by an overseas relative and he was only the manager rather than the legal owner, and as such he was ignorant of his duties. However, this defence was firmly […]
Around 7% of landlords in the UK are “accidental”. They are the landlords who never intended to let out properties. Some are forced into the sector when they can’t sell their home but have to move anyway; others inherited a property and are not yet ready to relinquish it.
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