Following a 10 minute rule motion from Labour MP, Nick Raynsford, the majority of MPs have backed a proposal to make the provision of smoke alarms mandatory in private rented homes. 245 MPs backed the motion and only eight voted against it. The smoke alarm bill will be given a second
Since Ed Miliband announced that Labour plans to introduce a number of key changes to the private rented sector, there has been a great deal of criticism levelled in his direction. Most industry experts believe that his proposed reforms will be disastrous and cause untold damage.
A poll of students living in York, a popular university city, have accused landlords of cashing in by holding on to deposits at the end of tenancies and failing to deal with serious problems such as mould, damp and vermin infestation.
A report issued by the Chartered Institute of Building (CIB) is recommending that the government raise property taxes for landlords who don’t invest in repairs or keep their properties well maintained. They say that if property taxes are better targeted then landlords are more likely to spend money on their
Ed Miliband has announced today his party’s policy for greater regulation of the private rented sector. Under his proposals, landlords will have to provide three-year tenancy agreements and there would be rent caps based on average market rents. Landlords would also have to meet tough requirements if they
The National Union of Students is calling for the government to better regulate letting agents and private landlords in an effort to improve living conditions for students studying in the UK.
The Guardian is asking its readers whether they think that cutting tax breaks private landlords currently enjoy will help to improve standards in the private rental sector. The Chartered Institute of Housing (CIH) believes this is the answer after analysis conducted by
According to recent research carried out by AA Home Membership and published in the Independent, 22% of landlords have had a dispute at some point with one of their tenants. The reasons behind the dispute vary but the main reason why landlords and tenants fell out was over the condition of the
No landlord wants to have to evict a tenant as it is a time consuming and costly process, but if a tenant is refusing to pay the rent, you can only let things slide for so long. The cost of evicting tenants is set to rise rather steeply as of April 22.
Mortgage interest rates have been at a historic all-time low for quite some time now. This is one of the reasons why many new investors have entered the buy to let market. Low interest rates combined with rising rents has meant very attractive rental yields in many parts of the country. Demand for
Reading the small print is something you should always do, under any circumstances, but the Sunday Telegraph is warning landlords to beware of management agents’ contracts. An investigation by paper has revealed a number of terms and conditions hidden in the small print of many contracts,
At the height of the economic recession, 94% of all properties coming on to the rental market were there because the owner was unable to sell. Instead of staying put, they chose to let their home out in the hope that the property market would pick up again. These people were dubbed ‘accidental
A landlord in Stockton had a nasty shock when he went round to inspect his property two weeks after new tenants moved in, only to discover his tenants had ripped up floorboards and stripped out copper piping for the purposes of selling it on to a scrap metal dealer,
If you want to attract good quality tenants, it pays to do everything possible to make your property more attractive to potential tenants. Letting agents are in a good position to know what makes a property stand out from the crowd, which is why one agent from
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