Landlords have every right to decide who signs a tenancy agreement for their property and most people wouldn’t blame them for wanting a reliable tenant. However, there is a danger that landlords are stereotyping would-be tenants based on the media perception of benefit claimants.
Rogue landlords are always in the headlines for one reason or another. Despite government attempts to crack down on rogue landlords, this is one problem that refuses to go away. The main problem is that many local councils don’t pursue rogue landlords through the courts.
A new court ruling allowing Brent Council to use the Proceeds of Crime Act to claw back earnings from a family of rogue landlords has set an important legal precedent for future court cases. The court ruling will help councils tackle the problem of poor housing and rogue landlords.
Despite tax changes and a tightening up of mortgage borrowing, buy to let landlords can still make a profit – just. Of course, some areas are more profitable than others, with Liverpool and Nottingham the two top areas in 2018. But, whilst property yields for traditional buy to let rentals are generally around the 6% […]
In the wake of the Grenfell Tower tragedy, the safety of tower blocks has come under intense scrutiny. Many older tower blocks still have external cladding, which is believed to have contributed to the spread of the deadly Grenfell Tower inferno.
Property prices in London fell by 0.08% at the back end of last year, according to data released by the Office for National Statistics. This is compared to an average price growth of 0.1% in the rest of the UK. It would have been higher overall but for stagnant growth in the capital.
The government has confirmed it will be supporting the Fitness for Human Habitation and Liability for Housing Standards bill put forward by Karen Buck, Labour MP. The bill will receive a second reading this Friday, and if it is passed, tenants living in the private rental sector will soon have the power to sue landlords […]
A housing campaigner has revealed that “highly organised” rogue landlords are exploiting councils desperate to provide accommodation for homeless people. The so-called “lockdown” model is rife in at least 12 London boroughs and there are fears that it is spreading like wildfire across the rest of the UK.
There has been a great deal of debate about Universal Credit since the government announced the way benefits are paid to tenants would be changing. On the face of it, rolling individual payments into one single payment seems like a great idea, but the new system means housing benefit is no longer paid directly to […]
Following calls from the Citizens Advice, Sajid Javid recently announced plans to put in place a compulsory arbitration scheme for landlords. It will soon become a legal requirement for private landlords to sign up to the scheme, so tenants can access a dispute resolution process if they have issues with their landlord. The scheme first […]
Research carried out by a leading landlord mortgage provider has found that 30% of landlords claim they will stop using a letting agent if their costs go up. Thanks to recent legislative changes, letting agents will no longer be able to charge tenants fees when they rent a property via an agent. Many believe this […]
Analysis by the Guardian has revealed that one in seven elected councillors in rental hotspots is a landlord. This has raised concerns that there could be a conflict of interest on matters pertaining to landlords in the private rental sector. The figures were revealed after councillor declarations of interest, which councillors are obliged to make […]
A landlord left with a £10k bill for damages and court costs after finally evicting a problem tenant is calling for a change in the law. The tenant, a single mother with three children, moved into the “immaculate” property in September 2016. It wasn’t long before she defaulted on the rent.
Research carried out by the NLA has revealed that landlords are often unwilling to let properties to tenants in receipt of Universal Credit. Only 20% of landlords said they would accept a benefits tenant. This figure has dropped from the 34% of landlords who were willing in 2013.
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