High court to hear challenge against landlord licence scheme
A landlord is set to take Enfield Borough Council to the Royal Courts of Justice over a licensing scheme. The High Court will hear Constantinos Regas’s case against the authority’s compulsory licensing scheme on Thursday. The scheme, known as additional and selective licensing, requires landlords to hold a £500 five-year licence from the local authority […]
Buy-to-let borrowers face new costs and limits
‘Accidental landlords’ face new rules on borrowing, under new European laws. Buy-to-let home owners will have to pass tough new affordability tests that could result in tens of thousands of people being denied loans, and others paying more for mortgages. New rules are being created after Europe insisted on changes to how “accidental landlords” are […]
Experts suggest full BTL regulation is on the cards
All mortgage market stakeholders should prepare themselves for the full regulation of the buy-to-let market in the future, according to industry experts at today’s FSE London event in Old Billingsgate. Speaking about the forthcoming partial regulation of the buy-to-let market as part of the European Mortgage Credit Directive, in particular the focus on ‘accidental landlords’, […]
Over 400,000 private landlords’ properties damaged by tenants
Research has revealed that 28% of the country’s private landlords have had their property damaged by tenants in the last 12 months. According to the National Landlords Association’s (NLA) estimates, over 400,000 of the UK’s 1.5 million private landlords have been affected. And the NLA’s research shows that the North East is the most perilous […]
A tenth of landlords unable to confirm their tenants are gas safe
One in ten landlords are unable to confirm their tenants are living in a gas safe home, according to new research by British Gas and Shelter. The survey also revealed that 14 per cent of landlords did not know they had a legal obligation to have their properties checked for gas safety every year. The […]
Agents failed to inform landlords of property damage – are they liable for the loss?
Here is a question to the blog clinic from Arthur (not his real name) on behalf of his sons who are landlords: A property my two sons own is let out by a letting agency, as they do not live permanently in the same city as the let out property. On a recent visit by […]
Landlords may become new ‘border police
Under the new Immigration Act 2014 which comes into force in December landlords have to ask prospective tenants to produce evidence of their permission to be in the UK before granting them a tenancy. The Home Office has produced lists of acceptable documents. If documents from the lists cannot be provided, the landlord must not […]
Top areas for rental income
It’s a commonly known fact that London provides the UK’s highest rental income for landlords, and it seems its influence is spreading. Commuter belt cities such as Elmbridge in Surrey offer landlords the highest rental income outside of the capital. Research by Direct Line for Business has revealed that whilst London landlords top the bill […]
Landlords not maintaining safety measures
AXA Business Insurance has researched the largest concerns of the 8.3 million residential tenants in the UK. The research reveals that almost 60% of tenants rent because they are priced out of the housing market, while the greatest downsides of renting are finding properties in a dirty state on moving-in day and unfriendly landlords. In […]
Gas Safety Week 2014
Gas Safety Week is a national safety campaign to raise awareness of gas safety in the UK’s 23 million gas fuelled homes. It is co-ordinated by Gas Safe Register with support from the gas industry including retailers, manufacturers, consumer bodies and the public. Gas Safety Week 2014 will take place 15th-21st September 2014, with […]