Evidence must dictate tenancies reform

Alan Ward, Chairman of the Residential Landlords Association, says the Tenancies (Reform) Bill will hurt good tenants and landlords. “Laws are like sausages, it is better not to see them being made”, so said Otto von Bismarck. When it comes to the Tenancies (Reform) Bill being debated in the Commons today he was right. We […]

Rogue landlord in Hounslow stripped of licences in ‘landmark’ ruling

A rogue landlord in Hounslow has been stripped of his licences in a ‘landmark ruling’ after letting out filthy bedsits which were potential death traps. Hounslow Council revoked Ifthikar Uddin’s licences for properties in Avonwick Drive and Fairfields Road on the grounds he was not a ‘fit and proper’ person to hold them. The council […]

No rate rise until 2016 but no housing boom either says bank

HSBC is the first major institution to suggest the Bank of England will not raise interest rates next year at all – but it insists this is unlikely to boost the sluggish housing market. HSBC economists lowered their 2015 UK growth forecasts from 2.6 per cent to 2.4 per cent – lower than the Bank […]

Refurbish to Let Trend Taking Hold in the UK

In recent reports it has been suggested that if plans proposed by the Bank of England are to go ahead then it could mean that landlords would have to find deposits of up to forty per cent in order to receive a buy to let mortgage. There have been other reports that suggest that landlords […]

Young workers say they pay over 40 per cent of their salary in rent

The housing experiences of young people across the UK – who have told the Trades Union Congress (TUC) and Generation Rent that they face unaffordable housing costs, insecurity of tenure and exploitation by private landlords – was one of the topics debated on Saturday (15 November) in London at the TUC’s Big Youth Debate. More […]

Miliband accused of ‘populist tirade’ against PRS landlords

Ed Miliband has been accused of launching a “populist tirade” against private rented sector (PRS) landlords, by the Residential Landlords Association (RLA). According to the RLA, comments the Labour leader made this week about PRS tenants living in fear and having to face unpredictable rent rises “bear little resemblance to fact”. Countering Miliband’s claims, the […]

Accelerated Possession claims to go online

From Wednesday 12 November, the Government has launched a service which will enable landlords to start the process of evicting tenants using the Section 21 accelerated possession procedure by filling out an online form. This was an idea which was put forward by leading tenant eviction firm Landlord Action, as part of its role on […]

London landlord receives record fine

A London landlord has been hit with fines and costs totalling £280k from renting illegal housing after ignoring council orders to stop renting his outbuilding and return it to normal use. David Kohali turned his outbuilding in Hornsey Road, Holloway, into six small flats sometime before 2009. In that year he was ordered by the […]

Would this buy-to-let couple be caught out by new EU rules?

Buy-to-let investors and mortgage lenders remain angered and bemused by EU legislation that could leave some owners of second properties struggling to find a loan. European legislation will make it harder for so-called “accidental landlords” to borrow. This undefined group could include those home owners unable to sell their property or financing a house move. […]