Banning no-fault evictions in England—will it work?
Plans to end no-fault evictions ‘biggest shake-up’ in a long time. Under government plans, private landlords in England will no longer be able to quickly evict their tenants without a good reason for doing so. The government intends to consult on the scrapping of section 21, which allows landlords to evict tenants—with as little as […]
Is this the end of amateur buy-to-let landlords?
Amateur buy-to-let landlords are being forced out of the market after lucrative tax breaks were scrapped and reduced the amount of finance available. In 2007, banks authorised 16,000 loans every month for buy-to-let investors. In February, that figure has fallen to 4,800. According to figures from UK Finance, only a quarter of newly issued loans […]
Do we need a specialist housing court?
The Ministry of Housing, Communities & Local Government published a call for evidence in November 2018 stating that: ‘The government wants to explore whether a specialist housing court could make it easier for all users of court and tribunal services to resolve disputes, reduce delays and to secure justice in housing cases’. The call for […]
Agents defend housing benefit restrictions in rental adverts to MPs
Lettings agents have defended the use of “No DSS” phrases in property listings, claiming landlords are often following instructions from their mortgage lenders or insurer. MPs on the Work and Pensions Committee heard evidence from agents, banks and tenants yesterday as part of an inquiry into discrimination against benefit claimants in the housing sector. Speaking […]
Why we need renters’ unions
The experience of privately renting a house in the UK is terrible. Not just a little bit bad, but absolutely awful, worse than renting in almost any other rich country. In London it is not uncommon to meet people who have not managed to stay anywhere longer than six months over the course of several […]
How the Tenant Fees Act affects UK landlords
rom June 1, 2019, the Tenant Fees Act comes into force, in England. For landlords who use agents, it is important to understand the implications, as one possible outcome is that agents could increase fees elsewhere. Andrew Turner, chief executive at Commercial Trust Limited, looks at the issues that landlords may face as a result […]
Letting agencies warned of legislation to end use of ‘no DSS’ ads
Commons committee compares use of such ads to a “hostile environment” for tenants on benefits. A Commons committee has called on landlords to end “no DSS” clauses in rental ads – comparing them to the notorious “no blacks, no Irish, no dogs” notices of the past. If they don’t, Work and Pensions committee chairman Frank […]
Almost one in 10 landlords do not allow tenants to switch energy providers
Thousands of tenants are being told by their landlord that they are not allowed to switch energy providers with a view to reducing their bills, according to a new survey. The study from auto-energy switching service Migrate found that 9% of tenants have been told by their landlord or letting agent that they do not […]
Beware the £470m home rental tax trap
But experts say the move could lead to a rush of house sales over the next 12 months as landlords look to flee the buy-to-let market before April. This sudden increase in supply could, in turn, even cause house prices in some areas to fall. An accidental landlord is someone who didn’t buy a property […]
Are no fault evictions a ‘disaster’ for landlords?
In what they have described as ‘the biggest change to the private rental sector for a generation’, the government has unveiled plans to hold a consultation on their proposal to abolish ‘no-fault evictions’. The proposals are part of the government’s promise to tackle the housing crisis, increasing tenant security and balancing the bargaining power between […]