Court Rules That Landlord Was Not Required To Provide An EPC For A Pre-2015 Tenancy
In a judgment handed down by the Court of Appeal in the case of Minister v Hathaway [2021] EWCA Civ 936, it was ruled that the Landlords of an assured shorthold tenancy (that commenced prior to 1st October 2015) could serve a Section 21 notice on the Tenant despite the fact that the Landlords hadn’t […]
Why stamp duty land tax should be abolished
Today is the final day of the initial Stamp Duty Land Tax (SDLT) holiday and so I thought it would be useful to assess its impact and what learnings we should take from it. First of all, let’s recap, as in March, the government extended the initial SDLT holiday, which was due to expire at […]
Written Statement: Support for tenants through the Covid-19 pandemic
Throughout the Covid-19 pandemic Welsh Government have taken unprecedented steps to support tenants, preventing them from becoming homeless and supporting them to remain in their homes. In addition to existing support available, this has included… Click on this link to read the full article.
Rent Repayment Orders and landlords – nowhere to hide?
Rent repayment orders are all in the legal news nowadays as tenants wake up to the fact that they may be able to reclaim 1 year’s worth of rent. Lots of tenants are now bringing claims and securing large awards. Landlords are outraged about this, but the answer is clear – always make sure you […]
Licensing schemes protect tenants – so let’s do more
The licensing of rented properties makes it much easier for tenants to enforce their rights. It also helps to tackle criminal landlords. When a caseworker at Safer Renting, a charity service that helps tenants in crisis, learns that their client lives in a home that should have been licensed, a cheer goes around the team. […]
One in five landlords plan to sell their rental property
Landlords blame red tape and tax changes for making them decide to sell up. Nearly a million landlords plan to review their buy-to-let portfolios over the next two years, according to Nottingham Building Society. And the mutual found that those planning to sell outnumber those planning to buy more properties. Click on this link to […]
Buy to let lender says landlords push for holiday let products
Buy to let lender Keystone says demand from landlords making the switch to holiday lets have driven it to expand its product range. Borrowers looking to purchase or remortgage a holiday let within England and Wales can choose from products with two-year fixes starting at 3.34 per cent and five-year fixes from 3.49 per cent. […]
Government told to ‘big up’ agents role in helping fix rental repairs
ARLA Propertymark says a new government online checker to help private tenants establish what repairs they may be entitled to should have emphasised the role of letting agents in helping renters. We reported at the end of last week that the Ministry for Housing, Communities and Local Government and the Ministry of Justice had launched […]
Renting is terrible? Not at all: for many it’s the preferred tenure…
The narrative from some activists and pressure groups is that private renting is some kind of ordeal endured by those who cannot afford to buy – but a new survey shows that simply isn’t the case. The residential rental company UNCLE has conducted a survey to reveal the public’s thoughts on renting – from how […]
Annual house price growth at highest level since 2004
Annual house price growth accelerated to 13.4% in June, the highest level since November 2004, according to latest data from the Nationwide Building Society. All UK regions recording a pickup in the second quarter. The UK’s largest building society reported that house prices were up 0.7% month-on-month, after taking account of seasonal factors. Click this […]