Landlord ordered to repay rent after letting agent’s error
A Property Tribunal has ordered a landlord to repay rent for failing to license a flat after a letting agent gave the wrong advice. Saint Property Services, based in Nottingham, told the landlord their two-bedroom flat (pictured) in the Netherfield area of the city wasn’t in an area of ‘selective licensing’ under the Housing Act 2004. But […]
Student renters are getting scammed out of their deposits
Rogue landlords are exploiting young and inexperienced renters and leaving them in mental and financial turmoil, reports Niall Hignett. When Alice*, a then 21-year-old University of Nottingham student, moved into her accommodation and paid a £500 deposit, she never expected that that money would not be returned. “I asked for [my deposit] back, and they […]
Why Scotland needs to attract more landlords into the private rented sector, rather than driving them away
In an ideal world, home ownership would be the accepted way for everyone to live, with people enjoying the security, warmth, shelter and sense of belonging that comes with being able to shut your own door behind you. But this is not an ideal world – in fact, it sometimes feels that each passing day […]
One in four landlords to sell if ‘no fault’ evictions are abolished
A proposal to abolish controversial ‘no fault’ evictions could lead to a quarter of landlords selling property, new research from The Mortgage Works highlights. A poll of more than 700 landlords gauged reactions to the government’s ‘Fairer Private Rented Sector’ white paper, which sets out a range of proposals – from removing Section 21 ‘no […]
The Non-resident Landlords Scheme: Overview of the Scheme
The Non-resident Landlords Scheme is a scheme for taxing the UK rental income of landlords whose usual place of abode is outside the UK (‘non-resident landlords’). The underlying legislation is at ITA07/S971 and SI1995/2902. The Scheme began on 1 April 1996 and is now the technical responsibility of Personal Tax International (previously CAR Residency). Audit […]
Cost of living crisis: what are your rights if your landlord wants to increase your rent?
A lack of affordable housing and growing demand for rental properties have sent the rental market into a state of crisis, and young people are particularly affected. New data suggests that nearly four in ten renters under the age of 30 pay more than 30% of their income on rent, and some are turning to house sharing. According […]
Political website sets out case against rent controls
With the campaign for rent controls gathering momentum from London Mayor Sadiq Khan and sympathetic pressure groups, a right wing Conservative-backing website has set out the case against. Guido Fawkes, a right wing political news site, sets out the experiences of Berlin and the Republic of Ireland to demonstrate the consequences of rent controls. It […]
Rents in the UK rise by an average of 8.3% over the last year
Recent figures from Dataloft show that Brits under 30 are facing a cost-of-renting crisis with four-in-ten now spending more than 30% of their pay on rent – representing a five-year high. Rents in the UK have risen by an average of 8.3% over the last 12 months – pushing rents to 15.7% above pre-pandemic levels. […]
Buy To Lets to prosper as student accommodation shortfall worsens
Rising numbers of young people going to university and a relatively low supply of new student housing means that by 2025 the UK will face a shortfall of around 450,000 student beds. StuRents – which says it’s the country’s largest portal for student accommodation – has calculated that just over 248,000 beds are likely to […]
Section 21 Notices: Why do landlords serve these on tenants?
A new survey reveals precisely why the controversial Section 21 notice is served by landlords on tenants. In a study by industry law service Landlord Action, some 34 per cent of landlords said they had served an S21. Amongst those, the most common reasons given were rent arrears (31 per cent), landlords selling their property […]