Archive

Northern Ireland’s Department for Communities is extending the regulations for the period of notice a landlord must give a tenant before...

The UK’s largest ever additional licensing scheme for HMOs has come into effect over the long weekend.  Westminster council’s scheme will focus...

How up to date is your knowledge on notice periods, pets in rentals, electrical safety inspections and lodgers? This year we’ve...

Agents’ body Propertymark says it wants a dedicated housing court because it’s lost faith in the mainstream court system to handle...

One of the largest new additional licensing schemes for HMOs anywhere in the country is set to come into force in...

A consultation is to begin next month regarding the designation of an entire city as a Short Term Let Control Area. If...

The Labour-run Haringey council in London says some housing conditions in the private rental sector lead to anti-social behaviour. Letting Agent Today...

The government has released new forms for secure and assured tenancies - and agents who fail to use them risk having...

The ban on bailiff-enforced evictions is now finally at an end and from today there is a change to the notice...

A Labour council in London is taking the unusual measure of threatening landlords with community protection notices - associated with anti-social...

The government has announced changes to tenancy notice periods in line with the phased easing of the pandemic restrictions.  Whilst some notice...

One of the London boroughs synonymous with wealth has revealed that 44 per cent of its housing stock is now actually...

An estimated 840,000 private tenants have arrears over the past year since the first eviction ban was announced, according to a...

The government has announced a further extension to the current ban on bailiff-enforced evictions in England until May 31. At that point...

An online petition which appears to inaccurately say private tenants can still be evicted “for no reason” has won 30,000 signatures...

Scotland’s official clampdown on short lets is gathering pace with the country’s housing minister advocating a licensing regime and so-called ‘control...

While the Westminster government has extended its version of the eviction ban in England until February 21, a longer ban -...

The ban on bailiff-enforced evictions for private renters has been extended in England and Wales. This will be until February 21 “at...

The ban on private rental evictions in Scotland has been formally extended by two months, with a high expectation that a...

It is “extremely likely” there will be an extension to the current ban on bailiffs conducting evictions even after court orders...

Activists from the so-called renters’ union Acorn have held a protest outside the office of a lettings agency in Oxford. A photograph...

The main trade body representing lettings agents has described the government’s latest eviction ban as “a further blow” for the sector. At...

Airbnb is undertaking a widespread social media campaign in the UK about its attempts to crack down on anti-social behaviour and...

The government has formally announced a pause in evictions in England until January 11 at the earliest. The only exceptions to this...

It is thought likely that the new four week lockdown in England coming into effect on Thursday will mean evictions will...

The announcement of the Renters’ Reform Bill in the Queen’s speech last December caused a collective groan across the country from...

The government has accused campaign group Generation Rent of peddling “unreliable and misleading” figures about potential evictions in the private rental...

A definitive document has been published by the House of Commons library listing every eviction-related measure taken by UK governments during...

Housing Minister Chris Pincher says the eviction ban is formally over but the situation remains under “constant review” as the second...

The government has set out confirmation of the new regulations and protocols that agents and landlords will have to follow if...

The lettings industry is today preparing for the current ban on repossessions to be lifted on Sunday with courts to hear...

Ahead of the evictions ban being lifted on Sunday, ARLA Propertymark has written to Housing Minister Robert Jenrick, setting out a...

Landlords operating in England are increasingly seeking evictions advice from their Scottish counterparts, according to property management firm Apropos. The platform says...

The latest announcement from Housing Secretary Robert Jenrick suggests the eviction ban WILL end at last on September 20. However, more concessions...

A Tory member has used the Conservative Home website to tell his party that it should introduce interest-free loans to help tenants...

Last month, we were all caught by the surprise news that the government was extending the temporary ban on evictions just...

Agents and landlords must now give tenants six months’ notice before they can evict, except in the most serious of cases,...

In the latest twist in the long-running saga of the eviction ban, the government has revealed changes to notice periods. The changes...

A leading trade body has told Prime Minister Boris Johnson that some landlords face receiving no rent for two years.  In a...

The Generation Rent campaign group has written to Housing Secretary Robert Jenrick demanding answers to five questions regarding the eviction extension...

One of the leading figures in the lettings industry has described the government’s eviction ban U-turn as “devastating.” Paul Shamplina, founder of...

The government has made a last minute U-turn on the eviction ban - extending it for four weeks until September 20. Housing...

A council has won a planning appeal banning the use of a property for short lets - considered a landmark case...

A leading lettings sector trade body has set out reasons why the eviction ban should be lifted - which may help...

A group of Labour and Liberal Democrat MPs have together claimed that England could witness "a new wave of homelessness" when...

A leading politician is calling for a rethink of the six month possession period which has been imposed in Wales. Mark Isherwood,...

A local authority has extended its consultation process for a selective licensing system which, if it goes ahead, would see some...

The housing minister says the resumption of eviction possession court cases at the end of next month must be done in...

The Irish government says it’s considering buying properties that were listed on Airbnb and other short-let platforms before the pandemic. In an...

The council in Liverpool is likely to propose a scaled-back private rental licensing scheme after its original suggestion was rejected by...

The National Residential Landlords Association has dismissed the latest claims by campaigning charity Shelter that landlords have not done enough to...

The government appears to have confirmed that the evictions ban will end in late August and courts will resume hearing possession...

The extension to the evictions ban will compound the suffering of victims of domestic violence and anti-social behaviour. That’s the view of...

The industry’s major landlord trade body is urging its members to write to MPs to explains what it calls “the devastating...

A lettings sector group says there was never any eviction crisis looming for private tenants, contrary to a slew of recent claims. New independent...

A prominent figure in the lettings industry has warned that any extension to the current evictions ban would risk hurting the...

Residents at home during lockdown who may have seen families crammed into overcrowded HMOs are being asked to report the properties...

A document outlining options for the future regulation of Airbnb and other short let platforms in the UK is to be...

A leading trade body is pleading with the government not to make it harder for landlords or their agent representatives to...

The departure of almost all students from UK universities and colleges back to their parental homes for possibly several months has...

A council says it’s considering lending funds for improvement to landlords who “behave fairly and appropriately” - and buy into a...

Another council is consulting on introducing a selective licensing scheme - and again it claims it will “create better housing for...

The government has failed the private rental sector says the Residential Landlords Association. In a statement released even before the resignation of...

New research claims that one in every 50 homes in the capital is let on a short-term platform like Airbnb or...

A council is lobbying the government to ask for landlords using Airbnb and other short let platforms to be charged business...

London courts are failing to cope with the volume of landlord repossession cases according to a trade body. New figures show the...

The Conservatives’ new concept of a so-called Lifetime Deposit has been welcomed by the Residential Landlords Association.  Yesterday, Letting Agent Today revealed...

A leading London lettings agent wants increased regulation over Airbnb in a bid to deter criminal activity and anti-social behaviour. Martin Bikhit, managing...

The Scottish Government says it’s looking at whether to regulate Airbnb and other short let activities after a consultation found widespread...

A new trade body is being set up in a bid to professionalise the short lets sector. The sector - which embraces...

A leading agent has repeated his controversial belief that the proposed scrapping of Section 21 eviction powers should be seen as...

An east London lettings agency must pay more than £2,500 after a six-foot-high pile of waste was found fly-tipped on land...

One of the country’s leading lettings experts has outlined why the government is wrong to suggest that Section 8 powers could...

Another law firm has sharply criticised the government’s proposals to abolish Section 21 eviction powers for landlords. Devonshires says the government should...

The Residential Landlords Association (RLA) has submitted its response to the government's consultation on scrapping Section 21 evictions, which closes tomorrow...

Enfield wants to be the latest London council to introduce large-scale additional and selective licensing schemes which would affect most private rented...

The government has blocked a council rolling out selective licensing across no fewer than 3,000 homes in its patch.  Under Stoke on...

The vast majority of letting agents and private landlords with experience of using the courts to repossess properties say the system...

If the government follows through with its plan to scrap Section 21 there could be more work for agents as a...

Over-regulation of short-term let accommodation in some areas of rural Scotland could pose a risk to rural tourism, a business organisation...

Vulnerable tenants suffering a higher risk of rent arrears will be hit hardest by plans to change the way landlords can...

A buy to let investor has been fined £4,800 and ordered to pay £2,200 in costs for failing to keep his...

The Association of Residential Letting Agents is one of many industry groups in a new coalition calling for S21 repossessions to be...

There’s been another major industry survey revealing that a high number of lettings agents and landlords may quit the private rental...

Over 6,000 people have responded to the Residential Landlord Association’s survey asking what a post-Section 21 private rented sector should look...

The Residential Landlords Association (RLA) has urged the government to 'fix' the court system before it goes ahead with its plan...

The official government consultation period on the scrapping of Section 21 eviction begins shortly, but now a leading lettings sector trade...

The government says it wants to ban outright Section 21 'no fault' eviction powers in England and Wales. Instead landlords seeking to evict...

A buy to let investor has been hit with a £4,000 fine plus costs of over £5,000 after failing to license...

Another controversial scheme licensing landlords who let their homes out may face legal challenge. Middlesbrough council’s formal consultation on the introduction of...

Short lets on Airbnb and similar platforms are causing increasing irritation for owners in residential blocks, according to a property management...

More local authorities have announced that they want to increase the size of the areas covered by their existing selective licensing...

The news this week that even individual private landlords must join a redress scheme is just the latest in an onslaught...

A software platform has been launched which allows Build To Rent units to be short-let on the likes of Airbnb during...

Councils have been accused of routinely pursuing the most serious enforcement option open to them if they find a local licensing...

The owner of a buy to let property already shut by police has been fined by a court in Devon.  In June...

Private landlords have to wait an average of over five months to regain possession of a property when applying to the...

A substantial study by university academics suggests that changes to the benefit system lie behind the long-term rise in homelessness from...

The industry’s first property management franchise scheme, SDL Property Partners, has been given a presentation on how members could be key...

The heavy-handed administration of selective licensing schemes is driving out buy to let investors. That’s the claim from David Kirwan of Kirwans...

A landlord has been ordered to pay £452 after he breached the terms of his licence in an area of County...

There has been limited support given from some parts of the lettings industry to a proposal offering Capital Gains Tax relief...

Media speculation over the weekend has suggested that the government may be about to give tax breaks to landlords agreeing to...

A London local authority which is part way through its five year additional HMO licensing scheme wants lettings agents to give their...

Two private landlords have been found guilty of managing Houses in Multiple Occupation with dangerous and sub-standard conditions, following a successful...

The landlord of an HMO who subjected his tenants to insanitary and unsafe living conditions has been told he will no...

A London landlord has been ordered to pay over £13,000 for breaching the conditions of his licence as a result of...

Councillors in Stockton-on-Tees are under pressure to rethink plans to introduce Selective Licensing of private rented housing in two areas of...

A leading lettings sector trade body has repeated its call on government to offer a range of incentives to landlords and...

A 10 week consultation period begins today on selective licensing in the central area of Blackpool - with the council threatening...

Two landlords have been hit with hefty court fines for failing to comply with a local licensing scheme. The pair are the...

Senior Labour MPs have spoken out about what they believe are the anti-social and detrimental effects of short lets on surrounding...

Romans’ lettings managing director Michael Cook has given details of his agency’s approach to identifying and responding to sub-letting. Cook says: “We...

A council is seeking to prevent letting agents and landlords from letting homes to students in an area of a city...

The National Landlords Association reports that Bournemouth council has taken the unusual step of rejecting a proposal to introduce a landlord licensing...

A dawn raid on a home in north London has discovered 35 men bedding down on mattresses in every room except...

Redbridge council in London is offering 50 per cent off the cost of its private rental sector licensing scheme until September...

Green Party politician Andy Wightman claims that £10.6m in taxes are being avoided this year due to the boom in private...

Yet another local authority is considering introducing selective licensing of private rental property. Luton council has issued a statement saying that within...

The substantial majority of landlords could soon be required to licence their properties in one London borough if the government agrees...

The head of a property management company is calling on the government to introduce a tenants' register which would help rogue...

Manchester, which already has a major private rental sector licensing scheme, is now consulting on extending it with a third phase...

A group of landlords that mounted a successful legal challenge to a council’s proposed licensing scheme is continuing to recruit letting...

Manchester council - which previously described selective licensing schemes in the private rental sector as ineffective - has done a U-turn...

Yet another London borough is introducing a selective licensing scheme, under which parts of a local authority patch are subject to...

A London council has agreed to implement a new ‘standards charter’ for the private rental sector from next month - in...

The local council in Nottingham wants to introduce a city-wide licensing scheme of all landlords across its estimated 43,000 private rental...

Local authorities appear to be at the forefront of identifying abuses of the Airbnb short-let platform and have called executives from...

Brent council in London is seeking the views of agents- as well as landlords, tenants and others - on the extension...

The local authority in Manchester is proposing to introduce a landlord licensing scheme in the north of the city and has...

Yet another council private rental sector licensing scheme is being drawn up with the claim that it will improve standards of...

Another local authority is aiming to set up its own ‘social’ lettings agency.   The proposal is one of five put forward by...

Yet another local authority looks likely to adopt a licensing scheme for private rental sector properties, described as a bid “to...

A landlord has become the first to be prosecuted by Waltham Forest council for failing to obtain one of its controversial...

The Residential Landlords’ Association is standing up for the private rental sector in its response to the government’s inquiry into homelessness. The...

Ealing Council in London is undergoing a formal consultation about a proposal that all houses in multiple occupation within its boundaries...

New legislation designed to reform Scotland’s private rental sector could make it harder for agents and landlords to tackle anti-social behaviour...

A final decision on the legal challenge to a flagship council landlord licensing scheme has been set for next Thursday.  The Croydon...

The hearing that will determine whether there will be a judicial review of another council’s landlord licensing scheme will take place...

Harrow council is consulting agents, landlords and residents on a proposal to renew its licensing regime applying to selected Houses in...

Yet another council is proposing a licence on properties let out in the private rental sector - this time suggesting one...

The council which became a standard bearer for so-called ‘landlord licensing’ - Enfield in north London - appears to have abandoned...

Landlords have launched a legal challenge to plans by a local authority to charge for licences to manage properties. The Croydon Guardian...

The government’s apparent opposition to council-wide landlord licensing schemes will be put to the test in the coming weeks following a...

Private landlords are being encouraged to sign up to a new local authority accreditation scheme which offers them advice and support...