The Building Engineering Services Association has welcomed the new government’s commitment to reinforce the rules that require landlords and their agents...
Archive
![Labour’s Housing Policies - next five years start today](/upload/images/Shutterstock-only%20images/Rental%20Market/AgentHouseInHand_400x310.png)
The biggest rental sector headline from Labour’s manifesto may well be its pledge for the “immediate” abolition of Section 21 eviction...
05 July 2024
From: Breaking News
![Leasehold Reform Is Far From Over, Whoever Wins on July 4](/upload/images/Shutterstock-only%20images/Property%20Market/PropertyNews-400x310.png)
Leasehold reform still has a long way to run, according to the Association of Leasehold Enfranchisement Practitioners (ALEP). The major party manifestos...
17 June 2024
From: Breaking News
![Section 21 to be scrapped by Labour immediately](/upload/images/shutterstock_2189665543.jpg)
Labour’s manifesto, just released, makes a pledge to enact the “immediate” abolition of Section 21 eviction powers, along with other private...
13 June 2024
From: Breaking News
![Shock rise in compensation paid by letting agents last year](/upload/images/Shutterstock-only%20images/Property%20Market/2_MortgageCalculated.png)
The Property Ombudsman received a record number of enquiries with 57,635 people seeking support with their property and housing related issues...
10 June 2024
From: Breaking News
![Ground Rents defended by investors’ group](/upload/images/Shutterstock-only%20images/Property%20Market/BusinessTeam-400x310.png)
The ongoing debate over ground rents within Government is rapidly becoming a Parliamentary farce that could soon lead to an economic...
01 May 2024
From: Breaking News
![Propertymark guide helps tenants complain and challenge rent rises](/upload/images/Shutterstock-only%20images/Property%20Market/HousePrices_balancing-400x310.png)
A new guide from Propertymark explains the rights which private rental tenants have - and sets out how they can challenge...
23 April 2024
From: Breaking News
![Backing for Ground Rent Cap being announced this week](/upload/images/Shutterstock-only%20images/Property%20Market/House_pound-400x310.png)
An amendment is expected to be made by the government to its Leasehold and Freehold Reform Bill. The Bill, put forward by...
23 April 2024
From: Breaking News
![Looking for a client account? Five steps to better lettings banking](/upload/images/adv-2021/sponsored-content/PayProp/Letting%20agent%20today_640x460px.jpg)
You don’t have to simply accept things as they are when it comes to managing your client accounts. If your bank...
19 April 2024
From: Sponsored Content
![Expelled! Agency kicked out by Ombudsman for just £1,100](/upload/images/Shutterstock-only%20images/Property%20Market/PropertyNews3-400x310.png)
A lettings agency has been expelled from The Property Ombudsman scheme following itsfailure to pay £1,100 out of an adjudicated award...
26 March 2024
From: Breaking News
![Complaints About Agents - huge rise in compensation](/upload/images/Shutterstock-only%20images/Rental%20Market/TenantDispute-400x310.png)
There’s been a large rise in complaints and a huge increase in compensation according to figures out today from the Property...
18 March 2024
From: Breaking News
![Council attack on private rental sector ‘is next Post Office scandal’ - claim](/upload/images/Shutterstock-only%20images/Property%20Market/PropertyNews1-400x310.png)
The excessive enforcement of council rules on private landlords while social housing is so poorly run will be ‘the next Post...
12 February 2024
From: Breaking News
![Neil Cobbold, Managing Director at PayProp UK](/upload/images/400x310.png)
Who are you and what does it say on your business card? Neil Cobbold, Managing Director What is PayProp and what does it...
08 January 2024
From: 60 Second Interview
![Last Ditch Bid to save unpopular freeholds from Gove’s law change](/upload/images/Shutterstock-only%20images/Property%20Market/PropertyNews1-400x310.png)
Plans for leasehold reform face a major early stumbling block as analysis shows plans to retrospectively introduce a cap on ground...
20 December 2023
From: Breaking News
![Agency failed to return vacant possession of rental property to landlord](/upload/images/Shutterstock-only%20images/Rental%20Market/ToLetBoard-400x310.png)
A London lettings agency has been expelled from The Property Ombudsman for not paying compensation to a landlord following a failure...
14 December 2023
From: Breaking News
![Shock figures claim to show scale of mould on rental properties](/upload/images/shutterstock_2135683647(1).jpg)
Some 48 per cent of tenants are currently living with one or more housing disrepair issues, it’s being claimed. The problems include...
27 October 2023
From: Breaking News
![Rogue agency expelled from Ombudsman but still trading illegally](/upload/images/Shutterstock-only%20images/Property%20Market/PropertyNews-400x310.png)
A rogue lettings agency in London has been expelled from The Property Ombudsman scheme but is still thought to be trading. Hawks...
10 August 2023
From: Breaking News
![Kicked Out! Redress scheme expels five rogue agencies](/upload/images/Shutterstock-only%20images/Property%20Market/Franchise-400x310.png)
The Property Redress Scheme has released its latest list of expelled agents - mostly for rental misdemeanours and/or failure to pay...
24 July 2023
From: Breaking News
![Property company boss hit by big fine six years after offences](/upload/images/Shutterstock-only%20images/Rental%20Market/Fine-400x310.png)
A property firm which admitted misleading tenants on their rights and threatening them to leave has been ordered to pay £8,000. Four...
12 July 2023
From: Breaking News
![Share your views and you could help shape the evolution of the Renters (Reform) Bill](/upload/images/adv-2021/sponsored-content/PayProp/PayProp_SC_070723.jpg)
The Renters (Reform) Bill rewrites many of the rules that the private rented sector has played by for decades. This may...
07 July 2023
From: Sponsored Content
![Activists threaten action if rental reform ‘does not deliver’](/upload/images/Shutterstock-only%20images/Property%20Market/shutterstock_1524802199%20protest(1).jpg)
Shelter is telling the government it “must deliver” on the revolution it pledges under the Renters Reform Bill. Chief executive Polly Neate...
17 May 2023
From: Breaking News
![Celebrity endorsement for Gove’s Rental Reform Bill](/upload/images/Shutterstock-only%20images/Property%20Market/OneDome%20Intro%201%20ShakingHands-400x310.png)
Consumer champion Martin Lewis - the man behind the Money Saving Expert website and TV shows - has backed the Renters...
17 May 2023
From: Breaking News
![Big rise in complaints to Property Redress Scheme](/upload/images/Shutterstock-only%20images/Rental%20Market/RentalHousingUK-400x310.png)
There’s been a big rise in the number of complaints about agents lodged with the Property Redress Scheme, which says it’s...
09 March 2023
From: Breaking News
![Six agencies expelled by The Property Ombudsman](/upload/images/Shutterstock-only%20images/Rental%20Market/Banned_400x310.png)
It’s been revealed that agents have been kicked out of The Property Ombudsman in recent months for failing to pay compensatory...
27 January 2023
From: Breaking News
![Property Redress Scheme now largest lettings redress service](/upload/images/Shutterstock-only%20images/Property%20Market/PropertyNews2-400x310.png)
The Property Redress Service claims to be the largest lettings redress service now, with over 13,250 letting agency branches on board. In...
12 January 2023
From: Breaking News
![OnTheMarket reveals another new offer in bid to win agent members](/upload/images/Shutterstock-only%20images/Property%20Market/Compliance-2-400x310.png)
OnTheMarket is today revealing another deal for agents - and this time it’s with insurance broker Simply Business. There are four new...
08 November 2022
From: Breaking News
![More lettings reps on beefed up redress panel](/upload/images/Shutterstock-only%20images/Property%20Market/Compliance-2-400x310.png)
One of the two official redress bodies, the Property Redress Scheme, has announced a beefed up advisory panel with a substantial...
25 October 2022
From: Breaking News
![Agent urges tenants to claim compensation from landlords](/upload/images/Shutterstock-only%20images/Rental%20Market/Legal_Action-400x310.png)
A lettings agent has taken the surprising step of encouraging tenants to seek compensation if their landlords fail to abide by...
11 October 2022
From: Breaking News
![Named, Shamed, Expelled - rogue agents thrown out by Ombudsman](/upload/images/Shutterstock-only%20images/Rental%20Market/Court-UK-400x310.png)
Five agencies have been expelled from The Property Ombudsman scheme - all for compliance failures. The first is Home Trader Properties, in...
04 October 2022
From: Breaking News
![Belvoir branch amongst raft of agencies kicked out of The Property Ombudsman](/upload/images/Housing%20Market%20%26%20Property%20Images/Property-Newspaper-400x310.jpg)
Six agencies have been excluded from The Property Ombudsman for failing to pay compensation to wronged complainants. One was the Belvoir...
13 July 2022
From: Breaking News
![Most tenants uninsured and would pay for damage themselves](/upload/images/Rental%20Market/MillennialTenantHome-2-400x310.jpg)
New research from insurance provider Paymentshield has found that over one in five UK tenants have experienced a negative property event...
17 February 2022
From: Breaking News
![Expelled by Ombudsman - rogue agents who refuse to pay compensation](/upload/images/Rental%20Market/CourtCase-400x310.png)
Two agencies have been expelled from The Property Ombudsman scheme for failing to pay compensation awards. Thamlet Estates, based in east London,...
20 January 2022
From: Breaking News
![Agency employee admits “no lawful basis” for using tenant’s data](/upload/images/Logos/ConnellsGroupWhiteLogo-400x310.jpg)
A member of staff at a Connells-owned branch has been quoted as saying the agency had “no lawful basis” for passing...
14 January 2022
From: Breaking News
![Reform tax, Beef up rogues database - Agents demand radical rental reforms](/upload/images/Logos/ARLA-PropertyMark-400x310.jpg)
ARLA Propertymark has launched a radical programme of reform for the private rental sector - getting in before the government’s own...
15 December 2021
From: Breaking News
![Caught! Agency that illegally evicted tenant ends up in court](/upload/images/new-story-stock-images/CourtImage-400x310.jpg)
A lettings agency has been prosecuted by Birmingham council for unlawfully evicting a tenant. Principal Homes is based at Great Barr and was...
29 October 2021
From: Breaking News
![Buy to let still seen as heavily regulated and unsympathetic to landlords](/upload/images/Rental%20Market/LandlordStressed-400x310.png)
The end of the stamp duty holiday today has triggered a reduction in the number of buy to let investors saying...
01 October 2021
From: Breaking News
![Agent urges tenants to take landlords to court over conditions](/upload/images/library/Court-400x310.jpg)
A lettings agent has taken the unorthodox approach of advising tenants to take their landlords to court in a bid to...
31 August 2021
From: Breaking News
![Angry agent slams planning reforms for creating poor homes](/upload/images/Housing%20Market%20%26%20Property%20Images/PropertyMarket-1-400x310.jpg)
A lettings agent who has made a series of outbursts against landlords and councils, has now turned his anger on proposed...
10 August 2021
From: Breaking News
![Complaints about lettings agents are soaring, says redress firm](/img/default/lat.png)
Complaints referred to the Property Redress Scheme against its members grew by more than a quarter during 2020. In its annual report...
13 July 2021
From: Breaking News
![Agency apologises following office protest by activists](/img/default/lat.png)
A lettings agency has apologised after a campaign by activists about the condition of a rental property it manages. Protesters outside the...
13 July 2021
From: Breaking News
![Agent insults Ombudsman with “indolent Chihuahua” slur](/img/default/lat.png)
A lettings agent who wants tenants to take out policies to fund complaints against agencies and landlords has branded the social...
28 June 2021
From: Breaking News
![Insurance dealer sets up service for tenants to win compensation](/img/default/lat.png)
The man behind an early version of deposit replacement for the private rental sector has now set up a service encouraging...
21 June 2021
From: Breaking News
![Criminal Behaviour Order for rogue agent after unlawful eviction](/img/default/lat.png)
A lettings agency director has been issued with a Criminal Behaviour Order for unlawfully evicting a tenant back in 2019. CFDP Ltd, trading as...
30 April 2021
From: Breaking News
![Yet another agent ejected by Ombudsman may be trading illegally](/img/default/lat.png)
Another lettings agency has been expelled from The Property Ombudsman scheme for failing to pay an outstanding compensation award - but...
16 April 2021
From: Breaking News
![Rogue agency may be trading under new name via Facebook, says Ombudsman](/img/default/lat.png)
A lettings agency that failed to pay a compensation award ordered by The Property Ombudsman has been expelled from the scheme...
15 April 2021
From: Breaking News
![Agency that failed to pay £300 compensation kicked out of Ombudsman](/img/default/lat.png)
A lettings agent in Slough, called Saville Park Ltd, has been excluded from The Property Ombudsman for failing to pay an outstanding award of £300. TPO received a complaint from tenants...
15 April 2021
From: Breaking News
![Legal warning over ‘honesty’ of grounds for possession](/img/default/lat.png)
There's been a warning that tenants should not be deceived when a landlords wants possession of their property. Lindsays law firm says...
15 March 2021
From: Breaking News
![Two agents and their firm must pay thousands compensation to landlord](/img/default/lat.png)
Two letting agents have been ordered to pay £16,000 to a landlord after their activities were found to be unregistered and...
24 February 2021
From: Breaking News
![Letting agent “illegally working” without redress scheme membership](/img/default/lat.png)
The Daily Mail says it has informed Trading Standards of a lettings agent which is claims is “illegally working” despite not...
17 February 2021
From: Breaking News
![“Horrible crime” of illegal eviction probed by police](/img/default/lat.png)
A 24 month community order and 200 hours of unpaid work are the price being paid for an unlawful eviction. Buy to...
15 February 2021
From: Breaking News
![Agency calls in police after activists protest outside branch](/img/default/lat.png)
A lettings agency has called in the police after a protest involving anti-agent activists demanding compensation for past tenants. The Eastern Daily...
24 December 2020
From: Breaking News
![Activists want to build rent strike momentum across student sector](/img/default/lat.png)
Activists are attempting to build rent strike momentum amongst students who rent property across the country. ‘Rent Strike” is a national network...
08 December 2020
From: Breaking News
![Overwhelming number of agents pay TPO compensation awards](/img/default/lat.png)
An overwhelming 98 per cent of agents who are members of The Property Ombudsman scheme pay compensation when an investigation is...
01 December 2020
From: Breaking News
![£100,000 compensation to be paid by rogue lettings agents](/img/default/lat.png)
Three lettings agents who kept tenants’ rent instead of passing it to the landlords have been ordered to pay almost £100,000...
30 October 2020
From: Breaking News
![Agents urged by ARLA to lobby MPs over cash help to tenants](/img/default/lat.png)
The Association of Residential Letting Agents is urging its members to write to their MPs over the provision of cash help...
07 September 2020
From: Breaking News
![Expelled! Agents thrown out by Ombudsman over award payments](/img/default/lat.png)
Three agents have been expelled by The Property Ombudsman for failing to pay compensation awards. In the case of Foremost Lettings Ltd...
26 August 2020
From: Breaking News
![Shelter “doubling up” its checks on letting agents for compliance](/img/default/lat.png)
Campaigning charity Shelter says it is “doubling up” its efforts to make sure letting agents comply with anti-discrimination legislation when it...
15 July 2020
From: Breaking News
![Airbnb must pay out over sub-letting - could it happen here?](/img/default/lat.png)
Airbnb has been ordered to pay some 52,000 euros in compensation to the owner of an apartment in Paris after a...
16 June 2020
From: Breaking News
![Eviction Ban: Campaign launched to tell MPs how it's hurting industry](/img/default/lat.png)
The industry’s major landlord trade body is urging its members to write to MPs to explains what it calls “the devastating...
15 June 2020
From: Breaking News
![Six lettings agencies expelled from TPO for not paying awards](/img/default/lat.png)
The Property Ombudsman has announced the expulsion of eight agencies, all for contravening TPO codes of practice. Most of the expulsions were...
04 May 2020
From: Breaking News
![Agents Beware: All tenancies subject to ‘Human Habitation’ from tomorrow](/img/default/lat.png)
It’s easy to forget in the Coronavirus frenzy but from tomorrow, Friday March 20, all tenancies are to become subject to...
19 March 2020
From: Breaking News
![Jon Notley, co-founder and CEO of Zero Deposit™](/img/default/lat.png)
Who are you and what does it say on your business card? My name is Jon Notley and I am the co-founder...
12 March 2020
From: 60 Second Interview
![Tenant ‘financially exploited and harassed’ by landlord, claims council](/img/default/lat.png)
A landlord has been ordered to pay nearly £6,000 in fines and costs after pleading guilty to harassing and financially exploiting...
27 February 2020
From: Breaking News
![Porsche-driving agent crook repays just £43,000 of missing £241,000](/img/default/lat.png)
A jailed letting agent in a long-running legal saga has now been told she must repay her victims some £43,000 -...
25 February 2020
From: Breaking News
![Five agents kicked out of Ombudsman scheme after disputes](/img/default/lat.png)
The Property Ombudsman has expelled five agencies, mostly for failures to honour awards: four of them are lettings operations and one...
21 February 2020
From: Breaking News
![Tenant’s secret buy to lets land him with a suspended sentence](/img/default/lat.png)
A London council tenant who for a period of seven years failed to disclose that he owned three houses, has been...
29 January 2020
From: Breaking News
![Lettings agency boss jailed for £230,000 fraud scandal](/img/default/lat.png)
A Southampton lettings agency owner has been jailed after defrauding landlords and tenants out of £230,000. Andrew Whitehead has been jailed for...
19 December 2019
From: Breaking News
![Three rogue lettings agencies expelled by The Property Ombudsman](/img/default/lat.png)
Three lettings agencies have been expelled from TPO - in each case the agency failed to honour a payment as instructed...
13 December 2019
From: Breaking News
![Compensation for buy to let owners ‘possible’ says law firm](/img/default/lat.png)
Owners of buy to let properties across the UK could be entitled to compensation due to onerous ground rent charges according...
10 December 2019
From: Breaking News
![Former Labour councillor jailed after years of housing fraud](/img/default/lat.png)
A former Labour councillor and solicitor Muhammad Harun has been jailed for 16 months after pleading guilty to two counts of...
20 November 2019
From: Breaking News
![Agency compensates tenants and landlords after employee’s scam](/img/default/lat.png)
Martin & Co says it has compensated clients fully after a rogue lettings agent in Cornwall added sums to invoices sent...
04 November 2019
From: Breaking News
![Online lettings agency at heart of money laundering crimes](/img/default/lat.png)
Three criminals have been sentenced after pleading guilty to money laundering involving an online lettings agency. The sentences follow an investigation spearheaded...
18 October 2019
From: Breaking News
![Tulisa’s trashed apartment shows X-actly why inventories are vital](/img/default/lat.png)
If you want to know why inventories are vital for agents and landlords, look no further than the high-profile dispute over...
17 October 2019
From: Breaking News
![Rogue agents expelled by TPO for failing to pay compensation awards](/img/default/lat.png)
Two London agencies have been expelled from The Property Ombudsman scheme for failing to honour two compensation awards. The first is Chase...
19 September 2019
From: Breaking News
![Renters can now switch mid-tenancy from traditional deposit to alternative](/img/default/lat.png)
One of the suppliers in the fiercely competitive world of deposit alternatives has introduced an ‘unlocking deposits’ option. From today, Zero Deposit...
23 August 2019
From: Breaking News
![Call for open-ended renting with reduced rent for long-term tenancies](/img/default/lat.png)
There should be open-ended tenancies with reduced rent for long-term contracts and any rent increase tied only to inflation. This dramatic reform...
21 August 2019
From: Breaking News
![Expelled! Seven rogue letting agents kicked out of Ombudsman scheme](/img/default/lat.png)
Seven agencies have been expelled from membership of The Property Ombudsman after failing to pay compensation awards made by TPO. All are...
03 June 2019
From: Breaking News
![Tenant tells BBC that agency changed locks and removed goods](/img/default/lat.png)
Controversial London lettings agency Flintons has again been named by a BBC TV programme for allegedly unreasonable behaviour in relation to...
03 June 2019
From: Breaking News
![Agents must get to grips with deposit alternatives - their time has come](/img/default/lat.png)
Lettings agents are being urged to educate themselves as much as possible about rival deposit alternative schemes which are becoming increasingly...
28 May 2019
From: Breaking News
![Redress scheme makes £25,000 award after “failings” by lettings agent](/img/default/lat.png)
The Property Redress Scheme, one of the two government-backed redress operators for the lettings and sales service, has outlined its work...
23 May 2019
From: Breaking News
![Deposit replacement scheme partners with 26-branch independent network](/img/default/lat.png)
Tenancy deposit alternative Reposit has announced a partnership with Pattinson, the largest independent agency network in the North East. The 26-branch network...
09 May 2019
From: Breaking News
![Proceeds of Crime Act to be used against jailed agents, council confirms](/img/default/lat.png)
Cornwall council has confirmed that it’s to use the Proceeds of Crime Act to try to win compensation for victims of...
25 April 2019
From: Breaking News
![Foxtons denies bait-and-switch after tenant couple rent “dud” flat](/img/default/lat.png)
A national newspaper story suggests that a couple seeking an apartment to rent in Brixton were signed up to the wrong...
23 April 2019
From: Breaking News
![Lies, illegal flats and hidden tenants lead to suspended jail sentence](/img/default/lat.png)
A buy to let investor who hid families in windowless rooms after failing to get planning permission for a block of...
28 March 2019
From: Breaking News
!['Use more than one lettings agent to cut risk' landlords advised](/img/default/lat.png)
New rules to protect rent paid by tenants to letting agents will fail to provide adequate protection for landlords, a trade...
07 December 2018
From: Breaking News
![‘Take rogues to court’ - council urges private tenants to take civil action](/img/default/lat.png)
Nottingham council - which recently introduced one of the largest and most controversial selective licensing schemes in the country - now...
23 November 2018
From: Breaking News
![Lettings agency sued for £1.4m after harassment of tenant](/img/default/lat.png)
A former City marketing executive is suing a lettings agency for £1.4m in a row over alleged harassment in 2010. Agent Caroline...
06 November 2018
From: Breaking News
![Tory voters want S21 eviction powers scrapped, claims pressure group](/img/default/lat.png)
Generation Rent, the controversial pressure group campaigning alongside Shelter and others for the scrapping of landlords’ rights to evict under Section...
29 August 2018
From: Breaking News
![August deadline for Airbnb to satisfy EU on prices, terms and conditions](/img/default/lat.png)
Airbnb is facing more attempts to regulate its short lets, this time with the European Commission calling on the platform to...
18 July 2018
From: Breaking News
![Kicked out: two lettings agencies expelled by The Property Ombudsman](/img/default/lat.png)
Two lettings agencies have been expelled from The Property Ombudsman scheme. The first is Bower & Bower (B&B), a sales and lettings...
22 June 2018
From: Breaking News
![Getting worse: complaints to TPO about letting agents soar 11%](/img/default/lat.png)
The Property Ombudsman has issued its annual report for 2017 and it makes grim reading for the rental sector - there’s...
17 May 2018
From: Breaking News
![Massive £182,000 fine for buy to let investor after string of HMO offences](/img/default/lat.png)
A buy to let investor has been found guilty of 35 HMO-related offences - and has to pay a total fine...
23 April 2018
From: Breaking News
![Tenants get £7,638 compensation from property firm over pigeons](/img/default/lat.png)
A property company that failed to repair a pigeon-infested loft has been fined a total of £31,026, including an order to...
04 April 2018
From: Breaking News
![Property Ombudsman expels lettings agencies over payments issues](/img/default/lat.png)
The Property Ombudsman has released details of two letting agencies expelled over financial issues, and the extension of an expulsion period...
26 March 2018
From: Breaking News
![Agents who say 'No DSS tenants' may be acting unlawfully](/img/default/lat.png)
Letting agents who act on landlords’ instructions to refuse tenants claiming benefits may be breaking the law. A legal case recently found...
27 February 2018
From: Breaking News
![Agencies expelled from Ombudsman scheme for non-payment of rents](/img/default/lat.png)
The Property Ombudsman scheme has today announced three expulsions of agencies as a result of non-payment of rent or awards. Firstly, a...
10 January 2018
From: Breaking News
![Landlord hit with fine for illegally evicting tenant](/img/default/lat.png)
A landlord has been prosecuted and fined for evicting a tenant illegally. Last week, Suhail Mahmood, 30, was convicted at Sheffield Magistrates'...
04 September 2017
From: Breaking News
![Professional Indemnity explained for property professionals](/img/default/lat.png)
Giving clients reliable advice when they are buying, selling or letting a home lies at the core of every successful estate...
31 August 2017
From: Sponsored Content
![Prosecution of agency over 'sham licences' is first of its kind](/img/default/lat.png)
This month’s prosecution of a letting agency for issuing ‘sham licences’ that suggested occupiers had no right to challenge eviction and...