Archive

The House of Lords will today discuss the apparently-growing Sex for Rent scandal. Campaigners say a search on websites such as Craigslist...

It’s understood there will be a Christmas truce with tenants not enduring bailiff-enforced evictions between December 13 and January 10. HM Courts...

ARLA Propertymark has thrown its weight behind a new dispute resolution service as a quicker and less expensive alternative to court...

There may be a breakthrough in clearing the huge backlog of possession cases as the government is allocating an extra £324m...

One of the local authorities with the tightest clampdowns on letting agents has issued a statement celebrating its successes. Tower Hamlets council in...

The Property Redress Scheme has expelled an agent operating a guaranteed rent scheme which failed to pay £150,000 to a former landlord client. The agent...

The lettings agents’ group Propertymark has told Chancellor Rishi Sunak that unless the private rented sector is overhauled many landlords will...

A lettings agent has taken the unorthodox approach of advising tenants to take their landlords to court in a bid to...

Who are you and what does it say on your business card? My name is Maxine Fothergill and for the past ‘almost’...

The government has updated its guidance for agents, landlords and tenants to explain the possession action process in the county courts...

Official figures show that far from seeing a rise during the pandemic, there has been what the government calls “a massive...

Activists from the Acorn renters' campaign group have held a protest outside a branch of Chancellors in Oxford. The group says the...

A leading figure in the lettings sector says the government’s new Housing Possession Mediation Scheme can help agencies and landlords recover...

A major trade body has called for a tapering down of notice periods for Section 8 and Section 21. The government has...

The government has at last released details of its mediation scheme - this was hinted at when Housing Secretary Robert Jenrick...

A House of Lords committee is urging the government to find alternatives to court possession cases in a bid to deal...

Paul Shamplina, the man behind Landlord Action and a Channel 5 show on handling rental crises, is warning that county courts...

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

In an exclusive, the Daily Telegraph says emergency courtrooms will be used after their funding runs out over the comning summer...

Acorn, a prominent campaign group targeting letting agency offices for protests, says the latest eviction ban extension doesn't go far enough. While...

The Law Society of England and Wales has come out in favour of the latest ban on bailiff-enforced evictions.  The extension to...

Labour says the latest extension to the ban on bailiff-enforced evictions doesn’t go far enough to help tenants. The extension to the...

Government data suggests that scare stories talking of a glut of evictions if the current ban is lifted are simply unfounded. Data...

The Law Society is raising concerns about the government’s mediation scheme announced at the time of the last eviction ban decision. The...

ARLA Propertymark has issued a list of 10 demands for Chancellor Rishi Sunak’s long-awaited Budget on March 3, with a financial...

The long-awaited Renters' Reform Bill, promised 14 months ago, is likely to be introduced to the House of Commons “very soon.” The...

Propertymark has thrown its weight behind an idea from Housing Secretary Robert Jenrick to create a mediation service to arbitrate in...

Activists from a range of pressure groups have reacted angrily to what they call a half-baked eviction ban announced by the...

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

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

The new chief executive of Propertymark has outlined what he sees as the main challenges for the rental sector for 2021. In...

Today is the start of the official Christmas eviction ban ‘truce’ in the private rental sector - and it continues until...

As lockdown – Season 2, the sequel no one asked for – gets underway in England, landlords, tenants and agents will...

A top property law firm is questioning whether the government’s current eviction moratorium - effectively banning evictions until mid-January at the...

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

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...

A top property lawyer says a recent decision by bailiffs not to forcibly evict anyone in Tier 2 and Tier 3 is an...

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

The government is asking bailiffs not to enforce court possession orders in areas with the highest Coronavirus restrictions.  So although evictions can...

A legal expert for ARLA Propertymark is recommending that letting agents consider serving a second Section 8 notice if a tenant's...

Much has been made of the backlog of court cases - including landlords’ possession attempts - and now the Ministry of Justice...

A prominent PropTech figure says agents have a key role in reducing evictions in the short term - and he suggests...

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

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...

Campaigners against evictions during the Coronavirus crisis have launched a last-ditch call for the government to grant another extension to the current...

The first attempt to assess the loss of rental income as a result of Coronavirus calculates 22 per cent of private landlords...

Two suspended sentences, community service, a fine and disqualification from being a director - those form the penalty for a rogue...

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

The Association of Residential Letting Agents is urging its members to write to their MPs over the provision of cash help...

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 Law Society has set out exactly what the extension of the eviction ban, announced on Friday, means to agents, landlords...

The new director of campaign group Generation Rent says the government has caused “untold mental stress” to thousands of tenants. Commenting on...

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

The anti-letting agent group ACORN is to stage protests in 10 to 15 UK cities this weekend according to an activists’...

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

The campaigning pressure group Generation Rent has returned to the battle to win an extension to the current evictions ban in...

London Mayor Sadiq Khan has been accused of causing needless fear for renters by claiming all those in arrears due to...

The largest survey yet conducted about rent payments during the pandemic shows the claims of pressure groups about widespread evictions are unfounded. Over...

Hampshire independent agency Harcourts Property Agents in Southampton has been acquired by another independent, Beal’s. Harcourts has over 35 years experience in...

The huge backlog of eviction and other cases anticipated in the coming months will be helped by the creation of a...

The government has outlined new court procedures to address the expected backlog of cases when eviction proceedings resume on August 24. For...

Activists who praised the government for its eviction ban in recent months have now turned on it in a last-ditch attempt...

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

The government says it’s currently working to ensure the eviction process returns smoothly when the ban expires in late August. In the...

ARLA Propertymark has expressed its pleasure that the eviction ban, already extended by two months, will now expire at the end...

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

In another sign of concern at the speed and volume of eviction cases once the ban is lifted at the end...

Landlords or their agents wanting to obtain possession of their property should act sooner rather than later despite the current ban. That’s...

A legal expert says the Court of Appeal ruling on S21 possession orders last week has resolved one of the most...

Successes for the private rental sector may seem few and far between these days but the Court of Appeal has now...

It’s been revealed that a legal group is considering how courts will consider eviction cases when the current ban is lifted...

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...

The Law Society for England and Wales says legal aid should be made available for tenants who face eviction once the...

The managing director of an insurer and legal services supplier to the lettings industry has accused some tenants of using the...

The government is extending the eviction ban for a further two months. A tweet early this evening from Housing Secretary Robert Jenrick...

Citizens Advice claims that in the two months since the lockdown began it has helped over 10,000 people with issues related...

An online lettings agency says landlords should take up mortgage holiday offers and be willing to accept reduced rent during the...

A consumer group wants buy to let properties to be re-let only if the tenants in them want to move. The call...

Labour’s proposal to extend the current ban on private rental sector evictions could end up with some landlords in financial ruin.  Landlord...

A commission investigating affordable homes in the UK has called for annual private sector rent increases to be limited to a...

A raft of measures from government and courts intended to help private tenants during the Coronavirus lockdown may be storing up a...

A real estate litigation partner at a leading law firm is warning that the Coronavirus crisis could lead to an 18...

Hello, and welcome to Wednesday’s guidance and advice for agents and suppliers trying to find a way through the current crisis. If...

The government issued further guidance on the private rental sector over the weekend. The new 21 page document - a link to...

What appears to be the first court adjournment of an eviction case caused by the Coronavirus outbreak has happened - raising...

With confirmation that Section 21 will be scrapped, how can agents get ready for life after no-fault evictions? The short answer is...

An online student publication is urging readers who are tenants to “go lawsuit crazy” when the full provisions of the Homes...

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

The Renters’ Reform Bill worries many in the private rental sector but the government says there is still no date for...

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

No date has been set by government for the second reading of the Renters' Reform Bill 2019-20. The Bill was announced in...

The government’s Queen’s Speech has confirmed what the industry has effectively been expecting for some months. There will be a new lifetime...

A league table has been drawn up revealing the UK’s possession order hotspots - just as the government seems keen to...

Labour’s policies for the private rental sector are “too extreme ... unrealistic and will be hugely damaging to housing supply in...

A broad commitment to strengthen landlords’ rights has been made in the Conservative manifesto - and it’s been welcomed by a...

An inventories supplier is advising that the growing number of sub-letting scams can be reduced by regular property visits by agents...

New figures just released by the government emphasise the significance of creating a specialist housing court says one of the lettings...

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

Government plans to end so-called ‘no fault’ evictions may backfire and not improve tenants’ security at all. That’s the warning from Osbornes...

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

The Residential Landlords Association (RLA) has accused courts across the country of failing to follow their own rules when it comes...

With the country in febrile election mode, it’s perhaps unsurprising that the Association of Residential Letting Agents has got in on...

The Ministry of Justice says it takes private landlords an average of 22.5 weeks from making a repossession claim to the...

A man who claimed he needed a council house but was actually a landlord has been ordered to pay back more...

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

A buy to let investor has been fined almost £5,000 after admitting overcrowding.  Matteo Mariano, from Gedling in Nottinghamshire, pleaded guilty at...

A call by Shelter for England to adopt Scotland’s model of indefinite tenancies in the private rented sector has been attacked...

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...

Housing minister Heather Wheeler has pledged that the government will make changes to the court repossession process alongside its plans to...

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’s wish to use a modified Section 8 as an alternative to Section 21 for landlords seeking possession of their...

The government consultation process which fuelled its decision to axe Section 21 eviction powers and move towards longer tenancies received only...

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

The government has issued guidelines for the implementation of the new Homes (Fitness for Human Habitation) Act which comes into effect...

A legal firm has renewed its criticism of local authority licensing schemes, accusing them of “persecuting” landlords. David Kirwan, managing partner at...

Ambitious regional chain Linley & Simpson has opened a new branch in the Yorkshire market town of Pudsey after snapping up...

A leading PropTech exponent is supporting the government’s Housing Court initiative, suggesting it could make redress for agents, landlords and tenants...

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

Agents have under three weeks left to respond to the government’s proposals to introduce a Housing Court to settle disputes in...

Increased use of PropTech by letting agents can cut rent arrears, minimise voids and reduce the financial and legal fall out...

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

Today sees the Second Reading in the House of the Lords for the Homes (Fitness for Human Habitation) Bill, promoted by...

A call has been made for the government to review the section 8 possession process as part of its call for...

The government is consulting on the proposal for a specialist Housing Court which, if it goes ahead, would be a “single...

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

Tenants are now a step closer to being able to sue landlords if they do not properly maintain their properties. The Commons...

MPs in the House of Commons will today debate the Homes (Fitness for Human Habitation) Bill, promoted by a Labour backbencher...

The Association of Residential Letting Agencies has set up a course - for non-members as well as members - on Ending...

The police have launched a fraud probe against a Norfolk estate agency which closed in June.  The Eastern Daily Press (EDP) reports...

A date has been set for the next stage of the Homes (Fitness for Human Habitation) Bill, which is being promoted...

Trade bodies have been responding to today’s report of the Housing, Communities and Local Government Select Committee deliberations on the private...

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

The Association of Residential Letting Agents is the latest industry body to throw its weight behind the Private Members’ Bill that...

Lettings agency Haart says the government should go much further than the legislation it is supporting giving tenants the right to...

There have been more expressions of support from industry bodies for the Private Members’ Bill from Labour’s Karen Buck MP which...

The Association of Residential Letting Agents has thrown its weight behind a Private Members Bill which wants tenants to have the...

The Private Members’ Bill that has won government backing - and which would give tenants the right to sue landlords over...

The government has taken the unusual step of working with a Labour MP to ensure her Private Members Bill can become...

In an unusual move the government has today, Sunday, announced that it wants tenants to have the right to take legal...

Some 70 per cent of letting agents expect taxes on the rental sector to rise further next year according to research...

A landlord who was found guilty of illegally converting a hotel into 26 flats has been given three months to pay...

Anti-deposits campaigning agent Ajay Jagota says the 2004 Housing Act - which actually came into effect in 2007 - may now...

The Residential Landlords Association has repeated its calls for a new housing court “to speed up justice for landlords and tenants.”   The...

A total of 17 letting agencies have signed up to a rental charter set up by a Labour MP.   Alan Whitehead, Labour...

Data from the Ministry of Justice suggests the number of claims made by private sector landlords to repossess a property has...

Crooked letting agencies have been convicted of stealing £1,018,100 of deposits this year alone – and one agent claims this figure...

The attempt to seek a Judicial Review of legislation reducing the mortgage interest tax relief for landlords has failed. The case was...

The case made by two landlords to have a judicial review of section 24 of the 2015 Finance Act - triggering...

A landlord that continually refused to sign up to a council’s selective licensing regime has been found guilty by the courts...

Burnley Council has brought a series of prosecutions against people responsible for unlicensed rented houses in the borough. The council has introduced...

The most common reason people give for not writing a will is that they “haven’t got around to it yet”. Sound...

The people behind the campaign to seek a judicial review of the buy to let tax changes proposed by Chancellor George...

The ability of the government to enforce controversial elements of the Right To Rent policy has been thrown into doubt by...

An industry body is suggesting that the outcome of a court case may significantly reduce the government’s ability to enforce its Right...

Two landlords of HMOs have been prosecuted for failing to license their properties - and now have to pay fines of...

The Association of Residential Letting Agents and repairs software company Fixflo have released a guidance on timelines to help agents handle...

Eviction specialists at Landlord Action say county courts are still overwhelmed by the number of possession claims being put forward, a...

The publication Environmental Health News has secured the release of files showing the details of hundreds of convicted private landlords in...

A landlord has been ordered to pay a fine and costs of £2,925 for unlawfully evicting a tenant from a house...