The government is admitting that its rental reform agenda is aimed primarily at the north of England - which just happens...
Archive

Lettings accreditation and training service Safeagent is calling on the government to make more public cash available for councils to exercise...
19 April 2022
From: Breaking News

ARLA Propertymark has hit back in this week’s debate on the quality of private rental property, following sharp criticism in a...
14 April 2022
From: Breaking News

Thousands of tenants have no choice but to accept “appalling conditions” according to the chief executive of campaigning charity Shelter. Polly Neate...
14 April 2022
From: Breaking News

Private rental property conditions and the enforcement of regulations by councils and government have all been in the firing line from...
13 April 2022
From: Breaking News

A report from the House of Lords has condemned the private rental sector as being ”increasingly unaffordable” as well as being...
11 January 2022
From: Breaking News

Landlords selling up or converting to short lets have led to a growing housing crisis, according to a trade body of...
14 December 2021
From: Breaking News

ARLA Propertymark is backing a call for the government to set a clear vision for how it sees the private rental...
13 December 2021
From: Breaking News

The National Residential Landlords Association says average rent debt owed by tenants as a direct result of the pandemic is still...
09 December 2021
From: Breaking News

A major Select Committee of MPs has launched an enquiry into so-called exempt rental sector accommodation - a niche sector that...
09 December 2021
From: Breaking News

Not-for-profit accreditation scheme safeagent wants the government to help tenants clear Covid-related arrears through an overhaul of Discretionary Housing Payments. Enhancing these...
30 September 2021
From: Breaking News

Private tenants and landlords across the country face a cliff edge as the end of furlough coincides with cuts to benefit...
21 September 2021
From: Breaking News

Earlier this week Propertymark revealed it had co-signed an open letter criticising proposed government cuts to benefits. That open letter was co-signed...
19 August 2021
From: Breaking News

Propertymark has joined a series of charities and a landlord body to warn about the poverty risk of expected changes to...
17 August 2021
From: Breaking News

A leading trade body says the rental sector must not discriminate against tenants on benefits - and has told government it...
25 June 2021
From: Breaking News

A property investment platform has taken the unusual approach of accusing the government of driving up homelessness through its policy of...
15 June 2021
From: Breaking News

A lettings agency which markets private rental properties and units operated by a housing association has apologised for its ‘No DSS’...
27 May 2021
From: Breaking News

Activists from the Acorn renters' campaign group have held a protest outside a branch of Chancellors in Oxford. The group says the...
04 May 2021
From: Breaking News

Another lettings agency has been found to have unlawfully discriminated against a tenant receiving benefits. Worthing County Court declared that Michael Jones & Company unlawfully...
21 April 2021
From: Breaking News

Rent guarantees and upfront cash payments from local authorities are the most effective means of opening the private rented sector to...
09 April 2021
From: Breaking News

A think tank says large scale intervention in the rental market via loans to tenants is the only way of addressing...
16 February 2021
From: Breaking News

While the Westminster government has extended its version of the eviction ban in England until February 21, a longer ban -...
11 January 2021
From: Breaking News

Letting agents have joined forces with other players in the rental industry to demand the government finally get a grip on...
08 January 2021
From: Breaking News

The Resolution Foundation has added its voice to that of many charities and other think tanks demanding more government support for...
17 November 2020
From: Breaking News

A local authority is launching a six month probe into rooms let out but exempt from rental sector regulation. The project is...
22 October 2020
From: Breaking News

A lettings agency that told a prospective tenant it had a policy of not offering tenancies to housing benefit recipients has...
10 September 2020
From: Breaking News

ARLA and the NRLA have teamed up with charities - some usually critical of letting agents and landlords - to lobby...
01 September 2020
From: Breaking News

A property litigation expert is warning letting agents and landlords about far-reaching consequences of the recent ruling which declared a blanket...
06 August 2020
From: Breaking News

Can technology bring about the lasting change needed to the property industry? The industry has felt the effect of lockdown and...
28 July 2020
From: Sponsored Content

The Prime Minister has stepped into the ongoing row over a Labour claim that last week’s stamp duty holiday was merely...
16 July 2020
From: Breaking News

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

Two Bristol landlords have been ordered to repay nearly £5,000 following investigations by the council’s so called rogue landlord unit. One, Lucy...
24 June 2020
From: Breaking News

A buy to let investor who kept a group of men as slaves – making them work 90-hour weeks in return...
04 June 2020
From: Breaking News

Campaigning charity Shelter, which has been outspoken in its criticism of many letting agents in recent years, has now produced a...
15 May 2020
From: Breaking News

The Generation Rent pressure group, fiercely critical of agents and landlords in recent months, wants the government to implement a 12 month...
14 April 2020
From: Breaking News

Families living in private rented accommodation are more exposed to the economic shock of the Coronavirus than homeowners, which could mean...
09 April 2020
From: Breaking News

All court possession orders are being suspended from today as part of the changes to the private rental sector to cope...
27 March 2020
From: Breaking News

The Property Ombudsman is warning agents not to discriminate against tenants through a No DSS or any similar policy. Following the legal...
05 March 2020
From: Breaking News

The private rental sector has come under attack for its conditions and costs to tenants in a report looking into health...
26 February 2020
From: Breaking News

A new service called Cornwall Housing Private Lets has been set up in the west country to try to lure private...
11 February 2020
From: Breaking News

Plans to end the freeze on housing benefits will still leave many tenants unable to afford rent say landlords. Following the announcement...
15 January 2020
From: Breaking News

As the battle of political policies continues ahead of next month’s General Election, now Labour has unveiled a raft of initiatives...
22 November 2019
From: Breaking News

Higher housing costs - including private sector rents - have reduced incomes and increased inequality as the poorest families have borne...
11 November 2019
From: Breaking News

A new piece of legislation has been invoked to ban a landlord from any involvement in the private rental sector for...
30 October 2019
From: Breaking News

Two housing charities have called for the government to invest more in housing benefit so it rises in line with private...
10 October 2019
From: Breaking News

The private rented sector would shrink by 20 per cent if Section 21 ‘no-fault’ evictions are abolished, according to an economic...
30 September 2019
From: Breaking News

A Shropshire man has become the first in England to be banned from being a landlord. In a case brought by Telford...
19 September 2019
From: Breaking News

Universal Credit is causing tenants to fall behind with their rent according to lettings sector trade body the Residential Landlords Association. It...
27 August 2019
From: Breaking News

The All-Party Parliamentary Group for Housing and Care for Older People has sharply criticised the PRS as being ill-equipped to cater...
18 July 2019
From: Breaking News

Tenants on state benefits could be the 'biggest casualties' of the government's 'ill-thought-out' plans to scrap the Section 21 evictions process,...
05 July 2019
From: Breaking News

Private landlords are being asked to consider letting out their properties through the local council. Slough council is looking for flats and...
13 June 2019
From: Breaking News
30 April 2019
From: 60 Second Interview

Rightmove has fallen in line with Zoopla and is banning the term ‘No DSS’ from its lettings agents’ listings from the...
16 April 2019
From: Breaking News

Figures given through a Parliamentary answer have revealed just how bad councils in England are at policing and enforcement action against...
29 March 2019
From: Breaking News

The Residential Landlords Association has given its backing to Zoopla’s ban on agents and landlords advertising properties to rent as ‘No...
18 March 2019
From: Breaking News

Zoopla says it’s introducing new measures to minimise the presence of what it calls “blanket restrictions” imposed on tenants who receive...
15 March 2019
From: Breaking News

Momentum is building in the campaign to end ‘No DSS’ discrimination against private rental sector tenants in receipt of housing benefit. Late...
05 March 2019
From: Breaking News

The government says it wants “an immediate change” in the policy of some letting agents and landlords who advertise ‘No DSS’...
04 March 2019
From: Breaking News

Doncaster council has paid £100,000 to a private landlord who threatened to take it to court over alleged slander. Local media outlets say...
28 February 2019
From: Breaking News

You may be forgiven for thinking that rent takes up an ever-greater proportion of tenants’ income - but new figures out...
14 February 2019
From: Breaking News

A lettings sector trade body has put the blame firmly on government for the scale of poverty amongst those who privately...
11 February 2019
From: Breaking News

The Residential Landlords Association says the government’s changes to Universal Credit don’t go far enough to prevent rent arrears. The RLA says...
07 February 2019
From: Breaking News

The owner of a buy to let property already shut by police has been fined by a court in Devon. In June...
18 December 2018
From: Breaking News
.jpg)
An angry lettings agent has emailed Cabinet minister James Brokenshire to show his disgust at the government’s U-turn over deposit caps. In...
06 December 2018
From: Breaking News

A pressure group that in the past has protested outside letting agency branches has staged more direct action - this time against...
26 November 2018
From: Breaking News

A substantial study by university academics suggests that changes to the benefit system lie behind the long-term rise in homelessness from...
21 November 2018
From: Breaking News

The Labour MP who chairs the Housing, Communities and Local Government Committee in the House of Commons is pressing the government...
06 November 2018
From: Breaking News

Two lettings agencies have been expelled from The Property Ombudsman scheme for failing to pay awards. One is OJ Residentials Limited trading...
05 November 2018
From: Breaking News

A landlord had been ordered to give back almost £4,000 that was paid to him while operating without a licence. The case...
29 October 2018
From: Breaking News

Urgent action is needed to tackle discrimination against benefit claimants by buy to let mortgage providers according to a leading trade...
22 October 2018
From: Breaking News

An Essex council claims it is one of the first to be granted a rent repayment order - part of legislation...
31 August 2018
From: Breaking News

The ongoing debate over some letting agents and landlords allegedly refusing to accept tenants in receipt of housing benefit has now...
24 August 2018
From: Breaking News

The National Approved Lettings Scheme has issued a sharp rebuke to Shelter and the National Housing Federation following their controversial ‘End...
23 August 2018
From: Breaking News

Lettings agents’ representatives have hit back at an accusation of discrimination made against the industry. A report by Shelter and the National...
22 August 2018
From: Breaking News

An influential think tank is calling on government to radically reform the private rental sector because a generation of young people...
18 April 2018
From: Breaking News

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

There has been a warm welcome for government changes to Universal Credit by the Residential Landlords Association. The Department for Work and...
08 January 2018
From: Breaking News

Government proposals to ban letting agent fees levied on tenants next year are unlikely to make renting cheaper as new research...
28 December 2017
From: Breaking News

A senior housing official at Bristol city council says the increasing popularity of Airbnb has had the effect of taking “hundreds”...
30 November 2017
From: Breaking News

A change to the operation of Universal Credit has been welcomed by a trade body which has described it as good...
24 November 2017
From: Breaking News

Research by The Guardian newspaper reveals that massive numbers of local authority councillors are also buy to let investors - and...
22 November 2017
From: Breaking News

The pressure group Generation Rent - often identified with highlighting issues concerning young tenants - is now warning of a massive...
14 November 2017
From: Breaking News

Only two out of every 10 private rental sector landlords say they are willing to let to tenants in receipt of...
20 October 2017
From: Breaking News

A buy to let investor reported to be receiving rental income of £150,000 a year must pay over £340,000 after illegally...
02 October 2017
From: Breaking News

A landlord has been fined a total of £7,298 for operating an unlicensed house in multiple occupation in Oxford that was...
28 September 2017
From: Breaking News

Younger people will have more difficulty finding rented accommodation in coming months as a substantial proportion of landlords actively cut back...
02 August 2017
From: Breaking News

A head of a company providing hi-tech products to letting agents says technology is the answer to current rental industry challenges,...
06 July 2017
From: Breaking News

The Fair Fees Forum, originally established before the proposal to ban letting agents’ fees imposed on tenants in England, now says...
04 May 2017
From: Breaking News

A letting sector trade body says two thirds of the largest buy to let mortgage lenders do not allow landlords to...
03 May 2017
From: Breaking News

Labour says there would be a ‘consumer rights revolution’ for the private rental sector if the party won the June 8...
02 May 2017
From: Breaking News

A Facebook group has been set up to name and shame so-called ‘tenants from hell’. At the moment the page applies to...
24 April 2017
From: Breaking News

A body representing 370 councils in England and Wales wants the government to close a legal loophole which allows the conversion...
12 April 2017
From: Breaking News

A BBC survey claims that private sector landlords are more likely to accept potential tenants who own pets than ones who...
10 March 2017
From: Breaking News

The couple believed to be the owners of Britain’s largest buy to let portfolio have defended sending letting agents an 11-point...
09 January 2017
From: Breaking News

It hasn’t been a happy Christmas for one London landlord, who has been told to repay £40,000 in rent received in...
29 December 2016
From: Breaking News

The National Landlords Association has come out fighting in response to a weekend report by the National Housing Federation suggesting buy...
23 August 2016
From: Breaking News

The amount of housing benefit going to private landlords has more than doubled in the past decade according to the National...
22 August 2016
From: Breaking News

Government policy is making it harder than ever for benefits claimants and the homeless to rent homes, according to a new...
26 July 2016
From: Breaking News

Landlords are looking to house tenants less likely to miss rental payments in order to minimise the impact of a number...
27 May 2016
From: Breaking News

Burnley Council has named and shamed eleven landlords that have been prosecuted for ignoring its selective licensing scheme. One landlord, Pierce Mullally,...
27 May 2016
From: Breaking News

The charity Shelter has renewed its campaign to expose letting agencies which allegedly do not reveal their fees in line with...
22 April 2016
From: Breaking News

A London lettings has tweeted that it does not share the view of one of its own branch managers who said...
07 March 2016
From: Breaking News

A campaign group in the north east London borough of Hackney claims to have ‘mystery shopped’ 50 letting agents and has...
29 February 2016
From: Breaking News

A think-tank is calling for the creation of ‘social’ letting agencies with staff who not only find housing but also get...
19 February 2016
From: Breaking News

Government changes to remove housing benefit from 18 to 21 year olds from April will make it far more difficult for...
15 February 2016
From: Breaking News

A local council has successfully applied for a landlord without an appropriate HMO licence to repay housing benefit - no less...
27 November 2015
From: Breaking News

The Charity Commission is to probe the links between a letting agency that has allegedly been paid more than £5.5m in...
10 November 2015
From: Breaking News

The BBC is investigating a letting agency that has allegedly been paid more than £5.5m in housing benefit after its owner...
09 November 2015
From: Breaking News

Savills says mainstream UK rents are likely to rise by an average of 16.5 per cent by the end of 2020...
06 November 2015
From: Breaking News

It’s been a bad weekend for the image of the private rental sector with a series of reports and press stories...
19 October 2015
From: Breaking News

A “lettings agency with a conscience” that wants to put £30,000 into the local community over the next two years has...
17 September 2015
From: Breaking News

Over half the private rental sector tenants on housing benefit have experienced delays over its payment from their local council. Research by...
15 September 2015
From: Breaking News

A landlord reported to have received £100,000 in housing benefit from tenants in the past year is to repay court fines...
01 September 2015
From: Breaking News

A local authority has refused to issue a private landlord licence after it was revealed the applicant had a conviction for...
29 July 2015
From: Breaking News

The publication Environmental Health News has secured the release of files showing the details of hundreds of convicted private landlords in...
24 July 2015
From: Breaking News

Earlier this week the housing charity Shelter confounded many in the private rented sector by concluding on its website that tough rent...
10 July 2015
From: Breaking News

Agents have expressed their disappointment at the decision by the government to restrict mortgage interest relief for Buy To let investors...
09 July 2015
From: Breaking News

Known as Britain’s biggest landlords, Fergus and Judith Wilson have started to sell off their 1,000 strong property portfolio. The ex-teachers from...
09 June 2015
From: Breaking News

A north east agent claims that news coverage of tenants on housing benefits is too quick to point the finger at...
09 June 2015
From: Breaking News

The Citizens Advice organisation has returned to the attack on the private rental sector, accusing rogue landlords of raking in £5.6...
22 May 2015
From: Breaking News

The Mirror newspaper has taken the extraordinary step of naming the landlords - some of them letting agencies or private individuals...