Archive

Rental compliance platform GetRentr has raised over £500,000 from investors including a private equity firm and private individuals. GetRentr uses artificial intelligence...

ARLA has branded the government’s long-awaited database of rogue landlords as “pointless” because it will not be made public. The Ministry of...

Foxtons is warning that the private rental sector - traditionally a strong earner for the company even in times of challenging...

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...

The government has set out new measures to mitigate against overcrowded and dangerous living conditions of private tenants in shared homes. From...

The National Landlords Association has revealed a seven-point plan which would allow the Welsh Government greater powers over the private rental...

A survey by consumer group Which?, working with landlords’ associations, reveals that 70 local authorities now have selective or additional licensing...

The government has pledged to begin a review of the selective licensing across the private rental sector once MPs return from...

The Residential Landlords’ Association is upset at the government’s confirmation that the extension of mandatory HMO licensing will come into force...

The local media in Bristol are reporting that landlords in the city are complaining that they face backruptcy if a hugely...

Bristol council is consulting on a licensing scheme which could see buy to let investors paying £1,660 for a five year...

The Court of Appeal has ruled that councils cannot use selective licensing conditions to impose new standards on private rented homes. In...

A local authority has fined four landlords who failed to licence a total of seven properties under its selective licensing scheme. Hastings...

Brent Council has confirmed that the government has approved its request to extend the local selective licensing scheme. The local authority, which...

Two buy to let investors have been fined a total of more than £27,000 under enforcement powers introduced in Burnley to...

The government has given the go ahead to what will be one of the UK’s largest selective licensing scheme outside of...

It is being reported that the Labour mayor of Newham council - that’s the authority which has introduced stricter controls on...

This is a rare story: a council has dropped a plan for a lettings licensing scheme as a result of 900...

A London council is marking 125 successful prosecutions against agents, landlords and sub-letting tenants since 2016. The authority, Brent, says the convictions...

A lettings agency apparently trying to get around HMO regulations has been prosecuted for licensing and housing offences.  Easy Let Agency let...

Landlords in Wales who manage their own properties are being reminded that they must submit their licence application to Rent Smart...

A London council has been the first in the country to use the Proceeds of Crime Act for a breach in...

Two landlords and two tenants were fined a total of over £11,000 after losing their appeal against housing convictions concerning property...

Research by NALS has revealed extensive increases in the cost of licensing of lettings properties and landlords by local authorities in...

The select committee monitoring the Department of Housing, Communities and Local Government will continue its deliberations today on the government’s ban...

The chief operating officer of a leading PropTech company says government proposals to increase mandatory licensing of Houses in Multiple Occupation...

Rent Smart Wales says it is “heartening” that there has been a substantial recent rise in the number of agents, properties...

Letting Agent Today understands that Foxtons has been asked to appear at a hearing staged by a London council to prove...

The government has announced new minimum space requirements for private lettings in a bid to reduce problems of overcrowding. In addition to...

The Association of Residential Letting Agents and other trade bodies have not yet responded to the government’s announcement over the holiday...

The government has released more details on long-discussed proposals to tighten up licensing in the private rental sector. It wants landlords in...

HM Revenue & Customs has launched a consultation on adding tax checks to private rental sector licensing schemes - in other...

The selective licensing scheme operated by Newham council in London is reported to have won government backing to be extended until...

A database of rogue letting agents and landlords and new banning orders, first promised in the Housing and Planning Act announced...

The Conveyancing Association has made a wide-ranging response to the government’s call for evidence on the regulation of letting and managing...

The National Landlords Association has unveiled a new tool which could help agents and landlords keep across the ever-rising number of...

A buy to let investor who failed to purchase a £542 licence for his HMO has been ordered to pay almost...

Research by The Guardian newspaper reveals that massive numbers of local authority councillors are also buy to let investors - and...

Rent Smart Wales, the licensing and training regime which is now a year old, has taken an agent and a landlord...

A local authority currently consulting on private rental licensing is using improved energy efficiency as one of the criteria for landlords...

A London council is inviting letting agents in its boundaries to a briefing session tomorrow morning ahead of the introducing of an...

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

Almost 60 per cent of councils across Britain have not prosecuted any landlord for any offence in the past year according...

A leading legal firm is staging a free and interactive seminar on sub-letting, aimed at letting agents. The event takes place on...

Four landlords have been fined and ordered to pay costs totalling £232,155.68 in the first prosecutions of its kind brought by...

The powerful and all-party Communities & Local Government Select Committee of MPs has launched a new enquiry into improving the quality...

Greenwich is the latest council to make it compulsory for planning consent to be given before converting homes into Houses in...

A letting agent named in a case concerning a rat-infested House in Multiple Occupation in Leytonstone, East London, has been fined...

A landlord has been fined a total of £7,298 for operating an unlicensed house in multiple occupation in Oxford that was...

Letting Agent Today understands that senior industry figures are working on the framework of a new attempt at regulation, including measures...

Letting agency Spicerhaart has been fined £2,670 after pleading guilty to operating an unlicensed house in multiple occupation.   A prosecution was brought...

A landlord has been prosecuted and ordered to repay over £5,000 to his tenants for letting an unlicensed House of Multiple...

Greenwich is licensing all Houses in Multiple Occupation from October 1 - just the latest London council to tighten its private...

A Scarborough buy to let investor has been found guilty of two offences under the Housing Act 2004 for non-compliance with...

Labour's housing spokesman has called on the government to give councils greater powers over the regulation of the private rental sector.   In...

A council claims that up to 13,000 private landlords are “of interest” to HM Revenue and Customs, where there are alleged...

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

More than 100 criminal prosecutions have been secured against landlords since the start of an enforcement crackdown by Brent council in...

A new licensing scheme in Nottingham has moved a step closer with the proposal being sent to the government for approval.    The council’s...

Council officers discovered men living mattress to mattress inside a run-down flat above a commercial premises during a dawn raid.   Police and...

Beleagured housing minister Alok Sharma has been told by a London council that his decision over an application for a borough-wide...

A new charter has been launched to promote the rights of tenants in a London borough where, for the first time...

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

Bristol council is resuscitating a so-called ‘rental standard’ which it expects local letting agents to meet. Back in January 2016 Letting Agent...

The BBC is reporting that the Welsh government is offering private buy to let investors who have properties in high-rise buildings...

Agents and landlords are unwittingly issuing incorrect Section 21 notices, resulting in thousands of pounds being wasted on aborted possession claims...

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

At the latest meeting of the Fair Fees Forum, members described the current approach towards landlord licensing as a 'post code...

Former Conservative Party leader and Work and Pensions Secretary Iain Duncan Smith is set to speak at a lettings sector event...

A student landlord has been fined for failing to obtain the appropriate licences for two rental properties. Lisa Chatfield was ordered to...

Research by the National Approved Letting Scheme (NALS) has identified that some 93% of local authorities have failed to issue a...

The National Approved Letting Scheme has launched a new course which it describes as “ground-breaking” and which allows candidates to become...

A family of rogue landlords who crammed 31 tenants into a 'Slumdog Millionaire'-style shanty home have this month been found guilty...

The Liberal Democrats want a raft of additional controls on the private rented sector aimed at addressing what it describes as...

Agents and landlords with properties in Wales have been reminded they could be breaking the law if they're not signed up to...

A letting agency is urging landlords to respond to the consultations for three selective licensing schemes in its local area. homes4u, which...

The founder of a PropTech start up called No Agent says despite his firm’s name he does not want to see...

A prominent campaigning letting agent has discovered that more than 6,000 tenants in one region alone have complained to local authorities...

The National Landlords Association and Residential Landlords Association have joined forces with Leeds city council to create a new accreditation system...

Greenwich council in London is the latest to announce an extension to its HMO licensing policy. The council is already legally obliged...

A local authority consultation exercise on a licensing system for local landlords has been postponed until June 12, four days after...

Letting agents who have broken the law are set to be ‘named and shamed’ by the Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan,...

Another London borough is consulting on a further extension of its existing selective licensing - this time it’s Harrow council. It wants...

Angry landlords in Shropshire have set up an online petition against local council proposals to introduce selective licensing.    The Wrekin Landlords Association...

A landlady has been fined £15,000 for failing to license and manage a house in multiple occupation.    Sharon Jacobs was also ordered...

MNY Property Management Ltd has been fined £3,390 for offences under the Housing Act - specifically, failing to buy a licence...

The owner of a house in multiple occupation in the leafy Hampstead area of north London has been hit with a...

An advice website claims that more than half of the privately rented properties in the selective licensing area imposed by a...

A survey of 1,000 tenants and landlords has provided evidence of what many agents already know - that the growing complexity...

A Conservative MP has launched a scathing attack on some landlords in his own constituency following a local council initiative to...

A council’s first case for non-compliance with its landlord licensing regime has seen one individual plead guilty to 12 offences -...

The Chartered Institute of Housing wants the government to introduce a raft of new measures including significantly greater regulation of letting...

A series of prosecutions of rogue landlords by a London council has also seen a so-called ‘property manager’ fined a four-figure...

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

The need for letting agencies to assist landlords with the increasingly-complicated private rental sector has been hammered home by the results...

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

A new task group is being set up to explore how a council can tackle what it calls “problems with private...

A landlord is facing prosecution for failing to comply with various HMO regulations.  For the last two days, Paul Turner has appeared...

Consultation has begun on a new licensing scheme for landlords being proposed by Nottingham council.    It runs until March 31 and gives...

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

The National Landlords Association has rejected a central plank of London mayor Sadiq Khan’s plan for housing - the introduction of yet more...

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

The Association of Residential Letting Agents is warning the government that some of its proposed changes to regulations governing HMOs may...

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

A council believes that a landlord was “putting tenants’ lives in danger” because he did not have local authority licenses for...

A group of landlords and buy to let investors that has already successfully persuaded a council to scrap plans for a...

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

A landlord has been prosecuted and ordered to pay a £12,000 fine as well as over £12,000 in court costs, after...

Brighton and Hove council has failed in its bid to win government backing to ban To Let boards. The council sought government...

One the leading letting agencies in Brighton has sharply criticised a proposal by the local council to introduce a selective licensing...

A buy to let investor has been fined £29,200 after being prosecuted for 56 offences in what a local authority describes...

A 71 year old landlord has been fined £5,037.97 at Birmingham Magistrates Court for failing to obtain an HMO licence and...

The Association of Residential Letting Agents is warning that proposals to enforce minimum room sizes in HMOs in the privste rental...

Another 400 purpose-built Build To Rent apartments have been given the green light by planners in London.    Legal & General’s plans for...

London mayor says the private rental sector will play an increasing part in solving the capital’s housing shortage - but insists...

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

The government’s wave of measures to clamp down on the private rental sector and introduce harsher regulations for investors and landlords...

The Association of Residential Letting Agents has responded to the latest government recommendations for tighter controls on the private rental sector...

  A council has taken a landlord to court for failing to licence his two buy to let properties under its selective...

Agents and landlords in one of the country’s most politically-volatile cities are preparing to meet the local council to protest at...

With just nine weeks to go before the deadline, only a small proportion of Welsh agents and landlords have registered for...

A letting agency has been fined after one of its landlords was found to be cramming six families into an unlicensed...

A landlord operating in Wales has been fined almost £3,000 for failing to renew the House in Multiple Occupation (HMO) licences...

A letting agency and one of its landlords have been fined over £20,000 and given criminal records for failing to licence...

The newly-elected mayor of Bristol and the city’s council have endorsed a so-called ethical lettings charter created by a group known...

A pair of landlords have been slapped with a hefty fine for allowing people to live in damp-riddled rooms without fire...

It appears that Wandsworth Council has backed away from a decision to implement a new landlord licensing scheme.   Research by London Property...

A firm has been fined £29,000 after a rental property was found to be - in the words of Nottingham city...

A company operating a number of buy to let properties has been ordered to pay more than £15,000 by magistrates for...

A letting agency has been removed from a Scottish council’s approved list after failing to conform with rules protecting the deposits...

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

The campaign group ACORN, which has in the past organised protests outside letting agency offices, is up in arms that a...

Several influential industry bodies have thrown their weight behind a review into whether Client Money Protection should be mandatory for letting...

Two training seminars geared towards letting agents operating in London are being organised for the autumn.    Organised by the National Approved Letting...

A council has scrapped its proposal to introduce a licensing campaign for private sector landlords following large-scale opposition and the formation...

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

Former shadow Home Secretary Andy Burnham - now Labour’s candidate for Mayor of Greater Manchester - has outlined a string of...

An organisation called Somerset Property Network has organised over 50 landlords in the course of little over one month and it...

Two private landlords have been found guilty of failing to obtain the appropriate licenses for their properties.   Jagtar and Jagdish Kandola, who...

A London council will introduce two new licensing schemes in the New Year. These make it a legal requirement for landlords to obtain...

A council has issued a press release to say that a trio of prosecutions on private landlords combine to prove it...

A House in Multiple Occupation located on the third floor of a property with a restaurant at ground level was one...

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

A consumer group dedicated to reducing tax says recent fiscal changes introduced by the government will end up hurting private rental...

The Residential Landlords’ Association says Gavin Barwell, the new housing minister appointed by Theresa May this week, is a known critic...

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

Controversial licensing conditions for a city’s landlords have been changed following complaints from an industry group.    Liverpool council has modified the conditions...

A local council has halted proposals to introduce a licensing regime for a town’s privately let properties after what a newspaper called...

A new scheme governing the letting out of residential property above retail premises is to be launched in September in the London borough of...

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

Bexley council in south east London says it is going to announce what it describes as a “crackdown” on HMOs next...

A legal tribunal has ruled that a landlord must refund his tenants rent totalling £2,934 because he housed them in unlicensed...

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

A row has broken out between landlords and the council in Oxford, where the local authority is considering a private rental...

An industry body is warning new London Labour mayor Sadiq Khan not to think he is helping renters by tying up...

A landlord has been fined almost £25,000 for a series of failings relating to a House in Multiple Occupation (HMO). Birmingham-based Salih...

Burnley Council has named and shamed eleven landlords that have been prosecuted for ignoring its selective licensing scheme. One landlord, Pierce Mullally,...

Letting agents are being invited to join landlords and local authority rental housing experts in a Twitter debate on private rental...

Twelve landlords in Waltham Forest have been prosecuted for not signing up to a council Private Rented Property Licencing scheme, and...

An ‘ethical lettings charter’ set up over a year ago by a pressure group for improved private rental sector housing has...

The owner of a rented property in west London has received a penalty of more than £20,000 having pleaded guilty to...

Before new London mayor Sadiq Khan has had his first working day in office, his proposals for a private rental sector...

A letting agent and four landlords face bills totalling more than £20,000 after being prosecuted by Islington Council for operating unlicensed...

A private landlord has been ordered to pay more than £1,000 after admitting operating in Burnley without a proper licence.  Matthew Hartley...

A private landlord aged 72 must pay £4,800 after pleading guilty to 11 offences of breaching the Licensing and Management of...

A local council has closed down what it describes as a ‘House of Horrors’ let to a family despite being in...

The 1,000th person has been trained as part of Rent Smart Wales, the compulsory scheme that says it aims to raise...

Lettings companies and an organised group of criminals described as a “gang of chancers” have been hit with fines and costs...

New licence fees for letting and managing agents have been announced by Rent Smart Wales, the Welsh Government’s registration and licensing scheme which...

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

A proposal to make it easier for some local councils to introduce licensing schemes governing the private rental sector will do...

Enforcement officers from Barking and Dagenham council, one of the most active in chasing up private rental sector issues, has discovered...

A landlord has to pay over £16,500 after being found guilty of failing to licence her ex-council flat with the local...

A campaign group which last year held protests outside letting agents’ offices in Bristol is claiming victory in persuading the city’s...

Liverpool council has completed only 648 of 39,100 licence applications by landlords in the first six months of its controversial scheme.  The...

The Residential Landlords Association has entered into a deal which gives its members a 50 per cent reduction if they sign...

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

MPs have given their backing to a government proposal to ban rogue letting agents and landlords who repeatedly break private rental...

We’ve seen large numbers of local councils set up private rental accreditation systems, and a string of politicians from all major...

Chancellor George Osborne has “effectively declared war on individual landlords” according to the Residential Landlords’ Association - but don’t expect a...

A failed bid by a council to introduce a blanket landlord licensing scheme was both unnecessary and unjustified according to the...

The Secretary of State for Department of Communities and Local Government, Greg Clark, has rejected a council’s call for a blanket...

Countrywide is calling on the Greater London Assembly to implement a single landlord licensing scheme which individual borough councils can opt...

The government should rein in its plans to transform the way Houses in Multiple Occupation are licensed. That is the view of...

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

An organisation representing councils wants a government database covering all housing-related convictions to deter rogue landlords switching from one area to...

Up to 5,000 landlords are reported to be receiving licensing fee refunds as a result of legal advice given to the...

A landlord who did not remedy a string of safety concerns about a property he was letting has been ordered to...

A local authority has issued a press release branding a landlord as “unscrupulous” after he was ordered to pay £7,300 in...

A survey suggests two thirds of tenants in Wales know nothing of the new Rent Smart Wales initiative to register and...

Rent Smart Wales, the new registration and licensing system in Wales, launches on Monday - and it represents a major change...

Councils that charge landlords for licences solely to collect information on the number of landlords in an area have been accused...

One council’s attempt to crack down on rogue landlords has been branded a "complete failure" because half of its HMOs are...

The specialist eviction company Landlord Action says it is in full support of the government’s latest proposal to crack down on...

The government is proposing a national minimum bedroom size and a re-defining of what constitutes a House in Multiple Occupation in...

A landlord man has been fined more than £20,000 after admitting renting out substandard houses to 30 people without obtaining a...

A leading property solicitor says there are “secret dangers” to landlords and their letting agents when it comes to selective licensing...

The new registration and licensing requirements under Part 1 of the Housing (Wales) Act 2014 will be launched on November 23,...

Local councils are being urged to drop landlord licensing schemes following the publication of new laws showing that they are not...

Three landlords have become the first to be prosecuted by a council - almost three years after the authority introduced a...

Landlords may be mistakenly claiming back VAT they are not entitled to because of an error by a local council.  The Croydon...

A local council is consulting on the creation of a charter involving letting agents, landlords, consumer bodies and university accommodation teams. If...

A landlord has been ordered to pay more than £7,000 after failing to licence a house in multiple occupation in the...

A body representing over 370 local councils in England and Wales wants more powers to control the private rental sector, letting...

Who are you? I’m the managing director of Fixflo and before starting Fixflo I worked as a property lawyer in London and...

Lewisham council in south London is the latest local authority proposing to introduce a licensing scheme - starting, unusually, with residential...

A group of agents, landlords and other property professionals has applied to appeal the decision to block an attempt to overturn...

London Mayor and Tory leadership wannabee Boris Johnson wants rogue operators in the private rental sectors to be banned with repeat...

The landlord of a house in multiple occupation is the latest to be prosecuted by a council for failing to licence...

Barnet is the latest council appearing to edge towards increased private rental sector licensing as it enters the final two weeks...

Newham Council has reported that in the two and a half years since its licensing scheme came into force it has...

A landlord has been handed a total fine of £75,215 for a number of offences, including failing to licence four houses...

A group of landlords in Oldham have said they are going to present the council with a petition against the town's...

A letting agent is warning of apparently inaccurate information being sent out as part of a new agent and landlord accreditation...

The growth of the PRS has provided a long list of benefits for the lettings industry. However, it is not without...

Housing minister Brandon Lewis has backtracked on suggestions that the government may introduce longer standard tenancy agreements in the private rental...

A group of letting agents, landlords and investors has failed in its bid to force a high profile council to reconsider...

There have been angry scenes at a consultation meeting as a local authority seeks to extend its licensing scheme - thought...

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

An inventory software firm claims periodic visits by agents or landlords could lead to a reduction in damage to rental properties. The...

A lettings organisation claims that a council licensing scheme in London will mean compulsory monthly visits to properties being let out. Harrow...

One of the Labour hopefuls for the 2016 mayoral election in London has called for the introduction of rent caps in...

A local authority has refused to issue a private landlord licence after it was revealed the applicant had a conviction for...

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...

It now appears that new legislation covering the private rental sector in Wales will involve mandatory training for letting agents as...

Every landlord in Wales will have to undertake ‘training’ and be licensed under new rules coming into effect this autumn. In a...

A landlord who failed to properly manage a home he rented out has become the first landlord prosecuted under a council’s...

Many Councils are now introducing Landlord Licensing within different boroughs, for those that have one of the requirements is a 24...

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

The changes to tax relief for landlords comes on top of a blizzard of new health and safety requirements, regulations and...

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

An amnesty on the licensing of houses in multiple occupation is being held in Barnet in north London following the successful...

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

A letting agent in Newark, Nottinghamshire, has become the first in its area to adopt rental feedback scheme Consider-Rate.  Buttercross Estates has...

The Residential Landlords Association (RLA) is calling for more effective action to find the minority of landlords who are criminals. The Association...

Tomorrow’s Queen’s Speech outlining legislation for the next 12 months will include a pledge to roll out across England and Wales...

A bid to take Rotherham council to a judicial review over a selective licensing scheme for private sector landlords has failed. All...

A licensing system for private landlords and letting agents is the way forward for the Northern Ireland rental sector according to...

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

A little over four weeks ago I was here musing what impact the impending general election might have on the property...

A landlord described as a professional opera singer has been ordered to pay more than £15,000 for refusing to comply with...

A property consultancy specialising in licensing regimes for privately-let properties says there have been 580 housing prosecutions in London under the...

A private landlord who provided false documents and endangered the lives of his tenants has been ordered to undertake 200 hours’...

The National Landlords’ Association has set out a table of where the political parties stand on issues of lettings sector reform...

A group of renters who have formed the Acorn group in Bristol - which has already held protests against letting agents...

A rogue landlord who rented out a shoddy property in north west London has become the first to be fined under...