Archive

The government has set in motion a Parliamentary procedure meaning the notice periods for evictions in England return to normal from...

The controversy over whether a new PropTech service can be used by agents to charge people to view a property to...

There has still been no formal response to a government consultation on the database of rogue agents and landlords, 25 months...

ARLA Propertymark says a new government online checker to help private tenants establish what repairs they may be entitled to should...

The government has launched an online checker in a bid to avoid disputes between landlords and tenants over the entitlement for...

The Association of Residential Letting Agents’ wing of Propertymark is demanding to see the results of a mediation project initiated by...

The government has revised its guidelines for its new mediation scheme, which it says will avoid some possessions now that the...

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

The head of the tenants’ campaign group Generation Rent has condemned the government as “reckless” for ending the eviction ban on May...

The Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government has issued updated guidance to include the recent extension of the bailiff enforcement...

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

Agents and other industry players have penned an open letter to government demanding a radical overhaul of targets for energy efficiency in the...

The government has told estate agents to ensure at least one Union Jack is present in properties during both physical and...

An influential group of MPs wants an end to repeated last minute extensions to the ban on evictions and instead wants financial support...

The government has revised its official guidance for the private rental sector and local authorities in the light of imminently-changing Coronavirus advice. The...

Letting agents have been told to document all arranging, planning and scheduling of work related to electrical checks in a bid...

The controversial subject of pet-friendly tenancies has been grabbed by the scruff of the neck by the government. The Ministry of Housing,...

ARLA Propertymark has hit out at a growing number of local councils introducing licensing schemes, calling it “socially irresponsible” to do...

One of the housing ministers with responsibility for the introduction of the controversial Renters Reform Bill in the near future has...

Two Labour MPs have made extensive claims about the number of evictions from the private rental sector likely to happen if...

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...

Weekend statements from the government and Housing Secretary have made it clear that the rental market remains open for business even...

A controversial Labour council that locked horns with the government over landlord licensing is now submitting a new proposal for its...

The government has issued a new How To Rent Guide - the critical document that both letting agents and landlords have...

Agents are being warned to prepare now for likely controls on referral fees, following recommendations made to the government by the...

A local authority is launching a six month probe into rooms let out but exempt from rental sector regulation. The project is...

It’s a year today since the closure of the formal government consultation into scrapping Section 21 powers for agents and landlords. In last...

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

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

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

Labour’s housing spokeswoman says “after the incompetent handling of the exams fiasco, the government must act now to avoid more chaos...

The Property Redress Scheme, one of the two government-authorised redress services, claims its new mediation option is a success. In March this...

The Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government has given Letting Agent Today a statement trying to soothe critics of its...

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...

Some 47 per cent of all properties in the private rental sector in England are now managed by ARLA Propertymark member...

Confusion over Electrical Inspection Condition Reports, created by inaccurate statements from the government, has been slammed by a housing law expert.  Last...

The government has withdrawn its latest electrical safety checks guidance for the private rental sector, with immediate effect. However, there remains...

The government has released new guidance regarding electrical safety checks - and there's a worry it may include thousands of additional...

The Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government has issued guidelines ahead of new electrical safety checks coming into force for...

A landlord website claims the current ban on evictions is not to be extended beyond its scheduled close of June 29...

Tenants’ safety should be letting agents’ first priority in the new era of activity during the Coronavirus pandemic. In a new document...

ARLA Propertymark has made a series of demands on the government in the light of the Coronavirus crisis.  In a formal written...

Coventry council has been branded as irresponsible by a leading trade body for allegedly ignoring government advice on licensing schemes during...

Agents and other property professionals have a week to submit their views to an enquiry into the impact of Coronavirus on...

Liverpool’s Labour council, which was prevented by the government from extending its city-wide licensing scheme for another five years, is seeking...

All court possession orders are being suspended from today as part of the changes to the private rental sector to cope...

The government has yet to give explicit guidance relating to private rental maintenance, but new advice this morning appears to shed...

Propertymark has been told the agents should shut their offices immediately - they are not “essential businesses” under the new Coronavirus...

The government has announced a complete ban on evictions in the private and social sectors for any tenant affected by the...

The clampdown on referral fees, until now concentrated on the sales sector, will extend to letting agents too. James Munro, head of...

The government has rejected a council’s bid to extend its licensing scheme for privately rented housing. The Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local...

A buy to let investor has been hit with a bill of almost £9,500 after being accused of allowing a tenant...

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

Pet-friendly tenancies of the kind envisaged by the government could oblige some private landlords to quit the sector, it’s claimed. Over the...

The government’s hugely-publicised database for rogue letting agents and landlords has been running for almost two years and has…wait for it…just...

Agents and landlords are advised to think carefully before allowing tenants to keep pets, despite a government push to relax restrictions. The...

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

Liverpool’s Labour mayor says he is confident that the city will, after all, be able to renew its city-wide licensing scheme. Housing...

The Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government has backed a five year extension for a massive London council landlord licensing...

Another Labour council wants to introduce a city-wide landlord licensing scheme - a proposal that would require government approval to implement. Last...

A newspaper in Liverpool has sharply criticised the government for refusing to allow the city council to continue a huge landlord...

The fallout continues over the government’s shock refusal to allow Liverpool council to continue its huge landlord licensing scheme. Yesterday we reported that...

Housing Secretary Robert Jenrick has rejected a bid by Labour-controlled Liverpool council to extend its licensing scheme for five years. Government approval...

Durham county council wants to spend just over £250,000 setting up a lettings agency to place tenants with private landlords. The authority...

A Labour council serving one of the largest private rental communities in the country is reported to have failed to have...

A ginger group that supports the Labour party says the government’s bid to stop pet bans is meaningless and does not...

The government - which over the weekend made a surprise move to try to stop landlords banning tenants from keeping pets...

The Labour party has mocked the government’s £4m new funding for councils to combat rogue agents and landlords as “puny.” A statement...

Housing Secretary Robert Jenrick is to overhaul the model tenancy contract to make it easier for tenants to have pets. A surprise statement from the...

The government has announced an additional £4m in funding for local councils to combat rogue agents and landlords - but it’s...

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

Luton council has opened Lets Squared, a High Street lettings and estate agency using public funds - even though the town...

A leading trade body says the government’s latest injection of funds to help local councils root out rogue operators in the...

The government has given an extra £3.8m to councils to come up with ways of catching rogue landlords - and in...

The government is being urged to speed up the release details of the future it sees for selective licensing following revelations...

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 government has been criticised yet again for what is described as its “incoherent” approach to the private rental sector. David Miles,...

Housing minister Esther McVey has hinted that the government may finally decide as soon as next month on whether to introduce...

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

Campaigning charity Shelter has made a remarkable attack on a lettings agency, accusing it of “an abuse of power” over its...

The Ministry of Justice has announced that body-worn cameras must be worn by bailiffs recovering debt from individuals. The ministry adds that...

There’s been a sceptical response to news leaked from government over the weekend suggesting that a database of rogue landlords would...

The government has published proposals for far-reaching changes to the way estate and letting agents are regulated, trained and licensed. The proposals...

While we wouldn’t be so bold as to say the government gets its daily fix of property news from the Today...

Throughout April and May, we ran a high-profile campaign across our sites, Landlord Today, Estate Agent Today, Letting Agent Today and...

The government is considering the idea of a deposit passport for use by tenants when they move from one property to...

An independent review into selective licensing in the private rental sector makes a series of recommendations to tighten processes, with the...

A trade body has accused the government of going back on its promise not to introduce a national register of landlords. The...

Agents have reacted angrily to the way in which the government released a new set of rental documents updated to include...

The Tenant Fees Act comes into effect in England tomorrow - but a senior lettings expert is questioning whether it will...

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

A trade union says the government’s intention to scrap Section 21 eviction powers for landlords is “a huge victory” - but...

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

A Freedom of Information request by The Guardian newspaper has produced the startling admission from government that not even one landlord...

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’s plan to scrap Section 21 is personally backed by the Prime Minister and will begin formal consultations today. If the...

The government has beefed up its support for councils identifying and prosecuting rogue landlords. Yesterday the Ministry of Housing Communities and Local...

The government has issued new guidance notes on the Tenant Fees Act, aimed at agents, landlords and tenants. The publications come ahead...

The government says it is still considering applications to operate Client Money Protection schemes from April, despite approving five schemes so...

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

Momentum is building in the campaign to end ‘No DSS’ discrimination against private rental sector tenants in receipt of housing benefit. Late...

The government says it wants “an immediate change” in the policy of some letting agents and landlords who advertise ‘No DSS’...

The government has announced that over £19.5m is to be spent on paying deposits or paying the first month’s rent for...

The Tenants’ Fees Bill has now become law, receiving formal Royal Assent yesterday afternoon - and within minutes, the government issued...

One of the existing two government-authorised redress schemes governing estate and letting agents has called on landlords to voluntarily join, ahead...

The chief executive of a still-to-be-launched property portal says Christmas may have come early for letting agents because of the “huge...

A rental platform says it welcomes government plans to overhaul redress for tenants and others in the housing system but it...

The Association of Residential Letting Agents says it backs the stricter rules on mandatory electricity checks in rental properties announced by...

New rules are to be introduced to ensure mandatory electrical inspections on private rental properties are carried out by competent and...

There’s been broad support from the lettings sector for the wide-ranging reform of the redress system announced yesterday by housing secretary...

The council at Brighton & Hove has won an extra £34,820 in public money from the government to help it build...

The government has been accused of not helping thousands of landlords who may have inadvertently granted assured tenancies instead of the...

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

The government says it will shortly respond to over 8,700 responses it received about its suggestions for longer standard tenancies in...

The government says it will not reveal an implementation date for the banning on agents’ fees on tenants in England until...

There’s been a broad welcome from the industry to new guidance on room sizes on rented homes. The guidance was released just...

The government has made the controversial claim that the ban on the levying of fees on tenants will not produce “significant...

The Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government has revealed that it will shortly choose which local authority will be the...

Labour claims it was the driving force behind the government’s decision to cap tenants’ security deposits from six weeks to five...

An angry lettings agent has emailed Cabinet minister James Brokenshire to show his disgust at the government’s U-turn over deposit caps. In...

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...

Local authorities across the UK are to get another £2m to crack down on rogue operators in the buy to let...

The Labour MP who chairs the Housing, Communities and Local Government Committee in the House of Commons is pressing the government...

A warning has gone out to the lettings sector to check that rental properties are ‘Gas Safe’ as the colder weather...

Trade bodies have welcomed a government initiative to get more homeless people, as well as those at risk of becoming homeless,...

It is now just three weeks until licensing of Houses in Multiple Occupation (HMO) is extended. The new rules, which will require...

MPs have proposed a series of amendments to the Tenant Fees Bill as part of its Report Stage and Third Reading...

A trade body says it has been assured by the government that there will be no premature announcement introducing longer tenancies...

Speculation is growing that three year tenancies for private renters - long favoured by the government - could be announced as...

One of the lettings industry’s senior figures has welcomed the introduction of mandatory five yearly inspections of electrical installations in private...

Agents and others wishing to respond to the official consultation on government proposals for longer tenancies have only until late evening...

The government’s announcement that it will bring in mandatory electrical checks in the private rented sector has been welcomed - perhaps...

The government has produced new guidelines on setting up client money protection schemes for the private rented sector. They are evidently aimed...

The government has announced that the Report Stage for the Tenants’ Fees Bill will be held on September 5, the day...

A trade body is backing a call by a parliamentary committee for the government to fund certain fire safety improvements in...

The government has issued a new How To Rent guide - a key document which agents or landlords managing their properties...

Tenants, landlords and buy to let investors are the targets for new online rental guides introduced by the Ministry of Housing,...

Letting agents and others in the private rental sector have responded to the latest government intervention - a review into how...

Letting agents and landlords will have to win planning consent to erect To Let signs in student areas of Leicester from...

The government has confirmed that all property agents in England will need to be part of an approved Client Money Protection...

The industry has reacted angrily to the announcement yesterday that the Tenants’ Fees Bill is now formally starting its progress through...

The government has announced that it’s launching a review into the requirement for carbon monoxide alarms in homes across England. The review...

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

The Association of Residential Letting Agents is reminding its members - and all letting agents - of the need to be...

Some letting agencies and selected landlords are being asked to take part in a new survey investigating views and experiences in...

This week’s news that the government will not be implementing the ban on letting agents’ fees on tenants in England until...

The government has explained why the ban on letting agents’ fees on tenants will not be implemented until spring 2019 -...

The government has told NALS that implementation of the ban on letting agents’ fees levied on tenants will not take place...