Archive

Paperwork released overnight by the government appears to confirm that the notice period for evictions is extending from two months to...

The Citizens Advice charity is the latest organisation to call for more help for private tenants following what appears to be...

The three month outright eviction ban pledged to renters last week appears to have been watered down in the Coronavirus Emergency...

A Liberal Democrat MP is seeking to amend the Renters’ Reform Bill to make it illegal for tenants to be offered...

New regulations mean highest risk rental properties may not have legally binding electrical safety cover for a prolonged period of time. That’s...

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

A campaign group that has held protests outside letting agents’ branches and has been fiercely critical of fees, says it’s seen a...

It looks almost certain that agents and landlords must ensure electrical installation inspections and testing are carried out for all new...

Letting agents can beat the upcoming ban on Section 21 by updating key documentation and automating arrears management to reduce the...

As the battle of political policies continues ahead of next month’s General Election, now Labour has unveiled a raft of initiatives...

A collective of activist renter groups has set out a manifesto of what it wants from the winner of next month’s...

A solicitor has urged the government not to reform or scrap Section 21 eviction powers simply on the basis of protests...

The rental sector needs to prepare for the demographic challenge of an increasingly older population, says the head of a high...

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

The Mirror newspaper says eight members of the new Boris Johnson-led Cabinet are buy to let investors - and it accuses...

New guidance from the government on its controversial Right To Rent scheme would see agents and landlords breaking the law if...

The All-Party Parliamentary Group for Housing and Care for Older People has sharply criticised the PRS as being ill-equipped to cater...

A senior Labour politician has claimed that there is a city in the UK where two out of every 13 residential...

The consumer charity Citizens Advice has hailed the Tenant Fees Act and the ban on letting agents’ charges to renters as...

A Midlands MP says he has spoken with housing minister Kit Malthouse about the case of a two-branch lettings agency that...

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

A trade body has welcomed calls by a parliamentary committee for tax incentives for the buy to let sector to improve...

Figures given through a Parliamentary answer have revealed just how bad councils in England are at policing and enforcement action against...

A leading trade body says the argument that councils have insufficient powers to tackle rogue operators isn’t supported by the facts...

The High Court has ruled that the government’s Right to Rent scheme breaches human rights law. Under the Right to Rent landlords are...

New figures from a leading trade body suggest that councils across England have cut by a quarter the amount they are...

March 19 has been set as the next date for the Welsh equivalent of the Tenant Fees Ban Bill to be...

A senior Labour politician claims that “unscrupulous” letting agents are hammering tenants with higher-than-usual charges between now and June 1 when...

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

Tenants are in for a rocky ride this year - and it’s chiefly the fault of government, says the chief executive...

The chief executive of the Citizens Advice consumer charity says she wants government “to do even more to strengthen the hand...

The Residential Landlords Association’s membership has hit a new high of 35,000.  Established in 1998 the not-for-profit association - which describes itself...

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

The Homes (Fitness for Human Habitation) Bill has achieved Royal Assent, meaning that it will soon become an act of Parliament. Put...

A Private Members’ Bill which will allow private rental sector tenants to sue over the conditions of their properties will today...

A Private Members’ Bill which will allow private rental sector tenants to sue over the conditions of their properties is just...

Embattled London Labour mayor Sadiq Khan says he wants rent controls to be introduced in the capital’s private rental sector, but...

A government minister says the phrase ”rogue landlord” is too “cuddly” and he wants buy to let investors who broke the...

The party conferences of the two main political parties threw up some interesting developments with regards to housing and the rental...

The Tenant Fees Bill is back in Parliament this week when it goes for its Second Reading in the House of...

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

Labour has outlined its proposals for the private rental sector if it gains power at the next General Election - and...

It’s been announced that the next stage of the Tenants’ Fees Bill through Parliament will be its Second Reading in the...

Shadow housing minister John Healey has given his backing to a Labour MP’s attempt to introduce a mandatory national register for...

It’s been a difficult summer for Airbnb and other short-let platforms operating in the UK. Recently the European Commission gave Airbnb until the...

An insurer is launching a new referral scheme for letting agents to market to landlords and tenants as a way of...

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

There has been strong support for an e-petition calling for the scrapping of the stamp duty surcharge on buy to let...

A petition has appeared on the government’s e-petition website calling for a review of a city council’s newly-introduced selective licensing system. Nottingham...

The government has written to two senior MPs in a bid to clarify two detailed provisions in the Tenants Fees Bill,...

The lettings industry has hit out at the Welsh Government’s proposals to ban agents’ fees levied on tenants. A Bill was put...

A Bill which is likely to end up banning letting agents’ fees levied on tenants in Wales has been introduced into...

A Member of Parliament who says “the majority of agents” engage in “dirty tactics” when it comes to fees imposed on...

An electrical testing equipment firm and an MP are setting up a national campaign to demand new laws on appliance testing...

The government has responded to a petition calling for it to abolish the 3% stamp duty surcharge and reintroduce full buy-to-let...

Letting agents - and anyone with ‘relevant expertise and experience or a special interest’ - have been invited to provide their...

A national charity is calling on the government to tighten the 'default fees' clause which is part of the Tenant Fees...

An online petition which calls on the government to reintroduce full buy-to-let mortgage interest tax relief and abolish the 3% stamp...

MPs will today undertake the second reading of the Tenant Fees Bill which proposes to ban upfront tenant fees and introduce...

A leading PropTech entrepreneur says he welcomes reforms currently moving through Parliament to professionalise the lettings sector - but he wants...

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

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

One of the six PropTech start-ups shortlisted to develop a system allowing tenants’ rental histories to count towards their creditworthiness says...

A Select Committee of MPs investigating the proposed ban on agents’ fees levied on tenants says the measure could save renters...

The Association of Independent Inventory Clerks has renewed its call for letting agents and other property professionals to back an online...

The new leader of the Labour party in Scotland says his party will introduce “stringent” rent controls if it gains power...

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

A housing charity has called for the government to build more affordable social homes for rent to help families 'trapped' in...

An online petition urging MPs to make it compulsory for privately let properties to be subject to independent inventory reporting is...

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

The chairman of the Residential Landlords Association has written in the Labour-supporting New Statesman magazine about the need for the lettings...

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

A new PropTech platform has launched today linking tenants’ rental payments with their Experian credit histories, as well as providing reports...

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

Today sees the return of MPs to Parliament following the Christmas break, and one early task is to hear oral evidence...

Automated rental payment provider PayProp has joined the call for private rent payments to be counted towards tenants’ credit scores in...

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...

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

The government is offering £2m to budding PropTech and financial technology entrepreneurs who can develop an application that will enable Britain’s 11...

You have only until 11.45pm tonight to have your say on government proposals to clamp down on letting and managing agents...

Lord John Bird, the founder of Big Issue, is tomorrow launching his own Bill in the House of Lords in a...

Trade organisatons have reacted predictably to the government’s latest announcements and publications concerning the private rental sector. Yesterday the Department of Communities...

The Law Society Gazette has given more details of a Parliamentary Bill in preparation to give more powers to tenants to...

MPs from the cross-party Parliamentary Group for Ending Homelessness have spoken out on the need to help homeless people into the...

Only two out of every 10 private rental sector landlords say they are willing to let to tenants in receipt of...

Agents have until November 24 - two days after the next Budget - to submit evidence to the latest probe into...

Wear and tear can be a highly contentious issue for many tenants and landlords; many arguments have arisen because of unclear definitions...

The Association of Residential Letting Agents has welcomed the government commitment to introduce regulation for agencies - but it is warning...

According to recent government figures, the average letting agent’s fee is £223 and 4.3 million householders pay this amount or thereabouts...

Housing minister Alok Sharma has told a major residential conference that rent controls will definitely not be a policy of the...

A Westminster Hall debate for MPs on letting agent fees will take place this morning in the House of Commons. The debate...

The government is being urged by the Residential Landlords Association (RLA) to do more to enforce compulsory fee disclosure. Since May 2015,...

Green Party politician Andy Wightman claims that £10.6m in taxes are being avoided this year due to the boom in private...

New research by Channel 4 reveals that 123 MPs - just over one fifth of the total - let out at...

Labour MP Karen Buck is to reintroduce her Private Members Bill into Parliament today - and if it is passed, she...

The government has revealed that it has received over 4,700 responses to its official consultation over the proposed ban on letting...

Far from being wealthy property investors, two thirds of individual landlords pay merely the basic rate of income tax according to...

The Queen’s Speech, outlining the government’s proposals for the next two years, has confirmed a pledge to introduce a ban on...

A proposed amendment to the government's Housing and Planning Bill which suggests landlords are required to make homes 'fit for human...

Hunters says its franchise agents and offices may suffer less than other firms thanks to their sales operations.   Addressing the Hunters Group...

Scotland’s First Minister Nicola Sturgeon says she has been “horrified” to read allegations of some property owners offering rent-free accommodation in...

The Association of Residential Letting Agents has told its agent members that they should urgently lobby their Members of Parliament to...

There is to be a new high-level and independent review of the private rental sector in England.   The Nationwide Foundation is funding...

A 27 year old father of two has secured over 140,000 signatures for an online petition demanding that rent payments be...

The Residential Landlords Association (RLA) is writing to the Office for Budget Responsibility asking it to provide clarification on controversial tax...

The National Approved Letting Scheme is linking with legal firm Moore Blatch to offer member agents access to a free legal...

Saturday is traditionally the day many MPs hold their constituency surgeries, listening to grievances and opinions from their electors.    Conservative member of...

The government’s Housing White Paper may have made many broad pledges aimed at the private rental sector, but it still remains...

An immigration minister has revealed that 91 landlords have been issued with civil penalties since the Right to Rent scheme was...

A damning critique of the one-year-old Right To Rent legislation in England suggests that the government is largely unaware of its...

Housing minister Gavin Barwell says recent changes to buy to let mortgage interest relief and stamp duty will only affect a...

Letting agents’ fees levied on tenants - already banned in Scotland and now likely to be banned in England according to...

Councils have been told to up their game to protect tenants from a minority of landlords providing sub-standard accommodation.   The call, being...

An online petition is being staged to voice opposition against the government's proposed ban on letting agents' fees levied on tenants...

A letting agency says the scale of confusion over letting agents’ fees is such that some tenants actually believe the deposit...

An industry group has analysed changes made to the Homelessness Bill and has concluded that far from being something it could...

Labour’s respected housing expert, John Healey, is now back on the front bench as the party’s housing spokesman after a spat...

The local press serving the area of Kirkcaldy is reporting concern about a local letting agent after numerous tenants and landlords...

The National Approved Letting Scheme (NALS) has called for a cap on excessive letting fees charged to tenants, instead of a...

Speculation that the government was attempting to ‘slip in’ yet more changes to the way landlords are being taxed have been...

There is growing concern across the industry at the fear - which we reported yesterday - that the government may be...

The Law Society has accused the government of avoiding proper consultation and scrutiny in the way it has introduced new buy to let proposals.   They...

An industry body has backed a Conservative MP's anti-homelessness Bill, which has been published by the Communities and Local Government Select Committee.   The...

The BBC is claiming that vulnerable families are being exploited by rogue landlords in Glasgow - including in the constituency for...

EasyRoommate, a room-sharing website, says it is backing the Renters’ Rights Bill currently going through parliament and aiming to restrict letting...

The government is being warned that without changes to the Finance Bill currently going through parliament it will effectively be forcing rent...

A campaign to reduce Capital Gains Tax paid by landlords when selling their rented home to sitting tenants has won the...

A Labour MP has presented Parliament with a petition urging that letting agents’ fees should be capped. There were a modest 1,500...

The Residential Landlords’ Association says a period of economic and policy confusion lies ahead for the private rental sector as a...

The Supreme Court has ruled that rights to a private and family life need not get in the way of legitimate...

The Liberal Democrats are following in the footsteps of some Green and Labour politicians in calling for a ban on letting...

The Residential Landlords’ Association has revealed what it calls “worryingly low levels of enforcement of rented housing regulations” by local authorities. Using...

A leading trade body has called for the Housing and Planning Bill now going through parliament to be widened to include...

Two organisations are appealing to Scottish Ministers to ensure that businesses have the ability to supply accommodation for workers in rural...

A London lettings has tweeted that it does not share the view of one of its own branch managers who said...

Who are you? Jen Paice What does it say on your business card? Chief executive of SafeDeposits Scotland What does SafeDeposits Scotland do? We are...

MPs and members of the House of Lords want private sector tenants to be given clearer up-front information on the cost...

The government’s initiatives to try to increase house building and owner occupation will not stop demand for rented homes rising by...

A land-owners’ group is upset at the Scottish Government’s alleged “disregard” for estate- and land-owners to be able to gain vacant...

Typical rents in Scotland are down from £757 per month to £747 according to Citylets - just as the Private Housing...

An online petition aiming to get 100,000 signatures expressing opposition to Chancellor George Osborne’s buy to let tax changes looks certain...

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

The Housing and Planning Bill returns to the House of Commons tomorrow when the remaining stages of the legislation resume after...

An online petition seeking the reversal of the Osborne clampdown on buy to let tax breaks has secured around 47,000 signatures...

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

An online petition asking the government to rethink its raft of tax measures imposed on buy to let landlords this year...

SAFEagent is calling on the government to use the passage of the Housing Bill through Parliament to make a Client Money...

A property investment search portal has launched an online petition via the UK Parliament website, calling for a national register of...

Generation Rent, the lobby group which recently narrowly escaped folding because of a lack of financial support, wants the public to...

The online petition opposing the proposed tax changes for buy to let landlords has now reached 35,000 signatures - but is...

The prospect of lending restraints for landlords next year has done little to deter lenders offering a wide range of deals...

A senior Conservative MP is urging the government to give councils the power to issue rogue landlords with on-the-spot fines. Oliver Colville,...

“Unthought-through”, “unfair and unreasonable” and leading to “extreme confusion” - those are the thoughts of Britain’s leading professional accounting body on...

The All Party Parliamentary Group for the Private Rented Sector has launched an inquiry into the energy efficiency of private rented...

The online petition against the government's proposed tax changes for buy to let investors is "a waste of time" according to...

Another major industry body has added its voice to growing concerns over the potential impact of Right To Rent immigration checks...

The government’s response to the online petition against proposed tax changes for buy to let investors is “unfair, incoherent and missing...

Parliament has approved the Smoke and Carbon Monoxide Alarm (England) Regulations 2015 - the regulations which looked in jeopardy after a...

Opponents of the government’s attempt to end tax breaks for the buy to let sector now have a new opportunity to...

If supporters of Chancellor George Osborne’s Budget restrictions on tax breaks for buy to let landlords thought opposition would die off...

The Right To Rent pilot project has forced letting agents and landlords into ‘increased racial profiling’ according to the Joint Council...

The petition against the proposed tax changes outlined by Chancellor George Osborne in last month’s Budget has now achieved 20,000 signatures. This...

The Residential Landlords Association has launched a new campaign ‘toolkit’ to enable opponents of the proposed buy to let tax changes...

An online petition demanding the reinstatement of buy to let landlords' tax breaks has broken the 10,000 signatures mark which means...

An online petition demanding the reversal of the revisions to buy to let landlords' tax breaks announced in the Budget last...

The National Landlords’ Association has met with the Home Office and the Department of Communities and Local Government - and has...

There has been a mixed reaction to the government’s announcement that agents and landlords face jail if they fail to conduct...

An online petition demanding the reinstatement of buy to let landlords' tax breaks has so far attracted 6,300-plus signatures. The petition, which...

Some 19 per cent of MPs in the new parliament are landlords according to their entries in the first Register of...

The government appears to be trying to push its controversial idea to allow much more tenant-led sub-letting of private rented property...

A Labour MP was hauled up before the parliamentary expenses body after hitting a credit card problem created by a dispute...

This month has marked a real change in the way the private lettings sector is perceived - and it’s a perception...

When do we really start to worry about rising rents and house prices? Despite an apparent slowdown in house price inflation...

Given that I wrote my last article on the day of the General Election but well before the result was known,...

Nominations for Labour’s deputy leadership race close at midday today with Stella Creasy, an MP who has campaigned fiecely against letting...

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

The Residential Landlords Association is calling for better enforcement of existing laws and regulations to protect tenants in private rented housing. In...

Airbnb is letting out a two-bedroom floating house on the Thames to publicise the changes in short term letting rules in...

The Conservatives’ election victory came as a surprise, so much so that television pundits spent all night after the vote rubbishing...

The quick-off-the-mark Residential Landlords Association appeared to earn brownie points for the entire private rental sector by sending a congratulatory message...

An umbrella organisation representing parts of the private rented sector is to be put before the Scottish parliament in a bid...

So, a sigh of relief.  Most agents will be pleased with the election result - even if they are not Tory supporters...

The agency industry has been acting with delight over the likelihood that there will be a slim overall majority for the...

An analysis by The Guardian newspaper shows that 153 MPs from the last Parliament declared an income from renting out at...

The Residential Landlords Association says it has “deep concerns” over the Panorama programme broadcast early this week claiming that landlords were...

Labour’s onslaught on the private rental sector continues, with the party now setting out how it will implement its rent controls...

With another hung parliament looking increasingly likely, the so-called ‘challenger parties’ look set to have a major say in who forms...