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KEYWORD "Police" - 100 RESULTS
Advice for agents on tenants with banned dog breeds

Propertymark is highlighting new advice for agents and landlords given by Lets With Pets, the website of The Dogs Trust charity. The...

20 March 2024

From: Breaking News

Powers to evict anti-social tenants set to be beefed up

Propertymark has welcomed proposed reforms to evict tenants who show persistent anti-social behaviour.   In 2018, a Northern Ireland Department of Justice consultation...

12 March 2024

From: Breaking News

Agent stole over £40,000 from firm which hadn’t noticed missing money

A letting agent who stole over £40,000 from her employer was caught when a bank queried the use of a company...

22 February 2024

From: Breaking News

Report downplays ‘posh’ image of Build To Rent flats and tenants

A new report suggests that past impressions of Build To Rent and other institution-funded rental units as expensive and concentrating on...

19 February 2024

From: Breaking News

Inspirational broadcast star to address Propertymark One

Inspirational broadcaster and author Katie Piper is set to take to the stage at the Propertymark One Conference at the ExCel...

15 February 2024

From: Breaking News

Generation Rent claims Black people victimised by “outdated” Vagrancy Act

A group of rental activists claims that police in England are disproportionately using a 19th century law that criminalises rough sleeping...

28 December 2023

From: Breaking News

Should letting agents police the quality of homes to rent?

A prominent housing expert has told MPs that letting agents could be used to police the standards off homes made available...

20 November 2023

From: Breaking News

“Heavy Handed Banks” slammed for pooled client account crisis

Propertymark has responded to an HM Treasury consultation on anti-money laundering processes - and in doing so it’s slammed “heavy handed...

28 September 2023

From: Breaking News

Bentley-driving lettings agent banned after smash

Local media on the south coast are reporting that a lettings agent crashed his Bentley into two parked cars and then...

26 September 2023

From: Breaking News

Police urge agents to smoke out illegal cannabis farms

Police are urging letting agents and landlords to act swiftly if they think one of their properties is being used as...

26 September 2023

From: Breaking News

Sadiq Khan and Generation Rent advising police on handling evictions

The Metropolitan Police has been advised by tenant activists and the London Mayor on developing rule changes for evictions. The changes include a presumption against...

29 August 2023

From: Breaking News

Police warning to check rental units for cannabis factories

Police are encouraging letting agents and landlords to regularly check properties following the discovery on a cannabis factory. Police attended the address...

21 August 2023

From: Breaking News

Cannabis Farms - agents asked to smoke out culprits

Five regional police and crime commissioners have written to letting agents highlighting the problems of cannabis farms in private rental properties.  The...

21 July 2023

From: Breaking News

Agents demand government clarity to combat Anti-Social Behaviour

Propertymark is supporting a new Anti Social Behaviour Awareness campaign, calling for greater clarity from government on how agents and landlords...

07 July 2023

From: Breaking News

HMRC ready to pounce on agents, claims ex-police AML expert

Anti-money laundering consultancy FCS Compliance has announced its latest Webinar for agents using Rightmove. And with it comes a warning that the...

29 June 2023

From: Breaking News

Police and agents must work to stop Sex For Rent scandal

Propertymark has made a strident set of demands of the government in a bid to end the so-called Sex For Rent...

08 June 2023

From: Breaking News

Agents jailed for role in multi-million-pounds drugs crimes

Two agents who helped establish a multi-million-pound drugs ring in two cities have been jailed. Ossama Omar and Mohamed Latif ran Platinum...

21 April 2023

From: Breaking News

Fraud - agency maintenance chief steals almost £100,000

A lettings agency maintenance manager stole almost £100,000 from her company - but has escaped prison. Farida Mughal was working at the...

19 April 2023

From: Breaking News

String of dodgy letting agents expelled by Ombudsman

Several lettings agents have been expelled from The Property Ombudsman scheme; they are amongst eight named as having been kicked out...

06 April 2023

From: Breaking News

Can courts cope with more eviction cases under new law?

The letting agent’s trade body Propertymark is concerned that the court system could buckle if eviction case numbers rise as a...

29 March 2023

From: Breaking News

Charity claims new eviction powers will punish the homeless

A charity is claiming that new powers to evict anti-social private tenants could lead to more homelessness, while those already living...

28 March 2023

From: Breaking News

Tragic case of agent who stole cash to clear son’s drug debt

A lettings agency manager stole nearly £140,000 from her company to help clear her son’s drug debt. Wendy Dare, 57, is now...

27 March 2023

From: Breaking News

New eviction powers to get rid of anti social tenants

Landlords and agents acting on their behalf are to be given more powers to evict unruly tenants who ruin neighbours’ lives...

27 March 2023

From: Breaking News

Political wannabes wrong to blame holiday lets, claims top agent

A prominent lettings agent has criticised leading candidates for the leadership of the Scottish National Party for anti-holiday let policies. David Alexander,...

03 March 2023

From: Breaking News

No blanket licensing required for short lets - Propertymark

Licensing for Airbnbs and similar short lets should be targeted in priority areas only and not the subject of blanket rules. That’s...

22 February 2023

From: Breaking News

Agents Working Alone - vital safeguarding webinar today

The Association of Independent Inventory Clerks is hosting a webinar this evening for letting agents and other industry employers responsible for...

01 December 2022

From: Breaking News

Eviction court delays to rise as spending cuts bite - Law Society warning

Agents and landlords are to face even longer waits for eviction court cases following the spending cuts announced in the Autumn...

22 November 2022

From: Breaking News

Warrant for arrest of letting agent who failed to appear in court

A warrant backed without bail has been issued for the arrest of a lettings agent who failed to appear in court. Gareth Wills...

01 September 2022

From: Breaking News

Agency boss threatened team with violence - gets suspended sentence

The former director of a lettings agency has received a suspended jail sentence for making threats of violence against ex-colleagues in...

24 August 2022

From: Breaking News

Times names politician involved in rogue letting agencies

The Times has named a member of the City of London’s governing council as a key figure behind rogue letting agencies. Luis...

07 June 2022

From: Breaking News

Airbnb demands end to Section 21 and creation of landlord register

Airbnb, so often criticised for operating in the largely-unregulated short lets market, has called on the UK government to scrap Section...

22 April 2022

From: Breaking News

PropTech Today – supporting smarter, more streamlined enforcement with PropTech

Housing is back on the political agenda with a bang. The government’s new Levelling Up White Paper sets out sweeping reforms...

23 March 2022

From: Breaking News

Agency Fraudster - Suspended sentence for agent embezzling £50,000

A lettings agency employee who diverted over £50,000 of landlords’ money into his own account has been given a suspended sentence. Paul...

08 February 2022

From: Breaking News

2,000 complaints over Airbnb-style short lets in just one area

Westminster council wants central London to have the same powers as Paris and Amsterdam to stop anti-social behaviour caused by Airbnb...

07 February 2022

From: Breaking News

Who’s going to police new higher standards for rental sector?

ARLA Propertymark has identified a key weakness in the government’s ambitious plans to reform the private rental sector as part of...

03 February 2022

From: Breaking News

Lib Dems want big rental sector controls ‘to solve housing crisis’

The Liberal Democrats have proposed sharp restrictions on holiday rentals at the heart of the party’s plans to solve the housing...

11 January 2022

From: Breaking News

Agent Alert - fake firm posing as legitimate lettings agency

A fake lettings operation has been uncovered by a leading legitimate agency - and now the National Trading Standards Estate and...

06 December 2021

From: Breaking News

Police tips for agents on how to smoke out cannabis farms

Police officers are this week raising awareness among agents about the signs of potential cannabis grows. The campaign is being led in...

17 November 2021

From: Breaking News

Police confront man who stole To Let sign from property

Local media in Bournemouth report that a man was stopped by the police when he was seen after dark carrying a...

11 November 2021

From: Breaking News

Gangmasters Raid: Police arrest at lettings agency

Media reports in Stoke on Trent say a man was arrested after a police raid on the Homes2Let lettings agency in...

05 November 2021

From: Breaking News

Benefits of scrapping S21 outweigh problems, insists Shelter

The chief executive of Shelter says the experience of Scotland shows that the scrapping of S21 eviction powers produces benefits that...

01 October 2021

From: Breaking News

'Drugs, booby-traps and rentals' – an expanding issue for agents?

Agents need to be diligent regarding the the growth of cannabis in rental properties and the devastating lengths tenants will go to...

21 September 2021

From: Breaking News

Lettings agent jailed after £182,000 fraud

A lettings agent has been jailed for three years for defrauding tenants and landlords out of more than £182,000.  Lee Clarke, 42,...

20 September 2021

From: Breaking News

Rogue lettings - ex agent given suspended sentence for fraud

A six-month prison sentence, suspended for 12 months, has been handed to a former lettings agent from Eastbourne for charges of...

16 September 2021

From: Breaking News

Labour demands powers to control private rents

London’s Labour Mayor, Sadiq Khan, has made a new call for power to cap private rents. He’s claimed that rents in the...

08 July 2021

From: Breaking News

Tenant offers agents hush money over cannabis factory

A rogue tenant has tried to bribe two letting agents with hush money after they discovered his cannabis growing factory. Anisi Hamollari,...

29 June 2021

From: Breaking News

Agent spots illegal rental scam - and police refuse to get involved

A lettings agent has told the BBC that he has spotted illegal rental scams using online platforms, but the police have...

28 June 2021

From: Breaking News

Police called to protest outside lettings company office

Police were called to a protect outside a lettings firm in Oxfordshire after a crowd picketed the office over a dispute...

16 June 2021

From: Breaking News

Letting agents advised to ‘up their game’ on landlord ID checks

Many letting agents fail to conduct the obligatory identity checks on landlord clients according to an industry supplier. Blinc UK says that...

11 May 2021

From: Breaking News

Activists stage DSS protest outside agency office

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

Banned! Court order prohibits investor from letting properties

A landlord who persistently broke residential lettings rules has been banned from operating in a landmark legal ruling. Julie Stoddern, of Camborne,...

08 March 2021

From: Breaking News

Arrests made as protesting activists try to enter lettings agency

Local media in the Homes Counties report that two arrests were made after police were called by a lettings agency where...

05 March 2021

From: Breaking News

Two agents and their firm must pay thousands compensation to landlord

Two letting agents have been ordered to pay £16,000 to a landlord after their activities were found to be unregistered and...

24 February 2021

From: Breaking News

A Fair Cop: no need to plant evidence in this rental property

Essex Police Force has tweeted a pair of photographs that go to prove agents should check a property before going on a...

17 February 2021

From: Breaking News

“Horrible crime” of illegal eviction probed by police

A 24 month community order and 200 hours of unpaid work are the price being paid for an unlawful eviction.  Buy to...

15 February 2021

From: Breaking News

Agents 'should guide landlords through blizzard of licensing rules'

Letting agents should help landlords through a blizzard of red tape and regulation cause by local licensing schemes, a PropTech entrepreneur...

10 February 2021

From: Breaking News

Agency calls in police after activists protest outside branch

A lettings agency has called in the police after a protest involving anti-agent activists demanding compensation for past tenants. The Eastern Daily...

24 December 2020

From: Breaking News

Angry calls for ‘exempt rental accommodation’ to face regulation

There are growing calls for so-called ‘exempt accommodation’ to face the same controls that are exerted over the rest of the...

21 December 2020

From: Breaking News

Gangmasters probe leads to property firm and director’s huge fines

Restaurant staff were kept in “dangerous and overcrowded” conditions by a property company and its landlord-director, a court has heard. The company...

18 December 2020

From: Breaking News

Agent left property front door open after routine inspection

The This Is Money website is carrying a story of a London rental property where the front door was left open...

03 November 2020

From: Breaking News

Fake lettings agent almost conned £1,500 out of tenants

A fake lettings agent has been caught trying to cheat prospective tenants out of £1,500 which she claimed was a deposit...

26 October 2020

From: Breaking News

Crooked agent escapes prison after stealing almost  £30,000

A crooked lettings agent stole almost £30,000 from dozens of clients to prevent his business from going bankrupt. Tim Catherall, of Nottinghamshire,...

28 September 2020

From: Breaking News

Don’t get scammed - police force warns about bogus property ads

A police force is warning potential tenants to check before handing over money after scammers conned people into making rent pre-payments...

23 September 2020

From: Breaking News

Police bust major £400,000 drugs racket run by rogue landlord

West Midlands Police have revealed that a major drugs racket being run by a rogue landlord from his properties in Coventry...

16 September 2020

From: Breaking News

Online rental platforms should do more to stop criminal scams - call

A new report demands that online rental platforms and portals allowing direct advertising by clients do more to deter fake landlords...

04 September 2020

From: Breaking News

Pot-smoking agent escapes driving ban after court hears career risk

A Derbyshire estate agent has escaped a driving ban after being found smoking cannabis in a car. Annabelle Lamb was spotted with...

13 August 2020

From: Breaking News

‘Necessary’ licensing scheme still not agreed a full YEAR after consultation

Back in March 2019 we covered the story that Weymouth council in Dorset wanted a landlord licensing scheme for a town...

04 August 2020

From: Breaking News

Exposed - fake lettings agency with the Lithuanian connection

Which? is warning prospective renters to beware scam lettings agencies and scam landlords following a case where £5,600 was conned out...

03 August 2020

From: Breaking News

Agents Beware - what to do if you suspect a cannabis farm

A law firm is warning that agents and landlords should carefully follow correct procedures if they suspect a rented property is...

03 August 2020

From: Breaking News

Eviction ban puts domestic abuse victims at greater risk - claim

The extension to the evictions ban will compound the suffering of victims of domestic violence and anti-social behaviour. That’s the view of...

16 June 2020

From: Breaking News

Properties seized from landlord who held group of men as slaves

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

Tenants shouldn’t always pay their own removal costs - commission

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

05 May 2020

From: Breaking News

Buy to let HMO did not even have a working smoke detector

A shocking case of a buy to let HMO that did not even have a working smoke detector has led to...

12 March 2020

From: Breaking News

Controversial council uses Foxtons-style ‘big data’ to police lettings

The controversial Liverpool council licensing scheme is to be policed through the use of what the authority calls “cutting-edge big data...

06 March 2020

From: Breaking News

Police hit ‘slavery’ landlord with landmark court order

The West Midlands Police force says it’s secured what it calls a “landmark court order” against a rogue landlord who turned...

03 March 2020

From: Breaking News

Porsche-driving agent crook repays just £43,000 of missing £241,000

A jailed letting agent in a long-running legal saga has now been told she must repay her victims some £43,000 -...

25 February 2020

From: Breaking News

Short lets like Airbnb out of control and activists want crackdown

Generation Rent - an outspoken organisation sharply critical of lettings agents and many aspects of the private rental sector - is...

06 February 2020

From: Breaking News

“Worse than Scrooge!” - angry judge makes landlord pay £20,000

A landlord has been ordered to pay almost £20,000 and has been told by a judge that he was meaner than...

10 December 2019

From: Breaking News

Tenants’ biggest election issue? Well, it’s not housing...

One might have thought that if private rental tenants were as badly treated as some people suggest, housing would be their...

18 November 2019

From: Breaking News

Don’t scrap licensing, streamline it says accreditation scheme

The safeagent accreditation scheme says the next government should not scrap landlord licensing as some trade groups have requested, but should...

12 November 2019

From: Breaking News

“Not enough!” - new cash to police rental sector deemed insufficient

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

06 November 2019

From: Breaking News

Pervert photo request leads to landlord being denied a licence

A landlord who made a perverted request to take photographs of a teenager in her underwear has had his request for...

29 October 2019

From: Breaking News

Short Lets and Brothels: police force warns agents and landlords

A police force has issued a warning to agents and owners of short-let properties to look for signs of modern slavery...

28 October 2019

From: Breaking News

Cannabis alert for private rental sector as electricity thefts surge

New analysis by Direct Line for Business reveals a surge in the number of police investigations into the theft of electricity,...

17 October 2019

From: Breaking News

Best agents should demonstrate  compliance to expose rogue operators

A call has been made for the best letting agencies and other rental sector professionals to show how they comply with...

01 October 2019

From: Breaking News

Police raid smokes out cannabis farm and string of lettings problems

A joint operation between Avon and Somerset Police and North Somerset council has uncovered a string of issues connected with rental...

02 September 2019

From: Breaking News

Police want landlords to share information about tenants

Police in South Shields have called for the sharing of information about tenants in HMOs - and a council is considering...

29 August 2019

From: Breaking News

MP to intervene over wound-up lettings agency owing £30,000

An MP says he will raise with local police chiefs a series of claims from landlords and tenants concerning a lettings...

16 May 2019

From: Breaking News

New regulatory body for Fees Ban likely to clamp down hard

The Association of Residential Lettings Agents says it backs a new Trading Standards-led body which will enforce the Fees Ban starting  on...

18 April 2019

From: Breaking News

Rental fraud warning after shocking scam attempts

Prospective tenants are being warned about a fraud scam that cons people into paying an advance fee to rent a property. The...

04 April 2019

From: Breaking News

18-month probe into HMOs ends with fine for rogue operator

An 18 month probe by different authorities has led to a £4,000 fine for an HMO owner in the Highlands. The local...

13 March 2019

From: Breaking News

Right To Rent breaches human rights, High Court rules

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

01 March 2019

From: Breaking News

Red Card for Red Light agent who ran a brothel rented from his firm

The head of a Hertfordshire lettings agency has pleaded guilty to managing a brothel, according to a statement from the police. He’s...

26 February 2019

From: Breaking News

Council admits it: 'We don't have staff to police private rental sector'

A local authority in the Midlands has admitted what many people have believed for some time - despite a slew of...

22 February 2019

From: Breaking News

Beds In Sheds scandal - 19 tenants found at four bedroom property

Council enforcement officers have raided a house in Wembley, north London, and found 19 tenants paying a landlord £1,000 a week. Brent council’s...

08 February 2019

From: Breaking News

Council in media probe blames government for 'rogue' payments

A council accused of paying over £500,000 to a landlord it had already ruled as unfit to rent out property is...

22 January 2019

From: Breaking News

Controversial Labour council ‘to prioritise which landlords to penalise’

A controversial Labour-controlled local authority which already has 91 per cent of its private rental properties inside licensing schemes is now...

17 January 2019

From: Breaking News

Mystery over missing agent being probed by trading standards

Mystery surrounds the whereabouts of a letting agent who appears not to be in any redress scheme, is being investigated by...

14 January 2019

From: Breaking News

On the fiddle: Massive buy to let fraud exposed in court

The Daily Mail has reported on a massive buy to let fiddle which involved a £10.8m property empire, rents totalling £500,000...

08 January 2019

From: Breaking News

Big penalty for owners of buy to let property shut down by the police

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

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