Archive

The UK’s largest provider of inventory services says the creation of an MOT certificate system for properties in the rental sector...

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

A landlord and building contractor have been fined after quantities of asbestos fibres were released from the demolition of a conservatory...

In an announcement made just hours before much of the industry started its Christmas break, the government has clarified its guidance...

A survey by specialist lender Landbay reveals that tenants outside of London typically spend 33 per cent of their monthly pay,...

The Scottish private lettings sector is on the march again with the latest index suggesting a 2.2 per cent annual rise,...

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

The agency industry has reacted in a broadly downbeat way at the relatively few housing-related proposals that were announced in yesterday’s...

Media speculation over the weekend has suggested that the government may be about to give tax breaks to landlords agreeing to...

The shock findings of a new survey suggest that 32 per cent of landlords would be less likely to buy new...

There have been “significant leaps forward” in the standards of the private rental sector in the past four years, but safety...

A family-run hybrid based in the North East has secured the £300,000 contract to manage a new student accommodation development in...

The average rent in the UK increased by 0.13% last month - the highest level of monthly growth recorded since April...

Reports have emerged this week that the government is planning a U-turn on its proposals to introduce mandatory three-year minimum tenancies...

Leading portals Zoopla and OnTheMarket have today announced that they will both be advertising agents' rental property listings on Facebook Marketplace. Marketplace...

A London council has fined a letting agency over £10,000 for failing to install smoke alarms in a rental property. Waltham Forest...

Student landlords and letting agents are being warned by the Master Locksmiths Association (MLA) to tighten up security in their properties...

The average age of buyers of properties for buy to let has dropped from 52.3 years in 2014 to 42 years...

The mystery surrounding a lettings and estate agency on the island of Guernsey offers an insight into a system where companies...

The rental market is being warned of the dangers from unsafe gas and electricity supplies caused by meter-tampering.  Research undertaken by the Grosvenor...

The Scottish Government’s private rental reforms are shaking up the sector according to new data, which reveals rental property sales have...

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

A buy to let investor has been fined £20,000 after a kitchen fire that occurred in May last year at a...

A leading PropTech entrepreneur says lettings agents should be more vocal in providing the government with feedback on council rental licensing...

The latest Your Move rental tracker suggests that London’s lettings market has continued to cool with prices falling by 0.5 per...

A lack of new rental properties coming to the market in London has helped push the annual rate of London asking...

The Money Laundering Regulations 2017 require estate agents to risk assess their business relationships and apply an appropriate level of investigation...

Arguments have already started over the government’s proposals to make three year tenancies the norm in the private rental sector. Letting Agent...

Leaks from government sources to at least two mainstream news outlets today suggest that radical proposals on longer tenancies and possible...

Landlords exiting the market because of tax and red tape have led to “an acute shortage of available properties to rent”...

Data from Countrywide’s Hamptons International agency suggests that the number of second homes that were rented rather than purchased last year...

Renee Wells, on behalf of Just Landlords, has compiled a list of what letting agents can do to ensure that tenants...

A new study has revealed that the key reason tenants move between rental properties is to experience a different area. This is...

The introduction of a 3% stamp duty surcharge on the purchase of buy-to-let properties and the phasing out of buy-to-let mortgage...

This week marks a major milestone in Mayor of London Sadiq Khan's efforts to crack down on the capital's rogue letting...

Foxtons has lost an appeal against the £35,000 fine it was hit with at the end of last year.  The agency was...

A rental sector supplier claims huge numbers of tenants are extremely ignorant of the health and safety issues surrounding their rental...

Central London agency Portico has removed a property listing from Rightmove after intervention by the Advertising Standards Authority. The ASA received a...

A survey suggests that the ability to have a pet in a rental property is more important than ease of parking...

A survey has revealed that with over 145 individual laws and more than 400 regulations to follow, it’s dangerous for landlords...

A survey suggests that the advent of deposit-free renting in parts of the private rental sector may tempt tenants away from...

Letting agents have responded with enthusiasm to the government’s announcement over the Easter weekend that the industry would in future have...

Rents in Scotland continue to grow but the rate is slowing according to the latest data from Your Move. The average rental...

A specialist buy to let lender is making changes to its lending conditions to ensure its residential and commercial borrowers conform...

The Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy has selected a software supplier to handle some of the exceptions to the...

A lettings trade body says a major house builder has blamed, in part, recent tax increases on private landlords as a...

The average landlord who sold their rental property in 2017 did so for £86,651 more than they paid for it, having...

With only three weeks to go to the introduction of the first phase of Minimum Energy Efficiency Standards, a specialist mortgage...

Tax increases on the rental sector are leaving young people unable to access the homes they need, an industry body claims. The...

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

A range of factors - including fierce competition under the supplied housing market, rising property prices and political uncertainty – have...

The government has taken the unusual step of working with a Labour MP to ensure her Private Members Bill can become...

A lettings agent has been charged £1,000 after telling a new tenant to dump waste left by a previous occupier into...

In an unusual move the government has today, Sunday, announced that it wants tenants to have the right to take legal...

The UK’s army of buy to let landlords will still benefit from £16.7 billion worth of tax relief even after the...

Two complaints linked to agency activity have been dealt with through the Advertising Standards Authority informal resolution process. In the first a...

Research by a student lettings software company suggests that 70 per cent of landlords say they would prefer not to let...

A cocktail of tax reform and tighter regulation is slowing growth across the private rental sector, despite its value hitting a new...

The industry is awaiting details of the latest government consultation concerning the private rental sector which will consider longer tenancies. The consultation...

No Agent, a platform for landlords which says circumnavigates the need for letting agents, has announced $1.1m in investment - around...

The lettings market typically heats up in autumn, with landlords and tenants back off their holidays and ready to start the...

A survey suggests no fewer than 88 per cent of tenants regard cost as the most important deciding factor when choosing...

A leading buy to let expert is calling on agents to work more closely with landlords and tenants to improve communications...

The Nationwide Building Society says it is assembling what it calls ‘an industry alliance’ to support the increasingly-beleaguered private rental sector.   The...

The local authority in Islington, north London, is attempting to close what it calls a loophole concerning private rental property and...

A buy to let investor who kept 24 adults and children in what a local council calls “appalling conditions” has a...

A London letting agency is opening a new branch thanks to continued high demand from EU nationals looking for rental property...

ARLA Propertymark has revealed what it believes is a 'big step forward' for letting agents processing large numbers of overseas student...

A landlord has been prosecuted and fined for evicting a tenant illegally.  Last week, Suhail Mahmood, 30, was convicted at Sheffield Magistrates'...

A leading trade body says a cap on damage deposits paid by tenants - as proposed by the government - could...

Rents are gently rising again after some months of small dips according to HomeLet.    It says the average new tenancy signed during...

A landlord has been fined over £15,000 after failing to maintain gas appliances at the domestic property in Haverfordwest.   Llanelli Magistrates’ Court...

The Private Members’ Bill put forward by Labour MP Karen Buck, which could give tenants the right to sue landlords if...

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

The current ‘busy season’ for lettings turnovers at the end of student terms would be made significantly easier if agents and...

A survey of letting and estate agencies suggest around half broadly back the changes to the private rental sector outlined in...

Rents fell in June by 0.3 per cent when compared to the same time last year, the second successive month in...

Almost a fifth of British citizens could find it harder to access rental property, according to the Residential Landlords Association (RLA). The...

The preview event for the launch of a new rental auction site is receiving strong interest from letting agents. LetsBid4Lets says that...

The pace of decreasing rental values in Prime Central London (PCL) has slowed, according to the latest data from Knight Frank. Average...

Government watchdog the Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) has upheld four complaints made against a Liverpool letting agency. The complaints were made against...

A landlord has been ordered to pay over £10,000 after pleading guilty to breaching three separate fire regulations. Charles Thornton was fined...

The proportion of households living in the Private Rented Sector (PRS) will rise to 24% over the next four years, according...

Two landlords have been fined almost £14,000 for breaching a multitude of property management regulations. Abdul Qadir, 56, and Dr Mohammed Anwar,...

A new rental auction website is inviting letting agents to preview its launch at an event later this month. LetsBid4Lets.com, which claims...

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

Large letting agents found to be flouting the incoming ban on letting agent fees should receive fines up to £30,000 to...

Property marketplace TheHouseShop.com has announced a partnership with home services marketplace Plentific. Users of TheHouseShop will now be able to use Plentific’s...

The production company behind Grand Designs and Escape to the Country is looking for landlords to feature in a new BBC...

Data gathered for a specialist insurance firm suggests that 14 per cent of private tenants have moved in the last five...

The Labour Party has published its full manifesto for the upcoming General Election on June 8.  Titled 'For the many not the...

A group of rural landlords has called on the government to clarify Minimum Energy Efficiency Standards (MEES) legislation being introduced next...

A study of over 3,000 tenants has found that an increasing number of renters are 'very happy' with their living situation. LSL...

A seven per cent fall in the number of EU students seeking places at UK universities, matched with a 4.3 per...

It can take up to nine months to evict a tenant who isn’t paying their rent, according to an analysis by...

The Association of Independent Inventory Clerks is advising letting agents and landlords to be wary of any tenant seeking to ‘game’...

A tenant has been tracked down after a year-long exercise and has now picked up the deposit he forgot to collect...

A new study of landlords reveals that far more believe they will be affected by today’s buy to let mortgage interest...

Landlords and agents acting on their behalf are being urged to help private tenants personalise their rental properties.    The plea comes from...

Citizens Advice has spoken out about soon-to-be-banned letting agent fees charged to tenants. The organisation's 'A State of Disrepair' report says that...

Student landlords are concerned that fast-track two-year degrees could have an impact on their rental businesses. This is according to StudentTenant.com, which...

London is the globe's second most expensive city for renters, according to research by housebuilder Barratt London. The study analysed 20 cities...

London Mayor Sadiq Khan has written to six short-term lets websites calling on them to introduce a 90-day limit on rentals...

As the introduction of new energy efficiency regulations moves closer, landlords are being urged to check the Energy Performance Certificate (EPC)...

Tenants face potential rent increases of between 20 and 30 per cent as a result of tax rises hitting landlords, says...

The latest survey from a specialist landlord insurance firm confirms what many in the industry will have known for a long...

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

The buy to let mortgage market has suffered something of a battering in recent months but now Post Office Money is...

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

Belvoir Cardiff has completed the acquisition of a management portfolio of 130 rental properties. The purchase of all properties managed by Letwise...

New research has revealed that the vast majority of tenants have experienced problems with damp or poor drainage. A survey of 1,000...

The average rental property was let for £830 a month in November according to Your Move - that means the average...

Around one in 12 properties currently available on the rental market could become un-rentable by 2018 if government energy efficiency plans...

An online student lettings agency claims there will be a growing number of students using the holiday season to boost their...

Tenants are becoming increasingly eco-conscious according to a new survey.   Some 80 per cent of those questioned agree that landlords or their...

The soaring cost of a private rental deposit - now approaching £1,000 - makes the need for an accurate inventory greater...

The Association of Independent Inventory Clerks says it is concerned at the results of a survey suggesting 79 per cent of...

A trade body has accused some letting agents and landlords of “failing to get to grips” with several recent legal changes...

The Associaton of Independent Inventory Clerks is warning agents and others in the lettings sector to be careful when preparing advertising...

This week those working in the Private Rented Sector are being reminded of the importance of fire doors in rental properties. Fire...

Two landlord associations have criticised local councils for a lack of enforcement and failing to prosecute criminal landlords.  The Residential Landlords Association...

A landlord has been fined £7,000 for letting two properties which were unfit for habitation. Shahzad Mehmood was prosecuted at Swindon Magistrates'...

One of Britain's best-known landlords, Fergus Wilson, has launched an appeal after losing a case regarding a damp property. The tenants, Attila...

To coincide with students' return to university, the trade body for Scotland's electrical sector, SELECT, has launched a radio campaign to...

Citizens Advice has recorded an increase in the number of problems with letting agents reported by tenants, with a sharp rise...

Some 40% of private tenants are aged over 46, according to a study by Your Move.  The agency researched 36,500 tenants and...

The property industry is set to pledge its support to Gas Safety Week 2016, which starts today. The sixth annual event aims...

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

Almost all of the UK's major towns and cities saw fewer available buy-to-let properties listed during August when compared with July. Property...

The average UK tenant expects to remain part of the Private Rented Sector for a further decade, according to a new...

A high proportion of landlords play an active role in the management and maintenance of their rental property, a new study...

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

Kevin Hollinrake - the founder of franchise agency Hunters and now a Conservative MP - is calling for a cut in...

A lettings sector supply company has had to amend an advertisment after a complaint about its “misleading” statement over smoke and...

There are now 60,139 Build To Rent units constructed or in the pipeline across the UK according to the British Property...

A landlord has been left with a court bill totalling more than £6,000 after allowing a house in to fall into...

Buy to let investors face a ‘ticking timebomb’ that may force many of them to quit the sector in the long-term,...

The supply of rental properties fell by 5% during April when compared to the previous year, according to figures from the...

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

Landlords and letting agents are coming across increasingly dirty rental properties at the end of tenancies, as a study reveals that...

The National Landlords Association (NLA) has launched a new version of its Fire Safety Logbook which has been endorsed by the...

Some 36% of UK landlords have had a property abandoned by tenants, according to research. Abandonment - which occurs when a tenant...

Good news for agents having to work harder to persuade would-be landlords that buy to let makes financial sense after the...

Who are you? Patricia Barber What does it say on your business card? Chairman of the Association of independent Inventory Clerks (AIIC) How long has...

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

A London landlord has been given an eight week suspended prison sentence after failing to have a gas boiler in a...

Future demand for rental property looks secure if Hamptons International's latest research is accurate - it says a typical single Londoner...

Connells says there is still substantial room for additional agencies in the private lettings sector and that it intends to add...

Returns from buy to let properties have risen to their highest level in over a year.  Data from Your Move and Reeds...

It's more important than ever that letting agents stand out with their marketing messages. The British rental market is more crowded than...

Connells says that between December 2014 and December 2015 the number of valuations conducted for buy-to-let properties soared by 86 per...

We look at a few of the best ways to make your property stand out from the crowd. In a market...

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

Thanks to Accountancy Age for drawing to our attention to the fact that not every country is tightening up on the tax...

Tenants in the West Midlands are suffering the most from rent increases, according to the Association of Residential Letting Agents’ monthly...

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

A landlord has been fined a meagre £265 after a defective gas appliance was found to be in operation at his...

The landlord of a rental property in Harrogate has been fined over £8,200 after pleading guilty to two offences under the Regulatory...

Rightmove says rents across England and Wales, outside London, are up 1.3 per cent in the past three months according to...

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

Another property crowdfunding platform is launching in a bid to attract would-be investors who cannot afford or choose not to enter...

There has been a sharp and rapid rebuttal of comments made by new shadow chancellor John McDonnell suggesting that private sector...

Scottish rents have fallen month-on-month for the first time since the start of the year - and rent controls may make...

The average void period has dipped below 2.6 weeks per year according to a survey of the private rental sector by...

Research by a prominent letting agency chain suggests that despite the onslaught of red tape thrown at landlords, almost half are...

The Daily Telegraph has undertaken an interesting exercise which effectively challenges Chancellor George Osborne’s assertion that buy to let tax changes...

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

The property industry has hit out at what appears to be government confusion over a raft of new rules coming into...

A group of estate agents have teamed up with a local fire and rescue service to launch an initiative aimed at...

The Association of Residential Letting Agents (ARLA) has announced that it has joined forces with the Gas Safe Register to provide...

Some 71% of landlords have not yet organised a carbon monoxide alarm in their rental property, according to a survey of...

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

An inappropriate advert for a rental property has been removed from a flat-sharing website. The ad, featured on flatshare.com, was for a...

A survey of 750 letting agency branches and 70,000 tenant requests suggests agents are improving their management of repairs. The survey -...

Channel 5’s Nightmare Tenants, Slum Landlords programme, now in its fourth week, this evening looks at a serial bad tenant and...

The independent Institute for Fiscal Studies has described the justification given by Chancellor George Osborne for curbing tax breaks for buy to...

There has been no let-up in the anger expressed by sections of the buy to let sector after Chancellor George Osborne...

I don't think there is one person in lettings and property management who isn't alarmed at the scenes just over the...

Whether you are single or a family, looking to invest in rental property or want to lay down roots of your...

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

An industry study reports that the average tenancy length is now almost three years. Property consultancy firm Allsop’s fifth annual Rent Check...

A landlord has been jailed for four years for cultivating cannabis. Sixty-year-old James Sullivan was thought to have been overseeing the cultivation...

An insurance firm has reminded landlords that recent changes in legislation require them to be responsible for any repairs to the...

A Scottish agent has warned that government proposals to restrict landlord repossessions could negatively impact accommodation costs at the Edinburgh Festival. David...

Legal & General Capital (LGC) has announced that it is close to securing its second investment in the Build to Rent...

Foxtons could be facing a hefty legal bill after charging a landlord over £600 to change a light fitting. In 2013 London...

A landlord has been hit with an £11,000 fine after putting his tenants' lives at risk. Javeed Hossain was prosecuted by the...

An electrical safety charity has written to the new intake of MPs to explain why electrical safety in Britain’s homes needs...

Britain’s tenants would overwhelmingly support the appointment of a government minister solely responsible for tenancy issues, according to agents Your Move...

Almost half of students (49%) surveyed by Glide Utilities said their weekly rent represents good value for money, the firm has...

A landlord has been prosecuted and fined for failing to carry out vital works on his rental property.  Victor Robbins of Leigh-on-Sea,...

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

The number of landlords selling their buy-to-let properties increased during April, according to the latest report from the Association of Residential...

Rightmove says it has identified the 20 most expensive rental locations in the UK outside of London - and surprise, surprise,...

The Labour party’s proposals to cap rent rises with inflation and insist on three year tenancies in the private rental sector...