Archive

A bizarre fine imposed on a managing agent by a local authority appears to have been reversed because the council flouted...

A proposal for one of the country’s largest ever private rental sector licensing schemes has gone out to consultation. Manchester’s Labour council...

A London council has embarked on consultation over two new private rental licensing schemes - and says they are needed as...

A London council describes two new licensing schemes as ‘making renting fairer’ - even though they are launched during the pandemic. Islington’s Labour...

Earlier this week ARLA branded local councils pursuing private rental licensing during the pandemic as “socially irresponsible” - but one of...

A lettings agent has spoken out at a local council landlord licensing scheme, suggesting it might just be nothing more than...

Activists from the so-called renters’ union Acorn have held a protest outside the office of a lettings agency in Oxford. A photograph...

A major north of England local authority wants to introduce landlord licensing for HMOs where three or four tenants live, following analysis...

A private rental licensing consultancy has spotted that an additional licensing scheme run by a London borough council has now lapsed...

A new private rental licensing regime in a London borough is being described as “a major step forward in improving living...

Oxford council, which has 49 per cent of its housing stock in the private rental sector, is starting a formal consultation...

Charnwood council in the East Midlands is proposing to introduce two different licensing schemes for private landlords, with agents and others...

Greenwich council in London has resuscitated a proposal to extend its existing selective licensing regime, put on ice during the Coronavirus...

A local authority has extended its consultation process for a selective licensing system which, if it goes ahead, would see some...

Harrow council in north London has launched a formal consultation on its plan to renew its landlord licensing scheme in the...

Residents at home during lockdown who may have seen families crammed into overcrowded HMOs are being asked to report the properties...

A group of local landlords and others in the private rental sector are challenging a local authority’s licensing proposals with their...

A local authority has postponed the extension of its private rental sector licensing regime - but it’s warning agents not to...

Not-for-profit accreditation service safeagent says the government should ensure councils delay the introduction of all new private rental sector licensing schemes...

Another council is consulting on introducing a selective licensing scheme - and again it claims it will “create better housing for...

The government has given the green light to a council’s huge licensing scheme, set to cover 18 of its 20 wards...

Enfield council in London has confirmed that it will introduce borough-wide additional licensing. It is also seeking consent from the government to...

A council has prosecuted five private landlords who failed to get licences for the properties they let out. Oldham council says its...

A landlord has ended up with fines totalling over £90,000 after repeatedly ignoring a council’s selective licensing regime. Stephen Ige pleaded guilty...

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

Officers from a local council simultaneously staged 10 dawn raids on properties owned by unlicensed landlords. All the terraced homes, in Slough,...

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

Oldham council is the latest to seek an extension of a selective licensing scheme beyond its mandatory five year term -...

A rogue landlord has been fined £1,384 for failing to get a council licence for two buy to let properties. The case...

The owner of two properties has been fined £35,000 for breaches of the selective licensiing regime in his local area.  At a...

A landlord has been hit with court fines for a fourth time for failing to properly manage his rental properties.  Landlord Jack...

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...

A long-term legal critic of selective licensing is warning that letting agents could be held jointly accountable with the landlords, -...

Former QPR and Nottingham Forest striker Dexter Blackstock has been fined over £25,000 and branded a rogue landlord after admitting 12 licencing offences. He...

Research by safeagent - the new name for the National Approved Letting Scheme - has found over 130,000 unlicensed properties in...

An umbrella organisation representing councils is calling for greater freedom to introduce more and larger rental sector licensing schemes, without the...

A senior Labour politician in Sheffield and the campaign group Acorn have both expressed support for a selective licensing scheme to...

A Labour councillor on Islington council - which is controlled by the party and has Jeremy Corbyn as a local member...

Enfield wants to be the latest London council to introduce large-scale additional and selective licensing schemes which would affect most private rented...

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

A local authority is being warned that its landlord licensing and accreditation scheme is potentially unlawful. The Residential Landlords Association, which represents...

Another local authority has announced that it wants to introduce another selective licensing scheme and designate its entire patch for HMO...

A London council wants to extend its private rental sector licensing scheme - and in doing so is boasting of the...

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...

A buy to let investor who let out an unsafe and unlicensed property in London has now been hit with a...

A lettings sector trade body has written to a council accusing it of initiating an “unlawful” fee structure for a licensing...

Consultation is underway to extend a landlord licensing scheme in a London borough where a third of households rents privately.  Three types...

The National Landlords Association says it’s concerned the Fees Ban coming into effect in just two days’ time may limit access...

Revenue raised by landlord licensing schemes should be used to enforce rental sector regulation, according to PayProp. It says that the money...

Who are you and what does it say on your business card?  My name is Daniel and I’m a director at...

A housing minister has pledged that more key reforms for the private rental sector will be revealed soon, despite Brexit political...

Leicester is the latest council to begin consultations on selective licensing in six parts of the city - with the threat...

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

Another controversial scheme licensing landlords who let their homes out may face legal challenge. Middlesbrough council’s formal consultation on the introduction of...

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

More local authorities have announced that they want to increase the size of the areas covered by their existing selective licensing...

A legal firm has renewed its criticism of local authority licensing schemes, accusing them of “persecuting” landlords. David Kirwan, managing partner at...

A landlord who failed to comply with orders to improve the standard of a property has had to pay over £7,500...

Councils have been accused of routinely pursuing the most serious enforcement option open to them if they find a local licensing...

One of London’s most enthusiastic councils for additional and selective licensing has pushed back the date for enforcement action against landlords...

The head of a lettings agency has launched a petition in opposition to a bid by a local council to extend...

Nottingham council - which recently introduced one of the largest and most controversial selective licensing schemes in the country - now...

A buy to let investor has been forced to close down two rat infested homes he owns in Rotherham after they...

Local press reports say that one of the country’s most controversial buy to let licensing schemes has seen thousands of applications...

The Residential Landlords Association is threatening a council with a judicial review because of unresolved concerns over the authority’s selective licensing...

A council says it has been preparing prosecution and penalty notices “for hundreds of private landlords that have failed to apply...

Shadow Chancellor John McDonnell has made a clear pledge to tighten regulations surrounding the private rental sector. In an interview with The...

The heavy-handed administration of selective licensing schemes is driving out buy to let investors. That’s the claim from David Kirwan of Kirwans...

A landlord has been ordered to pay £452 after he breached the terms of his licence in an area of County...

A post on a landlord website suggests that a new trade body is being set up to challenge the dominance of...

The Labour-led local authority in Hackney has issued a statement pledging fines or even bans if landlords fail to get appropriate...

The Association of Residential Letting Agents has issued a reminder to the industry of the need to understand and abide by...

The council behind a controversial private rental sector licensing scheme is trying to justify its introduction on health and safety grounds. On...

The Residential Landlords Association has told another council that its plans to introduce selective licensing in areas of its town are...

A local authority has taken the unusual step of naming seven buy to let landlords prosecuted in the past month in...

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

It appears that take-up of an apparently compulsory licensing scheme in one city has been shockingly low - and the scheme...

The Residential Landlords’ Association says proposals from Great Yarmouth council to introduce selective licensing in one part of the town contains...

From August 1 Nottingham council is introducing a new selective licensing regime covering an estimated 32,000 privately rented homes. This is an...

Councillors in Stockton-on-Tees are under pressure to rethink plans to introduce Selective Licensing of private rented housing in two areas of...

The Association of Residential Letting Agents has heaped praise on a local authority which has fined 27 lettings and managing agents...

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...

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

The government has announced a review to assess how selective licensing is used and find out how well it is working...

A 10 week consultation period begins today on selective licensing in the central area of Blackpool - with the council threatening...

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Yet another council is proposing a licence on properties let out in the private rental sector - this time suggesting one...

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

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

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

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