NEWS
Landlords not covered by new mortgage guidance
The Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) has updating borrowers’ responsibilities to their existing mortgage holders, will only cover ‘regulated’ products. You can see the full details here. This means that buy-to-let mortgages, which are deemed to be ‘unregulated products in the UK’ will not be covered. The FCA is calling on borrowers to show ‘forbearance’ towards […]
If you already have a membership, please login first via the log in page.
Report on LHA issued
The House of Commons Library has issued a report on the Local Housing Allowance (LHA). It can be seen here, and says: What is Local Housing Allowance (LHA) LHA is not a benefit in its own right. It sets maximum amounts claimants of Universal Credit and Housing Benefit can usually get in housing support for […]
If you already have a membership, please login first via the log in page.
Chancellor urged to commit extra £6bn a year on energy efficiency in homes.
A coalition of charities and campaigners have demanded the chancellor funnel more funds into making Britain’s leaky housing stock energy efficient at next week’s budget to help cut bills and protect the environment. In a letter to Jeremy Hunt, more than 20 organisations asked the government to set aside at least £6bn a year over […]
If you already have a membership, please login first via the log in page.
Latest RICS survey concerned about housing
The Royal Institute of Chartered Surveyors (RICS) UK residential market survey has been published, and can be seen here. They report that new buyer enquiries is reduced on a seasonally-adjusted basis, but has shown improvement on last month. As they put it ‘it is also the least negative result since July of last year.’ Sam […]
If you already have a membership, please login first via the log in page.
Landlords should not improve their energy efficiency – yet, said a buy-to-let expert
iHowz have been urging Government to sort out the mess of MEES – see our campaign section. This has now been echoed by Roger Morris, large-scale landlord and director of sales and distribution for the mortgage division of Tandem Bank, whilst speaking at the The British Specialist Lending Senate He said the government consultation entitled […]
If you already have a membership, please login first via the log in page.
Landlord fined after family with baby were left without water or proper heating
A private landlord has been prosecuted after a family – including a baby and two older children – were left without water or adequate heating in their rented property. Anthony Wardrop, 79, on behalf of Sedgedene Estates, was fined £1,000 and ordered to pay £580 in costs and charges for failing to carry out work […]
If you already have a membership, please login first via the log in page.
Is the UK taxation of landlords’ fair?
Mark Alexander – Founder of Property118, has published an article asking why a landlords business is not treated the same as any other business. It can be seen here, and says: property rental businesses, especially privately owned ones, have a much tougher deal when it comes to tax. For example: – Private car rental business […]
If you already have a membership, please login first via the log in page.
HALIFAX HOUSE PRICE INDEX
UK Halifax house prices grew by 1.1% in February month-on-month, outpacing expectations for a drop of 0.3% and accelerating from January and December at 0.2% and -1.3% respectively. Year-on-year, house prices grew by 2.1%, also ahead of forecasts and unchanged for the third consecutive month. Annual growth slowed across all nations and regions in February. […]
If you already have a membership, please login first via the log in page.
What British landlords can learn from Finland’s disastrous rent controls experiment
The Telegraph has run an opinion piece on how lifting rent controls transformed the market in Finland. It can be seen here (subscription may be necessary) and points out that Scotland is going to introduce rent controls; Wales are seriously considering it; and London Mayor Sadiq Khan has called for powers to be able to […]
If you already have a membership, please login first via the log in page.
Malcolm Clark
We are sorry to hear about the death of Malcolm Clark. Malcolm was a long term stalwart of Southampton landlords, and will be missed by all of us. Please see the notice published in the Hampshire Chronicle and Local Echo
If you already have a membership, please login first via the log in page.
Government encourages complaints about ‘rogue landlords’
Social housing tenants will be urged to complain about shoddy and dangerous housing in a major new Government advertising campaign. Housing Secretary Michael Gove said the campaign, which will encourage tenants to voice complaints first to landlords and then to the Housing Ombudsman if necessary, will “shine a light” on rogue landlords. The Government has […]
If you already have a membership, please login first via the log in page.
“Tackle damp and mould or pay the penalty”, Hackney landlords told after record Council investment agreed
Hackney Council has stated that ‘Landlords who put lives at risk by ignoring serious damp and mould issues will face fines and legal action after the Council agreed record new investment to improve living conditions and step up enforcement against rogue landlords.’ They have added an additional 25% increase in funding (£400,000) a year to […]
If you already have a membership, please login first via the log in page.
Licensing – Raising Standards or Just Raising Revenue?
Landlord Today has recently published an article asking whether Licensing is ‘Raising Standards or Just Raising Revenue?’ The full article can be seen here, and raises the example of Brent where it says ‘one of the largest licensing scheme proposals is in Brent, which will cover borough-wide and operate in 21 of the 22 wards, […]
If you already have a membership, please login first via the log in page.
‘Extend Awaab’s law to cover all rented homes’
The government has announced new legislation which will force social housing landlords to fix damp and mould in their properties within strict new time limits. Ministers have tabled amendments to the Social Housing Regulation Bill to introduce ‘Awaab’s Law’, which will require landlords to fix reported health hazards within specified time frames. Oxford City Council […]
If you already have a membership, please login first via the log in page.
Are landlords leaving the industry or not?
We’re frequently told that landlords are leaving the industry, but the latest English Housing Survey shows that the number of private renting households rose in England by 177,000 from 2021 to 2022. In a recent article, the Guardian choose to take the NRLA to task about claiming landlords were leaving; the Guardian cited the above […]
If you already have a membership, please login first via the log in page.
Landlords who don’t upgrade their properties should pay higher mortgages.
A cross-party group of MPs and peers has suggested that landlords who don’t upgrade their properties should be liable for mortgage penalties. The All-Party Group on a Green New Deal believes there should be a 1% mortgage interest rate premium levied on all buy-to-let properties with an EPC below band C which would be fully […]
If you already have a membership, please login first via the log in page.
Foxtons buys East London Agent
London-based estate agent firm Foxtons confirmed the acquisition of Atkinson McLeod for GBP7.4 million, to be funded from its existing cash reserves. Atkinson McLeod is an estate agent operating in Central East London, with four branches, bringing in around 90% of its revenue from around 1,100 tenancies. The acquisition is part of Foxton’s strategy to […]
If you already have a membership, please login first via the log in page.
MPs urge government to take action on leaseholds and managing agents
Various MPs have called on the government to urgently look at leasehold reform and managing agents, with a focus on service charges. Barry Gardiner, Labour MP for Brent North, said in a debate about leasehold and managing agents said that there was a “compelling case for wholesale reform” in this area. “Millions of people in […]
If you already have a membership, please login first via the log in page.
Tenants in mouldy flats are silenced, according to Generation Rent
Generation Rent has accused landlords of “silencing” private tenants who live in properties hit with damp and mould. The group’s outgoing director – Baroness Alicia Kennedy – says: “The ability of landlords to evict tenants without needing a reason ruins lives by silencing tenants living in mouldy homes and, as these figures show, causing thousands […]
If you already have a membership, please login first via the log in page.
Are councils acting illegally when telling tenants to stay put?
Property118 have run an opinion piece on why Councils tell tenants to remain in their rented home, and question its legality. It can be seen here, and having explained when a person is classed as homeless, goes on to explain that councils are desperate to cut the numbers of homeless people on their books and […]
If you already have a membership, please login first via the log in page.
SEARCH
LATEST NEWS
Is the UK taxation of landlords’ fair?
Mark Alexander - Founder of Property118, has published an article asking why a landlords business is not treated the...
HALIFAX HOUSE PRICE INDEX
UK Halifax house prices grew by 1.1% in February month-on-month, outpacing expectations for a drop of 0.3% and...
What British landlords can learn from Finland’s disastrous rent controls experiment
The Telegraph has run an opinion piece on how lifting rent controls transformed the market in Finland. It can be seen...
Malcolm Clark
We are sorry to hear about the death of Malcolm Clark. Malcolm was a long term stalwart of Southampton landlords, and...
Government encourages complaints about ‘rogue landlords’
Social housing tenants will be urged to complain about shoddy and dangerous housing in a major new Government...