Lettings industry reform does not go far enough
It is good news that the UK government is going ahead with its Tenants Charter that will better protect renters from the worst excesses of rogue landlords and lettings agents and it is much needed. My...
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Landlords face £188m in tenant immigration check costs
Landlords could face extra costs of up to £188m over the next ten years if laws requiring them to check tenants’ immigration status come into force. According to the government’s impact assessment,...
View ArticleShelter’s ‘reforms’ would ruin private rented sector, says RLA
Longer tenancies would “fatally undermine” the private rented sector, says a new report published this morning. Professor Michael Ball says the proposals, from Shelter, are poorly thought out. He also...
View ArticleOctober round up of the private rented sector
Regulation Proposed regulation of the private rented sector has been ongoing this month. Building on announcements at the Conservative Party conference, Eric Pickles “plans include forcing letting...
View ArticleNew advertising rules kick in – but are many agents taking notice?
As from last Friday, letting agents should be displaying their up-front, non-refundable charges to tenants on advertising. So are they? An admittedly brief and unscientific survey of LAT’s local...
View ArticleMPs raise worries over lettings industry and Immigration Bill
A report by a cross-party group of MPs has thrown serious doubt on to how the immigration status of prospective tenants can be checked by landlords – checks that, in reality, will be carried out in...
View ArticleGovernment takes more steps to force all letting agents to join redress scheme
The requirement for all letting and managing agents in England to belong to an ombudsman scheme as from next year has come closer. Yesterday, the Government set out its measures, saying: “Compulsory...
View ArticleGovernment announces review into safety standards in rented homes
A new review looking into standards in the private rented sector has been announced. It will in particular consider if new rules are needed on installing smoke and carbon monoxide alarms. An amendment...
View ArticleARLA calls for letting agent regulation
The Association of Residential Letting Agents has called on the Chancellor to regulate agents working in the expanding private rented sector. For the first time since the 1960s, more people are now...
View ArticleNovember round up of the private rented sector
Through the year there has been continuous calls from various bodies for regulation of letting agents, and this month is no different with Arla calling on the Chancellor to regulate agents working in...
View ArticleWarning to accidental landlords to make sure their property meets safety regs
Many accidental landlords in the UK who have rented out their homes as they have been unable to sell during the economic downturn are simply not fulfilling their legal duties to maintain their rental...
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Housing leaders: What we want from the autumn statement 2013
Housing chief executives tell us what they want to see in George Osborne’s autumn statement. Grainia Long, chief executive at the Chartered Institute of Housing “Improve standards for private renters”...
View ArticleShould buy-to-let lenders allow longer tenancies?
The Government is meeting lenders next month in a bid to boost long-term tenancies. Buy-to-let mortgage lenders are coming under political pressure to loosen criteria and allow long-term tenancies....
View Article2013 – Moving towards regulation in a growing market
Looking back on the newsletter that I wrote this time last year, many of the topics are still being discussed such as regulation of the industry. Predictions of rents rising and increased demand have...
View ArticleDon’t leave generation rent behind warns CBI
A generation of renters could be left behind as the housing debate focuses on home ownership warned the CBI, as it called for action to boost investment in the rental sector. By 2018, 1 in 5 households...
View ArticleRuling brings clarity for landlords
Brokers say a recent Court of Appeal ruling on standard rental agreements provides clarity and will help avoid costly legal battles. The case related to tenant Miss Taylor, who took out an assured...
View ArticleLabour landlord rules ‘could hit BTL lending’
Experts are warning Labour’s crackdown on bad landlords in the private rented sector could have a “massive” impact on buy-to-let lending. In its policy review last year, Labour proposed a national...
View ArticleUnregulated buy-to-let set to flourish post-MMR
The buy-to-let sector will flourish as residential flounders in the months after the Mortgage Market Review is implemented, John Penn of Intelliflo claimed. The residential market will have more...
View ArticleNLA launches social media campaign against Selective Licensing
A social media campaign against the introduction of Selective Licensing in certain parts of England has been launched by the National Landlords Association. The NLA said more councils were bringing...
View ArticleGovt seeks views on how it can drive out rogue landlords
The Government has called for suggestions on how it can drive out rogue landlords and improve the quality of the private rented sector for tenants. In October the Government launched a package of...
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