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KEYWORD "Housing Act" - 100 RESULTS
Scrapping Section 21 isn’t such a big deal, claims top agent

The abolition of Section 21 isn’t really that big a deal, a prominent lettings agent claims. Kristjan Byfield, who runs the base...

23 August 2024

From: Breaking News

Government to introduce ‘hardship test’ before eviction - press report

The new Labour government is to bring in so-called ‘hardship tests’ to make it tougher to evict tenants, a newspaper claims. The...

05 August 2024

From: Breaking News

40 Not Out! Valerie celebrates four decades in lettings

Letting industry doyen Valerie Bannister has celebrated 40 years in the industry with a party thrown by her employer, Your Move.  Valerie...

19 July 2024

From: Breaking News

Rent Controls - Call by Labour MPs in defiance of party policy

Five Labour MPs have put forward an Early Day Motion in the House of Commons calling for rent controls - even...

22 April 2024

From: Breaking News

Buy to let portfolio used for housing association tenants

A council that is buying private properties in second home hotspots to let to local people has struck a new agreement...

16 February 2024

From: Breaking News

Agents’ views sought for large HMO licensing scheme

Agents, landlords and others’ views are being sought in a consultation on proposals to introduce a borough-wide additional licensing scheme for...

09 January 2024

From: Breaking News

Tenant sues lettings agent for failing to protect deposit

A tenant is reported to have sued a lettings agency after its alleged failure to return his £375 deposit. The Get Surrey...

30 October 2023

From: Breaking News

Scrap Renters Reform Bill!  Leading agent makes dramatic plea

A prominent agent has called on politicians to scrap the Renters Reform Bill . He says it’s “ill thought-through and would be...

25 September 2023

From: Breaking News

Gove tells agents to identify and remedy damp and mould issues

New directives issued by the government put the emphasis firmly on private landlords and their letting agents to take responsibility for...

11 September 2023

From: Breaking News

Rental firm’s big fine for repair failures on five storey block

The company which owned and was responsible for a five-storey block of rented flats in Bridlington has been ordered to pay...

23 August 2023

From: Breaking News

Agents and landlords warned over imminent changes to HMO regulations

Agents representing landlords of HMOs In Portsmouth are being warned by the council that their need to be licensed or face...

11 August 2023

From: Breaking News

Three agents and landlord hit with massive fines for safety failings

Three property management companies and a landlord have been fined approaching £80,000 for health and safety failings. Mohammed Ali Abbas Rasool, Cadogan...

22 June 2023

From: Breaking News

Lawyer hits out at court delays and growing anti-rental sentiment

A seasoned property lawyer who has specialised in residential landlord and tenant law for 22 years says she is embarrassed at...

16 June 2023

From: Breaking News

Phil Spencer urges letting agents to go on the offensive

I was surprised the other day to read statistics from the English Housing Survey about how many landlords use letting agents. In...

05 June 2023

From: Breaking News

Eviction powers may even increase under Renters Reform Bill - claim

A lettings agency claims eviction powers may actually increase - not reduce - thanks to the controversial Renters Reform Bill. Knight Frank...

01 June 2023

From: Breaking News

Rogue agency hit with big fine for failing to licence properties

An estate agency has been prosecuted and ordered to pay £35,000 for falling foul of property licensing rules. Green House Estate Agents...

17 February 2023

From: Breaking News

Claims against Purplebricks for lettings problems could exceed £5m

Purplebricks has detailed the price it is paying for a lettings compliance blunder first spotted last year. It predicts that, at worst,...

08 December 2022

From: Breaking News

Mini-Budget leads to house prices falls in 2023 and maybe 2024 - claim

The Knight Frank lettings and estate agency is warning that it expects house prices to fall in 2023. Tom Bill, its head...

03 October 2022

From: Breaking News

Agency boss hit with big fine for failing to produce documents

A landlord has been fined a four figure sum for failing to produce documentation for a council. Fathima Syeda Kauser of Luton pleaded...

16 June 2022

From: Breaking News

Rental Reform aimed mostly at north of England, government admits

The government is admitting that its rental reform agenda is aimed primarily at the north of England - which just happens...

12 May 2022

From: Breaking News

Section 21 widely expected to be scrapped - announcement today

The government is widely expected to announce that Section 21 eviction powers will be scrapped in new legislation coming to Parliament...

10 May 2022

From: Breaking News

Hefty fine for property company ignoring improvement notices

A property ownership and management company has been fined £20,000 for failing to carry out safety and fire safety improvement works...

28 April 2022

From: Breaking News

“Blatant, continuous breach of regulations” lands HMO firm in court

A company which operated an unlicensed HMO and its then-director have lost their appeal against the imposition of financial penalties.  Gatwick and...

13 April 2022

From: Breaking News

Lettings firm fined over “atrocious” rental accommodation

A lettings company has been caught up in a case where rental accommodation has been described as “atrocious” and a landlord...

25 February 2022

From: Breaking News

Agents may shun landlords with poor compliance record - claim

Self-managing landlords who think they don’t have the same compliance obligations as agents could face serious repercussions, Trading Standards chiefs have...

31 December 2021

From: Breaking News

Ex-ARLA chief lifts the lid on how Buy To Let was created 25 years ago

A former president of the Association of Residential Letting Agents has lifted the lid on how buy to let came about,...

31 December 2021

From: Breaking News

Massive surge in Airbnb takes stock directly from mainstream rentals

A report prepared by housing experts in Manchester shows a massive surge in the number of Airbnbs in the city -...

23 December 2021

From: Breaking News

PropTech Today: rental reform – how can tech help tenants?

‘Generation rent’ was a term first coined in 2011 by the Halifax in a survey on the future of homeownership. It...

01 December 2021

From: Breaking News

Labour joins call for faster scrapping of S21 evictions

Labour has joined with campaign groups Generation Rent and Shelter in calling for the speediest possible ending of Section 21 eviction...

03 November 2021

From: Breaking News

Council boasts of court cases and fines against letting agents

One of the local authorities with the tightest clampdowns on letting agents has issued a statement celebrating its successes. Tower Hamlets council in...

19 October 2021

From: Breaking News

Eviction court process should be simplified in reform package - call

A leading buy to let mortgage expert has backed the government’s pledge to issue a White Paper and additional consultation before...

14 May 2021

From: Breaking News

Rent Repayment Order threat to property company owner

A London council has taken a landlord company to court after complaints of poor housing conditions in five of its rented...

06 May 2021

From: Breaking News

Agents hit with third-of-a-million pounds bill over poorly-managed HMO

An agency has been hit with a £330,000 bill after being found guilty of poor management of an HMO. Magistrates have found...

16 March 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

‘Inaccurate’ anti-eviction petition gains 30,000 signatures

An online petition which appears to inaccurately say private tenants can still be evicted “for no reason” has won 30,000 signatures...

23 February 2021

From: Breaking News

Agency chief and landlord prosecuted over fire safety

Two landlords in the same town - one the director of a lettings firm - have been prosecuted as their properties...

08 December 2020

From: Breaking News

Letting agents must be regulated now insists the Nationwide

A new report from the Nationwide and campaigning charity Shelter puts letting agents in the dock over the standards in the...

06 November 2020

From: Breaking News

Living without Section 21 evictions – lessons from the Scottish market

The announcement of the Renters’ Reform Bill in the Queen’s speech last December caused a collective groan across the country from...

29 October 2020

From: Legislation & Compliance

Section 21 still intact, one year after government pledged abolition

It’s a year today since the closure of the formal government consultation into scrapping Section 21 powers for agents and landlords. In last...

12 October 2020

From: Breaking News

Rogue landlord must pay over £20,000 and “up his game” in future

A landlord taken to court by a council has ended up with a bill in excess of £20,000.  Dennis Goodwin of Highbury...

21 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

It can be done! Agency business well up on 2019 despite virus crisis

One of the country’s biggest lettings agencies is reporting that both revenue and operating profit are “comfortably” up on 2019 levels...

31 July 2020

From: Breaking News

Evictions latest: SIX months notice required in Wales

The Welsh Government has temporarily increased the notice period landlords must provide from three months to six months to end Assured...

24 July 2020

From: Breaking News

Landlords ordered to repay nearly £5,000 after council probe

Two Bristol landlords have been ordered to repay nearly £5,000 following investigations by the council’s so called rogue landlord unit. One, Lucy...

24 June 2020

From: Breaking News

Section 21: Industry relief for court ruling over possession claims

A legal expert says the Court of Appeal ruling on S21 possession orders last week has resolved one of the most...

22 June 2020

From: Breaking News

Legal group considers how courts will handle evictions after ban

It’s been revealed that a legal group is considering how courts will consider eviction cases when the current ban is lifted...

17 June 2020

From: Breaking News

Rents set to fall across the UK for next three months, say surveyors

Private rents are expected to fall across the UK in the coming three months, but stabilise over the course of the...

14 May 2020

From: Breaking News

Rental sector may face wave of court cases after lockdown - warning

A raft of measures from government and courts intended to help private tenants during the Coronavirus lockdown may be storing up a...

04 May 2020

From: Breaking News

Conquering Corona: a legal perspective, more webinars and a supplier offer

Hello, and welcome to Wednesday’s guidance and advice for agents and suppliers trying to find a way through the current crisis. If...

15 April 2020

From: Breaking News

All court possession orders suspended immediately

All court possession orders are being suspended from today as part of the changes to the private rental sector to cope...

27 March 2020

From: Breaking News

Coronavirus: agents warned they could end up breaking the law

The government has been called upon to issue specific Coronavirus guidance for the rental sector. The chief executive of the Association of...

12 March 2020

From: Breaking News

What is Section 8?

With confirmation that Section 21 will be scrapped, how can agents get ready for life after no-fault evictions? The short answer is...

11 March 2020

From: Sponsored Content

£87,000 fine after rental flats declared “serious risk to life”

A buy to let investor has been found guilty of letting out poor quality living accommodation that was said to pose...

10 March 2020

From: Breaking News

Emergency Prohibition Order over shocking dangerous bedroom

A council in a leafy area of south east England has issued an emergency prohibition order to a buy to let...

18 February 2020

From: Breaking News

Renters’ Reform Bill: still no date set for legislation

The Renters’ Reform Bill worries many in the private rental sector but the government says there is still no date for...

05 February 2020

From: Breaking News

Fatal fire in unlicensed house leads to fine and entry on rogues database

A judge has ordered two landlords to pay a total of £14,858 for illegally renting out an unlicensed house without working...

30 January 2020

From: Breaking News

Huge £18,000 penalty for landlord who failed to improve property

A landlord in one of the most scenic parts of Devon had been served with a £18,000 civil penalty because he...

23 January 2020

From: Breaking News

Property firm boss says he cannot abide by Improvement Notices

The owner of a Derbyshire property must pay out more than £3,000 after being found guilty of failing to comply with...

02 January 2020

From: Breaking News

Agents can beat S21 ban by working harder to avoid evictions - claim

Letting agents can beat the upcoming ban on Section 21 by updating key documentation and automating arrears management to reduce the...

31 December 2019

From: Breaking News

Did court case cost more than the fine for this rogue landlord?

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

27 December 2019

From: Breaking News

Banned! Man cannot be letting agent or landlord for 30 months

A landlord has been banned for two and half years after repeatedly putting tenants’ lives at risk by letting unsafe housing. This...

18 December 2019

From: Breaking News

Revealed: Why council's lettings fine was slashed by £28,000

A compliance consultant has explained why a local council’s penalty on a rogue landlord - initially £31,499 - was slashed to...

10 December 2019

From: Breaking News

Fine after improvement notice on rented home was partly ignored

A rented home in Mansfield was found to have serious health and safety hazards, including a leaking roof and a lack of smoke...

11 November 2019

From: Breaking News

Shock warning that agents could be sued under selective licensing laws

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

22 October 2019

From: Breaking News

Ex-Premiership footballer fined £25,000 for series of rental offences

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...

21 October 2019

From: Breaking News

Why Section 8 is NOT the best eviction option - top agent speaks out

One of the country’s leading lettings experts has outlined why the government is wrong to suggest that Section 8 powers could...

17 October 2019

From: Breaking News

Cut licensing red tape! Trade group wants simpler, better-enforced system

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

14 October 2019

From: Breaking News

RLA claims scrapping Section 21 'dead on arrival' as consultation closes tomorrow

The Residential Landlords Association (RLA) has submitted its response to the government's consultation on scrapping Section 21 evictions, which closes tomorrow...

11 October 2019

From: Breaking News

Section 21 - Liberal Democrats to debate call to scrap landlords’ rights

The Liberal Democrat conference, which begins on Saturday, is to debate a resolution calling for the scrapping of Section 21 -...

12 September 2019

From: Breaking News

Longer tenancies: government could announce decision as soon as next month

Housing minister Esther McVey has hinted that the government may finally decide as soon as next month on whether to introduce...

09 September 2019

From: Breaking News

£140,000 in fines for buy to let couple failing to maintain properties

A husband and wife pair of buy to let investors have been prosecuted after letting out a property that contained serious...

29 August 2019

From: Breaking News

Tip off to council leads to £4,000 fine for owner of unlicensed HMO

A local council says it has now successfully prosecuted a landlord for flouting the law that protects the health and safety...

22 August 2019

From: Breaking News

Guild wins confirmation that Section 21 change will not be retrospective

The Guild of Property Professionals has received confirmation that the government’s proposed changes to Section 21 will not be retrospective. “What this...

19 August 2019

From: Breaking News

Fees Ban Cash Crisis: letting agents expect to lose 30% of annual income

The first ‘state of the industry’ report on the lettings agency sector since the introduction of the fees ban suggests individual...

15 August 2019

From: Breaking News

Tory says government “war on landlords” will make housing crisis worse

An outspoken Conservative party figure says government policies such as the scrapping of Section 21 will play into the hands of...

30 July 2019

From: Breaking News

Benefits tenants could be biggest losers if Section 21 is scrapped

Tenants on state benefits could be the 'biggest casualties' of the government's 'ill-thought-out' plans to scrap the Section 21 evictions process,...

05 July 2019

From: Breaking News

“Dodgy operator” gets five-figure fine for dangerous HMO

A London council has successfully prosecuted a so-called “dodgy operator” landlord for failing to comply with fire safety regulations and carry...

12 June 2019

From: Breaking News

Many agents regard tenants as just ‘cash cows’ claims property chief

A lettings agency chief in Scotland says the upcoming ban on agents levying fees on tenants - to be introduced in...

24 May 2019

From: Breaking News

Redress scheme makes £25,000 award after “failings” by lettings agent

The Property Redress Scheme, one of the two government-backed redress operators for the lettings and sales service, has outlined its work...

23 May 2019

From: Breaking News

Five-figure fine after flat was let out despite Prohibition Order

A buy to let investor has received a hefty fine “for endangering the lives of his tenants by failing to meet...

12 April 2019

From: Breaking News

Fightback Begins: council’s £1,200 licensing fee provokes backlash

One of the most pro-licensing local authorities in the country has extended its own scheme to include the entire centre of...

05 April 2019

From: Breaking News

New call for four-year tenancies, rent caps and fewer evictions

Another think-tank has come up with reforms which it wants the government to make to the private rental sector - and...

21 March 2019

From: Breaking News

Quality of homes to let must improve, says PropTech chief

Sub-standard homes remain a key weakness in the private rental sector, which needs to get its house in order in the...

20 February 2019

From: Breaking News

Fine issued over licensing and health and safety issues with HMOs

A landlord has been ordered to pay over £5,000 in fines and costs in a licensing dispute with a local council.  Almas...

15 February 2019

From: Breaking News

Tenants Fees Bill is now law as clock ticks down to June 1

The Tenants’ Fees Bill has now become law, receiving formal Royal Assent yesterday afternoon - and within minutes, the government issued...

13 February 2019

From: Breaking News

Hefty fine after prohibition order on rental property ignored

A buy to let investor who let out a converted attic room despite it being the subject of a council prohibition...

23 January 2019

From: Breaking News

Licensing: councils accused of automatically imposing harshest penalties

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

14 January 2019

From: Breaking News

Buy to let investor hit with £10k fine for failing to make improvements

A council has prosecuted a buy to let investor for not making necessary improvements to his property. The landlord, Balwinder Singh Chandi,...

14 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

£60,000 rent to be repaid by property firm after council steps in

A London property firm must repay no less than £60,000 in rent after a council obtained a Rent Repayment Order against...

20 November 2018

From: Breaking News

Council’s first-ever Civil Penalty Notice over lettings property condition

A council in the north of England has issued its first-ever Civil Penalty Notice on a landlord - and it involved...

07 November 2018

From: Breaking News

Shocking claim that councils 'interview landlords under caution'

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

30 October 2018

From: Breaking News

First council backs campaign to scrap S21 eviction powers

Croydon council is reported to have become the first local authority to back the scrapping of Section 21 of the 1988...

10 October 2018

From: Breaking News

London council wants agents to have a say in licensing review

A London local authority which is part way through its five year additional HMO licensing scheme wants lettings agents to give their...

02 October 2018

From: Breaking News

Labour to scrap S21 and match Tory pledges on fees and tenancies

Labour has outlined its proposals for the private rental sector if it gains power at the next General Election - and...

25 September 2018

From: Breaking News

Agency must pay over £50,000 after letting overcrowded flat

An overcrowded property let by an unlicensed company with inadequate fire precautions and unheated rooms has led to a £46,620 fine...

21 September 2018

From: Breaking News

One of the first: landlord repays housing benefit following new legislation

An Essex council claims it is one of the first to be granted a rent repayment order - part of legislation...

31 August 2018

From: Breaking News

Unlawful! Trade body tells another council its licensing plans are illegal

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

09 August 2018

From: Breaking News

Aggressive practices against tenant lead to £1,750 fine

A buy to let investor has been fined £1,750 because of his alleged “aggressive practices”.  Shafaqat Ali Sadiq, of Derby, has been...

07 August 2018

From: Breaking News

Illegal! - trade body says council's licensing plan breaks the law

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

26 July 2018

From: Breaking News

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