x
By using this website, you agree to our use of cookies to enhance your experience.
KEYWORD "Licences" - 99 RESULTS
Lettings agency regulation demanded by PropTech leader

Regulation of lettings and estate agencies must be a priority for the government elected tomorrow, a PropTech entrepreneur demands. Sián Hemming-Metcalfe of...

04 July 2024

From: Breaking News

Agents managing HMOs without licences hit by council fines

Fines totalling £108,000 have been issued to letting agents and landlords breaching HMO rules in part of London.  An additional HMO licensing...

02 July 2024

From: Breaking News

Airbnb regulation review of controversial Scots licensing scheme

A review of Edinburgh’s controversial short term lets licensing will take place this summer. City councillors agreed to publicly consult on the...

01 July 2024

From: Breaking News

The Property Franchise Group new deal worth £5m more than early reports

More details have emerged of the deal - reported on Letting Agent Today and Sky News on Sunday - for Property...

04 June 2024

From: Breaking News

Material Information - new digital tool aims to help letting agents

The Open Property Data Association has released a new version of its property data standards framework to help letting agents comply...

25 March 2024

From: Breaking News

Labour’s backdoor bid to regulate lettings and estate agents at last

Labour is using a Bill currently going through Parliament as a backdoor method to introduce the regulation of lettings, estate and...

19 January 2024

From: Breaking News

Agency installs new systems after error leaves HMOs unlicensed

A lettings agency has initiated new systems to ensure there is no repeat of a mistake that left some client properties...

08 December 2023

From: Breaking News

Legal advice to agents: Spotting ‘illegal migrants’ isn’t easy

Law firm Brevis Law is shedding light on the difficulties agents and landlords have in meeting Right To Rent requirements in...

01 September 2023

From: Breaking News

Watchdog to Probe Five Issues Involving Agents and Landlords

The Competitioin and Markets Authority is to probe five activities involving letting agents and landlords and their responsibilities to private tenants. Sarah...

25 August 2023

From: Breaking News

Ousted Green Party still arguing for rent controls in key battleground

The Green Party - which ran the Brighton and Hove council until being swept from office in May’s local elections -...

25 August 2023

From: Breaking News

Property company boss hit by big fine six years after offences

A property firm which admitted misleading tenants on their rights and threatening them to leave has been ordered to pay £8,000. Four...

12 July 2023

From: Breaking News

Property company boss “threatening tenants to leave”

A property company director who admitted misleading tenants on their rights and threatening them to leave has been ordered to pay...

10 July 2023

From: Breaking News

Agents told ‘Get A Move On’ as licensing scheme flags

  A council has told letting agents to ‘get a move on’ as it admits there’s been a slow start to its...

20 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

Second huge fine for lettings firm’s HMO non-compliance

A lettings company called Trophy Homes Limited, based in Liverpool, has pleaded guilty to failing to apply for an HMO licence...

06 February 2023

From: Breaking News

Two more independents acquired by Lomond Group brand

The Lomond Group has strengthened its position in Scotland by acquiring two more independent agencies and adding some 600 properties to...

11 November 2022

From: Breaking News

Britain’s most controversial rental licensing - questions being asked

A scheme which some regard as the most controversial landlord licensing regime in the country is coming under scrutiny. Labour councillors on...

18 October 2022

From: Breaking News

Agent slams new rules for Airbnb and other short let rentals

A holiday letting agency has criticised the introduction of licensing for short term rentals in Scotland as “poorly thought-through and ill-timed”.  Iain...

04 October 2022

From: Breaking News

First AirBnb and short let licensing system starts this weekend

The first step within the UK to officially monitor Airbnb-style short lets comes into effect on Saturday, which is October 1. Scotland’s...

29 September 2022

From: Breaking News

Agency warns licensing won’t stop rogues and may deter good landlords

A lettings agency says the cost of living crisis calls into question the viability of a selective licensing scheme in its...

05 August 2022

From: Breaking News

Licensing to print money? One of UK’s largest schemes launched

A new and huge private rental licensing scheme has launched in County Durham. A total of at least 29,000 properties, or 42...

26 April 2022

From: Breaking News

Criminal record checks may be introduced as part of HMO rules

A council says it’s considering introducing criminal record checks on individuals who apply to run HMOs as part of a wide-ranging...

24 March 2022

From: Breaking News

Reform tax, Beef up rogues database - Agents demand radical rental reforms

ARLA Propertymark has launched a radical programme of reform for the private rental sector - getting in before the government’s own...

15 December 2021

From: Breaking News

Named and shamed - landlords told ‘check this agency before using’

Bristol-based lettings management company Iletpro Ltd has been ordered to pay a total of £2,700.06 in fines and costs for failing...

09 December 2021

From: Breaking News

Huge fine for agency and boss who perverted course of justice

Over £80,000 pounds of fines have been imposed on a letting agency and its director. Zenith Accommodation Ltd’s boss, Mohammad Mallick of...

08 November 2021

From: Breaking News

Fraud Frenzy: One in 20 tenancy applications may be fake

There’s been a huge 263 per cent increase in the value of fraudulent tenant applications in just three months, it’s been...

19 May 2021

From: Breaking News

New property ID system aims to identify rogue buy to lets

A new property identification system which has won the backing of ARLA Propertymark and substantial parts of the industry has said...

15 January 2021

From: Breaking News

One in three finds moving home more stressful than having a baby

What’s life-changing, involves months of anticipation, and ends with a big arrival? You might think we’re talking about pregnancy. But research...

07 January 2021

From: Sponsored Content

Gangmasters probe leads to property firm and director’s huge fines

Restaurant staff were kept in “dangerous and overcrowded” conditions by a property company and its landlord-director, a court has heard. The company...

18 December 2020

From: Breaking News

Vocal supporter of rental licensing arrested in corruption probe

Liverpool's mayor Joe Anderson has been arrested on suspicion of conspiracy to commit bribery and witness intimidation. Anderson has been an outspoken...

07 December 2020

From: Breaking News

Huge licensing crackdown in 2021 gives agents a chance to shine - claim

A new assessment of legislation and council rules surrounding the private rental sector suggests a severe crackdown may be coming in...

02 December 2020

From: Breaking News

Generation Rent in last-ditch bid to keep evictions ban

The Generation Rent pressure group has made a last-ditch argument in favour of keeping the evictions ban, which will lapse at the...

21 August 2020

From: Breaking News

Controversial council reveals plan for massive licensing scheme

The controversial Labour-led council in Liverpool has started a lengthy consultation process over its latest proposals for landlord licensing. The authority was...

14 August 2020

From: Breaking News

Agents invited to comment on two new proposed licensing schemes

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

12 August 2020

From: Breaking News

Council asks lockdown residents to report illegal HMOs

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

01 June 2020

From: Breaking News

Over 50 councils in England alone now operate licensing schemes

Research by the National Residential Landlords Association and the Which? consumer body has revealed that some 53 councils in England alone...

21 April 2020

From: Breaking News

Labour council seeks Judicial Review of landlord licensing refusal

Liverpool’s Labour council, which was prevented by the government from extending its city-wide licensing scheme for another five years, is seeking...

06 April 2020

From: Breaking News

Multiple prosecutions as council names and shames rogues

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

05 February 2020

From: Breaking News

Government backs huge licensing scheme extension until 2025

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

28 January 2020

From: Breaking News

Rogue agent caught out on under-sized and unlicensed properties

A London council has caught out a rogue lettings agency for illegally operating two properties, with issues ranging from gas safety...

27 January 2020

From: Breaking News

 Dawn raids on rental properties as part of licensing crackdown

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

24 January 2020

From: Breaking News

Short lets supporters push back against possible restrictions

The new body representing short let digital platforms like Airbnb and the large number of associated companies that have sprung up...

23 January 2020

From: Breaking News

Industry delight at government rejection of licensing extension

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

14 January 2020

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

Labour council reveals huge rises in landlord licensing charges

There’s been a steep rise in the costs of landlord joining a compulsory licensing scheme operated by Labour-controlled Nottingham city council. The...

25 November 2019

From: Breaking News

Property firm and landlord fined £22,000 for issuing ‘sham licences’

A rogue landlord and the property company he ran have been fined £22,000 for dishing out ‘sham licences’ to tenants in...

20 November 2019

From: Breaking News

A Farce! Council issues rental licences to just 3% of applicants

A controversial private rental licensing regime that has already made the headlines for the wrong reasons has now been branded a...

19 November 2019

From: Breaking News

New law to ban landlord from letting for five years is backed by solicitor firm

A new piece of legislation has been invoked to ban a landlord from any involvement in the private rental sector for...

30 October 2019

From: Breaking News

Success for safeagent training course as it wins High Assurance award

safeagent’s Rent Smart Wales training course has been given the scheme’s top ‘High Assurance’ rating following its latest audit. Rent Smart Wales,...

20 September 2019

From: Breaking News

Housing Minister backs first-ever Banning Order used on rogue landlord

A Shropshire man has become the first in England to be banned from being a landlord.  In a case brought by Telford...

19 September 2019

From: Breaking News

Final Reminder - Fees Ban comes into effect in Wales on Sunday

The Renting Homes (Fees etc.) (Wales) Act - which bans fees levied by agents and landlords on tenants - comes into...

30 August 2019

From: Breaking News

Deposit Cap Calculator to the rescue

Do you know how much your deposits should be? Since June 1 of this year, the government has capped deposits at...

15 August 2019

From: Sponsored Content

“It’s Illegal!” - council licensing scheme blasted by trade body

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

05 August 2019

From: Breaking News

Council boasts of issuing 133 penalty notices and 23 improvement notices

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

02 July 2019

From: Breaking News

Stricter HMO rules: “awareness remains limited” claims top agent

Six months on from the introduction of stricter licencing for Homes in Multiple Occupation, awareness “remains limited” according to one of...

21 May 2019

From: Breaking News

RLA threatens council over 'unlawful' and 'discriminatory' accreditation scheme

The Residential Landlords Association (RLA) is threatening Oxford Council with a judicial review of its landlord and letting agent accreditation scheme. The...

09 May 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

Ker-ching! Councils cash in as revenue soars from licensing schemes

The implementation and costs of landlord licensing schemes in Britain are a lottery. That’s the conclusion of a new analysis of licensing...

20 March 2019

From: Breaking News

Solicitor renews attack on “unfair” landlord licensing by councils

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

15 February 2019

From: Breaking News

Shock figures show councils unable to enforce HMO regulations

Shock figures released by an insurance company suggest that councils are woefully unable to police new regulations regarding mandatory HMO licensing. Figures...

06 December 2018

From: Breaking News

Sigh of relief as London council delays enforcement action timetable

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

04 December 2018

From: Breaking News

Council to send hundreds of buy to let fixed-penalty notices today

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

01 November 2018

From: Breaking News

Licensing scheme bags £5m in 'lost' council tax from buy to let sector

Since one London local authority introduced private rental sector licensing in 2013 an extra £5,002,203 in council tax has been collected...

19 October 2018

From: Breaking News

Chaos ahead? 'Councils may not be ready for HMO change' warning

There’s less than a week to go to the introduction of new rules broadening the range of houses including in mandatory HMO...

25 September 2018

From: Breaking News

ARLA reminds industry on provisions of imminent HMO rule changes

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

19 September 2018

From: Breaking News

Controversial council warns landlords not to raise rents to pay licences

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

17 August 2018

From: Breaking News

Named and shamed: council lists seven prosecuted over licensing scheme

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

09 August 2018

From: Breaking News

False gas safety certificates issued for lettings properties

A gas safety engineer has pleaded guilty with a landlord of falsifying gas safety certificates for a string of private rental...

11 July 2018

From: Breaking News

Fees Ban gets closer in Wales - but it will still take many months

A Bill which is likely to end up banning letting agents’ fees levied on tenants in Wales has been introduced into...

13 June 2018

From: Breaking News

Massive £182,000 fine for buy to let investor after string of HMO offences

A buy to let investor has been found guilty of 35 HMO-related offences - and has to pay a total fine...

23 April 2018

From: Breaking News

New minimum space and waste storage rules revealed by government

The government has set out new measures to mitigate against overcrowded and dangerous living conditions of private tenants in shared homes. From...

16 March 2018

From: Breaking News

Survey reveals 70 councils now have selective or additional licensing

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

09 March 2018

From: Breaking News

Court case shows agents must be scrupulous in issuing paperwork to tenants

The Association of Residential Letting Agents is reminding its members - and all letting agents - of the need to be...

05 March 2018

From: Breaking News

Council drops lettings licensing plan after massive backlash

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

13 February 2018

From: Breaking News

NALS reveals big annual fee increases for London lettings licences

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

30 January 2018

From: Breaking News

HMOs producing highest yields in buy to let, says mortgage lender

Homes in Multiple Occupation produced average yields of 8.9 per cent in 2017, the highest of all buy to let property...

24 January 2018

From: Breaking News

HMRC may add tax checks to private rental licensing schemes

HM Revenue & Customs has launched a consultation on adding tax checks to private rental sector licensing schemes - in other...

14 December 2017

From: Breaking News

Prosecution of agency over 'sham licences' is first of its kind

This month’s prosecution of a letting agency for issuing ‘sham licences’ that suggested occupiers had no right to challenge eviction and...

31 August 2017

From: Breaking News

'Thousands wasted on wrong Section 21 notices claims lawyer

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

28 June 2017

From: Breaking News

Student landlord fined almost £6k for licensing failings

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

08 June 2017

From: Breaking News

Council ditches licensing plans but still seeking alternatives

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

26 January 2017

From: Breaking News

Voluntary buy to let training: is this how to stop council licensing schemes?

A group of landlords and buy to let investors that has already successfully persuaded a council to scrap plans for a...

07 December 2016

From: Breaking News

It's here - controversial scheme requiring letting agents to be trained

Rent Smart Wales, a controversial scheme that require letting agents to be trained, comes into effect today after a troubled lead...

23 November 2016

From: Breaking News

Bill of nearly £25,000 for failing to licence three buy to let flats

A landlord has been prosecuted and ordered to pay a £12,000 fine as well as over £12,000 in court costs, after...

23 November 2016

From: Breaking News

Small number of agents and landlords in controversial training scheme

With just nine weeks to go before the deadline, only a small proportion of Welsh agents and landlords have registered for...

29 September 2016

From: Breaking News

Landlord handed £3,000 fine after failing to renew HMO licences

A landlord operating in Wales has been fined almost £3,000 for failing to renew the House in Multiple Occupation (HMO) licences...

16 September 2016

From: Breaking News

Buy to let firm ordered to pay over £15,000 after licensing failure

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

07 September 2016

From: Breaking News

Private rental sector licences costing up to £900 being introduced

Yet another council private rental sector licensing scheme is being drawn up with the claim that it will improve standards of...

01 August 2016

From: Breaking News

Scrap stamp duty and end anti-buy to let taxes, urges pressure group

A consumer group dedicated to reducing tax says recent fiscal changes introduced by the government will end up hurting private rental...

25 July 2016

From: Breaking News

Council halts private rental licensing idea after overwhelming hostility

A local council has halted proposals to introduce a licensing regime for a town’s privately let properties after what a newspaper called...

14 July 2016

From: Breaking News

First prosecution under council's controversial lettings licensing scheme

A landlord has become the first to be prosecuted by Waltham Forest council for failing to obtain one of its controversial...

21 March 2016

From: Breaking News

Trade body criticises “unnecessary” reform of HMO licensing

The government should rein in its plans to transform the way Houses in Multiple Occupation are licensed. That is the view of...

22 December 2015

From: Breaking News

Government urged to scrap 'tenant's tax' hidden in licensing schemes

Councils that charge landlords for licences solely to collect information on the number of landlords in an area have been accused...

19 November 2015

From: Breaking News

New call for agents' details to be revealed on council tax forms

The Residential Landlords Association is calling on MPs to support a measure being proposed in the House of Commons that would...

13 November 2015

From: Breaking News

Rogue couple fined £36,000 after 30 tenants crammed in houses

Two rogue landlords who collected rent from more than 30 tenants in five sub-standard houses all on the same street have...

05 November 2015

From: Breaking News

Another London council edges towards private rental licensing

Barnet is the latest council appearing to edge towards increased private rental sector licensing as it enters the final two weeks...

03 September 2015

From: Breaking News

Letting agent fined after not applying for HMO licenses

A letting agency that failed to apply for House of Multiple Occupation licences at three properties in Birmingham has been fined...

06 July 2015

From: Breaking News

Council facing judicial review over private sector licensing

Landlords have launched a legal challenge to plans by a local authority to charge for licences to manage properties. The Croydon Guardian...

02 July 2015

From: Breaking News

Six week amnesty over HMO licences announced

An amnesty on the licensing of houses in multiple occupation is being held in Barnet in north London following the successful...

17 June 2015

From: Breaking News

MovePal MovePal MovePal