Recent Articles
Council Tax Responsibility – Tenant or Landlord?
If your tenant decides to leave before the tenancy term end date, who is legally responsible for paying the Council Tax up to that end date? Under the terms of the Local Government Finance Act 1992, many councils will bill the landlord in the hope that the landlord will pay, however, a recent Court of […]
Section 21 Form 6a amendment – not legal!
Update 13th August: We have been advised that MHCLG has now (as of 12th August) reverted the wording of the Section 21 official document 6A seeking possession in the Government forms website to reflect the document in the legislation. Original article: Confusion reigns after the Ministry of Housing, Communities & Local Government (MHCLG) amended the Form […]
Rogue landlord database reform consultation
This consultation is seeking views on widening access to the database to allow tenants and prospective tenants access to the database. To ensure that the database is a useful tool for local authorities and tenants, we are also seeking views on expanding the scope of offences and infractions which could lead to entries on the […]
English Housing Survey (PRS)
This recently completed English Housing Survey provides a snapshot of the Private Rented Sector (PRS). On the basis of it’s findings, I hope Government ministers will read it and wonder why they are being so hard on the PRS. The report clearly justifies the need for an active PRS, recognises that the majority of tenancies […]
Regulation of Property Agents Report
A report produced by a working group made up of industry and consumer experts and chaired by Lord Best has just been released. The report contains recommendations for government on a new regulatory framework for property agents. This report can be accessed by clicking here. The report and it’s recommendations will be of interest to […]
The end of no-fault Section 21 (Form 6a) Possession Notices!
Update: 4th September, Esther McVey (Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government) with reference to their consultation on Overcoming the barriers to longer tenancies that sought views on the potential benefits of longer tenancies in the private rented sector. Read her response here. Update: 20 July 19: A new consultation “A new deal for renting: resetting […]
Landlord & Tenant Rights and Responsibilities Guide
The Government’s Ministry of Housing Communities & Local Government has produced a guide for landlords and tenants so that landlords and tenants may understand their rights and responsibilities within the Private Rented Sector (PRS). Click here to access the landlord & tenant guide. The guide has been produced to help both landlords and tenants. It […]
HMRC’s MTD – Making Tax Difficult for Landlords!
News Spring Budget ref MTD: Phillip Hammond, “The focus will be on supporting businesses to transition and the government will therefore not be mandating MTD for any new taxes or businesses in 2020”. Essentially the introduction of MTD for Landlords and small businesses has been postponed further. There is not current introduction date. We will […]
Requirement for Letting Agents to belong to a Client Money Protection Scheme
“The Client Money Protection (CMP) Schemes for Property Agents (Req’t to belong to a Scheme etc.) Regulations 2018” comes into force in 1st April 2019. The act requires that all Letting and Property Management Agents join a Government approved CMP Scheme. Approximately 60% of agents are already registered with a CMP scheme provider, however, some […]
New tougher electrical safety standards to protect private tenants
According to the most recent data tenants in the private rented sector face a higher risk of electrical shock and fires caused by electrical faults in their homes compared to social housing tenants. To address this the government introduced new powers in the Housing and Planning Act 2016 to set and enforce tougher electrical safety […]
