The direct payment of benefits scheme is being tested by landlords across Great Britain in six pilot projects. 6,200 tenants were paid directly in the first four months of the pilot project, according to figures released by the Department for Work and Pensions.  On average, 92% of rent was collected, meaning that 8% of those tenants…

Boris Johnson unveiled the London Rental Standard (LRS), which he described as a set of ambitious guidelines that would empower those in the private rental sector, as well as tenants in the city. The LRS is a set of uniform standards and regulations for letting agents and landlords in the capital, and contains 12 criteria…

Landlord, Mehmet Parlak, has pleaded guilty at Highgate Magistrates Court to management failures and not licensing his properties. He endangered the lives of children by placing them at fire risk has been fined £23,000 with costs of £2,890. Mehmet Parlak is the owner of Watchacre Properties Ltd which let Markfield Lodge on Markfield Road, London…

In the policy review document entitled Private rented housing: providing stability and affordability for renters and families, launched today, Labour argued that the private sector should give stability and financial certainty to private renters by offering predictable rents over a long period. Around 8.5 million people in England rent privately, including more than one million families…

Despite efforts by the government to cut payments, the housing benefit bill is set to soar, according to the Office for Budget Responsibility. The independent body, which monitors the UK’s finances, has radically altered its modelling for changes in housing benefit demands. In March it predicted costs would fall by £300 million in 2012/13 and…

The YBS mortgage service, Accord, has revealed that it did not lend to landlords with tenants in receipt of benefits after questioning by the landlord and buy-to-let consultant David Lawrenson. The terms and conditions of the BM Solutions mortgage policy similarly did not enable borrowers to let their property to tenants claiming housing benefit, although it is…

Against stiff competition from some of the leading UK rental property industry providers on the Internet, LandlordZONE once again walked away with the prestigious “Website and Information” category award at the Landlord and Buy to Let Show, held last week in Coventry. Awards were presented to a host of leading industry suppliers at the award…

As a result of recent changes to the law, landlords could find themselves with the bill for any unpaid water charges if they fail to inform the utility company of a tenant’s details. Up until recently, a tenant’s arrears with any of the utilities (water, electricity, gas or telephone) had not been a concern of…

The Association of Residential Letting Agents, ARLA, has reported that demand for quality properties to rent is still firmly outstripping supply. According to a survey of ARLA members, more than 58% are still reporting a significant gap between supply and demand; 3% more that their December 2011 survey. Compared to three months ago, the national…

Increasing numbers of retirees are becoming landlords and relying on income from letting out property to boost their retirement finances. According to BM Solutions, a specialist buy to let mortgage provider, 80% of landlords view letting out property as a supplementary source of income to their pension and around 60% are actively planning to live…