Ministers have unveiled plans for a specialist “housing court”, with the aim of speeding up the settlement of property disputes between landlords and tenants. The designated court, according to the government, will be “particularly important” for families and vulnerable tenants “who live with the fear of suddenly being forced to move”. The communities secretary, James Brokenshire,…

Landlords will have to fund some of the changes needed to make their rental properties compliant with minimum energy efficiency requirements. The Government is to introduce the payment requirement, capped at £3,500. This replaces the current “no cost” exemption which allowed landlords to avoid implementing energy efficiency measures if there is no funding available to…

Monday’s budget wasn’t horrendous for landlords, but wasn’t particularly helpful either, particularly for landlords looking to sell. The most major change effects the capital gains tax relief that is available to buy to let landlords when they sell a property that has previous been their primary residence. Principle Residence Relief Currently, a landlord can add…

The Housing Minister, Heather Wheeler, has announced that a new working group will be set up to raise standards across the housing sector. Whilst the industry seems to be getting hit left, right and centre at the moment with changing legislation, this is something all good letting agents can whole hardheartedly support. The group will…

New research has revealed that up to one-third of landlords could be overlooking their legal obligation to protect their tenant’s deposit. This could affect around 1.5 million tenants across the UK. Research by the price comparison website, ComparetheMarket.com, suggests that one third (33%) of renters know that their landlord has not placed their money in…

Changes to mandatory licensing Currently, a property requires a mandatory licence if all of the following apply: the property is a House in Multiple Occupation (HMO) (occupied by individuals who are not all related to one another); and the property is occupied by five or more individuals; and the property has 3 storeys or more…

Many landlords want to let their property, and know how powerful advertising on rightmove and zoopla can be, but don’t want to use an agent. The simple fact is that you can’t : (  The big property websites all require that there is an intermediary – namely; a letting agent. However, just because you have…

Confusion remains ahead of new Section 21 rules being introduced next month. Landlords and letting agents are being reminded about incoming changes to Section 21 notices next month for tenancies set up before October 2015. Currently, a landlord must provide two months’ notice when issuing a Section 21 eviction notice to any tenant on an…

Now that your references are underway, it’s time to start packing! But how much will removals cost? How long will removals take? We’ve got some handy websites that will take the stress out of your move day! Full Removals: Compare my Move is an easy to use house removals comparison site with options ranging from a basic…

The Government have announced that mandatory electrical safety checks will be introduced for all landlords with rental properties in England. As yet there is no start date for the new legislation. Director general of charity Electrical Safety First, Phil Buckle, said: “We are delighted the Government has finally recognised the importance of regular electrical checks…