Category Archives: News

London Renters 5 Core Demands

London Renters are a coalition of tenants calling for changes to the private rented sector (PRS). They have 5 core demands: 1. An end to fees for tenants (to bring English policy in line with Scotland) London Renters feel that the fees charge to tenants precludes a lot of low and middle income people from the PRS. 2. Proper… Continue Reading

Disputed Deposits are Just 1.3% of Total

The number of deposit disputes in England & Wales is extremely low, according to official figures released by the Department for Communities and Local Government (DCLG). The Government figures show that of the Seven million deposits that have been protected since the launch of the legislation in 2007, only less than 92,000 have ended up… Continue Reading

High Courts to hear “Bedroom Tax” challenge

Today the High Court will begin hearing the legal challenges to the governments so called “bedroom tax”.   10 families, who each feel they have been discriminated against by the penalty for under-occupation of their social housing, have started legal  proceedings. The penalty came into force on 1st April.  Working age social tenants who are… Continue Reading

What Visa does your Migrant Tenant Need?

In the aftermath of the news that landlords will now be required to check that their migrant tenants have the right to be in the UK, there is a large amount of confusion over who needs a visa, what type etc. For more information about the type of visa your migrant tenant requires, please visit… Continue Reading

Landlords Told to Vet Migrant Tenants

Private landlords will be legally responsible for ensuring that they only let properties to people allowed to be in Britain under immigration laws to be announced in tomorrow’s Queen’s Speech. Almost two million buy-to-let property owners will be responsible for checking the immigration status of potential tenants, with fines running into thousands of pounds for… Continue Reading

Rent in Advance is Not a Deposit, Says Judge

The case of Johnson v Old is one that could have had a huge impact on landlords who take payment of a number of months rent in advance. On serving their tenant with a section 21 notice, the tenant, Ms Old, argued that their 6 months lump-sum rent payments were, in fact, deposits, and should… Continue Reading

RLA Hits Back at Shelter

Homelessness charity, Shelter, have released research which says that children’s lives are harmed by growing up in rented homes. Richard Jones, policy director at the Residential Landlords Association, has accused Shelter of ‘scaremongering’. He said the charity was playing a ‘dangerous game by frightening off investors from increasing the supply of much-needed private rented housing’.… Continue Reading

Landlord Ordered to Pay £24K for Empty Home

Barnet Council have won their case against a landlord who failed to use his empty property grant to make improvements to his property and raise it to a habitable standard. In February 2009 the council offered Peter Savva an empty property grant to help with improvement to his empty property in Mill Hill. The £18,285 grant… Continue Reading