Category: Landlords

Carbon Monoxide for Landlords and Tenants

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Carbon Monoxide for Landlords and Tenants
These days nearly everyone makes sure that their homes are protected with fire alarms, however some forget a similarly important gadget: carbon monoxide alarms. In some cases, carbon monoxide can be even more dangerous than fire and smoke as […]

Immigration Vetting Scheme to launch in December

Image of a PassportDue to current political tensions and the fact that the UK is still recovering from the recession the subject of illegal immigrants entering the UK is extremely controversial. Many people have called on the government to do more to prevent people entering the UK illegally, however this is no mean feat. This is why last year the government made law the Immigration Act which means that landlords may be asked to vet their tenants in […]

HMRC to send Letters to Landlords

Image of calculator and paperworkA few months ago PropertyQuoteDirect published a blog discussing how landlords can stay on the right side of the HMRC after the organisation announced that they would be cracking down on landlords who failed to pay their taxes. The organisation suggested that millions of pounds worth of tax is missing from the private rental sector, and much of this is down to the fact that inexperienced landlords are not filling in their […]

Boris Johnson publishes new London Rental Standard

It is often claimed that London is a different country to the rest of the UK as nearly everything is more expensive and markets often differ there compared to the rest of the country. This is extremely true when it comes to the property and private rental sectors, as in London property and rent prices are much higher than anywhere else in the country. This is mainly due to the fact that London is a hub for UK business, which means that many […]

Landlords becoming more wary of letting to DSS Tenants

Over the course of last year we saw numerous reports stating that landlords were becoming less inclined to let to DSS tenants due to the changes in the private rental sector generated by the welfare reforms. The introduction of Universal Credit and the spare room subsidy particularly concerned landlords as it meant they would no longer directly receive housing benefits and tenants could see a reduction of their housing benefits if thought to have a ‘spare’ room.

Liverpool Council to crack down on rogue landlords

The issue of rogue landlords is becoming extremely serious recently, especially as there are a number of people in the UK who are living in properties that are a danger to themselves and others around them. For example, one woman in north Liverpool had her entire front room floor eaten away by rats, while other homes in the area were found to be infested with a type of mould known to cause cancer. This investigation was carried out by the housing charity Shelter, […]

London landlords not taking electrical safety seriously

It has been reported today that a substantial number of landlords in the London area are not taking the electrical safety of their properties seriously enough, which has led to many housing bodies voicing their concerns. Ensuring all electric fittings are safe is a legal requirement for all landlords, but according to a study conducted by the Electrical Safety Council nearly a quarter of tenants in private rented accommodation in London are at risk of being harmed due to faulty electrical wiring.

Landlords warned to register deposits in schemes

By law, all landlords in the UK must register their tenants’ deposits in a certified scheme so that the money is safe and if there are any disputes the deposit protection agency will step in and ensure that any decisions are fair. Until a few months ago, this type of scheme only applied to landlords in England and Wales, however with the increase in dependency on private rented accommodation the Scottish government also decided to implement a deposit protection scheme of their own.

Landlords warned to draft up proper Tenancy Agreements

In a number of our previous news articles and blog posts we have highlighted the importance of having a properly written Tenancy Agreement for all your lettings as they could help you if there is ever a legal dispute. Furthermore, Tenancy Agreements make it clear to your tenant when they are expected to pay rent, the length of the tenancy and their responsibilities which means that your business is protected during the length of the tenancy.

Crackdown on Slough Landlords without Energy Performance Certificates

Under new government plans by 2018 any property that has an Energy Performance Rating of ‘F’ or ‘G’ will no longer be allowed to let out their property until improvements are carried out, and from 2016 all private landlords will not be able to refuse a tenant’s request for reasonable energy efficiency improvements to their properties. This is why the government set up the Green Deal scheme, which allows landlords to have energy saving upgrades to their properties for free, as it not only […]