Following the introduction of the so-called “bedroom tax” on 1st April this year, local councils have seen a surge in demand for discretionary housing payments (DHP) leaving housing associations struggling with the additional workload. DHPs are temporary payments provided by councils in order to help cover costs when there is a change in the benefit…

Nearly a third of councils in England have said they would consider introducing compulsory licensing schemes for landlords. A study by the Local Government Information Unit (LGiU) and the Electrical Safety Council revealed six out of every 10 councils are already considering investing in training and support for local private landlords. Eight out of 10…

Landlords who rent their property to a group of unrelated tenants often face complex legal responsibilities. This guide explains the key points. If you’re letting out property to students or professionals who aren’t related to one another, the property may be classed as a house in multiple occupation (HMO). In this case, you’ll need to…

LandlordZONE recently asked us to write an article on the new proposals to make landlords responsible for checking their tenant’s right to be in the UK: The Queens Speech on the 8th May 2013 announced plans, as part of an Immigration Bill, to make landlords legally responsible for checking the immigration status of their tenants….

More people renting houses rather than owning them would be better for our economy In April, mortgage lending fell for the fourth month in a row. It seems that the British are so determined to get on top of their personal debt that repayments have exceeded borrowing for eight of the past 12 months. Since…

Emily Spaven, editor of Buytolet.com, recently asked us for our thoughts on discrimination by landlords, following a recent case in the Isle of Man. A landlord had refused to let his property to a gay couple as homosexuality is against his religious beliefs.  Unfortunately for the couple, the landlord was within his rights, according to…

  Your property is probably one of the most expensive things you own, so you don’t want just any one moving in.   There have been numerous reports of cannabis farms in rental properties, and one of our tenants has first hand experience of this.  Whilst renting one of our properties, he let his own,…

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…

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…

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…