The tribunal ruled that the landlord had met all licensing obligations and had, in fact, been the victim of administrative failings by the London Borough of Southwark.
Tribunal decision for landlord saves him £29,000 Rent Repayment Order
Vicar whose house was ‘stolen’ gets possession back after four years
A reverend whose house was sold without him knowing has had the property returned to him nearly four years on, after a family was ordered to leave.
Redress scheme reveals jump in number of expelled estate agencies
Property Redress also highlights 56% increase in awards to customers complaining about estate agencies to £1.5 million.
The Landlord Law CPD Service – March 2025
12 renters chasing every property despite improving supply
So claims Zoopla’s which, within its regular market snapshot, also says Labour’s looming rental reforms risk making the situations worse not better.
Councils that fine landlords over mould slammed by ombudsman
Several local authorities which are quick to issue fines to landlords and agents over poor practice including damp and mould, are at it themselves.
Nearly £480m deducted from tenants’ universal credit through ‘unlawful’ process
Since 2017, the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) has deducted tenants’ UC at the request of their landlord if the claimants are in rent arrears.
The cannabis farm scandal: how a rogue lettings agency destroyed countless homes
How properties supposedly let to tenants were torn apart to create drug factories, causing hundreds of thousands of pounds worth of damage.
MHCLG to take over fire safety brief from Home Office in post-Grenfell shake-up
The Grenfell Tower Inquiry phase two report, published in September, called on the government to appoint a single secretary of state to lead on fire safety.
Self-service platform allows landlords to list on portals for £29
Hello Neighbour has launch a new “Get Listed” service which enables landlords to list on Rightmove, Zoopla and OnTheMarket and then manage viewings and offers
Criminal landlords will lose benefit payments under Labour plan
England’s criminal landlords will face restrictions on benefit payments they receive for running substandard properties in supported housing
Landlords must improve energy efficiency of homes by 2030 under new plans
All private landlords in England and Wales will be required to meet Energy Performance Certificate (EPC) C or above by the end of the decade, up from the lower EPC E level currently required.
The Landlord Law CPD Service – February 2025
Government launches UK land use consultation
The government has launched a consultation on a new strategic approach to managing land use in England to give decision makers the data they need
House of Lords urged to amend Renters’ Rights Bill this week
The Second Reading of the Renters’ Rights Bill in the House of Lords takes place on Tuesday 4 February 2025 where peers are being urged to take the opportunity to push back against overly restrictive regulation.
Relief for leaseholders
From today, leaseholders will no longer be required to have owned their property for a minimum period of two years before being able to make a statutory lease extension claim of a flat.
Legal & General completes flagship Build to Rent scheme, delivering over 1,000 homes
New Acres provides 1034 homes across 18 buildings next to Wandsworth Town Station, making it L&G’s largest Build to Rent (BTR) scheme to date.
Leasehold Reform moves a step closer
Housing minister Matthew Pennycook yesterday signed regulations to remove the two-year ownership rule for leaseholders of flats and houses to extend their lease or buy their freehold.
Landlord and agent to jointly repay £10,500 in rent after shocking illegal eviction
Kieran Parker returned to his flat late one night to find the locks changed and his belongings later dumped outside the front door.
Half a million council tenants to lose Right to Buy their homes
The Government is to effectively end the Right to Buy scheme by substantially tightening the eligibility criteria.
Minister says holiday-lets registration scheme to go live ‘very soon’
Tourism minister Chris Bryant says initial set-up work is now complete and that only ‘technical matters’ on how scheme will run need to be sorted out before a launch.
The Renters Rights Bill has passed third reading with some amendments
It has now gone to the House of Lords with the second reading scheduled for 4 February. Read our report on the report and third reading debate:
Banning ‘no-fault’ evictions “fundamentally alters the balance of power between landlords and tenants”
Daniel McAfee of Lawhive, looks at the Renters’ Rights Bill and its potential to transform landlord-tenant dynamics.
Proposed changes to EPCs: what this means for homeowners, landlords, and tenants
Leading lettings expert and Past President of ARLA Propertymark, Maxine Fothergill outlines the changes and offers advice on how to prepare
Landlords slam move to limit rent paid ahead of tenancy
The NRLA says the Government is taking away an assurance to landlords, that tenants can afford the rent ahead of a tenancy starting.
The Landlord Law CPD Service – January 2025
Plans to allow councils to ‘take over’ empty rental properties
Councils will be given more power to force landlords to rent out vacant residential properties as part of the government’s English Devolution white paper.
Selective licensing rules relaxed for councils
New guidance from the Government reveals that councils will no longer have to seek Whitehall approval for selective licensing schemes of any size.
Leading estate agency wins important tenant fees tribunal case
The tribunal has found in favour of a £250 fee for a mid-tenancy change of tenant.
Rogue landlord sentenced after being “aggressive” to council team
The sentencing comes after a three-bedroom bungalow located in Egham, Surrey, was found to have been turned into a 15-room unlicensed HMO.
Government reveals plans for radical new EPC rules
Find out more and a consultation:
Another new Kit, our Dealing with Death Kit
Introducing another new Landlord Law Kit
The procedure to be followed when setting up a new tenancy before the Renters Rights Bill comes into force
What should landlords do when issuing a new tenancy agreement?
The Landlord Law CPD Service – December 2024
Right-to-rent checks will be going online only on the 31st December
After that date, physical documents will no longer be acceptable as evidence for Right to Rent verification. However, there are serious concerns about the eVisa system.
Rogue landlords escape court action as councils fail to act
Data collected from Councils shows that more than 100 authorities say that they have not prosecuted any landlords at all in half a decade.
Housing minister reveals ‘urgent’ plans to end leasehold and enact RoPA
Matthew Pennycook has made the promises within a statement within which he said commonhold will soon become ‘default’ tenure.
Agents must prepare for stricter anti-money laundering rules
Regulations have been laid in the UK Parliament which means the reporting obligations will apply to all letting agency work and not just in relation to lettings where there is a monthly rent of €10,000 or more.
Cannabis farm found in proptech chief’s rental flat
Nick Lyons shares some hard lessons from his nightmare experience of discovering a full-blown cannabis factory in one of his properties.
Landlord Law ‘bills included’ tenancy agreements
Warning about the phase out of ‘bills included’ tenancy agreements
£36m – UK’s biggest ever material information case?
A Georgian oligarch’s daughter is suing vendor for £36m for moth ‘plague’ in home that was not disclosed.
Labour urged to bring in secret inspections of rented properties
The CIEH wants MPs to scrap the 24-hour notice period that councils must currently give to landlords before entering a rented property.
The Property Inspection Kit upgrade
Reporting on a recent upgrade of the Property Inspection kit which is now available to all members.
Greater Manchester mayor vows to work with landlords to raise rental standards
At this year’s National Residential Landlords Association 2024 Landlord Conference, he confirmed that he wants to work with landlords and does not want them to exit the market.
‘Criminal’ landlord trio hit with huge £450k HMO fine
Three West Northants landlords have together been fined a total of £452,796 for a series of unlicensed and unsafe HMOs.
Availability of the Landlord Law Kits and Courses
Setting out what we are doing with our kits and courses in view of the pending legal changes with the Renters Rights Bill.
Draft Amendment to Renters’ Rights Bill seeks to double licensing to ten years
The CIEH, sponsoring the amendment, says licensing schemes should be put on a more permanent footing.
The Landlord Law CPD Service – November 2024
Get 1 hours CPD with our online CPD service
Prince William pledges to address mould-ridden rental homes owned by royal estate
Up to one in seven rental homes owned by Prince William’s £1.3bn Duchy of Cornwall estate have F or G-rated EPCs
Government Campaign: Buy Safe, Be Safe: avoid e-bike and e-scooter fires
Safety information for consumers – and tenants!






