Writings for Landlords

A landlord who pleaded guilty to unlawfully evicting her tenant has been sentenced to 80 hours of unpaid community work and ordered to pay the tenant £460.

A London council is considering moving low-income families out of the capital because it can no longer afford to accommodate them in private rented homes. Nearly 3,000 people, including children, who are on the council’s waiting list, could be part of the exodus.

Rents now average £777 per month across the UK but with sharp regional differences, says tenancy referencing firm HomeLet.

Since its launch one year ago, over 1,200 student properties have been signed up to a new accreditation scheme.

Anyone who may have been mis-sold an interest rate swap should take their own legal advice as soon as possible and not trust the banks simply to hand over compensation.

Standards must be raised across the private rented sector to make the market work better for tenants, the Office of Fair Trading has said.

The OFT report may not go far enough, the RICS believes. Peter Bolton-King, residential director, said: “The OFT report adds yet another voice to those calling for changes to the lettings market.

Rents fell – but only just – for the third consecutive month in January, property firm LSL has reported.

A tax specialist has expressed concern that HMRC, armed with information provided by local authorities, could now be hounding private landlords in an attempt to track down tax dodgers.

Landlords of properties classed as furnished holiday lets are once again facing changes in tax treatment.