Welcome to our weekly Newsround, where we bring you highlights of housing news and more. Demand for rental properties increases Rightmove states that the rental market is showing no signs of… Read More

This is a question to the blog clinic from Vanessa, who is a tenant in England. Our landlord died and the property has now passed on to his son. We have a rolling 6 month contract and have l… Read More

Welcome to our weekly Newsround, where we bring you our selection of housing news from the past week. Well, we have now had the King’s speech, and it looks like housing law reforms are… Read More

Reading a post from David Smith recently, it seems that many Welsh landlords are using the Welsh Government’s Model Contract in an unamended form. By way of background information. Fro… Read More

This is a question to the blog clinic from Miles , who is a tenant in England. Tenant eviction during *fixed* term of AST due to Ground 1 (former owner occupier) (of Schedule 2 of Housing Ac… Read More

Welcome to Landlord Law’s weekly Newsround, where we bring you all the trending housing news and more. As you will know, we have the King’s Speech on Wednesday, and after that, w… Read More

As a landlord and tenant solicitor, part of my life’s work has been ‘translating’ legal rules so they can be properly understood by non-lawyers. This is important. Ignoranc… Read More

So, we have a new government.  The Starmer government. But there is still a lot of negativity around. False extrapolation There is a tendency among people to extrapolate: Your son loung… Read More

Our first Newsround under a Labour government.  A historic day. A new Labour government A pretty resounding victory for Labour, which some landlords will be apprehensive about. Hopefull… Read More

It looks as if Labour (if they win the election on Thursday, 4 July) will be looking to update the school curriculum. One thing I would like them to consider is basic legal education in scho… Read More

Back in the 1970’s when I was growing up, Council housing was the most important rental sector. In 1979 there were some 5.5 million homes. However, in 1980, Margaret Thatcher passed th… Read More

Our last Newsround for June, let’s see what housing news has caught our eye here at Landlord Law this week. Renters are now calling for EPC changes EPC reform is in the news alot latel… Read More

Sometimes, when reading the tenant and consumer press, there is such hostility towards landlords, and indeed, some people seem to think we should get rid of landlords altogether. However, la… Read More

This is a question to the blog clinic from Harry (not his real name), who is a landlord in England. I’m trying to get my head around when a tenant falls into arrears. For example, we a… Read More

Although tenants complain about the lack of standards in their rented property – rightly, in many cases, this is not due to lack of legislation and regulation. We have plenty of laws a… Read More

Welcome to another edition of our Newsround where we bring you all the latest housing news. Deposits fall short of damages or rent arrears Reposit, an alternative deposit scheme claims that… Read More

This is a question to the blog clinic from Gerry (not his real name), who is a landlord in England. My tenant only fulfilled 7 months of a 12 month lease, citing personal problems. The prope… Read More

Another week and another Newsround let’s see what has caught our eye at Landlord Law this week. The Labour Party Manifesto This was published yesterday.  As Labour are virtually c… Read More

It seems pretty clear that the Labour Party is headed for election victory, so I have decided not to waste much time (if any) looking at the Conservative Party Manifesto. Or indeed, the Lib… Read More

Welcome to our weekly Newsround, let’s see what has been in the housing news this week. The Renters Reform Bill is Toast Following on from my last Newsround, as you probably all know b… Read More

‘Right to rent’ checks were imposed on landlords in 2016 (earlier for some areas). They are not mandatory.  But if done properly, they will provide a ‘statutory excuse… Read More

There are two big problems in housing just now: The need for many landlords to increase rents (to cover their own increasing expenses), which is making many properties unaffordable for tenan… Read More

This is a question to the blog clinic from Elsie (not her real name), who is a tenant in England. I lived in a rented house for over five years. I signed a one year lease and paid month to m… Read More

This is a question to the blog clinic from Lisa (not her real name), who is a tenant in England. My assured shorthold tenancy contract mentions this: “The team certain of *Six months… Read More

This is an interview I did with Robin Stewart on 27 February 2024.  Robin is a senior solicitor with Anthony Gold Solicitors. The full interview is published in our … Read More

Another week and another Newsround, let’s see what has caught our eye this week in the housing news.  The main item being The Renters Reform Bill is on the move again It was debat… Read More

This is an interview I did with Robin Stewart on 27 February 2024.  Robin is a senior solicitor with Anthony Gold Solicitors. The full interview is published in our … Read More

Here we are again at another Newsround. We kick off this weeks Newsround with rent controls, as we see that this has been more prevalent in the news lately. Scottish landlords unanimously sa… Read More

This is a question to the blog clinic from Jonathan (not his real name), who is a landlord in England. I am a landlord and wish to serve a section 21 notice however I did not give the tenant… Read More

Welcome to our first Newsround of February where we see what has been trending in the housing news this week. Landlords, have your say on helping the disabled rental sector As part of the al… Read More

Here are our Newsround posts for January. Thursday 11th January What are tenants’ rights after their fixed term ends? What happens when a fixed term ends? Read my blog to find out Frid… Read More

Many landlords use letting agents to find tenants and manage their properties.  Most letting agents do a good job and many are outstanding. But not all. What about YOUR letting agents?… Read More

Another week and another Newsround. Let’s see what has been happening in the news this week. Have you submitted your tax return? It looks as if some 3.8 people have yet to file their r… Read More

I write a regular column for Property Investor News, and I was recently asked a question there about rent increases. The question was about how often a landlord was allowed to increase the r… Read More

Another week and another Newsround, let’s see what has been in the news this week. NRLA back Tory amendments to the Renters Reform Bill The National Residential Landlords Association h… Read More

When a tenant signs a tenancy agreement, at the moment this is invariably for a period of time.  Six months, a year or whatever. So what happens when this fixed term ends? The answer is… Read More

Another year is over, and as usual, we are going to be closing down the Landlord Law Blog over the holiday period. So here are some of our best posts of the year to give you something to rea… Read More

Here are our Newsround posts for December. Friday 1st December Landlord Law Newsround #319 Our first Newsround for December Monday 4th December Three questions from a landlord about tenant i… Read More

Welcome to our last Newsround for 2023. We thought we would start the Newsround with some positive housing news. Newcastle Council launch free training for landlords Newcastle Council has an… Read More

This is the first in an occasional series of interviews of professionals in the private rented sector.  Gary Leverett is an experienced housing solicitor at Cozens-Hardy in Norwich. I h… Read More

Another week and another Newsround, let’s see what had been happening in the housing news this week. Court of Appeal ruling favours mediation at first level A ruling last week between… Read More

This is a question to the blog clinic from Diego, who is a tenant in England. I recently I had an attitude problem from the property manager of the flat I am renting with a friend.  I w… Read More

This is a question to the blog clinic  from Thelma (not her real name), who is a landlord in England. Can I move a long-term tenant (in arrears due to benefits mess up and having to mov… Read More

Welcome to our weekly Newsround where we give you all the trending housing news, plus a little bit more. Social Housing Ombudsman to take on PRS disputes Government minister Jacob Young has… Read More

Eviction should only ever be a last resort for landlords.  As it is stressful and can take a very long time. However if you have no alternative – the Landlord Law service can help… Read More

This post is part of my urban myths series. You can see the rest of the series here. I sometimes get asked by landlords about how long a section 21 notice lasts. Questions include: Can I let… Read More

This is a question to the blog clinic from David, who is a landlord in England. I have one property. The AST with my tenants will end in a few month’s time. I do not intend to ask them… Read More

Let us see what been happening in the housing news this week. Local Housing Allowance increase In the Chancellors Autumn Statement this week Jeremy Hunt announced that he has unfrozen the Lo… Read More

This is a question to the blog clinic from Jo, who is a tenant in England. My fixed term of 6 months is up shortly. It will then become a periodic contractual agreement.  It states that… Read More

In June 2009 I wrote a post on this blog on the revolving door of housing ministers. At that time, we had a Labour government (it seems a long time ago now). I pointed out that since 1997 w… Read More

Welcome to our weekly Newsround where we give you all the trending housing news, and this week the Renters Reform Bill is very much in the news.  But first – New Right to Rent gui… Read More

I was alerted to this issue by Jan of Advocats who help both landlords and tenants when tenants want to keep a pet at their rented property. ‘What happens,’ Jen asked me ‘w… Read More

Welcome to our Newsround, let’s see what has been happening in the housing news this week. The King’s Speech, the Renters Reform Bill and massive court delays for eviction We hav… Read More

This is a question to the blog clinic from Julie (not her real name), who is a tenant. If a landlord includes an ‘Addendum’ at the end of a tenancy agreement, stating that the wh… Read More

It is important to know whether you have an HMO or not.  There are some rather important consequences.  For example: All HMO landlords have to comply with the special management re… Read More

Another week and another Newsround, lots of news this week and we start with some good news for HMO landlords and tenants as we head into November. Government axes banding of HMO individual… Read More

Here are our blog posts for October. Monday 2nd October Urban Myth – a tenant who stays in a property a long time get special rights How to determine what rights a tenant has Thursday… Read More

Here is our weekly Newsround and there is no shortage of housing news this week, especially concerning the Renters Reform Bill. U-turn on Section 21 As I am sure you have all read by we have… Read More

This is a question to the blog clinic fast track from Martha (not her real name), who is a landlord in England. I let a house in December 1981 on a Protected Shorthold Tenancy. The tenants a… Read More

This is a question to the blog clinic from Jade, who is a tenant in England. Problem with the landlord not paying security bond into schemes, not carrying out the gas check, other issues Ans… Read More

On this blog, we have been banging on about the ‘housing crisis’ for years. It has now got so bad that it has entered mainstream news, and even the politicians are starting to t… Read More

Welcome to Landlord Law’s weekly Newsround where this week we finally hear that the Renters Reform Bill is to finally get its Second Reading on Monday 23rd October. Next stage set for… Read More

There is a lot of angst from both sides of the tenancy agreement about pets.   Many tenants want to keep a pet but aren’t allowed.  Many landlords are unhappy about the… Read More

I sometimes get contacted by landlords in a panic.  “My tenant will have been in the property for three years next month – should I evict her to prevent her having the right… Read More

Our last Newsround for September let’s see what housing news has been in the news this week. New ‘How to Rent’ guide due out Monday 2 October If you are a landlord on the p… Read More

Here are our blog posts for August. Friday 4th August Landlord Law Newsround #302 Our first Newsround for August Tuesday 8th August Outrageously high right-to-rent fines due to come into for… Read More

Welcome to our weekly Newsround where we give you all the trending housing news. Let’s see what has been in the news this week. Migrant checking will not be easy One law firm, Brevis L… Read More

Here is a question to the blog clinic from Lillyan, who is a tenant in England. My landlord is insisting on having a copy of the house key as she says they are her keys. (Locks got changed t… Read More

Welcome to our Landlord Law weekly Newsround where we give you all the trending housing news and more. ‘Morally wrong’ new HMO rules must be reversed Leading landlord lawyer, Dav… Read More

This is a real hangover from the past, but a surprising number of people still think that accepting rent from a tenant they are evicting will somehow prejudice their case. This dates back to… Read More

Another week and another Newsround, let’s see what has been happening in the housing news this week. Transportable gardens A top garden designer, Zoe Claymore, has come up with the nov… Read More

Another week and another Newsround, let’s see that has been in the news this week. Problems for landlords and the PRS There are three big problems in the Private Rented Sector (PRS) il… Read More

There has been a lot of publicity about the law on pets in lets and proposals to make it harder for landlords to refuse permission. However, we need to be careful that when doing this, we do… Read More

Welcome to our Newsround where we look into what has been in the housing news this week. We start off with some rather disconcerting news regarding bailiffs and the courts. Evictions ‘… Read More

Our Newsround is here again, let’s see what has been in the housing news this week. Warning on E-bike battery charging Landlords are being warned about the potentially catastrophic dam… Read More

The Renters Reform Bill has now been published.  As promised, it will remove the ‘no fault’ ground for possession by removing the clauses providing for assured shorthold ten… Read More

After weeks of relatively slow and repetitive housing news this week headlines with the long-awaited Renters’ Reform Bill. So we kick off with that and then take a look at what’s… Read More

After four long years, the draft Renters Reform Bill has finally been published and presented to Parliament. You can read the current version here.  The bill’s page on the Parliam… Read More

Your help, please! The Welsh Government have now published new regulations, which are due to come into force on 1 June 2023. However, I have been unable to find explanatory guidance on the W… Read More

Here is a question to the blog clinic fast track from Nick (not his real name), who is a landlord. We rented out our property on an AST to a family friend who later took in three lodgers wit… Read More

Our first Newsround for May lots of housing news this week and most importantly we start with news on the Renters’ Reform Bill. Renters Reform Bill to be published next week Yesterday… Read More

Welcome to our last Newsround for April lets see what’s happened in the housing news this week. NRLA continues to call on the government Ben Beadle, CEO of NRLA has again met with Mich… Read More

Welcome to our weekly Newsround, a relatively quiet week in the housing news this week so let’s see what the Landlord Law team have found. Not-for-profit Letting Agents to launch A gre… Read More

This is a perennial question that all landlord and tenant advisers get asked. As discussed in the post here, the law has not (at the time of writing) been changed recently to force landlord… Read More

Another week and another Newsround, let’s see what we have found in the news this week. HMO’s re-banding for council tax Propertymark and letting agents are backing the governmen… Read More

This is a fairly new urban myth, but several people have asked me this during the past year.  So time for a bit of clarification. In a way, it is true.  If you are increasing rent… Read More

Here is a question to the blog clinic fast track from Nathan (not his real name), who is a landlord in England. We have a problem. We are on sabbatical leave overseas, and in January 2023 we… Read More

If not – you continue in this work at your peril. The background Solicitors are expensive, and landlords looking to evict tenants are usually short of cash – generally because th… Read More

Welcome to our weekly Newsround, where this week we have a new rent guide out and the long awaited budget. But was there much in there for landlords? We take a look. Budget squeezes out Land… Read More

This post is a bit ‘off topic’ although asylum seekers need to be housed somewhere, and we do have a housing crisis. However, housing is not the only crisis we face. For example… Read More

Another week with no shortage of housing news, lets see what’s hit the headlines this week, and no surprises EPC’s are strong headline news again.  But first: The Supreme Co… Read More

If you are looking to take in a lodger to make some extra cash, we have a lot of help for you. The Lodger Landlord website First – you should read the Lodger Landlord website as this h… Read More

There seems to be a certain amount of confusion over the transition arrangements for tenancies (now called occupation contracts) in Wales and what the notice periods are. I am going to attem… Read More

Another week and another Newsround and there is certainly no shortage of housing news. This week we start with the ongoing reform of EPC’s. Government re-shuffle creates a new departme… Read More

Welcome to our first Newsround for February, giving you a roundup of items trending in the housing news this week. PRS is vital for UK economy & social life A new report based on a surv… Read More

Here is our roundup of posts for January 2023. Tuesday 3rd January The Landlord Law Blog Urban Myths The first of my updated series on ‘Urban Myths’ Thursday 5th January Can thi… Read More

I come across this view sometimes. Landlords telling me that their tenant has no right to stay on in their property because they (the landlords) only agreed to let them live there for (say)… Read More

Are you a new landlord? Or do you want to take over managing a property yourself from agents? Or perhaps you are new to working at a letting agency? Or maybe you work for a Local Authority a… Read More

Here is a question to the blog clinic from Tanya (not her real name), who is a tenant. I agreed to be a guarantor for a family member and signed a fixed term contract for 12 months, 6 months… Read More

Welcome to another edition of our Newsround, and this week there is certainly no shortage varied housing news. Big Issue founder calls for help for landlords John Bird, the founder of the Bi… Read More