Landlord and Tenant Advice
We offer advice and assistance to landlords and tenants so that everybody understands the rules and regulations involved.
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We are sympathetic to the housing difficulties that can arise and are here to help and support you.
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We're here to help those whose landlords have allowed properties to fall into disrepair.
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Our Housing Solicitors have a wealth of knowledge and extensive experience in all manners of housing law matters.
Housing Articles
Greengrocer prosecuted for selling defective fruit and vegetables (29 December 2015)
A greengrocer based in Edgware, north London has been fined for offering for sale and selling rotten fruit and vegetables that failed to meet minimum quality standards. Read more...
48 workers re-housed after construction company let them sleep on unsafe site (29 December 2015)
A construction company has been fined after failing to comply with a prohibition notice preventing workers from sleeping on a site where 384 homes were being developed – resulting in 48 workers being re-housed in safe sleeping accommodation. Read more...
Number of migrants trying to enter UK illegally rises (23 December 2015)
Home Office figures have revealed that UK Border Force officials thwarted a total of 30,629 attempts by migrants to cross illegally from Calais to the UK between April and July this year – almost as many attempts as in the whole of the previous year to March 2015, which stands at 39,546. Read more...
Property-related insolvency investigation leads to suspended sentence after house is transferred before bankruptcy (23 December 2015)
A woman who gave her husband-to-be her house before she went bankrupt has been sentenced to eight months’ imprisonment, suspended for 24 months. Read more...
Wales builds affordable homes for Cardiff, as work on £100m urban village for begins (22 December 2015)
Work has begun on a new urban village to be sited just outside the Welsh capital Cardiff. Read more...
Welsh government announces £21.7m funding for affordable social housing (21 December 2015)
The Welsh Government pledged an additional £21.7 million in its Draft Budget, to increase the number of social houses in Wales. Read more...
New government funding to tackle homelessness (21 December 2015)
The government has announced new measures to help tackle homelessness and ensure there is a strong safety net in place for the most vulnerable people in society. Read more...
Welsh Government launches second phase of Help to Buy (21 December 2015)
The Welsh Government has announced it is investing up to £290 million in the second phase of Help to Buy - Wales. Read more...
Councils in England prepare the ground for new starter homes (14 December 2015)
The first wave of new starter homes is underway thanks to £8 million of government funding. Read more...
New garden towns planned for Oxfordshire and North Essex (14 December 2015)
The Housing Minister Brandon Lewis has announced plans to build two new garden towns at Didcot in Oxfordshire and North Essex, to provide up to 50,000 new homes and new infrastructure. Read more...
Social media campaign warns borrowers that a loan shark is not just for Christmas (14 December 2015)
The England Illegal Money Lending Team social media campaign to promote the Stop Loan Sharks message will run until Christmas, to help protect householders and others from the hazards of borrowing money from loan sharks. Read more...
Contractor fined after removal of gas flue puts tenant at risk of CO poisoning (8 December 2015)
A Paignton-based contractor has been prosecuted by the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) after a gas flue was removed during a re-roofing contract, potentially putting a tenant’s life at risk. Read more...
Bucks council trail blazes pilot scheme to help people suffering short-term housing crisis (7 December 2015)
Buckinghamshire Council’s Cabinet has approved a groundbreaking pilot scheme to help people suffering a short-term housing crisis. Read more...
Landlord fined £20,000 for gas safety breaches (7 December 2015)
The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) has successfully prosecuted the landlord of a property in Plymouth, after he risked the lives of his tenants through by a dangerous gas boiler installed in the flat. Read more...
600 new homes planned for Liverpool under partnership scheme (3 December 2015)
Liverpool Housing Partnership is on course to build the first 600 new homes to be delivered by partners Redrow Homes, social housing provider Liverpool Mutual Homes (LMH) and property contractor Wilmott Dixon. Read more...
Surrey council forms partnerships to crack down on housing and tenancy fraud (1 December 2015)
Reigate and Banstead Council is cracking down on social housing tenancy fraudsters, who prevent families in real housing need from moving into permanent homes – and cost the taxpayer thousands of pounds each year. Read more...
Southwark Council launches New Homes Design Guide for council houses (30 November 2015)
Southwark Council in south London has launched its own design guide in its bid to create 11,000 new council homes over the next 30 years. Read more...
Criminal record for landlord who unlawfully evicted tenant (30 November 2015)
A professional landlord has pleaded guilty to unlawfully evicting a tenant, who was left homeless as a result. Read more...
Rent Smart Wales aims to drive up standards in private sector (30 November 2015)
Welsh Assembly Housing Minister Lesley Griffiths has said that Wales is leading the way in driving up standards in the private rental sector. Read more...
Welsh government acts on homelessness as a result of alcohol misuse (27 November 2015)
Welsh Assembly Deputy Health Minister Vaughan Gething has said that alcohol misuse is one of the main causes of people becoming homeless. Read more...
More help for homebuyers in Chancellor’s Autumn Statement – but Stamp Duty increase for second homes (26 November 2015)
The government has announced a number of measures to help people into home ownership under the Chancellor’s Autumn Statement and Spending Review, announced on Wednesday (25/1/15). Read more...
Welsh government’s Renting Homes Bill “will benefit 1m people” (26 November 2015)
The lives of one million people who live in rented accommodation in Wales will be improved as a result of legislation passed in the Welsh Assembly (WA) Senedd in November, says the Welsh government. Read more...
Wandsworth Council prosecutes landlord and managing agent over failure to obtain HMO licence (24 November 2015)
Wandsworth Council has prosecuted a landlord and his managing agent for failing to declare they were operating a number of bedsits at an address in Tooting, south London. Read more...
Government’s housebuilding measures could mean a million new homes by 2020 (23 November 2015)
Communities Secretary Greg Clark has welcomed new figures showing that UK house building initiatives have resulted in an additional 186,000 new homes being built in the year to September. Read more...
Landlord fined more than £70,000 for 19 breaches of Housing Act (23 November 2015)
Ealing Council has prosecuted a landlord for 18 offences of failing to comply with the Management of Houses in Multiple Occupation (England), Regulations 2006 (Section 234(3) and (5) of the Housing Act 2004) – and one offence in breach of Section 72(2) of the Housing Act 2004. Read more...
Company director fined £11,000 for noise nuisance (23 November 2015)
A former company director has been ordered to pay £11,000 in compensation for noise nuisance caused to local residents after he persistently breached noise abatement notices from Bexley Council. Read more...
Manchester City Council prosecutes landlord and letting agency over unlicensed and unsafe HMOs (18 November 2015)
A landlord and a major letting agent in Manchester have been ordered to pay nearly £40,000, after Manchester City Council prosecuted them for breaching regulations for Houses in Multiple Occupation (HMOs). Read more...
Tata Steel UK fined £180,000 for safety breaches after employee suffers burns in explosion (17 November 2015)
International steel manufacturer Tata has been prosecuted by the Health and Safety Executive (HSE), after an employee suffered injury in an explosion at Tata’s Rotherham steel foundry. Read more...
Manchester City Council to fine private sector landlords and agents who do not sign up to Redress Scheme (17 November 2015)
Manchester City Council’s executive has approved an amendment to the Corporate Enforcement Policy, to enable the council to enforce monetary penalties on landlords, letting agents and management companies in the private sector who do not sign up to a government-approved Redress Scheme. Read more...
House building up by 25%, says government (16 November 2015)
Housing Minister Brandon Lewis and Communities Secretary Greg Clark have said that England is building more new homes, with a 25% increase in the last year – the highest increase for 28 years, with more than 700,000 new homes being built since 2010. Read more...
Southwark Council launches website to detect illegal subletting of council properties (16 November 2015)
London’s biggest social landlord, Southwark Council, has launched a new anti-fraud tool to prevent illegal subletting. Read more...
Landlords fined £36,000 for unlicensed and poorly maintained HMOs (16 November 2015)
Hounslow Council has prosecuted two landlords renting out unlicensed HMOs, who collected rent from more than 30 tenants in five sub-standard houses, all on the same street. Read more...
Northamptonshire family evicted for antisocial behaviour and drug use at council-owned property (16 November 2015)
Kettering Borough Council has evicted a family from a council-owned property for anti-social behaviour and issues relating to drugs on the premises. Read more...
LSE Housing Academy for social landlords launches in Cheshire (12 November 2015)
The National Communities Resource Centre and the London School of Economics and Political Science (LSE) have launched a new Housing Plus Academy at Trafford Hall in Cheshire. Read more...
Landlord faced with £85,000 bill after illegally letting property (11 November 2015)
Islington Council has successfully prosecuted a landlord, as part of a planning enforcement crackdown in the Caledonian Road area of the borough. Read more...
More Housing Benefit claimants entering work because of benefit cap, says government (10 November 2015)
New figures to August 2015 show that around 28,000 people who have had their benefits capped have moved into work, allowing the government to make savings on Housing Benefit. Read more...
Government announces proposals to crack down on rogue landlords (10 November 2015)
Housing Minister Brandon Lewis has announced that the government is to crack down on criminal landlords who house tenants in unsafe and overcrowded properties. Read more...
Wolverhampton City Council brings more than 1,000 empty homes back into use (6 November 2015)
A campaign by the City of Wolverhampton Council to bring empty homes back into use has resulted in more than 1,000 homes being rescued from falling into disrepair, to be transformed into family homes.< Read more...
Wales exceeds target to bring vacant homes back into use (4 November 2015)
The Welsh government has exceeded its target of bringing back into use 5,000 properties that have fallen into disrepair. Read more...
Private sector landlords fined £34,000, after breaching housing management regulations (2 November 2015)
City of Wolverhampton Council has fined two private sector landlords a total of £34,000, in the hope prosecution will act as a strong deterrent to other landlords who put their tenants^ health and safety at risk. Read more...
Research finds house prices are not affected by social housing developments (2 November 2015)
New research by the NHBC Foundation has found that house prices are not reduced on developments which successfully integrate social and private housing. Read more...
Wolverhampton Council brings 1,000 properties back into use (2 November 2015)
Wolverhampton Council has brought more than 1,000 homes back into use in its Empty Property Strategy, launched in 2010. Read more...
Brighton and Hove presses ahead with plans to build new affordable homes (30 October 2015)
Brighton and Hove City Council has approved a scheme under which dozens of affordable homes will be built on the site of a former library in east Brighton. Read more...
Lancaster City consultation to identify new land for up to 6,000 new homes (26 October 2015)
Lancaster City Council is currently holding a major new public consultation to help to identify new land for building between 5,000 and 6,000 new homes. Read more...
Drop-in advice session today for private sector rental tenants in Exeter (26 October 2015)
The Exeter Private Rental Forum is holding a drop-in event for private sector rental tenants today (26/10/15), for renters who want to know more about their rights. Read more...
Rogue landlord faces £382,000 confiscation order, after £30,000 fine (26 October 2015)
Lambeth Council in south London has prosecuted a “rogue landlord”, after he converted a property into flats and rented them out illegally without the necessary permissions. Read more...
£4,000 fine for lettings agency which falsely advertised properties (23 October 2015)
A lettings agency in Hammersmith has been fined £4,000, after an investigation by Hammersmith and Fulham Council found that the agency was found guilty of advertising properties for rent that were not under its control. Read more...
£5,000 fine for lettings agency which ignored council request for information after tenant complaint (20 October 2015)
A lettings agency in Southend in Essex has received a maximum £5,000 fine for ignoring a request for information from Southend Council’s private sector housing (PSH) team. Read more...
City of London Corporation to build 3,700 new homes (19 October 2015)
The City of London Corporation has announced its biggest house building programme since 1976. Read more...
Birmingham City Council housing staff recognised for excellent service (19 October 2015)
Birmingham City Council staff and contractors who have given excellent service to social housing tenants have been recognised in an awards ceremony in Birmingham. Read more...
One in nine private rented homes suffering from infestation, says Shelter (15 October 2015)
Housing charity Shelter has said that nearly 500,000 homes in the private rented sector are infested with rodents and cockroaches. Read more...
Housing Minister announces lifting of planning restrictions on offices for redevelopment as homes (15 October 2015)
Housing Minister Brandon Lewis has announced new measures that will make it easier to turn underused office buildings into new homes. Read more...
Generation rent set to become “generation buy” under new Housing Bill (14 October 2015)
Housing Minister Brandon Lewis has said that the New Housing and Planning Bill introduced to Parliament by the government on Tuesday (13/10/15) marks the start of a national crusade to transform “generation rent” into “generation buy”. Read more...
Private sector landlord fined more than £4,000 for breaching Improvement Notice (13 October 2015)
A landlord in Sussex has been prosecuted by Worthing Borough Council over the poor state of his property at Belsize Road in Worthing. Read more...
Landlord prosecuted for failing to repair home occupied by mother and her children (13 October 2015)
Bromley Council has prosecuted a landlord who failed to carry out necessary repair work to a house rented to a mother and her children. Read more...
Fairer rents housing consultation published (12 October 2015)
A housing consultation published on Friday (09/10/15) proposes that social landlords will be required to administer a policy of fairer rents, under which tenants with high levels of income who live in social housing will pay a fair level of rent to continue living there. Read more...
Hackney Council enforces legal requirement to display fees on letting agents and property managers (12 October 2015)
Hackney Council in east London is investigating local letting agents and property managers to make sure they are displaying fees they charge in accordance with the law. Read more...
Harlow Council prosecutes three residents for noise intrusion (12 October 2015)
Harlow Council’s Environmental Health and legal teams have successfully prosecuted three residents for anti-social behaviour involving noise intrusion this year. Read more...
Landlord fined £7,000 for unlicensed HMO (7 October 2015)
A landlord in Islington, north London has been fined nearly £7,000, after failing to obtain a licence for a house in multiple occupation (HMO). Read more...
MoD to double number of Forces’ Help to Buy recipients (6 October 2015)
The Defence Secretary Michael Fallon has announced that the number of loan recipients under the Armed Forces home-buying scheme Forces’ Help to Buy will be doubled. Read more...
Chancellor announces plans to “get Britain building” new homes (6 October 2015)
The Chancellor has announced that planning rules on brownfield sites are to be removed to free up land for development. Read more...
New guidance on fire safety and retaliatory evictions announced (2 October 2015)
Housing Minister Brandon Lewis has said that new fire safety measures will help save the lives of tenants – and ensure all rented property is equipped with a smoke alarm. Read more...
Rural housing association sets out why it will “say no” to extended RTB (1 October 2015)
Hastoe housing association (HA) has announced that it will be declining the government’s voluntary Right to Buy (RTB) scheme because of the potential impact of rural exemptions in the policy. Read more...
Kent landlord fined £13,570 for failing to comply with Improvement Notices (28 September 2015)
Thanet District Council has prosecuted a private landlord for failing to comply with three Improvement Notices. Read more...
Council maintenance company prosecuted over safety breach (28 September 2015)
A maintenance company which provides services to council homes in Barnsley has been prosecuted, after a joiner received an electric shock while replacing a wooden garden fence around a domestic property. Read more...
Swansea pilot scheme could build city’s first new council homes “in a generation” (22 September 2015)
Swansea Council has announced plans to build the first council homes in Swansea “for a generation”. Read more...
Enfield Council targets rogue letting agents (21 September 2015)
Housing Enforcement at Enfield Council has been working with Trading Standards and the Citizens Advice Bureau in a crack down on rogue letting agents. Read more...
Birmingham City Council reminds private letting agents and property managers to register with Redress Scheme (21 September 2015)
Birmingham City Council is reminding letting agents and property managers that they need to register with a Redress Scheme – which protects tenants’ deposits – or they may incur a fine of up to £5,000. Read more...
40,000 new homeowners created by (reinvigorated) Right to Buy (21 September 2015)
New government figures show that Right to Buy has created nearly 40,000 new homeowners in the last three years, after discounts were increased under the coalition government. Read more...
Prosecution for Gas Safety negligence, which could have endangered tenants’ lives (18 September 2015)
A housing company and its contractor have been prosecuted after the builder capped chimneys used as flues for working gas boilers and fires. Read more...
Government announces expert panel to help streamline local planning process (16 September 2015)
The government has announced that local planning processes are to be streamlined using a panel of eight experts. Read more...
Cumbria holds open days to help landlords prepare for new fire safety regulations (14 September 2015)
Cumbria County Council’s Fire and Rescue Service is offering local landlords advice on the government’s new fire safety regulations at a series of events beginning today (14/09/15). Read more...
Brent Council prosecutes landlord for renting out home without hot water (8 September 2015)
A London landlord who rented out a property which had no hot water and poor heating has been prosecuted by Brent Council. Read more...
HSE prosecutes landlord for failing to arrange gas safety checks for seven years (8 September 2015)
The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) has prosecuted a private sector landlord, after a woman and her son were put at risk of carbon monoxide (CO) poisoning in their home for seven years. Read more...
High Court winds up lettings agency and successor over “serious failings” (7 September 2015)
The High Court has ordered the liquidation of a successor lettings company and a further successor – or “phoenix” – company, after the Insolvency Service found serious failings in the original company, which were also repeated in the successor company. Read more...
High Court winds up lettings agency and successor over “serious failings” (7 September 2015)
The High Court has ordered the liquidation of a successor lettings company and a further successor – or “phoenix” – company, after the Insolvency Service found serious failings in the original company, which were also repeated in the successor company. Read more...
Private sector tenants “facing abuse from landlords and letting agents” (3 September 2015)
Research by housing charity Shelter has revealed that more tenants in the private sector are being subjected to abuse by landlords or letting agents. Read more...
Delays in council’s home adaptations force disabled man and wife to live apart (2 September 2015)
A man suffering from Guillain-Barré syndrome (GBS) has been forced to live apart from his wife because of council delays in adapting his home to meet his needs. Read more...
Gypsy and traveller families will have to prove they travel permanently before setting up camps (1 September 2015)
The government has said that travellers and gypsies will have to prove they travel permanently before they can set up a camp at a council-run site. Read more...
Housing completions up – bit just half the homes needed are being built (27 August 2015)
Latest housing figures show that completions in both the private housing sector and among housing associations increased in the second quarter of 2015. Read more...
Former intelligence agent wins battle against eviction by Islington Council’s housing department (26 August 2015)
A former MI5 officer has won his battle against eviction by Islington Council, after being told that he was spending too much time away from his council property. Read more...
London landlord fined more than £75,000 for Housing Act breaches (25 August 2015)
Ealing Council in west London has fined a landlord more nearly £70,000, after council officers visited four unlicensed HMOs (houses in multiple occupation) in 2014, owned by Gunapalan Vamathevan, also known as Mr Bala. Read more...
Inquest hears how alleged neighbour dispute drove pensioner to take his own life (25 August 2015)
An inquest has heard how a 69-year-old widower took his own life because he felt ashamed at not being able to cope with the alleged bullying of neighbours. Read more...
Inquest hears how alleged neighbour dispute drove pensioner to take his own life (25 August 2015)
An inquest has heard how a 69-year-old widower took his own life because he felt ashamed at not being able to cope with the alleged bullying of neighbours. Read more...
Average UK rent now £937 per month, as number of “tax haven” landlords spirals (24 August 2015)
Research by the UK’s largest property service company Countrywide shows that, in July, the average UK monthly rent rose to £937, with central London seeing the largest rise in rents at 6.8%. Read more...
Hackney tenant evicted for anti-social behaviour after breaching SPO (24 August 2015)
A social housing tenant in Hackney, east London has been evicted after physically assaulting neighbours and causing “relentless” verbal abuse. Read more...
Housing (Wales) Act 2014 may have wider implications for UK policies on homelessness (24 August 2015)
The findings of a state-of-the nation report in Wales – The Homelessness Monitor: Wales 2015 – has found that welfare reforms and cuts introduced by the UK government could undermine any progress achieved in supporting homeless people in Wales. Read more...
Jail sentence for former social housing officer who committed £66,000 fraud (21 August 2015)
A former social housing employee has been given a two-and-a-half year prison sentence, after being convicted of housing fraud in July at Kingston Crown Court. Read more...
Shelter claims MoJ eviction data show “human cost of housing crisis” (17 August 2015)
Housing charity Shelter has criticised the latest Ministry of Justice (MoJ) eviction figures, which the charity claims show the “human cost” of the housing crisis. Read more...
Lack of housing supply continues to fuel house prices, says RICS (17 August 2015)
The latest RICS UK Residential Market Survey for July has found that house prices are continuing to rise due to continued demand and lack of stock. Read more...
Social housing vacancies across England and Wales “at their highest in Blackpool” (17 August 2015)
New figures from the Office for National Statistics (ONS) show that the London Borough of Newham in east London has the highest average social rent in England and Wales – and Blackpool has the highest proportion of empty social housing across England and Wales. Read more...
Council investigates landlord for renting out room with mat on the floor (13 August 2015)
A landlord is to be investigated after housing officers from Newham Council in east London were informed about a tiny bedroom he was renting to a tenant for £500 a month, which only had a mat on the floor to sleep on. Read more...
Pensioners sold “Frankenstein” investment to lose home after Treasury asset company threatens repossession (12 August 2015)
A couple who were mis-sold a “foolproof” investment plan and ended up £376,000 in debt are to lose their home, despite not owing any mortgage arrears and the Financial Ombudsman Service finding in their favour. Read more...
Cross-party councils’ challenge to new housing policies ends with High Court quashing “government gift” to developers (10 August 2015)
A High Court ruling has quashed the government’s plans to “banish the blight” of empty buildings to boost house building – and release developers from stealth taxes which “hinder regeneration”. Read more...
Council tenant jailed for illegally subletting home and benefit fraud (10 August 2015)
Wood Green Crown Court in north London has jailed a council tenant found to be illegally subletting his three-bedroom council house in Canning Town, east London. Read more...
MPs’ inquiry to look at Right-to-buy extension for housing association tenants (7 August 2015)
An inquiry by MPs into housing associations (HA) is to focus on the government’s proposed extension of right-to-buy, as well as the viability and sustainability of housing associations. Read more...
Students “put at risk” by landlords failing to carry out electrical repairs (6 August 2015)
The charity Electrical Safety First is warning that student lives are being put at risk by landlords who fail to carry out essential electrical maintenance in their properties. Read more...
Small rise in high street lenders’ interest rates (5 August 2015)
Figures from online publisher Moneyfacts reveal that high street lenders have increased some of their mortgage rates – with an average two-year fixed rate mortgage with a 40% deposit rising from 1.81 per cent in June to 1.86 per cent in July. Read more...
ONS figures show private sector rents in England increased by 2.5% last year (4 August 2015)
The Office for National Statistics (ONS) index of private housing rental prices has revealed that, in the last 12 months, private sector rents have risen by 2.5% across England. Read more...
Seven-year housing project in northeast London offers social housing, affordable rents and shared ownership (27 July 2015)
A housing project undertaken by housing association Metropolitan in close consultation with Harrow Council and local residents has been completed after seven years. Read more...
Multimillionaire banker tries to evict elderly couple from home they have rented for 50 years (23 July 2015)
A multimillionaire freeholder is trying to evict two tenants in their seventies and eighties, after claiming that they do not occupy the mews house they rent as their main home. Read more...
Private sector tenants “spend 47% of income on rent” (20 July 2015)
The government’s English Housing Survey has revealed that rental tenants in the private rental sector in England are now spending up to 47% of their incomes on rent. Read more...
Islington Council bans buy-to-leave investors (20 July 2015)
The London Borough of Islington has become the first council in the country to require news homes to be regularly occupied under new planning laws. Read more...
Justice Secretary suggests selling off Victorian prisons and building homes on the sites (20 July 2015)
Justice Secretary Michael Gove has proposed a new scheme under which old Victorian prisons would be “designed out” – with existing prisons and the land they are situated on being sold to developers for new housing. Read more...
Kensington & Chelsea noise patrol shut down Notting Hill party (20 July 2015)
A London couple had their party shut down for nuisance, after booking a group of bongo drummers to play at their Notting Hill home. Read more...
Duncan Lewis Civil Litigation Director Anthony Okhuma discusses the London Rent Crisis and Property Guardians in the International Business Times (16 July 2015)
Duncan Lewis Civil Litigation Director Anthony Okhuma featured in the International Business Times on 16th July 2015 discussing the “rent crisis” in London and the rights of live-in property guardians. Read more...
Mother prosecuted over housing fraud (13 July 2015)
A mother who fraudulently tried to obtain a second council home has been fined £800 – and has also lost both council homes. Read more...
Social housing providers “unimpressed” with Budget’s rent reduction for tenants (9 July 2015)
The Chancellor has announced that social housing rents in England will be reduced by 1% a year over a four-year period, starting in 2016. Read more...
Rent increases for high-income council tenants “should be used to build more homes” (7 July 2015)
London councils have responded to the Treasury’s proposal that high-income council tenants should pay more rent to the Treasury, by saying that the money should go to building more social housing. Read more...
Banks falling over themselves to attract buy-to-let investors (6 July 2015)
Competition among mortgage lenders has sparked a fierce battle to corner the buy-to-let market, with more than 900 new mortgage deals on offer to homebuyers buying property to let out. Read more...
Fears over high prices “growing faster than people’s incomes” (3 July 2015)
The Bank of England’s Deputy Governor for financial stability has told the BBC that a further hike in UK house prices may result in thousands of mortgage borrowers experiencing growing financial pressure. Read more...
Government may ask Housing Benefit claimants to contribute to their rent (3 July 2015)
Ministers are considering forcing all social housing tenants on Housing Benefit to make a contribution towards paying their rent.< Read more...
Young people facing “housing exile” minister will tell council leaders (2 July 2015)
Communities Secretary Greg Clark is to tell council leaders that many young people are facing “housing exile” as a result of the shortage of affordable housing in the region they grew up in. Read more...
£3000 Fine for all Landlords who Fail to Check Tenant Immigration Status under Right to Rent (1 July 2015)
“From September” Landlords in England will be responsible for spotting illegal tenants under “right to rent” after a trial in the West Midlands results in fines. Read more...
Coalition government accused of siphoning off £90m of RTB monies from London councils (1 July 2015)
Labour’s London Assembly housing spokesman Tom Copley has accused the government of stealing millions of pounds from local councils, after Housing Minister Brandon Lewis confirmed that more than £90 million in right-to-buy (RTB) sales had been diverted from London councils to the Treasury. Read more...
Islington Council warns that benefit cap reduction could put large families at risk of eviction (30 June 2015)
The London Borough of Islington (LBI) in north London has warned that a £3,000 reduction in the benefit cap might have “a devastating impact” on its poorest families. Read more...
Homeowners with standard variable rate mortgages “paying over the odds” (29 June 2015)
Mortgage broker London & Country has estimated that 3.2 million households are “saddled” with expensive mortgages because they have a standard variable rate (SVR) mortgage and are missing out on lower rates as mortgage lenders compete for business. Read more...
DPP warns women and parents to be aware of sex offenders trawling the Internet (29 June 2015)
The Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) Alison Saunders has warned that rapists and paedophiles are using social media sites like Twitter and Facebook to target their victims. Read more...
Housing association develops the £75,000 house (29 June 2015)
A housing association has developed a house costing just £75,000 excluding the cost of land, which it says can be developed without any grant funding. Read more...
Camden Council introduces 5-year licence for HMO landlords (29 June 2015)
Camden Council has announced that it will be introducing new licensing conditions for landlords who rent out houses in multiple occupation (HMO). Read more...
Children living in B&Bs “reaches seven-year high” (25 June 2015)
New figures from the Department for Communities and Local Government show that the number of children living in bed and breakfast accommodation has reached a seven-year high. Read more...
Surge in number of domestic violence reports in Wolverhampton (23 June 2015)
Police in Wolverhampton have received thousands of reports of domestic violence, with almost 6,000 domestic violence incidents over the last year. Read more...
Migration fuelling rough sleeping on London’s streets, says charity (22 June 2015)
Homeless charity St Mungo’s has said that a sharp rise in the number of people sleeping rough in London has in part been fuelled by migration – and in recent years, immigration from Romania. Read more...
Replace affordable rents with living rents, says new report (22 June 2015)
A new report is calling for the existing affordable rents scheme to be replaced by a living rent scheme, under which the government would be asked to commit £3 billion a year to allow new homes to be let as social housing. Read more...
Private landlords “discriminated against” by DWP Universal Credit pilot (19 June 2015)
The Residential Landlords Association (RLA) has criticised the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) for giving social housing landlords access to a helpline offering advice on Universal Credit, which it says discriminates against private sector landlords. Read more...
Law lecturer fighting Foxtons says other private sector landlords are coming forward over management fees (17 June 2015)
A law lecturer who is taking on estate agent Foxtons over its charges for managing a property he rents out has said many other landlords have now come forward with similar tales of being overcharged for managing agents’ fees. Read more...
£2m homesharing scheme matches young renters to older homeowners with spare rooms (16 June 2015)
A new homesharing initiative is matching older homeowners with a spare room and young adults looking for affordable accommodation. Read more...
1,353 private rental homes for to be built across London, says Housing Minister (15 June 2015)
Government Housing Minister Brandon Lewis has announced that more than 1,000 new homes are to be built across London for the private rental sector. Read more...
Law lecturer landlord to sue over managing agent’s repair bill (9 June 2015)
A landlord in the private sector is preparing to sue his agents who manage the property he rents out, after he discovered he had been charged £616 for a contractor replacing a light fitting at the property, when the work only cost £412.50. Read more...
Residential Landlords Association calls for urgent meeting over EU ruling on VAT (8 June 2015)
The European Court of Justice has announced that insulation for rental housing in the private sector will no longer be eligible for the lower 5% VAT charged on energy efficiency products – which will now legally only apply to insulation products used for social housing. Read more...
Six-month injunction after teenager attacks neighbour on traveller caravan site (8 June 2015)
Housing provider Salix Homes has successfully won an injunction against a teenager from a traveller family who attacked a neighbour.< Read more...
London council to fine rough sleepers (4 June 2015)
Hackney Council in east London is to introduce new rules on rough sleeping in the borough, to try and reduce the amount of antisocial behaviour associated with rough sleepers. Read more...
Restraining order for nuisance neighbour who waged four-year campaign against neighbours (4 June 2015)
A housing association tenant has been convicted of harassment, after taunting neighbours about their weight and throwing slimming magazine articles into their garden. Read more...
New research suggests older homeowners with “downsizing dreams” could help ease housing crisis (3 June 2015)
New research from Legal & General and Cebr has suggested that a successful downsizing policy for last-time buyers – those who have retired and whose families have left home – may go some way to resolving the housing crisis in the UK. Read more...
Right-to-Buy extension may cause London to lose 16,400 council homes (2 June 2015)
New research shows that more than 16,000 homes in inner London are likely to be lost under the government’s new Right-to-Buy scheme, which is being extended to housing association properties. Read more...
London boroughs claim extended Right to Buy will deny London families council homes (1 June 2015)
A report by four London boroughs has claimed that the government’s plans to introduce Right to Buy for housing association tenants means that hundreds of London families would “lose out” on the chance to live in a council home. Read more...
London Rental Standard Database fails to attract support from landlords (1 June 2015)
The Mayor of London’s initiative to regulate the private sector rental market in London has failed to sign up London landlords to the scheme. Read more...
North London boroughs apply for Judicial Review of London Mayor’s consent to redevelop Mount Pleasant (26 May 2015)
Islington and Camden councils have launched a joint challenge to the London Mayor’s decision to grant permission to Royal Mail to redevelop part of the historic Mount Pleasant sorting office site in Clerkenwell, because the plans do not include enough affordable housing. Read more...
DWP hails benefit cap success on same day MoJ figures show record number of evictions in 2015 (26 May 2015)
Work and Pensions Secretary Iain Duncan Smith has hailed the success of the benefit cap on the same day that the Ministry of Justice (MoJ) reported a record number of evictions among rental tenants. Read more...
Shelter research shows number of young homeowners will halve by 2020 without “bold and immediate” government action (26 May 2015)
New research from homeless charity Shelter suggests that the number of young homeowners will halve by the year 2020, unless the housing crisis is tackled. Read more...
Record rise in private sector rents “fuelling housing crisis” (26 May 2015)
New figures form the Buy-to-Let Index show that private sector rents have risen by their fastest rate since 2010, to reach an all-time record high. Read more...
Record rise in private sector rents “fuelling housing crisis” (26 May 2015)
New figures form the Buy-to-Let Index show that private sector rents have risen by their fastest rate since 2010, to reach an all-time record high. Read more...
Yorkshire charity sets up Supported Lodgings Scheme for homeless 16- to 25-year-olds (20 May 2015)
A youth homelessness charity in Yorkshire is setting up a scheme to help young homeless people find a place to live. Read more...
Parents now turning to children for mortgage help (19 May 2015)
A survey by the National Association of Estate Agents has revealed that one-third of estate agents have witnessed older borrowers being subjected to age discrimination and being refused a home loan. Read more...
Supreme Court ruling will help vulnerable single homeless people find housing (18 May 2015)
A Supreme Court judgement has made the application of the “vulnerability test” much fairer for single homeless people – including women fleeing domestic violence and young people who are forced to leave their family home. Read more...
Social housing provider obtains three injunctions against tenants for anti-social behaviour in one week (18 May 2015)
Salford-based social housing provider Salix Homes has secured three civil injunctions in a week using the new anti-social behaviour legislation introduced in March 2014, online publisher 24Dash.com reports. Read more...
London borough to make public housing development viability studies (18 May 2015)
The Royal Borough of Greenwich is to force housing developers to supply a “fully public” viability study for planning applications which do not meet the council^s affordable housing target. Read more...
NHBC reports 18% rise in new homes registered in first quarter (11 May 2015)
A new report by the National House Building Council (NHBC) has revealed that in the first three months of 2015, more than 40,000 new homes were registered – an increase of 18% on figures for the same period last year. Read more...
More developers applying to build new homes this year – with detached family homes becoming more popular (8 May 2015)
New figures from the National House Building Council (NHBC) have revealed that house building is at a seven-year high – with one-quarter of new homes being detached family homes. Read more...
Wandsworth Council offering social tenants £7,000 to move to West Midlands (7 May 2015)
Conservative-led Wandsworth Council has denied that a housing scheme which offers social housing tenants financial incentives to move to Birmingham amounts to “social cleansing”. Read more...
Landlady fined £200,000 after death of tenant in house fire (6 May 2015)
Kingston Crown Court in south London has fined a landlady £160,00 with £40,000, costs after a tenant died in a property where fire broke out. Read more...
Housing association fined for using unregistered gas fitter (5 May 2015)
The Shepherd’s Bush Housing Group has been fined for unsafe gas work carried out at the home of a pregnant mother with two children. Read more...
An update on Assured Shorthold Tenancies (29 April 2015)
In this article Duncan Lewis Civil Litigation Solicitor Ross Hulmston provides an update on Assured Shorthold Tenancies in the light of the Deregulation Act 2015 which was introduced on the 26th March. Read more...
GMB report finds private sector landlords “profiting by millions” from housing benefit tenants (28 April 2015)
A new report by the GMB union has found that the top 20 private sector landlords in the UK are “abusing” the housing benefit system – and profited from tenants on housing benefit by between half-a-million pounds and £4.6 million last year. Read more...
Disabled local authority tenants “kept waiting years” for home adaptations (27 April 2015)
The Long Wait for a Home report by the Leonard Cheshire Disability charity has found that nearly two-thirds of councils are failing to complete home adaptations for disabled people within the one-year legal limit. Read more...
Housing associations “hampered by law” when tackling illegally sublet shared ownerships (27 April 2015)
An exclusive investigation for 24housing magazine has revealed that some shared owners in London’s most desirable housing association properties are subletting their properties – and housing associations are failing to prevent the practice. Read more...
Private landlords have two months in which to sign up to a deposit protection scheme, or face fine (21 April 2015)
The government is running a 90-day amnesty for buy-to-let landlords who have not yet paid their tenants’ deposits into one of three Government schemes. Read more...
Cost of moving house rises 60% in ten years (20 April 2015)
A study by the Centre for Economics and Business Research has found that the cost of moving house has risen to £12,000 – including estate agents’ fees, Stamp Duty and the cost of removal companies. Read more...
Conservatives’ Right to Buy pledge might only apply to 15,000 housing association tenants (20 April 2015)
The director of Human City Institute, Kevin Gulliver, has said that the Conservatives’ election pledge to extend Right to Buy to housing association tenants would most likely only give another 15,000 tenants the chance to buy their home at a reduced rate. Read more...
IMF warns house buying frenzy in UK has burdened economic recovery (20 April 2015)
The International Monetary Fund (IMF) has warned that the UK’s obsession with borrowing money to buy a house has burdened Britain’s economic recovery. Read more...
Generation Rent withdraws from Homes for Britain campaign (16 April 2015)
Campaign Group Generation Rent has withdrawn from the Homes for Britain campaign, claiming that the strategy to provide affordable new homes is “so flawed that it has to date undermined the interests of people suffering the consequences of the housing crisis”. Read more...
Tories push Right-to-Buy up housing agenda (14 April 2015)
David Cameron has unveiled the Conservative Party’s Election Manifesto with a pledge that a Tory government would extend Right-to-Buy to housing association tenants. Read more...
Housing association announces 500 new homes for Harrow over five years (13 April 2015)
Housing association Origin Homes has announced it is to build nearly 500 new homes in Harrow, north London – with 70% of the housing comprising affordable homes. Read more...
Swansea Council suspends Right to Buy to protect social housing stock (13 April 2015)
The Welsh Assembly (WA) has granted permission to Swansea Council to suspend Right to Buy for five years, in a move to ease housing pressures in Wales. Read more...
Islington launches lettings agency to help low-income families into private rental properties (13 April 2015)
The London Borough of Islington (LBI) has launched its own initiative to help struggling renters in the borough, with a not-for-profit lettings agency which will not charge prospective tenants fees – and aims to offer rents below the market average for around half the properties it will let. Read more...
Proposals to outlaw subletting clauses may cause legal headache for landlords (7 April 2015)
Government changes to housing law have raised concern among some landlords that the government’s proposed ban on clauses which prevent short-term subletting may lead to landlords having to apply for house in multiple occupation (HMO) licences – or landlords may have to check the immigration status of subletting tenants. Read more...
Homelessness among children in London rises by 25% in three years (7 April 2015)
Analysis of new figures from the Department for Communities and Local Government show that one in 25 children in London is homeless – and more than 72,000 children have no permanent home. Read more...
First conviction under Localism Act (31 March 2015)
A former leader of Dorset County Council has become the first person to be convicted under the Localism Act for voting on housing policy while having a pecuniary interest in a housing association (HA). Read more...
Westminster Council to buy back 45 Right to Buy flats at £20m cost (25 March 2015)
Westminster Council is the latest London council to announce it is to set aside millions of pounds to buy back council homes sold under the Right to Buy scheme. Read more...
Islington becomes latest London borough to introduce PRS landlord licensing scheme (23 March 2015)
The London Borough of Islington (LBI) has become the latest London Borough to introduce a licensing scheme for private sector landlords to protect rental tenants from unscrupulous landlords. Read more...
Homeless teenagers fleeing family breakdown “failed by local councils” (23 March 2015)
The Children’s Society says that more than 8,000 young adults aged 16 and 17 who are facing homelessness are sent home to their parents, without any support put in place to ensure they are not abused or neglected in their family homes. Read more...
Hackney MP calls for private landlords in London to be licensed (23 March 2015)
Labour MP Dianne Abbott is calling for private rental landlords in London to be licensed to prevent their tenants from being exploited as a result of paying high rents for poor quality accommodation. Read more...
Councils should use pension pots to build affordable homes says Labour Minister (23 March 2015)
Labour Shadow Minister for London, Sadiq Khan MP, has called for local councils to use pension funds to fund house building in their boroughs to help solve the housing crisis. Read more...
Private sector landlord fined £5,000 for disrepair (23 March 2015)
A mother has described how her ceiling collapsed after her landlord failed to repair a leak at the property. Read more...
Help to Buy ISA launched to help homebuyers save for a deposit (19 March 2015)
The government is introducing more help for young homebuyers under its Help to Buy scheme, with a Help to Buy ISA announced in the Chancellor’s Budget on Wednesday (18/03/15). Read more...
Revenge evictions banned by government (18 March 2015)
The House of Lords has passed a Bill banning revenge evictions – also known as malicious evictions – which sometimes occur if a tenant complains to a landlord about maintenance of a rental property. Read more...
London Assembly passes motion in support of more social housing (16 March 2015)
The London Assembly has passed a SHOUT motion to reaffirm the value of social housing being built in the capital. Read more...
New law will force England’s landlords to install smoke and CO alarms (13 March 2015)
Housing Minister Brandon Lewis has announced that from October 2015, all private sector landlords in England must install smoke alarms and carbon monoxide (CO) alarms in properties they rent out, to protect tenants from the risks of fire and carbon monoxide poisoning. Read more...
Rightmove figures suggest buy-to-let investors are stifling property market (17 February 2015)
Online agency Rightmove says that the buy-to-let market is fuelling house prices across the UK – and limiting choice of affordable housing for first-time buyers. Read more...
Colchester’sfirst council homes for 20 years are ready for tenants (16 February 2015)
Colchester Council has said that the first tenants to move into council homes in the town for 20 years are due to take possession of their new homes. Read more...
Housing Association apologises for disrepair issues (16 February 2015)
A housing association which received a stinging regulatory notice from the Housing & Communities Agency (HCA) has apologised to its tenants for disrepair issues. Read more...
Rise in interest rates will be gentle, says Bank of England (16 February 2015)
Deputy Governor of the Bank of England Sir Jon Cunliffe has said homeowners should not be fearful that any future interest rate rise would put them under financial pressure, as the base rate is likely to undergo a gentle rise rather than being hiked to excessive levels. Read more...
West Yorkshire Universal Credit pilot will assess tenants’ preparedness (9 February 2015)
The impact of Universal Credit on social housing tenants and owner-occupiers is being assessed under a pilot scheme in West Yorkshire. Read more...
FOE says new rules on draughty rental homes do not go far enough (9 February 2015)
Friends of the Earth (FOE) has responded to the announcement that private landlords will be compelled to make rental homes more energy efficient, by saying that the new legislation introduced on Thursday (05/02/15) does not go far enough. Read more...
NHBC report suggests Affordable Homes Programme may mean fewer homes being built (3 February 2015)
A report by the National House Building Council (NHBC) has found that funding changes could have affected the number of affordable new homes built by housing associations and local authorities in 2014. Read more...
Housing associations must prepare for an ageing population, says think tank (2 February 2015)
A new report by think tank the Smith Institute has said that the UK’s ageing population might cost housing associations an extra £1 million by 2034. Read more...
40% increase in London evictions in just two years, says Shelter (2 February 2015)
New research by housing charity Shelter has revealed that more than 31,000 people living in London are under threat of eviction. Read more...
DWP to share tenant data with social housing landlords (26 January 2015)
The Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) has announced that from 13 February, it will share data about social housing tenants with social housing landlords to make Universal Credit simpler to administrate. Read more...
Tories may extend Right to Buy to housing association properties (26 January 2015)
The Conservative Party is proposing to extend Right to Buy to tenants of housing association properties as a key election pledge, The Telegraph reports. Read more...
Bailiffs fail again to evict cancer patient who claims bank blundered over mortgage repayments (26 January 2015)
Bailiffs trying to evict a cancer patient from his home were again thwarted in their efforts after 500 people surrounded the man’s home. Read more...
Home ownership falling among under-35s (23 January 2015)
Figures from the Office for National Statistics (ONS) show that home ownership among those aged under 35 has fallen sharply in the UK. Read more...
Private rental tenants paid 3% more rent on average during 2014 (19 January 2015)
Private sector rents rose by 3% in 2014, according to estate agents Your Move and Reeds Rains. Read more...
Second stepper home buyers on the move thanks to equity in starter homes (19 January 2015)
New research from Lloyds Bank has shown that more homeowners moved house in 2014 as a result of cashing in accumulated equity in their homes. Read more...
Housing Association obtains six ASB against one family (19 January 2015)
Housing association Gloucester City Homes (GCH) has succeeded in obtaining six Anti-social Behaviour (ASB) injunctions against members of the same family at Gloucester Crown Court. Read more...
Local Authority tenants in arrears “rocket by nearly a quarter” in Wales (12 January 2015)
A new report by the Wales Audit Office has revealed that the number of social housing tenants in arrears in Wales has “rocketed” by 23.3% since the cap on benefits and the bedroom tax were introduced. Read more...
More than half support reintroduction of rent controls, poll reveals (12 January 2015)
A poll conducted by rental tenants^ campaign group Generation Rent as found that 59% of Britons support the reintroduction of rent controls, with only 6.8% of those polled opposing them. A total of 34% of those polled had no opinion, however, according to a report by social housing website 24Dash.com. Read more...
Islington households now £1,000 worse off after government cuts (12 January 2015)
The London Borough of Islington (LBI) is claiming that government cuts have impacted more on Islington than on any other council in the UK. Read more...
Government reveals areas for new Housing Zones for house building (12 January 2015)
The coalition government has announced a shortlist of 29 areas in England to become the country’s first ten Housing Zones, which will spearhead house building in the UK. Read more...
London Mayor announces funding for 4,000 new homes – when 42,000 may be needed every year (6 January 2015)
London Mayor Boris Johnson has announced a £225 million package to help families on middle or lower incomes get on the housing ladder in the capital. Read more...
Mortgage approval rates fall again (5 January 2015)
Figures from the Bank of England show that mortgage approval rates continue to fall, suggesting an ongoing slowdown in the property market. Read more...
Liverpool landlord blames course fee increases for student housing business going bust (2 January 2015)
The chief executive of Liverpool Council Ged Fitzgerald is being inundated with complaints from overseas investors about a Liverpool landlord who develops properties to rent accommodation “pods” to students. Read more...