Rental price growth is likely to slow this year, with supply set to grow as private landlords – dubbed a ‘rag-tag army’ – invest more.
Pressure is growing on letting agents over their fees, described as ‘extortionate’ yesterday to MPs.
Despite the hype of many rental surveys, official statistics have shown that private rents nationally are growing below inflation – and more slowly than social rents.
Private rents in England are rising by an average of almost £300 a year, according to Shelter.
A slump in the number of private landlords in London willing to take homeless people on benefits must be addressed, town halls have warned.
The boss of a collapsed letting agency which lost £1.2m of money belonging to over 300 soldiers, including those serving in Afghanistan, has been disqualified for nine years.
A new conference for landlords and letting agents is to be held in March at Birmingham.
Landlords who refuse to comply with requests to improve their properties should be charged a £400 admin bill when orders are made against them. These would include improvement notices, prohibition orders and management orders.
The critical question of whether rent paid in advance is a tenant’s deposit is to be decided by the Court of Appeal.
The Green Deal finance scheme has officially launched, bringing new obligations of disclosure for agents, sellers and landlords.
New laws are to be introduced to tackle aggressive bailiffs in England and Wales. Likely to be implemented next year, they will ban bailiffs from entering properties when only children are present, from entering homes at night, and from using force.
Just 100 landlords have been banned in Scotland in the last five years after the introduction of a compulsory registration scheme that has so far cost £17.4m.
