February 2017

Housing minister Gavin Barwell is currently on a regional tour, asking the property industry what it thinks of the new Housing White Paper, published earlier this month. The minister will be meeting landlords, letting agents, local authorities, developers, housing associations and estate agents to find out what they think of the document. The RLA criticised […]

The post Landlords to share views on White Paper with Housing Minister appeared first on RLA Campaigns and News Centre.

RLA vice-chair and director for Wales Douglas Haig has appeared before a House of Lords committee answering questions on the impact of the Government’s Making Tax Digital plans. Douglas appeared before the House of Lords Economic Affairs Sub-Committee, which was looking at the Draft Finance Bill for 2017, earlier today. He told the committee that […]

The post RLA vice-chair addresses Lords committee appeared first on RLA Campaigns and News Centre.

Tenants face potential rent increases of twenty to thirty per cent as a result of tax rises hitting the private rented sector says a former independent member of the Bank of England’s Monetary Policy Committee. Since April 2016 a three per cent surcharge has been added on the purchase of homes to rent out and […]

The post Tenants face Rent Bombshell appeared first on RLA Campaigns and News Centre.

The Government plans to use money saved through the Local Housing Allowance rate freeze to provide extra cash for rents in areas where market rate has shot up. Local Housing Allowance rates are used to calculate housing benefit for tenants renting from private landlords. Rates have been frozen at 2015 levels but the Government now […]

The post Housing benefit boost for tenants appeared first on RLA Campaigns and News Centre.

Government plans to introduce banning orders to root out criminal landlords have been welcomed – although the RLA says the new rules must be used appropriately. The RLA welcomes the principle of banning orders and the database of criminal landlords and has long argued that those landlords who wilfully breach their legal obligations should face […]

The post Banning order plans welcomed by RLA appeared first on RLA Campaigns and News Centre.

A leading Professor of Financial Economics, from Imperial College London, has released a scathing analysis of the government’s landlord tax changes. Professor David Miles has analysed the impacts of the changes to mortgage interest relief and stamp duty land tax (SDLT) on the finances of landlords. As you may be aware for landlords from April […]

The post Economics Professor slams Landlord Tax Changes appeared first on RLA Campaigns and News Centre.

Last year, Manchester City Council gained approval to introduce licensing in the northern area of Crumpsall, off the back of this news the second phase of the consultation has been given the go ahead. A second consultation has started for a selective licensing scheme in the south Manchester areas of Moss Side and Rusholme. If […]

The post Manchester to Extend Selective Licensing After First Scheme is Approved appeared first on RLA Campaigns and News Centre.

Right to rent checks are not working, with more and more landlords afraid to rent to those without British passports, according to a new report. The paper by the Joint Council for the Welfare of Immigrants (JCWI) produced with assistance from the RLA, shows that the Government’s crackdown on illegal immigrants is creating a climate of fear amongst landlords. The charity is calling on the government […]

The post Right to Rent not working appeared first on RLA Campaigns and News Centre.

Sefton Council is looking for the views of residents, landlords, tenants, and agents in their newly proposed Additional and Selective Licensing schemes. The consultation proposes to introduce selective licensing in the area of Bootle and additional licensing in parts of Seaforth, Waterloo, Brighton-le-Sands and Southport. All houses of multiple occupations (HMOs) 3 stories and above […]

The post Sefton Starts Additional and Selective Licensing Consultations appeared first on RLA Campaigns and News Centre.

James Gray is the Conservative Member of Parliament for North Wiltshire. He served as a special adviser for Housing Ministers between 1992 and 1995. Writing exclusively for the RLA he explains why MPs need landlords to join the fight against mortgage interest relief changes and how you can make a difference. “As an MP, I know how hard the […]

The post MP issues rallying cry against tax changes appeared first on RLA Campaigns and News Centre.