October 2017

An inquiry has been launched into local authorities’ powers to tackle landlords renting out substandard or even dangerous homes. The CLG Select Committee wants to know whether councils have adequate powers to tackle these criminals, barriers to intervention in the private rented sector, whether landlord licensing schemes are working and the effectiveness of complaint mechanism […]

The post Rogue landlord inquiry launched appeared first on RLA Campaigns and News Centre.

Back in 2016 I wrote a piece called “Could 2018 see the decline of the PRS in Wales”, where we set out all the positives that the PRS has (and continued to) deliver, against all the regulatory changes and costs coming our way. The conclusion was that April 2018 would signal the start of a […]

The post Storm clouds gathering as Land Transaction Tax rates revealed appeared first on RLA Campaigns and News Centre.

A high quality photograph can make all the difference when it comes to securing those all important viewings. This week’s forum spotlight focuses on a landlord who wanted to know how he could do a better job of photographing his rental properties. The landlord has the view that an appealing photograph is the difference between […]

The post Forum Spotlight: How to take better photographs to advertise your property appeared first on RLA Campaigns and News Centre.

To say Manchester City Council is fond of Selective Licensing would be an understatement. Perhaps following in the footsteps of neighbor Liverpool with their city wide licensing, Manchester over the last year have proposed three Selective Licensing Schemes. The first scheme in Crumpsall was approved in 2016, after this a scheme was announced another consultation […]

The post Manchester Approves Its Second Selective Licensing Scheme appeared first on RLA Campaigns and News Centre.

Our latest quarterly survey on finance and tax issues is closing soon. We are now urging landlords across the UK to make their voice heard in the most comprehensive survey on taxation changes, including questions on the changes to mortgage interest relief and stamp duty land tax. We have already received an excellent response from […]

The post Last chance to make your voice heard! appeared first on RLA Campaigns and News Centre.

University towns are ushering in controversial new planning restrictions in a bid to stop the “studentification” of certain areas. Article 4 directions can stop landlords converting family homes into Houses of Multiple Occupancy (HMOs) – the shared houses commonly associated with student living. The directions work in two ways – they can stop a particular type […]

The post Local Authorities’ obsession with “studentification” harms everyone appeared first on RLA Campaigns and News Centre.

Green Deal providers Eco-energi offer funding for energy improvements using unique ‘loan to the property’ financing, whereby the costs of improvement works are paid back through energy bills, with little or no upfront costs. MEES (Minimum Energy Efficiency Standards) apply to new lets and renewals of tenancies from the 1st April 2018 and for all […]

The post Eco-energi – your Green Deal finance providers appeared first on RLA Campaigns and News Centre.

A Somerset estate agents is celebrating after being named number one in the country for sales, in the Best Estate Agents Guide 2018, supported by Rightmove and Property Academy. The success for RLA Corporate member, Orchard Estates didn’t stop there, with the agency also being ranked number two in the Top 100 estate agency branches for lettings. […]

The post Somerset estate agents named best in country appeared first on RLA Campaigns and News Centre.

With independent private landlords vilified in the press and largely ignored in the government’s White Paper the RLA’s fringe event at the Conservative Party Conference asked what is the role of PRS landlords in meeting the country’s housing needs – and what the government should do to support them. Questions centred on regulation, mortgage interest […]

The post RLA fringe event: Landlords, help or hindrance? appeared first on RLA Campaigns and News Centre.

Mortgage interest relief & stamp duty are possibly the biggest things to hit landlords and property investors of late, taking valuable money out of your bottom line and into the pockets of HMRC. So with the end of the year approaching and the January 31st tax return deadline looming, it is important to make the […]

The post Saving Property Tax appeared first on RLA Campaigns and News Centre.