November 2017

It is less than a week to go until our Future Renting Wales conference, and we’re looking ahead by asking some of the speakers to share what they think is the biggest issue facing the PRS. Anne Rowland, of Rent Smart Wales will be updating delegates on the progress of the licensing scheme so far, and […]

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Lancaster City Council has been granted approval on two new licensing schemes, both in area of West End of Morecambe. The schemes being proposed are a Selective Licensing Scheme and an Additional Licensing Scheme. Selective Licensing was introduced under the Housing Act 2004. The Housing Act 2004 says that before introducing selective licensing to any area […]

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So, what did today’s budget offer for the PRS landlord? In short there was precious little to get excited about. Hopes were pinned on an announcement regarding potential tax incentives for landlords willing to offer family-friendly longer tenancies, after Sajid Javid promised more details today. And while the RLA made significant progress in terms of […]

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The RLA scored some big wins today – with a raft of welfare reforms backed by the association announced by Chancellor Philip Hammond. While there is no denying many landlords felt they had been largely ignored by the chancellor – there were positives to be taken from some of today’s announcements. The association has been […]

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More than two thirds of landlords are reluctant to invest in new properties as a result of the Government’s stamp duty levy on additional properties according to a new survey. The figures come amidst a fall in the number of mortgages provided to first time home owners. The initial findings of a survey of over […]

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Philip Hammond will announce his budget tomorrow. And while there is no suggestion of any explosive news for landlords, what previous budgets have taught us is to expect the unexpected. Rumours circulate that stamp duty could be axed for first time buyers – as the RLA today reveals that the stamp duty levy on landlords […]

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A Milford Haven letting agent has become the first commercial agent in Wales to be found guilty of managing properties without a licence. Yvette Phillips, trading as estate agent R Miles Scurlock of Milford Haven, Pembrokeshire, failed to submit a completed licence application or register her rental properties under Rent Smart Wales. Cardiff Magistrates fined […]

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Following the success of our previous article outlining the dangers of local authorities’ obsession with avoiding ‘studentification’ , there was an obvious need and want for HMO focused news. It is our pleasure to introduce a brand new Student Spotlight series, where we focus on a new student city and their approach to landlords each month. […]

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Last month we outlined our key asks of the government in our budget submission, ahead of November 22nd. Here we break down the document to run through what we believe the government could do to support you, the residential landlords out there offering vital homes to let at a time of housing crisis. Here we outline […]

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Mention property licensing to most private landlords and you’ll hear at least an exasperated sigh or, more likely, a lengthy rant about council money-making schemes. This month, the coastal town of Bournemouth rejected plans for Selective Licensing. Several other towns and cities have also announced licensing consultations, including Birmingham (closes 30th November) and Walsall (closes 8th […]

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