August 2019

This week the Contact Centre Advisors were able to explain the different options a member had for regaining possession of their property. Our member was faced with a difficult situation. The tenant was often late with their rent and was usually in arrears though never a full month in arrears. This is because the tenant […]

The post Call of the week-gas safety certificates appeared first on RLA Campaigns and News Centre.

Each month, we put together a list of Councils that are currently consulting on plans to introduce, renew or extend licensing schemes. This month, several more licensing consultations have launched, in Islington and Wirral. We recently reported on the Government rejecting proposals to introduce a licensing scheme in Stoke. We responded to the consultation on […]

The post Landlords urged to respond to local licensing consultations appeared first on RLA Campaigns and News Centre.

In the summer months, some tenants will be planning on spending time outdoors in the garden if the weather is good. In this article first published in our Residential Property Investor magazine, we take a closer look at the issue of gardening related disputes. Sandy Bastin, Head of TDS Adjudication Services at Tenancy Deposit Scheme […]

The post How to avoid gardening disputes appeared first on RLA Campaigns and News Centre.

The Welsh Government has published some guidance for landlords and letting agents in Wales on the upcoming fees ban. The fees ban in Wales is set to come into force on 1st September 2019. A similar ban was introduced in England on 1st June this year. New guidance The new guidance outlines exactly which fees […]

The post Welsh Government publishes fees ban guidance for landlords appeared first on RLA Campaigns and News Centre.

New figures showing rents have dropped, when set against inflation, prove the market is working, says the RLA. Private rental prices paid by tenants in the UK rose by 1.3% in the 12 months to July 2019, unchanged since May 2019. Inflation over the same period was: · 2% as measured by CPI(H) which includes owner […]

The post Private rents falling in real terms appeared first on RLA Campaigns and News Centre.

Several members have posted on our forum in the past week about the How to Rent guide updates. The How to Rent guide was updated once in June, and once in July. A member posted on our forum this week wanting to know exactly what changes were made to the guide since the last update […]

The post Forum Spotlight: How to Rent guide appeared first on RLA Campaigns and News Centre.

Plans to introduce a large property licensing scheme in Stoke have been rejected by the Government. Stoke on Trent Council had proposed to introduce a selective licensing scheme to cover 154 streets across 14 areas in the city. The Council proposed the scheme in order to ‘drive up housing standards in the private rented sector’ […]

The post Success! Government rejects licensing in Stoke appeared first on RLA Campaigns and News Centre.

Tenants in private rented housing are bearing the brunt of the Government’s focus on boosting home ownership at the expense of the rental market. According to the latest figures from the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors (RICS), a fall in the supply of private rented housing whilst demand from prospective tenants increases is “likely to […]

The post Tenants hit hardest by focus on home ownership appeared first on RLA Campaigns and News Centre.

New statistics out today show that it now takes private landlords an average of 22.5 weeks from making a claim to the courts for a property to be repossessed to it actually happening – up from 21.6 weeks since the beginning of the year. The RLA has been campaigning for court reform for some time, and […]

The post Failing courts need urgent reform appeared first on RLA Campaigns and News Centre.

The RLA has opposed plans to introduce a borough-wide licensing scheme in Lewisham. The London Borough of Lewisham council is currently consulting on plans to introduce both a borough-wide selective licensing scheme, and ploans to expand the current additional HMO licensing scheme to cover whole the borough. If the proposals are approved, all landlords with […]

The post RLA opposes plans to introduce borough-wide licensing in Lewisham appeared first on RLA Campaigns and News Centre.