Private tenants such as students looking for new digs ahead of the autumn semester are being warned not to get caught out by costly rental fees which have now been banned.
The warning, from the Heart of the Southwest Trading Standards Service, which covers Devon, Plymouth, Somerset, and Torbay, follows a recent audit carried out by the Service, of 81 lettings agents across the service area.
The Service worked in partnership with The Property Ombudsman and found that 70 per cent of the letting agents checked failed the audit because of a range of issues relating to tenant...
Top 40 advisory firm, Bishop Fleming, says residential landlords need to act in response to onerous tax hikes being inflicted on them.
The firm, which delivers accounting, tax, corporate, restructuring and advisory services to businesses and private wealth advice to individuals, says key tax changes are hurting the buy-to-let market, making the UK one of the worst countries in Europe to be a residential landlord.
Bishop Fleming's Head of Tax, Andrew Browne, remarked that a gradual phasing out of mortgage tax relief, introduced in April 2017, is causing the greatest fear...
The RLA has launched its new-look Local Authority Network, a unique and easy-to-use resource that helps bring landlords and local authorities closer together.
With local and national government rules changing in what seem like the blink of an eye, it is not surprising that many landlords are confused about their obligations. This is where the Local Authority Network comes in. The site acts as a one-stop-shop, offering landlords all they need to know about rules and regulations affecting the PRS in their area. Landlords can use it to find out how to contact their local authority, to...
Private landlords, property investors and owners of empty homes are invited to a free Landlord Open Evening hosted by Teignbridge District Council on Thursday 18 May.
Open to all Teignbridge landlords, whether currently renting or thinking about renting, the event covers all areas of buy to let and brings together experts and industry providers under one roof. With an informal environment, landlords will have the opportunity to network and gain more information and advice they need to run tenancies effectively as well as brush up on managing a safe, secure and profitable tenancies...
New research released today has revealed that in the last year alone one in eight private renters has suffered from an illegal act committed by a landlord – equivalent to nearly 100,000 private renters in the region. Nationally, over a million – or one in eight – private renters across England have suffered at the hands of a landlord who has broken the law.
Alarmingly, the survey by Shelter and YouGov uncovered a worrying range of problems with law-breaking landlords in the South West of England, ranging from unlawful behaviour to serious criminal offences.
Teignbridge District Council is holding a free open evening for anyone interested in letting property.
The event covers all areas of buy to let and brings together experts and industry providers under one roof, giving landlords the opportunity to network and gain all the information they need to run tenancies effectively.
Open to all Teignbridge landlords, the free open evening takes place on Thursday 19 May at Old Forde House from 4.30pm-8pm.
No booking is required, with free parking and refreshments provided.
Are you a local landlord in East Devon with a family sized property that is currently vacant? If so East Devon District Council would like to hear from you as soon as possible.
This is because Central Government has asked local councils to help provide accommodation for Syrian refugees as part of the Syrian Vulnerable Person Resettlement Programme (VPR).
Housing that would be suitable for families is urgently needed, so properties with two bedrooms and upwards would be ideal. Obviously, any houses suggested to the council should be in good order and well maintained....
Someone paying rent for an average two bedroom home in the South West would have forked out £38,137 to their landlord over the last five years, new analysis by housing and homelessness charity Shelter reveals today.
This is just under the sum needed for a 20% deposit on the average first time buyer home in the region, which is currently priced at £195,672.
With millions of renters caught in a ‘rent trap’, paying sky high housing costs and unable to keep up with rocketing house prices, the research pulls out the areas where ‘generation rent’ are forking out the most....
People in Exeter are being given the chance to quiz councillors on any key issues for the city.
Exeter residents are invited to put forward questions to members of the joint County and City Councils' Exeter Board, at their next meeting on 17 February at 5:30pm at the Civic Centre in Paris Street.
The Board allocates 15 minutes for their ‘open forum’, with three minutes per speaker, with a maximum of three to four speakers to allow time for discussion.
Previously, residents have prompted debate about issues including street lighting, homelessness and waste collection...
Landlords’ confidence in the buy to let (BTL) sector has collapsed to an all-time low and is now ‘worse than levels witnessed during the financial crash’, the CEO of the UK’s largest landlord association will tell leading mortgage professionals today (2nd February 2016).
Richard Lambert, Chief Executive Officer of the National Landlords Association (NLA), will tell delegates at the Building Societies Association’s (BSA) annual meet-up for mortgage professionals that confidence in landlords’ business expectations has tumbled by more than a third over the past year – down from 67 per...
