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Landlords Hope Tenant Demand Continues

The unprecedented demand for UK rental property has increased the average property rental price throughout the UK and some private sector landlords have been quick to increase the rental price for their properties to almost record levels. Since the start of the recession the private rented sector has experienced a surge in demand with 20,000 […]

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Are your properties energy efficient?

RECENT news hit the headlines that more than one in three landlords do not know how energy efficient their rental properties are. The news shows there is still a lack of awareness that all properties need an Energy Performance Certificate (EPC). If, as a landlord, you don’t provide a new tenant with an Energy Performance […]

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Should bad tenants repair their damage?

Bad tenants come in all shapes and sizes. There are those struggling to make ends meet who fall into rental arrears time and time again and there are those who are quite different, who have no respect for your property and their rental ‘home’ and as well as not paying the rent, they completely trash […]

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What if my tenant challenges their eviction at court?

Evictions, once again are hitting the headlines as the Dale Farm scenario comes to a head with violent showdowns taking place between residents and the police in Essex. This leads me to wonder what will be the next step for the travellers left to find pastures new? It recently came out in the press that […]

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Support for calls to criminalise squatting

New moves could make squatting illegal in England, making around 20,000 people criminals. Most of us are familiar with the term ‘squatter’s rights’ which in many cases means that people who have taken over a property, do not have to leave. Squatters cannot be legally evicted from premises without a court possession order. This is […]

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Tenant evicted after ignoring requests for landlord access to property

A tenant has been evicted after she refused to let her landlord enter his property in order to carry out a gas safety check. Knowsley Housing Trust (KHT) had tried for months to gain access to a property in order to check the safety of the gas supply. Apparently, the housing trust called at the […]

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Property: A good home for your money?

With bank and building society interest rates remaining at rock bottom, many savers are looking for a better home for their money. It’s never an easy task, but the problem has been thrown into even sharper perspective by the prolonged economic downturn. The performance of the stock markets continues to be erratic and uncertain. Pension […]

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Are you a landlord forced to evict tenants?

A rising number of landlords are having to evict their tenants and for many of them, the reason is that tenants are falling behind on their rent. New research from the Money Advice Trust shows the number of people calling about rent arrears has risen by 84 per cent in recent years. A spokesman for […]

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Do your research when choosing insurance

As a new landlord, there are lots of things to think about before your property is let – from painting and decorating ready for let, to buying furniture, to organising Energy Performance Certificates to having tenant checks carried out. Often, one of the last things to be considered is landlords insurance. Many landlords leave it […]

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Step 3 – Bailiff

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Are your tenants turning homes into drugs factories?

A pair of council tenants, convicted of growing cannabis have been spared eviction from their homes. Richard Weldon, aged 45 was convicted of producing cannabis and sentenced to 30 weeks imprisonment after police raided his home in Sheffield. A hole had been made in the ceiling to accommodate the ventilation system for the plants. Although […]

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Are you switched on to tenant checks?

It’s great to see that more landlords are carrying out tenant checks before new tenants move onto their properties. We see so many cases of landlords coming to us for debt collection or eviction services that could have been avoided if full tenant checks had been carried out. Landlords can limit their risk of damage […]

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Could new rules lead to a rise in squatters?

There are moves to make councils release details of all vacant properties and experts say this could lead to a rise in the number of squatters in the UK. In a recent case, Camden Council was forced to disclose a list of 530 empty council managed and private homes under the Freedom of Information Act. […]

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Changes for social housing landlords

MOVES to pay rent to social housing tenants rather than directly to their landlords could result in many landlords withdrawing from the social housing sector. Under the new Universal Credit system set to be introduced in 2013, tenants will be paid rent, for them to pass on to their landlord. The move is intended to […]

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The importance of tenant checks

News that Basildon Council is to spend an estimated £18 million removing 400 gypsies from an illegal site at Dale Farm (which some among their number own) has sent shiver down the spine of many a landlord. That’s in the region of £45,000 a head; probably far more than the rating contribution of most of […]

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