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government

New room sizes for HMOs?

03 January, 20180 Comments
In an attempt to reduce problems of overcrowding, the government has announced new minimum space requirements for Houses in multiple occupation (HMO’s) in the private rental sector. This follows the governments post-Christmas 2017 announcement that it wants landlords in England who let properties to five or more people from at least two different families to be
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Government plans set to outlaw tenants with pets plus other ‘high risk’ tenants?

26 June, 20171 Comments
Following the recent confirmation of a new Tenants’ Fees Bill, it has come to light that a cap on security deposits is also included in the details of the draft. The Tenants’ Fees Bill will implement the policy to ban landlords and agents from requiring tenants to make any payments as a condition of their
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New Tenants’ Fees Bill announced in Queen’s Speech

21 June, 20170 Comments
Announced in last years Autumn Statement, a new Tenant’s Fees Bill has been confirmed in todays Queen Speech. According to government figures, the average amount paid in fees is currently £223 with around 4.3m households paying such fees every year. However housing charity Shelter found that one in seven renters pay more than £500, with
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Scrooge Government housing policy for a quarter of a million renters = Ho Ho Ho, you’re homeless!

14 December, 20160 Comments
Nobody wants to spend Christmas in a strange place without their own things around them, but that’s the situation many renters are finding themselves in this year. 1191 families in Bristol will be spending their Christmas in temporary accommodation; Wiltshire = 498, Gloucestershire = 156, Somerset = 148 and Bath = 26. Families like these aren’t
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Government reveal lettings fee ban unlikely until 2018, as online petition suggests a cap on fees instead

01 December, 20160 Comments
One of our landlord subscribers has alerted us to this latest development with regards to the proposed lettings fee ban, announced in this months Autumn Statement. Chancellor Philip Hammond said in his Autumn Statement that a ban on letting agents fees will be introduced as soon as possible. However, the Department for Communities and Local
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New Section 8 form to be released on 1st December

29 November, 20160 Comments
It has been brought to our attention that there will be a new Section 8 form for England released on Thursday 1st December 2016. Section 8, also known as the Section 8 notice to quit or the Section 8 possession notice, is a prerequisite if the landlord of an assured tenancy wishes to obtain possession
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Landlords are not changing the rules – Government have changed the rules

17 October, 20164 Comments
An experienced landlord has sent this in today, which we whole-heartedly agree with at the TR Group. RE: Shelter in the news today: More than four in 10 people face homes which fail acceptable standards – BBC News. So Shelter claim that more than four in 10 people in Britain live in homes that do
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SLC urge Government to scrap Stamp Duty

08 August, 20160 Comments
The Government should scrap Stamp Duty Land Tax to create a more “buoyant and vibrant” property market, insists the Society of Licensed Conveyancers (SLC). Additionally, with the amount of tax relief that landlords can claim on their mortgage interest payments falling to the basic rate from April 2017, there is widespread concern in the industry
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Government plans to update Right to Rent guidance

21 April, 20160 Comments
According to the Residential Landlords Association the Government is about to update its Right to Rent guidance. This follows last months Government announcement that landlords will no longer be immediately criminalised for failing to pick up illegal tenants. These changes to the Immigration Bill now provide landlords who take reasonable steps in an appropriate time frame to
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