284,000 landlords risk being fined over tenant deposits New research has revealed that 284,000 landlords are at risk of being fined because they have failed to protect tenants’ deposits in an approved scheme. The survey by the Centre for Economics Business Research (CEBR) suggests that more than £500m worth of tenancy deposits are being held
A landlord has a won a dispute with his local council over accommodation for students in two houses in multiple occupation (HMO). The landlord had been granted HMO licences by the authority in relation to the two properties. Each property had a bedroom in the attic, but the licences prohibited the use of those rooms
Landlords in England now have to carry out Right to Rent checks on potential tenants to make sure they are entitled to stay in the UK. The new regulations came into force on 1 February. They will affect you if you are a private landlord, have a lodger, are sub-letting a property or are an
The government has begun a review to find ways to reduce the regulation burden on construction firms. It’s part of a move to meet the growing demand for new houses. Ministers say they want to hear the views of all those involved in building homes, including developers, planners and trade associations. The aim is to
The government is to extend mandatory licensing to smaller and medium-sized properties in an effort to crack down on rogue landlords who exploit vulnerable tenants in unsafe and overcrowded accommodation. Landlords who fail to obtain a licence will face a potentially unlimited fine. The proposals are contained in a new discussion paper published by the
The government is introducing new measures to allow more offices and other commercial buildings to be converted into homes. Temporary permitted development rights were introduced in 2013. They made it possible to convert offices into homes without having to apply for planning permission. It led to 4,000 conversions being given the go-ahead between April 2014
The Home Office has released details of how landlords will be expected to carry out right to rent checks to make sure tenants are entitled to be in the UK. From 1 February 2016, you will be affected if you are a private landlord, have a lodger, are sub-letting a property or are an agent
The Localism Act 2011 has made a number of changes in order to give local people more control over what happens in their neighbourhood. One such change is the ability to designate a property as an asset of community value. An asset of community value is an asset that furthers the social well-being or social
Machins Solicitors LLP are pleased to announce that they have been recommended in The Legal 500 2015 United Kingdon in the following eight practice areas: South East Corporate and commercial – Corporate and commercial – Beds, Bucks, Herts, Middx South East Dispute resolution – Commercial litigation – Beds, Bucks, Herts, Middx South East Dispute resolution
There has been an 11% increase in the number of landlords prepared to write off unpaid rent in order to speed up the process of eviction, according to figures released by Thomson Reuters. Researchers say the number of accelerated procedure notices jumped from 26,929 in 2013/14 to 29,821 in 2014/15. Speaking to the Solicitors Journal,