An estate agent has been fined £3,000 for not being a member of all the required redress schemes for the services it covered. The case arose following a complaint from a tenant who lived in a block of flats managed by the agent. The local authority discovered the agent was a member of a redress
Landlord groups have called on the government to establish a dedicated specialist housing court to speed up the process of legitimate evictions. The move comes after the Ministry of Justice published figures showing that it is now taking longer for private landlords to evict problem tenants. The average time between a landlord making a claim
A tenant has successfully appealed a service charge he incurred after his landlord removed rubbish from the car park of the property. The tenancy agreement included the rent payable as well as the right of the landlord to add a variable service charge to cover services specified in the agreement, such as garden maintenance and
The government plans to bring an end to unfair evictions with what it describes as the biggest change to the private rental sector for a generation. It will introduce legislation to abolish so called ‘no-fault’ evictions, which are one of the biggest causes of family homelessness. Ministers say the plans will be beneficial to both
The High Court has ruled that a landlord was entitled to terminate the tenancies on commercial properties so he could apply for planning permission to build houses. The case involved several tenants who provided aviation-related facilities from rented buildings at an airfield owned by Littler Investments Ltd. Littler served notices to terminate the tenancies as
All private rented property agents must now sign up to a scheme protecting renters’ and landlords’ money. Under the new regulations that took effect on 1 April, all agents in the private rented sector are required to join a government-approved scheme to protect their clients’ money while it is in their possession – with fines
The Tenant Fees Act that caps tenancy deposits and protects against unfair practices has now received the Royal Assent and passes into law. The government introduced the new regulations because it believes that unexpected letting fees and high deposits can make properties harder for people to afford and are often not clearly explained upfront –
Landlords and developers will soon have to join new regulatory schemes under proposals drawn up by the government to protect tenants and homeowners. Communities Secretary James Brokenshire has announced that there’s to be a Housing Complaints Resolution Service for the entire housing market. Mr Brokenshire said that unlike other sectors such as financial services, the
More than 50 councils across England are to share nearly £2.4m of extra funding to crack down on rogue landlords. The government says that while most landlords provide decent homes for their tenants, the cash boost will enable local councils to step up action against the small minority who continue to flout the law and
The team at Machins Solicitors LLP would be delighted if you could join us for a coffee and a catch up at the Machins Business Mixer at the Lounge Bar, Venue 360, 20 Gipsy Lane, Luton LU1 3JH from 7.30am to 9am. We are hosting an informal, free networking event for businesses and professionals looking