Bailiffs have agreed to a government request not to enforce court orders against tenants in Tier 2 and Tier 3 locations. This means evictions can still proceed through the courts, but bailiffs will not enforce court orders in areas such as Greater Manchester, Merseyside, London, Wales and much of the north...
A landlord has been prosecuted following the death of a tenant in a house fire at an HMO said to have had inadequate fire safety precautions. The case was brought by Luton council, working with Bedfordshire Police and Bedfordshire Fire and Rescue Service, against landlord Bhagwent Sagoo. The fire broke out at the...
Campaigning charity Shelter is back on the warpath against private landlords, criticising how much of the country’s temporary accommodation budget for the homeless is spent within the private rental sector. Government figures show almost £1.2 billion has been spent providing temporary accommodation for homeless households between April 2019 and March 2020. This...
A council has prosecuted a local landlord for failing to safeguard the health, safety and welfare of his tenants. Eastleigh council took the action against Christopher Grayston from Southampton, who owned an HMO in Eastleigh. He pleaded guilty at West Hampshire Magistrates’ Court in February this year to offences brought by the...
The government is asking bailiffs not to enforce court possession orders in areas with the highest Coronavirus restrictions. So although evictions can still proceed through the courts, bailiffs will not enforce court orders in Tier 2 and 3 areas - currently London, Greater Manchester, Merseyside, Wales and much of the north...
Pressure appears to be building for more pet-friendly lettings properties with two Build To Rent operators promoting animal-friendly tenancies. BTR operator Fizzy Living calls itself ‘London’s most pet-friendly landlord’ and says 30 per cent of its tenants own at least one pet. The company’s apartment blocks feature ‘pet stations’ stocked with bags, paw wipes...
A fake lettings agent has been caught trying to cheat prospective tenants out of £1,500 which she claimed was a deposit on an apartment. The Daily Mail reports on a court hearing at which Preet-kaur Johal confessed to tricking the prospective tenants out of the cash when the genuine owner of...
A new PropTech tool called Covid Profile tells lettings agents if tenants are self-isolating or in quarantine because of Coronavirus. The cloud-based software - developed by property management company Arthur - features options for tenants to flag if they are self-isolating, have symptoms, been in contact with someone testing positive in the last 14...
Investment in the fast-growing Build to Rent (BTR) market bounced back significantly in Q3 2020, according to CBRE’s latest Marketview report. Following subdued activity in Q2, as a direct result of the coronavirus pandemic, a total of £1.43 billion of investment was recorded in the last quarter. CBRE has tracked investment into UK...
Channel 4’s BAFTA award-winning comedy Stath Lets Flats is back on the market for a third season. The agency-based sit-com from writer-performer and comedian Jamie Demetriou - a star in one of the Fleabag episodes - has been commissioned for a third series for Channel 4. The series will pick up from the...