Extra funds to help councils crack down on criminal landlords

The Government has made an additional £3.8 million available for councils to tackle criminal landlords in the remainder of the current financial year. The money is to support projects which take effective and targeted action against criminal landlords, support good... View Article

New homes plan to replace derelict garages

Derelict garage sites across Walsall in the West Midlands could soon be transformed into new and energy efficient housing developments, after whg revealed its modular homes vision. Social landlord whg currently houses over 40,000 people in 21,000 properties, across 18... View Article

South London council breaches the Home Standard

Lambeth Council has been found to have breached the Home Standard over a series of longstanding failings with regard to asbestos, fire and gas safety which potentially exposed a significant number of tenants to the risk of serious harm. The... View Article

Homelessness cost councils over £1bn last year

Analysis of Government figures by the housing charity Shelter has revealed the amount being spent by councils on temporary accommodation for homeless households in England rose to over £1billion last year. Polly Neate, chief executive of Shelter, said: “These figures are... View Article

Fire at student block raises further cladding safety fears

Concerns about the safety of high-pressure laminate cladding have intensified after fire ravaged a six-storey block of student accommodation in Bolton town centre. HPL cladding is believed to be used on thousands of homes and it has already been the... View Article

Hot under the collar: What rights do landlords have?

The recent news story about a London landlord who boxed off a thermostat in one of their residential rental properties has raised questions surrounding what landlords are entitled to do when it comes to utilities. Actions such as blocking off... View Article

Artworks for Meridian Water

Youngsters will create stunning artworks for hoardings around the first phase of the £6bn Meridian Water project after three local artists were selected to help create modern day masterpieces. Enfield residents Karen Rubins, Duncan James and Adam David will work... View Article

Housing market waits for election result

The UK housing market is still on hold, pending election results, with the November 2019 RICS Residential Market Survey continuing to show a cautious approach from buyers and sellers.  Demand from prospective buyers, new instructions to sell, and sales, all... View Article

Beware the law of unintended consequences!

Patrick Mooney looks at the unintended consequences of changing the law on evictions With election day this week, we will very soon know the make-up and likely direction of the next government. Trying to forecast what it will actually do... View Article

Ambient lighting, USB points and a decent pint

The beauty of providing accommodation for student living is that pretty much anything goes. Whether it’s a new hi-rise apartment block, the refurbishment of existing flats or the conversion of a more historic or non-residential building, if it’s close enough... View Article

Section 21: landlord rights explained

A consultation into the use of section 21 notices to evict fixed-term tenants is currently underway – but critics have claimed that scrapping the legislation altogether may leave 960,000 fewer homes available to renters as landlords pull out of the... View Article