Councils that have pledged not to evict tenants who run up arrears as a result of the government’s ‘bedroom tax’ could struggle to keep their promise once universal credit is introduced.
Dundee Council last week agreed that no tenant in arrears due to the under-occupation penalty would be evicted if they are doing what they can to avoid falling behind on payments, and several other councils are considering similar promises.
A council has declared that none of its social tenants will be evicted if they cannot afford to pay the government's forthcoming bedroom tax.
Brighton & Hove City Council has become the first local authority in the country to take such a stance.
Rents nudged down across England and Wales by just 0.1% in February – but they were still 3.3% higher than the year before.
According to LSL Property Services, which owns national chains Your Move and Reeds Rains, the average rent is now £731 per month.
Rent arrears among tenants of social landlords taking part in a trial of the Government’s flagship benefit reforms have soared.
The pilot is testing out the effects of paying the tenants their rent money, and trusting them to pass it on to their landlords.
Landlords who entered the buy-to-let market five years ago are unlikely to have made any money at all – and could be counting their losses.
Those with buy-to-let mortgages are making losses on their investments, while cash buyers are unlikely to make profits.
The majority of landlords in the private rented sector (PRS) will be freezing their rents this year, according to a new survey.
Members of the Residential Landlords Association (RLA) told the survey that they would be taking a real terms cut to their incomes by freezing rents in 2013 - as a result of tenants facing real term cuts to their wages.
Regulation of the private rented sector (PRS) is one of several measures being called for to help end homelessness in England.
Homeless Link, the umbrella body for homelessness charities, has mapped out steps that it believes need to be taken to prevent and tackle homelessness in the face of service cuts and the Government's forthcoming welfare changes.
The coming bedroom tax will end up costing Scottish taxpayers more not less, a housing charity has warned.
Shelter Scotland is now calling on the Scottish Government to make £50m available to protect the country's tenants from the under-occupancy charge which is due in April.
A tax specialist has expressed concern that HMRC, armed with information provided by local authorities, could now be hounding private landlords in an attempt to track down tax dodgers.
Mike Down, of accountancy firm Baker Tilly, said he had seen a copy of a ‘stencilled’ letter sent to one landlord client. The landlord in question had been perfectly compliant about declaring his rental income. The information utilised by HMRC had been supplied by a local council in the west country.
The Office of Fair Trading (OFT) has called for better regulation of lettings agents after identifying several consumer protection issues.
An OFT report which analysed almost 4,000 complaints made by renters and landlords found that both groups were concerned about fees levied by agents, poor service and that "surprise" charges were introduced or "drip-fed" once contracts have been signed.