Posted 29.12.17
GOV.UK: Article link
Housing Minister Alok Sharma has set out how, subject to parliamentary clearance, landlords renting properties in England occupied by 5 or more people, from 2 or more separate households, will need to be licensed.
The move, affecting around 160,000 houses, will mean councils can take further action to crack down on unscrupulous landlords renting sub-standard and overcrowded homes.
The Government has also set out details of criminal offences which will automatically ban someone from being a landlord. From April next year, someone convicted of offences such as burglary and stalking can be added to the database of rogue landlords and be barred from renting properties.
New rules will also come into force setting minimum size requirements for bedrooms in houses of multiple occupation to prevent overcrowding.
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Posted 11.12.17
Residential Landlords Association: Article link
More landlords in Cardiff are letting out their properties as short-term holiday lets, making them no longer available for long term renting following UK Government tax changes.
The Residential Landlords Association's research lab, PEARL, has found that the number of Airbnb listings have increased by a massive 259% in Cardiff alone in comparison to last year.
This suggests that almost one in five homes to rent in Cardiff are now being offered through holiday websites such as Airbnb.
Previous research from RLA PEARL has found that of those landlords now offering short-term lets, over 1 in 3 were doing so because of tax increases on landlords.
