renting

Trading Standards urges renters not to be caught out by banned tenancy fees

Devon, Plymouth, Somerset and Torbay Trading Standards Service has launched a new campaign to help prevent renters in the region being caught out by fees that have now been banned.

The law on what landlords and letting agents can charge tenants when beginning, ending or changing their contracts has changed.

It means renters can no longer be asked to pay extra for things like...

Rental boom adds to Plymouth's homeless pet problem

PLYMOUTH’S thriving rental market is fuelling a worrying increase in animals being parted from their owners due to landlords’ strict housing policies.

Woodside Animal Welfare Sanctuary at Elfordleigh, on the outskirts of Plymouth, currently has more than 50 animals on its waiting list who cannot remain with their owners due to landlords’ ‘no pet’ policies.

And the charity has...

Crackdown on harassment and illegal eviction of tenants

Rogue landlords who harass or illegally evict tenants are the subject of a new crackdown in Plymouth.

Plymouth City Council is working in partnership with PATH (Plymouth Access to Housing) who have appointed a dedicated Tenancy Relations Officer to tackle these issues. The project involves the investigation of allegations of illegal eviction and harassment by landlords, and will see...

SW renters have paid £38,000 on average to their landlord since 2010

Someone paying rent for an average two bedroom home in the South West would have forked out £38,137 to their landlord over the last five years, new analysis by housing and homelessness charity Shelter reveals today.

This is just under the sum needed for a 20% deposit on the average first time buyer home in the region, which is currently priced at £195,672.

With millions of...

£5m for councils to stop rogue landlords

Councils across the country are to receive a £5m cash boost to tackle rogue landlords in their area, Housing Minister Brandon Lewis announced today.

Forty eight councils will share the funding so they can take on the irresponsible landlords that force tenants to live in squalid and dangerous properties, making their lives a misery.

The cash will also allow councils to root out...

Over 350 SW renters a week at risk of losing homes

Research by the housing and homelessness charity Shelter has revealed that approximately 19,000 renters were put at risk of eviction in the last year - equivalent to over 350 renters per week.

The shocking new analysis, which uses Ministry of Justice figures, showed that 1 in every 86 rented households in the South West have been put at risk of losing their home.

The charity...

Right to rent checks introduced for landlords

The Government has announced that from 1 February 2016, all private landlords in England will have to check new tenants have the right to be in the UK before renting out their property.

Under the new rules, landlords who fail to check a potential tenant’s ‘Right to Rent’ will face penalties of up to £3,000 per tenant.

The new law will mean that private landlords, including...

Student accommodation ‘changing face of Plymouth’s commercial property scene’

Student accommodation is changing the face of the Plymouth property scene and dramatically altering the range of accommodation available.

That’s the view of Mark Slade from Bruton Knowles’ Plymouth office, who said: “With upwards of 26,000 students in and around the city there is an insatiable appetite for student accommodation in the city. The continued expansion of the university...

Landlords urged to have their say

A new website will give landlords in Devon a unique chance to have their say during the General Election campaign.

Developed by the Residential Landlords Association, the site is a hub for all information landlords will need including the policies of all the main parties; exclusive articles from them on their plans for the private rented sector; and key facts about the market.

...

Renting ‘lifers’ £600,000 worse off

New research identifies emerging social tribes –‘first time flyers’, ‘first time triers’ and ‘renting lifers’

Families in the South West who are never able to get on the property ladder will be more than £603,800 worse off over their lifetime than those who can buy a home in their twenties, new research from Shelter shows.

The unique study by the housing charity paints a...

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