As reported in last month’s Newsletter, the Government has announced that the current 10% Wear and Tear Allowance will be scrapped. From April next year, landlords will only be able to deduct costs they actually incur for replacing furnishings in their rental properties. There will also be no allowance for improvement (e.g if a landlord replaces a washing machine with a ...

The Betterment principle continues to cause confusion amongst landlords and tenants as highlighted by online queries at a District Council recently. Essentially, a tenant has a duty of care to look after a property and must return it in the same condition at the end of the tenancy as it was at the beginning - allowing for wear and tear. Landlords cannot expect their properties ...

The “Right to Rent” scheme which has been taking place in the Midlands since last year is now to be rolled out nationally. Landlords will have to check the immigrant status of prospective tenants and keep tabs on existing tenants whose status may change. It is questionable how landlords and letting agents are to be expected to do a better job than Border Control Officers ...