In this post we will outline Spelthorne Borough Council’s recent decision to apply an Article 4 direction to the conversion of houses into small HMOs and look more closely at the actual story behind it. Article 4 directions for HMOs …. and what is important to know about them.

Improvement notices are an enforcement action available to local authorities under Part 1 of the Housing Act 2004. Improvement notices are just one of the measures a local authority can use when hazards are identified. In this post we will look at an interesting recent tribunal case surrounding the use of improvement notices

The King’s Speech outlined the legislation that the new Labour government intends to bring forward in the next session of parliament. In this post we will look more closely at the housing-related proposals and at what they might mean for everyone involved.

What will the new Labour government mean for housing, and particularly the PRS, housing compliance and enforcement?

A report saying it is an ‘Independent Review of the UK’s Private Rented Housing Sector’ has just been published by Labour Party-linked organisation The Private Rented Sector Commission. It presents some proposals on how the private rented sector might be regulated in future. In this post we will summarise what it proposes and offer a few thoughts on what it might mean for the PRS.

A recent working paper by the NRLA The Enforcement Lottery: Local authority enforcement 2021-2023 has provided some interesting information on how (and even if) local authorities enforce housing law.

The Housing Act 2004 charges local authorities with enforcing housing standards in rented property. In a recent legal case a landlord managed to defeat enforcement action taken by the local authority – alongside a £22,500 penalty. Might landlords be able to use the fact they have a reasonable excuse in order to derail action local authorities might take against them?

This article focuses on series of amendments that have been tabled to the Renters (Reform) Bill which could drastically change this proposed new law. In this post, we will summarise these amendments and look at what they could mean for the PRS.

Landlord charters are not entirely new and have been around in some areas for several years. In this post we will look more closely at landlord charters, at what is being described as a ground-breaking scheme in Greater Manchester, and at what landlords and agents need to know.

Housing standards, and the enforcement of them, are a key issue in the housing industry at the moment – and particularly when it comes to damp and mould. A recent report in the Observer claims that the compensation regime operated by the Housing Ombudsman is deficient. In this report we will look at this claim and at the realities behind it.

2024 is looking like it could be one of the most significant years for the lettings industry in recent history. In this report we will take a look at some of the most important developments that landlords, agents and others in the business need to know about.