1 Don't leave your house hunting until the last minute - Give yourself plenty of time to find a pet-friendly property and begin searching at least 6-8 weeks before you need to move out of your current home.
2 Be as flexible as possible - The more restrictive your search criteria are, the more difficult it will be for you to find a pet-friendly property. Try to be flexible on location and property type as this will increase your chances of finding somewhere for you and your pet to live.
3 Write a CV for your pet - Provide your prospective landlord with as much information about your pet as you can. Write a CV and include contact details for your veterinary practice and for someone who can care for your pet in case of an emergency. You could also include details of your pet's last vaccinations and any flea and worming treatments they have received.
4 Get a reference for your pet - By providing your landlord with a reference from your previous landlord or your vet, you can show that your pet is both well behaved and capable of living in rented accommodation without causing problems or damage. This will also demonstrate that you are a responsible pet owner.
5 Introduce your pet to your landlord - Meeting your pet in advance may put your landlord's mind at ease. You could invite your landlord to your current home so that they can see that your pet has caused no problems there. This is particularly important for dogs as it's an opportunity to show that your dog is calm and well behaved.
6 Offer to pay a higher deposit - Many landlords are concerned about pets causing damage to their property or furnishings. By offering to pay a higher deposit, you will reassure the landlord that you will cover any damage that your pet may cause.
7 Offer to have the property professionally cleaned - Landlords often worry that accepting pets will lead to flea infestations, excess pet hair and dirty carpets and soft furnishings. To put your landlord's mind at ease you might consider offering to pay for the property to be professionally cleaned when you move out. Some landlords and letting agents may ask for a non-refundable payment in advance to cover the cost of cleaning.
8 Be honest, don't sneak your pet in without permission - It's never advisable to keep a pet in a property without the landlord's consent. This will only lead to problems in the future and could result in the termination of your tenancy. It's possible that keeping pets in the property may even violate the landlord's own leasehold agreement. It's advisable to always be honest about your pets from the start.
9 Get written permission - If your landlord has given you permission to keep a pet in your property, make sure you get it in writing. You should ask for a clause to be added to your tenancy agreement to cover the keeping of pets and make sure that any 'No Pets' clauses are removed. This will prevent problems from arising in future.

Further information and help can be found on the Dog's Trust website.

If you share a house or flat with other tenants, your landlord will have extra legal responsibilities if the home you rent is defined as a "house in multiple occupation" (HMO), although not all shared homes are HMO's.

Your home will probably be an HMO if:

• 3 or more unrelated people live there as at least 2 separate households e.g 3 single people with their own rooms or 2 couples each sharing a room.
• the people living there share basic amenities such as bathroom and kitchen

The government wants to ensure that anyone renting in the private sector is not only accommodated safely, but is here legally.  Many private landlords do check the identity and credit status for potential tenants which can make it difficult for a person here illegally to rent a property, but not all do so.  The proposed legislation, by way of the Immigration Bill, would mirror existing requirements on employers who have to make similar checks on anyone applying for work.
The Government point out that landlords are not being asked to become immigration experts, but just to make a few simple checks.  Landlords who cooperate have nothing to fear but there will be civil penalties for landlords who don't make the right checks or knowingly let a property to someone here illegally.
By enforcing proper standards and acting to drive out the rogue landlords, ultimately the new legislation should help protect decent landlords and the wider community.
Landlords will be able to use a free Home Office facility to make phone or email checks on prospective tenants.
The maximum turnaround time will be 48 hours.  If no clear answer is given in that time, landlords can proceed with letting out the property to that tenant with no fault or penalty.
The government will publish a draft code of practice for the operation of the civil penalty regime, including guidance for landlords and draft regulations setting out the documents that landlords will need to check.  Subject to Parliamentary approval the intention is that the new rules will be implemented from October 2014.  They will not apply to existing tenancies, landlords will only have to conduct checks on new tenants from the implementation date.

A Discretionary Housing Payment (DHP) is a payment you may received at the discretion of your local authority to provide extra help with housing costs on top of your Housing Benefit.

You must be entitled to Housing Benefit or the Housing Costs element of Universal Credit to apply for a DHP.  The Government has increased the funding given to Local Authorities for DHPs to help people affected by the Benefit Cap and other Housing Benefit changes.  Once your local authority has spent its budget (provided by the Government) it cannot award any more payments for that financial year.  They cannot help everyone so decisions about priority have to be made.

A DHP can be used to help towards housing costs.  It can be paid if your Housing Benefit does not meet the full rent you must pay.  It could also be paid to help with a rent deposit or rent in advance for a property you haven't moved into yet as long as you are entitled to Housing Benefit for your current home.  It could also help with lump sum expenses such as removal costs.  You can still apply to your current local authority for assistance even if you are moving to another area.

A DHP cannot be used to cover an increase in rent due to arrears or to make up the difference if an overpayment is being recovered from your Housing Benefit.

Your Local Authority will decide whether to award a DHP, how much to award and for how long.

The amount you get could cover all or part of your shortfall in rent or the costs of taking up a tenancy.  There is no limit to length of time over which DHPs can be made - it could be a one-off or an indefinite award.  The payment could be made to you or direct to your landlord.

DHP's do not count as income or capital when calculating your entitlement to means-tested benefits or Tax Credits.

You should ask your Local Authority how to make a claim and as there are no rules on backdating it is up to the Local Authority whether an award will be backdated and for how long.

You are required to notify your Local Authority of any changes to circumstances which may be relevant to you continuing to receive DHP - you will be told about any changes you should report.

Further information can be found on the Government website.

If you rent your home and it has been damaged by floods, you might need some
help or information about how and when your home will be repaired.
As a tenant you have the right to have your accommodation kept in a reasonable
state of repair.
If your home is damaged by flooding, your landlord is responsible for repairing the
damage. This includes damage to the structure of your home. It also includes
keeping the installations for the supply of water, gas, electricity, sanitation and
heating in working order.
However, you are responsible for furnishings and other personal belongings, therefore it is important that you have a current  and sufficient household contents insurance policy.
You must tell your landlord about the need for any repairs as a result of flooding as
soon as possible. Your landlord must then carry out the repairs within a reasonable
period of time.
If there has been extensive damage, you may have to leave your home while work
is done. But you will only have to move out if it's impossible for you to carry on living
there. If you can move from room to room while work is carried out, then you will not
have to leave. The landlord is legally responsible for protecting you and your
belongings during this time.
If your home is so badly damaged that you do have to move out, your landlord does
not have to provide you with somewhere else to go.
You must tell your landlord if you have to move out. If possible, you should not move
out until:

• you are satisfied that your landlord knows why you are leaving
• your landlord has confirmed you will be able to move back in once the repairs are done and live there on the same basis as before
• your landlord has given you an estimate of how long the repairs are expected to take.

If you have to move out, you should try to reach an agreement with your landlord
about payment of rent. You should ask your landlord either to suspend rent
payments on the home you've moved out of, or, to pay reasonable costs for
alternative accommodation.
This is especially important if you're getting Housing Benefit as you can only get
benefit to pay the rent on one property, not two. Your local council will need to
decide whether benefit can continue to be paid for the home you've moved out of or
for your alternative accommodation.
This is a complicated situation and you should get advice from an experienced
adviser.
For further help contact your nearest Citizen's Advice Bureau or visit their website.

The National Landlords Association has revealed that tenants remain confused by the Government’s Universal Credit scheme.

 Few tenants in the private rented sector in the UK end up having deposit deductions at the end of their tenancy, new research shows.
 Just 9% have had their landlord or letting agent retain money according to a poll from tenancy deposit protection (TDP) scheme My Deposits.
Most landlords or letting agents take a tenancy deposit to guarantee against financial losses should the tenant breach the terms of the tenancy agreement or damage the property. However, the deposit should be returned to the tenant at the end of the tenancy unless breaches or damages occur.
The poll showed that tenants in the Midlands and the South East of England were more likely to face a deduction to their deposit than other parts of the UK.
Some 12% of tenants in the East Midlands and 11% in the West Midlands said their landlord or letting agent had proposed a deduction to their tenancy deposit. The next highest group to experience deposit deductions at 10% were tenants in the South East. On the flip side, just 4% of tenants in Wales experienced a deduction and 7% in the North East.
The findings also show that tenants in Wales were the most self-assured when it comes to discussing the return of their deposit at the end of the tenancy, with 39% saying they felt confident in approaching the issue with their landlord or letting agent. Tenants in the North East were the least confident with 25% saying they felt confident discussing the issue.
‘Although most tenants haven’t experienced deductions to their deposit at the end of their tenancy it seems that many still lack the confidence to approach the issue with their landlord or letting agent. In fact, even the most confident of tenants are in the minority when it comes to discussing issues over their deposit,’ said the firm’s chief executive officer Eddie Hooker.
‘It’s vital that tenants are both aware and informed about the law and their rights because deposit protection was introduced to safeguard their money, and they should have it returned in full at the end of the tenancy if they don’t breach any of their obligations,’ he explained.

The full story can be found here

It's not just rents that tenants have to worry about – there are also an increasing number of fraudsters intent on relieving them of their hard-earned cash.
In December, a New Zealand couple looking to rent in Swansea told the local paper how they had been conned out of £3,000 in advance rent after answering an advert for a one-bedroom flat. They signed a contract with the "landlord" who showed them the apartment, only for the real owner to visit after they had moved in and inform them the contract was fraudulent.
The unlucky pair are not alone. With rental accommodation in short supply in some areas of the country, con men are cashing in on tenants' desperation to find a place to live. On some occasions fraudsters have gained access to properties and taken prospective tenants around, pretending the property is vacant and under their control. In other cases the fraudsters are purporting to rent out property that doesn't exist, has already been rented out, or has been rented to multiple victims at the same time.
Problems also arise when a property is rented out by the real landlord but without the permission of the mortgage company. This is a breach of mortgage terms and conditions and, in theory at least, can lead to repossession. Other landlords might be in financial difficulty and at risk of repossession, but keep tenants in the dark about the risk to the roof over their heads.
As well as asking questions, there are a few checks you can do online to establish if things are really as they seem. You can check whether the landlord actually owns the property through the Land Registry. For £3 you can buy title registers showing ownership details. Land Registry data can also tell you about any charges on the property – these are loans, including mortgages, where the building is used as security and can be repossessed if payments are missed.
If it does show that there is a mortgage on the property, you might want to dig deeper. To stick to mortgage lenders' terms and conditions, a landlord will either need a buy-to-let mortgage or "consent to let" from their mortgage lender to rent out a property that has a residential mortgage.

If a landlord has the mortgage lender's permission to rent the property out, a tenant will be in a much stronger position if the property is repossessed due to arrears on the mortgage.
The past year has seen an increase in subletting, and "rent-to-rent". While the latter can be done perfectly legally, some middle-men do it without the landlord's permission. Tenants could be at risk of eviction if any middle man fails to pass on the rent to the proper landlord. To protect yourself, make sure you do due diligence on anyone you are handing rent money to; ask to see the agreement between the landlord and any middle-man or agent, do a quick Google search on both, and request proof that any deposit you hand over is properly protected.
A dodgy landlord might use a letting agent, but he or she will come under less scrutiny if the property is advertised directly, so it is worth being on your guard when responding to adverts on listing sites.
Never use a Western Union or Moneygram transfer service to pay your rent.  One popular tactic used by scammers is to persuade tenants to use Western Union or Moneygram to transfer money. While these services are legitimate businesses, you shouldn't use them to send your deposit or rent. Western Union admits its services are often used by property scammers. It says that in the majority of the cases where this fraud was committed, scammers posed as landlords on classified websites and conned legitimate house hunters out of their money.
The full article can be found at The Guardian

Landlords and lettings agents in the UK that ignore tenant complaints about damp and mould, could lead to personal injury claims and even  hefty fines of up to £5,000, it is claimed.
In Britain, condensation and mould in residential property is mainly a winter problem, particularly where warm moist air is generated in areas like kitchens and bathrooms and then penetrates to colder parts of the building.
When the air gets cold, it cannot hold onto all the extra moisture produce by everyday activities, so some of this moisture appears as small droplets of water, most noticeable on windows, or where there is little movement of air. If not properly dealt with, this extra dampness can lead to mould growth on walls, furniture, window frames and even clothes.
Condensation and mould isn’t something that landlords and agents should ignore.
Mould spores need a moist environment in which to germinate, so many mould problems are caused by poor building maintenance and lack of ventilation, such as water leaking through windows or roofs; rising damp, which is often caused by breached, missing or damaged damp proof membranes; steam and condensation from showers, bathrooms, cooking or high air humidity; and inadequate ventilation or heating throughout the home.
Older properties tend to suffer more than new ones, but rental properties are particularly prone. The problem is often a matter of degree from a small patch of mould or discoloured wallpaper behind the wardrobe in the very top corner of a bedroom, to serious amounts of mould growth across walls, inside wardrobes and on clothes, furnishings, carpets and in basements.
Aside from damage to the property, mould spores are well documented as a health risk. The mould fungi have been identified as the source of many health problems, including infections, asthma, allergies and sinusitis. Moulds produce allergens, irritants, and in some cases, toxins that may cause reactions in humans.
The best way to ensure the control of mould in buildings is to carry out good building maintenance and check there is adequate ventilation. Anywhere that is liable to allow water to leak in from outside the property, has a high degree of damp or condensation, or is not kept at a comfortable temperature is prone to a mould attack.
Landlords and/or agents should check for leaks that may be causing damp, inside and outside the property. Bathrooms are a common culprit for escaping water and gutters could be blocked by leaves at this time of year.Landlords should ensure that bathrooms and kitchens are well ventilated by installing extractor fans and ensuring that there windows that can be easily opened. Extractor fans should be working efficiently.
More information can be found here.

Following the UK's recent bad weather, Association of Residential Letting Agents (ARLA) is reminding tenants to be aware of who is responsible for what in the event of damage to a rented property.
Storm damage, power cuts and flooding can be unpleasant and stressful experiences for those involved, but familiarising yourself with your tenancy agreement can help ensure any problems are sorted as quickly as practically possible.
ARLA has the following tips for those concerned about the effects of harsh winter weather on their rented home:Don't weather the storm alone
Tenants should always have access to relevant contact details if there is a problem with a rented home. It is always advisable to contact your landlord or letting agent as soon as possible if weather-related damage occurs.
If the responsible party cannot attend immediately, taking time-stamped pictures of any damage is a sensible course of action to ensure the details of the incident are accurately recorded.
What's your responsibility?
In most cases landlords will be responsible for the upkeep and maintenance of the building's exterior of your building. However tenants should do everything they can to minimise damage, even if this is limited to reporting a problem as soon as it happens. Remember, any damage may be the subject of an insurance claim for the landlord.
In certain agreements tenants can be required to perform limited upkeep tasks like clearing gutters, which could lead to drainage problems in heavy rainfall.
Deep freeze
During the colder months, it is also a tenant's responsibility to make sure the pipes don't freeze if they are away from the property for extended periods. The best way to combat this problem is to set the heating to come on at a low level during the coldest parts of the day, whilst also informing your landlord that you will be away from the property.
Flooded out
When viewing a rental property, it is worth checking if the area is prone to flooding. This is an especially important consideration if the property is near a water source, however small, or if is in a low-lying area.
Contents insurance for your own goods is a tenant's responsibility, and always ensure it provides adequate cover for water damage if you remain concerned about the potential for flooding.
If the lights go off...
If you are unfortunate enough to suffer a power cut as a tenant, checking the UK Power Networks website is a quick and easy way to get updates on the current situation. If the power cut is affecting more than just your home, it is worth getting in touch with your utility provider directly, rather than your landlord in the first instance.
If the power remains off for an extended period of time, remember that freezers may leak as contents warm and any appliances that were on at the time of the cut will come back to life once power is restored.

The full press release can be found here.

Understanding the law for rental accommodation

As a landlord, you are responsible for the safety of your tenants. Landlords' duties apply to a wide range of accommodation, occupied under a lease or licence, which includes, but not exclusively:

• residential premises provided for rent by local authorities, housing associations, private sector landlords, housing co-operatives, hostels
• rooms let in bed-sit accommodation, private households, bed and breakfast accommodation and hotels
• rented holiday accommodation such as chalets, cottages, flats, caravans and narrow boats on inland waterways.

The Gas Safety (Installation and Use) Regulations 1998 deal with landlords’ duties to make sure gas appliances, fittings and flues provided for tenants are safe.

Landlord's responsibilities

If you let a property equipped with gas appliances you have three main responsibilities:

• Maintenance: pipework, appliances and flues must be maintained in a safe condition. Gas appliances should be serviced in accordance with the manufacturer’s instructions. If these are not available it is recommended that they are serviced annually unless advised otherwise by a Gas Safe registered engineer.
• Gas safety checks: a 12 monthly gas safety check must be carried out on every gas appliance/flue.  A gas safety check will make sure gas fittings and appliances are safe to use.
• Record: a record of the annual gas safety check must be provided to your tenant within 28 days of the check being completed or to new tenants before they move in. Landlords must keep copies of the gas safety record for two years.

All installation, maintenance and safety checks need to be carried out by a Gas Safe registered engineer.
If a tenant has their own gas appliance that you have not provided, then you are responsible for the maintenance of the gas pipework but not for the actual appliance.
You should also make sure your tenants know where to turn off the gas and what to do in the event of a gas emergency

Further information on gas safety can be found on the Gas Safe Register

According to The Huffington Post, the Government has been accused of a shambolic roll-out of the Bedroom Tax, with thousands of tenants wrongly hit and due a refund.
The Department of Work and Pensions says it believes 5,000 tenants have been affected, but one housing expert has said that, on the basis statistics from Exeter Council, the figure could be high as 40,000 people in line for money back.
A loophole in the Government's welfare reforms means what ministers call the spare-room subsidy does not apply to certain renters who have lived in the same home for more than 17 years.
The Department of Work and Pensions has written to local authorities alerting them to the glitch and insists new regulations will be introduced swiftly to rectify the oversight.

One of Britain's best-known landlords has issued eviction notices to every tenant who is on welfare, and told letting agents that he will not accept any more applicants who need housing benefit.
Fergus Wilson, who with his wife Judith owns nearly 1,000 properties around the Ashford area of Kent, has sent the eviction notices to 200 tenants, saying he prefers eastern European migrants who default much less frequently than single mums on welfare. He says the move is purely an economic decision and points out that private landlords are running a business.
A key factor for Wilson and other landlords is that it is impossible to obtain rent guarantee insurance for a tenant on housing benefit. This type of insurance is sold to landlords and is designed to cover the rent if the tenant stops paying for any reason.
Another issue Wilson raises is the number of tenancy applications landlords receive for each property.
"Tenants on benefits are competing with eastern Europeans who came to the UK in 2005 and have built up a good enough credit record to rent privately. We've found them to be a good category of tenant who don't default on the rent. With tenants on benefits the number of defaulters outnumbers the ones who pay on time," he said.
Dan Wilson Craw, a spokesman for campaign group Priced Out, says he is dismayed to hear Wilson's announcement: "Evicting tenants because you're suddenly upset about new government policies is unbelievably heartless, and could lead to more people deciding not to claim benefit for fear of losing their home, and sinking further into poverty," he said, "This is just one symptom of a wider housing market that is simply not working in the consumer's interests. The instability and poor conditions that private tenants have to deal with would not be tolerated in any other market."
Wilson's decision comes after figures from the National Landlords' Association published in December, which showed that the number of private landlords letting to people on benefits has halved to just one in five.
Problems for tenants on benefits seem likely to get worse when universal credit is introduced. Under the scheme, six means-tested benefits, including housing benefit, will be combined into one monthly payment. Tenants on benefits will need to budget and pay the rent to their landlord themselves.
Universal credit started to be introduced in April 2013 and it is predicted that all claimants will be moved to the scheme by 2017.
The Wilsons shot to prominence in 2006 when it was revealed that they had built up Britain's biggest buy-to-let empire, sometimes snapping up a property every day in the early part of the decade.
The full report can be found at The Guardian

Make an Inventory

Make a detailed record of the state of the property. If you decide not to get a professional inventory done, at least use a digital camera and take plenty of photos of each wall, floor, ceiling or item, both close up and further away with a digital date and time on each picture. Download the photos to a computer file for safekeeping. Also write a list of all items in each room for the tenant to sign, with a detailed description of everything, with dates and times.

Tenancy Agreement

Use a properly recognized form of tenancy agreement - either downloaded from the internet, from your professional body or even purchase one from W H Smith.
The tenancy agreement should ideally have a fixed term of six months or a year, unless there is a good reason for a longer period. It should set out the method by which Notices have to be served and should not be ambiguous or unclear on the important terms.

Reference and ID check on the tenant

Some tenant reference checks are very basic but you have the choice whether to settle for just a credit check or whether you want a more detailed report.  Whether you have reference checks done or not, always take photocopies of the tenants’ passport photo page and driver’s licence and recent bank account for identification purposes.

Deposit

Get the deposit money put into a scheme and do NOT miss out on giving the tenants (and any other permitted occupiers) the prescribed information plus any other leaflets, certificates, terms and conditions or ANY other  documentation from the deposit scheme, however innocuous-looking. Get the tenants to sign, date and put the time of signing on your copies of everything you give them, which you then file away for safekeeping.

According to a recent report in the Landlord Zone accidental landlords who rent out their home after moving on are the unwitting target of mortgage lenders and the tax man.
Many accidental landlords are unaware that they must seek consent from their mortgage lenders to sublet their homes when moving out.
Often, lenders charge them a fee to change their mortgage terms or increase the interest on their mortgage in line with buy to let loan rates.
Lenders have realised they are missing out additional income and are allegedly scouring through voters lists and online letting listings to catch offenders who are flouting the rules.
The warning comes from mortgage brokers who have been approached for information about their clients who may be accidental landlords.
Not only does letting out a home without lender consent break the conditions of a loan, accidental landlords could find their properties are uninsured as standard home insurance policies not valid if a home is let.
The attack is two-pronged, as HM Revenue & Customs has had a property task force rooting out landlords who fail to declare rental income on their tax returns.
HMRC employs many of the same procedures as the lenders to identify accidental landlords – but also ties up local authority housing benefit records with Land Registry data.
A reduced penalty amnesty is currently underway for landlords who declare past rental profits.

According to a report in the Landlord Zone, the Green Deal for Landlords may not seem the bonus the government intends for upgrading buy to let homes.
Some of the largest providers are ruling out Green Deal loans for landlords because they fear tenants will not agree to pay for energy efficiency improvements to their homes.
British Gas is among the companies spurning applications from landlords that need loans under the Green Deal.
The company’s Green Deal helpline says loans will not be offered to landlords because of ‘possible legal problems’.
The helpline says that landlords must have written agreement from their tenants to carry out a Green Deal assessment, but landlords must pay the cost of any improvements.
Under the Green Deal, landlords should get funding to pay for replacement windows and doors, cavity wall insulation, draught-proofing and new boilers and heating systems.
“We won ‘t be offering loans to landlords unless we can see that when new tenants move in they will take on the Green Deal charge with their utility bill,” said the helpline. “Our legal people are not sure what happens if a landlord has a loan that the new tenant does not agree to continue to pay.”
Another issue is if landlords with a credit history can join the scheme.
Landlords will face a credit check before a Green Deal loan is granted.
The Energy Saving Trust, the government-funded agency spearheading the Green Deal, explained providers make the decision about whether a landlord is given a loan to improve property.
However, the loan stays with the property, not the tenant or landlord, so if a new tenant moves in or the landlord sells the home before the Green Deal loan is paid off, the new renter or owner must take on the debt.
This leaves landlords with the option of paying up to £150 for an assessment and then finding they may have to pay for the improvements upfront if the provider does not offer credit
Under the deal, landlords must bring their properties up to a minimum energy efficient standard by 2018 or face a ban on letting the property.

The Advertising Standards Agency has stated that from tomorrow, 1st November, letting agents and private landlords will have to ensure they prominently include information about non-optional fees in their ads for rental properties. This will help prospective tenants to make more informed choices and avoid being misled.

 Non-optional fees, such as administration fees, charges for inventories and reference checks, can add a significant amount to the cost of moving into a property. It’s unfair if these costs are not clearly stated up-front. Residential lettings agents that aren’t already doing so must now make changes to ensure non-optional fees are clear on their websites, and in other media.

In practice this means that non-optional fees that can be calculated in advance will be included with the quoted asking rent. So, when an agent charges a non-optional fee that does not change according to individual circumstances, e.g. a fixed admin fee of £150 per tenant, ads should state “£1500pcm + £150 admin fee per tenant” or similar.

If, however, the non-optional fees and charges cannot be calculated in advance, and are excluded from quoted prices, the advertiser must make this clear in the ad, and provide enough information to allow consumers to establish easily how further charges will be calculated.

Where the advertiser is limited for space, for example in a tweet or in a sponsored search, they will provide information on additional fees through a prominent statement on either the website, a link or via a pop-up. Property portals will make clear when additional fees may apply by inserting a hyperlinked “fees apply” statement, which will link to general information about the range of fees that could apply.

This new requirement follows a ruling we made in March, which highlighted the need for more transparent pricing across the sector. In establishing this new position, we’ve worked closely with bodies such as the Association of Residential Lettings Agents (ARLA) and The Property Ombudsman (TPO) and written to letting agents and private landlords to outline the new requirements.

We’ll be monitoring ads across media to ensure changes are made following the 1 November deadline. The Committee of Advertising Practice is producing guidance as well as providing free, expert advice for advertisers who want to check their ads stick to the rules.

ASA Chief Executive, Guy Parker said: “Renting is a big financial commitment and it’s simply not fair to hide extra charges. This practice hits tenants in the pocket at a time when they need every penny they’ve got. But this isn’t just an important win for them. It will also benefit letting agents and private landlords because their customers will trust them more when they’re up-front about non-optional fees.”

Ocean Finance have compiled  a list of factors that will put people off renting a home - top of the list being noisy neighbours but it is more than just "neighbours from hell" that will stop someone renting your house.

• Noisy neighbours - 55%
• Mouldy rooms - 49%
• Home in a poor state of repair - 43%
• No central heating - 30%
• Untidy neighbouring gardens - 28%
• Unpleasant smells like smokers or animals - 27%
• Untidy communal areas in flats or shared housing - 16%
• No double glazing - 14%
• Uncompleted decorating or building work - 8%
• Stone cladding - 7%
• Brown or green bathroom suites - 4%
• Untidy or overgrown garden - 4%
•  Poor interior design choices - 2%

By ensuring your property is clean, tidy and nicely decorated before putting it out to rent you will attract a tenant quicker and thus avoid empty periods.

A-level results have been released, and consequently thousands of students around the country will now be making decisions over where they want to go to spend their next few years at university.

For the majority, this will also mean moving out of their parental home for the first time and into a rented flat or apartment. If you are considering this, it is likely to be your first time renting, so knowing the ins and outs of the market - including your rights - is absolutely vital before leaping in.

Check what you're paying

One of the most common mistakes is for people to assume that the rent they are agreeing to pay will be their only expenditure each month. There are actually other things to consider.

First the obvious - as well as your rent, you will be paying bills such as water rates (which will sometimes be included in your rent) and gas and electricity charges, all of which you will need to think about when looking for places to live.

Budget for your utilities and make sure you consider the colder months so that you can be certain you will be able to afford to live in a certain property for the academic year. You will want to be able to focus on your studies rather than having to think about issues like struggling to pay the rent.

The deposit

It is now a legal requirement that all landlords and agents pay their tenants' deposit into the Deposit Protection Scheme, which holds the money until disputes over what will be returned to the tenant are settled. It can also act as a way to mediate on said disagreements, so can come in very handy - all students should ensure that they check with their landlord and agent that this has been done correctly.

Inventory

This is one of the most important parts of any tenancy - making sure to check the inventory - if you don't do this and something is missing at the end of your period of tenancy, even if it was not your fault, you stand to lose all or some of your deposit.

It can be a chore when you're excited about moving into your first apartment or flat, but taking just five or ten minutes to walk around and check off everything on the list will make a big difference and ensure that you end up protecting yourself against any potential claims.

Article taken from Zoopla

A remarkable 96% of those currently in rented accommodation still ‘dream of owning a home someday’ and, despite ongoing issues of affordability, access to credit and difficulties raising a deposit, 70% say ‘they will never stop trying’ to make their dream a reality.

Rightmove’s research also shows record levels of ‘trapped renters’ – tenants who would like to buy but can’t afford to – has risen from 56% a year ago to 60%. While lettings agents increasingly report ‘property purchase’ as the reason tenants give for serving notice, the pipeline of new tenants and the existing trapped renters who cannot ‘escape to buy’ means that a higher proportion are trapped.  More than three in ten (31%) of today’s trapped renters actually owned previously - yesterday’s homeowners but today’s ‘regressive renters’.

Read the full report here.

If you have cash, it might be tempting to pay for a property outright – but that way, you lose the tax relief you would get on mortgage interest. You also lose the leveraging power of your investment. Instead, most landlords take out interest-only mortgages at a level where the repayments are roughly equal to the net income.
Landlords may not know about the maintenance and repairs allowance. If a property is furnished, they can choose to either claim the actual amount spent on maintenance or take a notional deduction equivalent to 10 per cent of the net rent to cover depreciation.
Until April 6, 2015, landlords can also claim a special tax deduction of up to £1,500 per property for insulation. “Under this Landlord Energy Saving Allowance, you can claim for the costs of installing wall, floor, loft or hot water insulation in the let property,” says Asim Jadoon, a tax expert for Kay & Co estate agency. “As long as the insulation is fitted to a finished property, not while it is under construction, you can claim this special allowance for the work completed before you let the property for the first time.”
But you also need to know what taxes you have to pay.
Every landlord is subject to UK income tax, wherever they live in the world (though non-resident landlords may be exempt from paying capital gains tax). If the landlord lives outside of England or Wales, the agent – or the tenant, if there's no agent – is obliged to deduct income tax before the rent is paid. The landlord then submits a self-assessment tax return.
For those who haven’t declared their taxable income or capital gain from the sale of a property, HMRC’s current tax amnesty gives them until September 6 to pay it.
When calculating your rental income and tax liability, check your rental income won’t topple you over into a higher income tax bracket.
Also look into other ways of making your property more tax efficient, such as taking advantage of the interest allowance, says Vidhur Mehra, finance director of Benham & Reeves. “If the property has increased in value, you can take out additional loans on the increased value and claim interest, providing the amount is not greater than the purchase price,” says Mehra.
If a spouse is in a lower tax bracket, you might want to put the property in joint names or in the lower taxpayer’s name, “but you must be comfortable with your spouse to give the whole asset away”, says Mehra. Gifting property worth more than the tax-free threshold (£325,000) may also be tax efficient – but you can’t just hand over properties to offspring without financial implications.
Stamp Duty Land Tax (SDLT) is another minefield. “On paper, the bands are the same as when buying a primary residence. But SDLT legislation is a complete beast and it is never as simple as matching the purchase price with the band,” says David Hannah, an SDLT expert at Cornerstone Tax.
Ultimately, even if you own just one buy-to-let property, it is almost impossible to work out your buy-to-let tax situation on your own. What applies today may change tomorrow.
So the moral of the story: get out of the dark and seek professional advice.
For the full article please see the Daily Telegraph.