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Hi Tracey, Thanks for this. We've had landlords appeal this in Reading and loose so its really interesting to see that it is possible to overturn this decisions. I don't suppose you know the details of the case so that I can use it as a case study for other landlords here in Reading. I look...

Hi there, Last week the government released a consultation response on the extension of mandatory HMO licensing. This response came nearly a year after the initial consultation took place. The purpose of this consultation was to explore whether or not mandatory HMO licensing should be extended...

Councils have always relied on tenants reporting the issues in their homes. In fact this is the largest source of Intel in the private rental sector. There are now measures in place to protect tenants from what is know as 'retaliatory eviction', however like everything there are restrictions and...

To some degree yes. Local Authorities are likely to give individual dwellings their own risk rating and inspect the properties accordingly. Those properties that are well maintained and managed by professional landlords/agents will be left to manage themselves. Whilst properties in poor...

Each local authority is different, each giving HMO inspections a different level of priority. Given increased workloads and decreasing budgets I suspect local authorities will be looking to reduce the amount of inspections rather than increasing them. With that in mind annual inspections are...

In a normal domestic setting one means of escape is usually enough; typically this will be the central hallways, landings and stairwells. The protected route is formed using fire resistant material on the partitions and by providing 30 minute fire resistant door-sets. A secondary means of...

Hi Kelly, Windows can be used as a means of escape, however they would need to meet certain requirements. The window must provide an unobstructed openable area that is at least 0.33m² and have a minimum 450mm height and 450mm width. The bottom of the openable area should not be more than...

Hi Nick, The regulations allow for extensive, structural changes such as heat recovery systems and solar panels. These obviously can't be taken by the tenant once they leaves. Councils are concerned that unscrupulous landlords will allow for energy efficiency measures to be installed in the...

On Friday 1st April 2016 the Energy Efficiency (Private Rented Property) (England and Wales) Regulations 2015 came into effect. Essentially these regulations give tenants the right to request consent from their landlord to install energy efficiency improvements in the property they rent; the...

Hi Luke, Consultation with varying departments, including Council Tax, is not a new thing, this is something Councils have done since the inception of HMO licencing. The main purpose of this consultation is to assist HMO teams across the Country in assessing the applicants Fit & Proper Person...

As some of you will be aware mandatory HMO licensing came in with the Housing Act 2004 and was eventually enacted at the end of 2006. Amongst other radically changes to housing legislation, was the introduction of a mandatory licensing scheme designed to improve fire safety in large houses in...

Kelly, Typically the VOA is banding each room as a band A (self contained unit). The actual cost of this will be dependant on the local Council but on average this will amount to about £1000 per room. In an HMO the tenant is liable for the Council Tax so in my experience landlords simply pass on...

Hi Ricky, I glad you found the post useful. I'm based in Swindon and I have seen a huge increase in demand from investors looking for HMO properties. I think this is linked to the railway improvements, the cheaper house prices and the restrictions in place in other areas such as Article 4...

In todays modern housing market house shares have become an affordable means of people renting in high demand areas, high cost areas. It would seem that people are happy to share kitchen space with their fellow housemates, however the intimacy of personal washing means that people are looking...

White Horse Property Consultants is the UKs first Environmental Health consultants specifically tailored to property Landlords. Our founder has nearly a decades practical experiencing enforcing legal standards in the Private Rental Sector. This unique position not only gives our consultant the...