PRS

A Fort William landlord has been successfully prosecuted for operating a House in Multiple Occupation (HMO) without a licence. Mr Harjinder Singh Randhawa, the owner of the 1st & 2nd floor flat at 39 High Street, pled guilty and was fined £1800 at Fort William Sheriff Court on January 28.

An MSP has cast doubt on the legality of key safe deposit boxes often installed on tenement doors in areas with a high proportion of short-term lets. Andy Wightman, housing spokesperson for the Scottish Greens, said it was "hard now not to notice" the number of key boxes appearing on the front of te

England should follow Scotland’s lead and introduce open-ended tenancies for private renters, according to a new report by the Institute for Public Policy Research (IPPR). The left-wing think tank said so-called “no-fault” evictions should be terminated, alongside other sweeping re

The Nationwide Foundation is inviting proposals to undertake qualitative research and quantitative analysis of the impact on tenants and landlords of changes to the Scottish private rented sector tenancy regime. The study has a particular focus on the recent introduction of the Private Residential T

Scotland’s largest student organisation has joined with Scotland’s only tenants’ union to demand a ‘winter break’ to forced evictions. The Living Rent tenants’ union has been backed by NUS Scotland in the call to prevent winter deaths on Scotland’s streets.

Selective licensing schemes in England are helping to tackle poor standards in the private rented sector but could be even more effective with more government support, the Chartered Institute of Housing (CIH) has found. A new joint report from the housing body and the Chartered Institute of Environm

A private landlord in Fife who became the first to be disqualified by a Scottish court has been fined £12,000 after illegally renting out properties for a third time. Mohammed Murtaza pled guilty to leasing two dwellings in Kirkcaldy during May and December 2017, despite not being registered w

New legislation to bring an end to costly fees imposed by landlords or letting agents in England is to come into force this summer. Speaking at the third reading of the Tenant Fees Bill in the House of Lords, Lord Bourne of Aberystwyth outlined that following royal assent, the provisions of the Tena

Marking one year since the Private Housing (Tenancies) (Scotland) Act saw private rented civil cases transferred to the Housing and Property Chamber, BTO solicitor Lauren McLeod provides comment on how the tribunals have been working in practice. Unlike the short assured tenancy regime, which allowe

The era of the ‘amateur’ landlord may be at an end as 2019 will see further erosion of the tax benefits of being a landlord, according to an accountants and business advisory firm. French Duncan LLP said by 2020 there will be few financial incentives left for landlords at all.

Several recent judgements by the First-tier Tribunal for Scotland (Housing and Property Chamber) show that tenants now have an effective way of making sure that their landlord or letting agent meet the minimum standards for the condition of their homes, writes James Mullaney.

A new property management portal is to be launched which aims to revolutionise the lettings industry by establishing new standards of transparency, fairness, and convenience for the benefit of both landlords and tenants. The bespoke portal, entitled apropos, has been designed and built by prope

The number of people still privately renting their home after they have retired has doubled in the last decade, according to new figures. Statistics compiled by Scottish Labour revealed the number of permanently retired adults living in the private rented sector has gone from 20,000 to 40,000 in the

As rents in Scotland’s private rented sector spiral at double the rate of inflation, Govan Law Centre (GLC) has warned that the story beneath the increase is “stark and deeply worrying” and will lead to more homelessness and poverty. While official Scottish Government statistics ha

John Blackwood Scotland’s largest membership body for private landlords has expressed concern that tax changes announced by the Scottish Government will reduce investment and exacerbate the country’s housing crisis.