Gone are the days of stuffing receipts in a drawer and worrying about your rental income once a year. From 2026, HMRC will expect landlords to think and act more like business owners, which means that big changes are coming. At the centre of this shift is the introduction of Making Tax Digital (MTD for …
With pets becoming part of everyday life for many renters, more landlords are asking what the Renters’ Rights Bill (RRB) will actually require of them, and whether pet damage insurance will be part of the picture. Here’s a concise update for PLAN members on the policy position and the practical options available now. The policy …
Read more “Pets and the Renters’ Rights Bill: where pet damage insurance stands today”
Phil is Director of Compliance Services and co-founder of Landlord Licensing & Defence, defending landlords against overly aggressive enforcement and fines by councils and advising on regulatory compliance, housing health and safety (HHSRS) and fire risk assessment. He is a Certified HHSRS practitioner, Certified fire risk assessor, Certified damp assessor as well as having been …
PETS charity AdvoCATS is relaunching its Heads for Tails! campaign to make renting a home with petseasier and fairer for both tenants and landlords on Monday 11th August, exactly 28 days until the RentersRights Bill returns for the consultation process between the House of Commons and the House of Lordson 8th September. “That’s 28 days …
Read more “Charity’s attempt to stop the RentersRights Bill causing a pets in lets crisis”
Alternative Deposit Schemes: A Smart Move for Landlords For generations, traditional deposits have been the standard in the UK rental market, typically amounting to five weeks’ rent. However, a growing number of landlords are embracing Alternative Deposit schemes, a modern solution that offer greater protection to landlords and reduces costs to tenants. These schemes, also …
Read more “How a Landlord can get a Deposit from a Tenant who has not got the money to provide one.”
In this article I wish to address what a PLAN for the Private Rental Sector ( PRS) would look like. It would address 4 key Questions Let us look at each of these points in more detail Let us now consider a possible PLAN for the PRS. But let me make clear the limits of …
The biggest issue facing the Private Rental Sector is that no one in Government or Opposition has been prepared to consider a plan for the whole sector. A plan that would make sense for all stakeholders in the PRS. There is certainly a lot of legislation coming forward to create rights and responsibilities for Landlords …
Read more “WHY IS THERE NO P.L.A.N FOR THE PRIVATE RENTAL SECTOR?”
If you’ve been a landlord long enough, you’ve probably had at least one call at 11pm about a boiler breakdown. Or lost an hour chasing a contractor who forgot the access code. Or worse, dealt with damage that spiralled because a tenant didn’t report it properly. These aren’t just annoyances. They cost you time, money, …
Read more “How AI Could Change the Way You Manage Your Properties (and Your Time)”
June 2025 Today, I am interviewing Michael Jackson (MJ), Vice-Chair of the High Court Enforcement Officers Association (HCEOA), to learn more about how High Court enforcement could help some landlords evict tenants and take possession of their properties more quickly. Marcus Selmon Chair of PLAN ( MS) MS: What is the difference between a High …
As we navigate 2025, the property landscape feels a bit like walking a tightrope over a shark tank. At Willkates Property Group, we’ve been balancing on that rope for years, managing our properties and those of our clients, so we’ve become quite adept at staying on our feet. The rental market is changing, and not …
Read more “The Reality of Being a Full-Time Private Landlord in 2025”