ALEP’s Mark Chick says ministers must be transparent about their plans, and ensure changes to leasehold and commonhold law will work. The Government is being warned the ‘devil is in the detail’ as it attempts to overhaul leasehold and commonhold law. Leasehold experts say recent legislation contains “flaws”, and there…

Delays in the court system undermine the private rented sector, says agents’ body Propertymark. It claims figures from a range of sources show what it calls “significant waits” at every stage of the possession process.  In some cases, delays are leading to substantial financial losses, with reports suggesting landlords can…

Industry figures said the Government must have a ‘laser focus’ on housebuilding after it announced plans to build seven new towns. The Government must have a ‘laser focus’ if it is going to succeed with its housebuilding target, leading industry figures have warned. They have called on ministers to create…

Speaking on Radio 4’s Today programme, the housing and planning minister Matthew Pennycook confirmed that the number of proposed sites has been reduced. Plans for five new towns have been ditched with only three ‘breaking ground’ before the end of this Parliament, a Government minister has confirmed. Speaking on Radio…

A senior figure in the Independent Age charity is warning that older renters face an increased risk of living in poverty. Director of Policy and Influencing Morgan Vine says new government ‘Household Below Average Income’ figures show there has been an increase of 200,000 pensioners living in poverty, in just…

New energy efficiency regulations could create what one property expert is calling an “EPC time bomb” in the UK rental market. Millions of privately rented homes in England currently have an EPC rating of D or below, meaning they would require improvements to meet a future EPC C standard, expected…

Labour politicians in government and London have given details of measures to help ease the capital’s housing crisis.  Housing Secretary Steve Reed and London Mayor Sadiq Khan have admitted in a statement that “the capital is building far fewer homes than it needs.” It blames high interest rates, rising construction costs,…

The locations of seven new towns have been named for consideration by the government. Each proposed location is expected to deliver at least 10,000 homes, with several delivering 40,000 or more in the decades to come.  The proposed locations are:  Tempsford, Bedfordshire — up to 40,000 homes built around a…

There’s another blow to the government’s ambitious housing targets today. The Home Builders Federation (HBF) suggests the vast majority (70%) of small- and medium-sized home builders say that market conditions are limiting their appetite to invest in new sites. Despite the government’s changes to the planning system and clearly-stated desire…

Stuart Haire of Skipton Building Society says only one in 15 home purchases are now made by people aged under 25. The market for first-time buyers has “collapsed” over the last 30 years, but is showing signs of recovery, according to a major piece of research by the parent company…

But officials also say landlords who fail to report rent income and expenses on time over next 12 months won’t – initially – be fined for tardiness. HMRC has revealed more details about its looming Making Tax Digital (MTD) system including that some 118,000 private landlords will soon have to…

Hamptons estimates there would be 2.2 million more homes available to rent had the surcharge not be introduced a decade ago. More than two million homes have gone “missing” from the rental market after the stamp duty surcharge was introduced a decade ago, it has been revealed. Research by Hamptons…