Landlords who fail to tell HM Revenue and Customs about all their rental income are being offered the chance to come forward and put their tax affairs straight – before HMRC comes to them. The new Let property campaign will run for at least 18 months, says HMRC, but it appears that time could run out for some landlords...

A new ratings system is to be launched for private rental properties across the UK. The firm behind it say it will help to self-regulate the sector and could be used by local councils as an alternative to licensing. ‘Rental Ratings’ will work like the current one to five star rating system for hotels, enabling tenants to see the...

UK Planning Minister Nick Boles has launched a new national online planning guidance resource for public testing and comment as part of the drive to simplify the planning process. The existing technical guidance, often complex and repetitive, is catalogued in 230 separate documents and at 7,000 pages is almost impossible for residents and businesses to use effectively. Boles said...

The number of tenant evictions from rental properties has reached its highest level for five years, according to leading legal information provider Sweet & Maxwell. It says that landlord repossessions have risen by 9% over the last year, from 33,199 in 2011/12 to 36,177 in 2012/13. This type of repossession order, obtained through county courts, is mainly used by...

The percentage of people renting in London has gone up from 18% to 25% in the last two years, new research has revealed. The data illustrates that rental costs in the capital as a percentage of household income rose from 21% in 2001/02 to 27% in 2010/11 – not to mention the upfront costs involved in renting. The rise...