RLA E-News | Civil penalties | Tax…

Civil penalties for landlords
Landlords can be issued with civil penalty notices for housing beaches as of April 6^th, the government has now confirmed.Local authorities can implement fines of up to £30,000 for a range of offences under the Housing Act 2004, including failing to comply with an improvement notice served by the council, and breaches of HMO licensing, HMO management, selective licensing and overcrowding rules.
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MP told tax changes will devastate communities
New tax changes will force landlords to quit the market and send rents rocketing, an MP has been warned.MP Dame Rosie Winterton visited Doncaster estate and letting agent Galley Properties, where director Teresa Galley and RLA vice chair Chris Town outlined the problems facing the private rented sector and what the government should do to help.
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Rent a room review hidden in small print
The government will review the way rent a room relief operates – in what appears to be a bid to tackle the rise of short term lettings.People renting out rooms in their homes to lodgers can currently earn £7,500 tax free under the scheme. However people offering short term lets through sites such as Airbnb can also take advantage of the relief.
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Government limiting access to PRS

Vulnerable tenants are finding it harder to access rented housing because of tax changes being introduced by the Government.

New figures from the Royal Institute of Chartered Surveyors indicate private sector rents will increase by more than 20 per cent over the next five years.

The predictions come just weeks before changes are introduced that will mean landlords are taxed on their turnover rather than profit.
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Rochdale to renew failed licensing scheme

A failed licensing scheme in Rochdale is set to be renewed, despite warnings from the Residential Landlords Association that it isn’t cracking down on the crooks.

Rochdale Council operated the additional licensing scheme for houses in multiple occupation (HMOs) for 10 years. It has now lapsed, but although the local authority admits the scheme wasn’t working and it wants to bring it back.
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