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The Government has informed the National Landlords Association that on 1 October 2010 the Assured Shorthold Tenancy (AST) threshold will rise to £100,000. The rise will apply retrospectively.

The proposal to increase the AST threshold had been broadly welcomed as an attempt to offer greater clarity and transparency for landlords and tenants.

Rents rose 0.3% in February, according to the latest Buy-to-Let Index from LSL Property Services plc. The average rent in the UK reached £658 per month, 3.2% higher than a year ago, roughly in line with inflation.  Yields on buy-to-let property rose to 4.8%.

Landlords in southern England have made markedly superior returns than their northern counterparts over the last twelve months.

Landlords are assuming the role of surrogate mothers as new research shows tenants are making their renting decision based on the ability to offer a friendly shoulder to cry on, rather than price.

Women are more interested in traditional landlord skills such as DIY (47% versus 35% for men), but it’s men who are looking for a good listener (30% versus 20% for women), according to a survey of more than 1000 tenants carried out by the National Landlords Association (NLA).

The current boost in recruitment in the banking sector is pushing up rental demand in and around the City, highlighting the shortage of rental property. However, this will not lead to a steep rise in rents in the Capital, according to property consultants Cluttons.

Latest figures from recruiter Michael Page show that financial institutions are back on the hiring trail, with the number of vacancies now double compared to a year ago.

Home ownership has fallen to its lowest level in 20 years, according to a Government-commissioned report unveiled by the British Property Federation.

The English Housing Survey, commissioned by the Department for Communities and Local Government, found just 67.9% of English households owned their home, the lowest percentage since 1991.

Sex toys are the No1 item left behind by tenants when they move out of a property, according to a new survey by The Deposit Protection Service (DPS).

In a poll of more than 1000 landlords across the UK, sex toys were the most frequently left behind item landlords had to dispose of.

Rents increased 1.2% in February following two months of decline over the festive period and New Year, according to the FindaProperty.com Rental Index.

Long-term landlords and buy-to-let investors who have held onto their properties during the downturn will be relieved to see the fortunes of the rental market reversing, as "accidental landlords" return to the sales market. The resulting reduction in stocks is pushing up asking rents as tenants compete for the remaining properties.

The average UK asking rent now stands at £814pcm, £10 higher than last month’s low of £804pcm. However rents remain 1.9% lower than a year ago (£830pcm). The increase in rental values can largely be attributed to tightening supply, with the number of rental properties available on the market declining 3.6% in February, to the lowest level since November 2008.

The Office of Fair Trading (OFT) has secured a final High Court order against Foxtons preventing it from using certain terms concerning sales and commissions in its letting agreements with consumer landlords.

More widely, the OFT is also writing to a number of letting agents and key industry bodies drawing their attention to the Order and making clear that letting agents are expected to comply with the law as set out in this ruling. The OFT will take necessary steps to ensure compliance across the wider lettings agent industry where appropriate.

Unfair letting agent renewal fees should be scrapped, according to the National Landlords Association (NLA) as it welcomed the court order secured by the Office of Fair Trading (OFT) against Foxtons.

Following a landmark judgment last summer when the High Court ruled that the agent’s commission charges were "severely camouflaged" and represented "a 'trap' or 'timebomb' for consumers", the OFT has been pursuing a court order to protect landlords.

At last, the current government have acknowledged that they will be looking at the possibility of re-instating the choice for tenants receiving local housing allowance to have their rent paid directly to their landlords and the shadow housing minister has confirmed that, if the Conservatives are successful at the next election, they will ensure that all local housing allowance will be paid directly. 

In my opinion, this is a must.  At Landlord Action, since the rule change in April 2008, we have seen a huge increase in possession actions against tenants who have withheld rent and not passed on to the landlord.  On average we deal with 250 tenant eviction cases per month, of which around 10% are directly linked to housing benefit not being passed over by the tenant.