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Ben Reeve Lewis Friday column
[Ben Reeve Lewis regular Friday feature has been temporarily re-named - no news today, just a manifesto for world domination ... (Note that Ben's views do not necessarily reflect those of the...
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Bad landlords – three successful prosecutions
We hear a lot about the lack of prosecutions by Councils against bad landlords, so this post looks at some cases where landlords WERE prosecuted. With serious consequences for them. The cases came to...
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Landlord demands rent up front and threatens eviction
This is a worrying blog clinic query from Levi, who is a tenant I have been renting my room from my landlord for 4 weeks now (this is a pay weekly room). I have completed all of my payments, however...
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Rooms, Rogues and Renters – what its really like in London
A post from The Landlord Law Blog: Everyone should watch this horrific BBC1 documentary (while it is still on iplayer) showing what it is really like in London today if you are on a modest income and...
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The rogue landlord campaign 6 years on
A post from The Landlord Law Blog: Almost 6 years ago to the day I wrote an article that was printed in the Guardian Society Section titled “The battle against rogue landlords is flawed”, pointing up...
View ArticleASBO landlord Dickens again
My anonymous correspondent (postmark Colwyn Bay) has sent me a cutting from the Big Issue Magazine, which shows that ASBO landlord Dickens is facing yet more court appearances. He has now received a...
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Plus ca change, plus c'est la meme chose
I did my Q&A this morning, something I do every other Sunday morning, and which see I wrote about nearly a year ago on this blog. I always get far more questions than the 10 that get answered (I...
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Policing the Landlords
I have just listened to an interesting program on Radio 4 (via the listen again facility) which is on problems tenants at the lower end of the market experience. The presenter finally managed to speak...
View ArticleAgents letting property subject to a re-possession order
There is quite a lot of discussion about tenants evicted unfairly by landlords in retaliation for something that they have done, such as complain about repairs. However there is another type of unfair...
View ArticleAnother mortgagee / tenant eviction case
I have another mortgagee evicting innocent tenant case for you. Here I was consulted by the letting agent who had been contacted by the distressed tenant. She had just found out she was being evicted,...
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Landlords responsiblities for fire safety
I have been sent a press release by the Fire Brigade regarding a sucessful prosecution of a landlord who was found guilty of breaches of fire safety legislation and ordered to pay nearly £13,000 in...
View ArticleConvicted HMO landlord – doing the community a service?
This is the sort of attitude that Local Authorities have to put up with. Mr Bowden in Ipswich, who recently pleaded guilty convicted in the Magistrates Court to operating a house of multiple occupation...
View ArticleThe Dickens case
Those who have read articles here in the past about ASBO landlord Dickens will find an excellent report on the Nearly Legal site here. The post The Dickens case appeared first on The Landlord Law Blog.
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A new landlord scam
A new landlord scam has been highlighted on the Directgov web-site. Tenants answering ads on web-sites such as Gumtree, fish4 of Craig’s List are being asked to ‘prove that they have enough money’ by...
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FSA to regulate sale and rent back sector
Homeowners in distress who have sold their property to a ‘sale and rent back’ company in the belief that they will be able to live their for the rest of their lives, only be to kicked out a year...
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Possible scam with tenants' deposit money
There has been quite a bit of publicity over the last few months about agents and the unjust charges they impose on both tenants and also the landlords they represent. The CAB did a report on this...
View ArticleCanadian landlords trample on tenants human rights, says survey
A newspaper report here, describes a survey in Toronto in Canada which shows that vulnerable people are regularly being discriminated against by landlords. To quote the article: To test landlord...
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Shoddy HMOs? Don't blame the law, blame the enforcers
A recent article on the BBC news site, complains that landlords are avoiding the HMO licensing regulations by developing HMOs in buildings which do not come within the categories which require...
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4 Ways To Catch A Rental Scammer – guest blog by Dave Dugdale
I run a couple of classified rental sites in America, and while I do not live in England I know from monitoring Twitters search stream on rental scams, that America is not alone when it comes to...
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Large award for tenant in unlawful eviction case
Houses I have just read an interesting case (Hunt v. Hussesin, Epsom County Court) in the housing section of the Legal Action Magazine, which should serve as an awful warning to landlords tempted to...
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Tenants legal help – how to protect yourself against rogue landlords
An interesting article in the Cash section of the Observer today looks at the increasing tendency of tenants to check up on their landlords before signing a tenancy agreement. And quite right too! As...
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Labour MP plugs legislation hole to help tenants
As previously mentioned on this blog, tenants often get a raw deal when, unbeknown to them, their landlord has defaulted on his mortgage, putting them at risk of eviction. Tenants can be evicted with...
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HMO licensing in Cathays ward Cardiff
One of the stories which stood out for me when I looked through my various feeds and Google news headlines this morning was this one about an application for additional licensing in Cathay ward in...
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Two disrepair cases and one HSE prosecution
I have just received the excellent Legal Action Magazine, and have found three cases, which I hasten to share with you. HSE v. Hussain – Stafford Crown Court – 25 February 2009 This was a prosecution...
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Will the next 10 years be the decade of the rental?
Is the coming decade going to be the one where Britain becomes more like countries in Europe where renting is the norm? Several interesting reports online today consider this. An article in the FT...
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Two harassment and unlawful eviction damages cases
The January issues of Legal Action Magazine has two reports on harassment and unlawful eviction damages cases, which I thought might interest you. Note the massive damages in the second case! Odera v....
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Government makes new announcements on the Private Rented Sector
There has been a positive flurry of tweets and emails crossing my computer screen today, preceding and then following, the announcement from the Communities and Local Government (CLG) Dept. about their...
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Notorious Norwich landlord may go to jail after tenant suffers 80% burns
Those of us living in Norwich who work in property, all know about Mr Mike Billings. He is one of the biggest landlords in Norwich, letting mainly to the lower end of the market, with properties of...
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The Advance Payment Scan – another internet scam to watch out for
We have written on the Landlord Law Blog about scammers before. Ben Reeve has kindly drawn my attention to this article on the BBC web-site which warns of yet another internet scam, the “advance fee...
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Notorious Norwich landlord has jail term slashed after payout
Many readers have been shocked by the case of Michael Billings, the landlord who regularly flouts heath and safety regulations and who was jailed on 7 May. The sentence related to the near death of...
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Five harassment and unlawful eviction cases
The excellent housing law section in Legal Action magazine has five cases reported this month on harassment and unlawful eviction. I summarise them below. 1. Fakhari v. Newman, Woolwich County Court,...
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Tenants legal help – check the property before you sign the tenancy agreement
I advised a client recently who had an unusual problem. After signing the tenancy agreement for his rented property, he discovered there was a total stranger living in a studio flat above his garage!...
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Tenants legal help – avoiding the scammers
Landlord scammers There is a big campaign on just now by Shelter (reported by the Observer) to make people aware of the scams and deceits practiced by some landlords. It should be said first that the...
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TRO Confidential : The case of the reckless man and the criminal police
A day in the life of TRO Ben Reeve Lewis. The case of the reckless man and the criminal police Explanation: Tenancy Relations Officers (TROs) work for local council’s providing advice on landlord...
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TRO Confidential : The case of the culinary horse
A day in the life of TRO Ben Reeve Lewis. The case of the culinary horse Explanation: Tenancy Relations Officers (TROs) work for local council’s providing advice on landlord tenant law and...
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TRO Confidential : The case of the missing landlords
A day in the life of TRO Ben Reeve Lewis. The case of the missing landlords. Explanation: Tenancy Relations Officers (TROs) work for local council’s providing advice on landlord tenant law and...
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TRO Confidential : The Case of the Unintelligible man.
A day in the life of TRO Ben Reeve Lewis. The Case of the Unintelligible man Explanation: Tenancy Relations Officers (TROs) work for local council’s providing advice on landlord tenant law and...
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Tenants legal help – what to do about illegal eviction
Illegal eviction Most landlords are law abiding, and do things properly. Unfortunately, others aren’t. So while the good landlord will wait for the courts to get around to giving him his order for...
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TRO Confidential : The Case of the Shameful Admission
A day in the life of TRO Ben Reeve Lewis. The Case of the Shameful Admission Explanation: Tenancy Relations Officers (TRO) work for local council’s providing advice on landlord tenant law and...
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TRO Confidential – the case of the scheming solicitors
A day in the life of TRO Ben Reeve Lewis. Explanation: Tenancy Relations Officers (TRO) work for local council’s providing advice on landlord tenant law and investigating allegations of harassment and...
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Tenants legal help – the new Landlord Law
People often think that Landlord Law is just for landlords, but actually that is not the case. We have always had a big tenant area with information tailored to tenants needs. A new tenant membership...
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Violent landlords
In society there are always a few people who do not respect societies values or the law, and who will use violence to enforce their will. Unfortunately quite a few of these people are landlords. These...
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TRO Confidential : The case of the devious TRO
A day in the life of TRO Ben Reeve Lewis. The Case of the Devious TRO Explanation: Tenancy Relations Officers (TRO) work for local council’s providing advice on landlord tenant law and investigating...
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Tenants legal help – beware gazumping
I thought I would make this the subject of my Monday tenants feature as I have come across this twice very recently. The first time , it was the subject of one of my Q&A answers which you can see...
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Tenants in the firing line
I have received the following sad story from C, a harassed and frightened tenant, whose landlord’s son actually damaged the door frame (right) when he slammed the door shut on his way out …. 10 May...
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Ben Reeve Lewis' Friday Newsround #7
[We have a new picture of Ben today – so you can see what he really looks like under those shades. But today Ben is going into rant mode … ] Warning….fledgling UKIP zone ahead. Who said we turn into...
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Tenants in the firing line #2
Tenant A – being evicted because of his dog I received this email from tenant A the other day, and he kindly allowed me to publish it. This sort of thing does not put our country in a good light: I...
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On squatter landlords and other legal lettings
Is a tenancy illegal if the landlord does not own the property? I get asked this sometimes by tenants who get very suspicious if they do a search at the Land Registry and find that their landlord is...
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Landlords from hell on Channel four
I have just seen Jon Snow’s Dispatches program on landlords from hell and I have to say that it makes very depressing watching. Tenants forced out of properties without due process because the landlord...
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Ben Reeve Lewis' Friday Newsround #15
[Ben Reeve Lewis explains why he is against prosecution for the sake of it, and boasts a full set of teeth … ] This week’s inspiration comes from two sources. Firstly, nobody in our field of interest...
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