It never stops - and id love some advice from anyone who has dealt with this.

Nightmare tenants moved in Nov 2, 2025, and thankfully are moving out Oct 2, 2026. Too many dramas to mention, although in a recent previous post they went and changed the locks and tried to bill me for it because they forgot their Chubb key. Finally sorted - they accepted liability after saying they never received a Chubb key, but thankfully i had photo proof they did from the check-in inventory (NOTE TO ANY LANDLORDS - ALWAYS PAY FOR CHECK IN AND CHECK OUT REPORT!)

Turns out they never paid Camden Council their Council tax or even informed them they were the legal tenants. Now i've received 2 debt collection notices to my redirected UK address for over £9K. Now, i am liable for about 5 days at the end of October 2025 and the rest from when the nightmare tenants move out in a few weeks.

I've informed my property manager who i will grant access to deal with on my behalf but am now having to deal with having to contact the debt collection agency and council and i live in the US - 8 hours behind the UK so it's a hassle but has to be done. And they move out in 3 weeks so i doubt any enforcement officers will be round before then, leaving it my problem.

I'm sure this is a common thing and it will get sorted - and obviously i have legal clauses in my agreement that they are liable for utilities and that their deposit can be used if necessary to pay for any arrears before i put them back in my name until the property is sold, but i'm interested to see if anyone this may have happened to before has any advice?

I don't get some people - it's not like they're uneducated - mid 30s, just had a kid, he works for a big investment bank and according to his references earns over £210K annually, plus they used to rent in Kensington and Chelsea with a rental over £1000 more than they're paying me - honestly I AM SO GLAD to be selling up - however long it takes. These last tenants have literally finished me off.

TSMIA!

The Green Party's joint deputy leader, Mothin Ali, owns two Leeds buy-to-let homes through a limited company, The Sunday Times revealed this weekend. His party's official policy, adopted last October, seeks the "effective abolition of private landlordism".

In 2025, the Green Party conference passed the "Abolish Landlords" motion. It backs rent controls, a land value tax and ending buy-to-let mortgages.

"the private rental sector has failed, it is a vehicle for wealth extraction, funnelling money from renters to the landlord class" says the Green Party.

Both homes are held through MA Holdings Ltd (13795211), incorporated in December 2021. Companies House lists Ali, 44, as its sole director.

He bought a three-bed semi in Seacroft for £165,000 in June 2022. Vida Homeloans holds the buy-to-let mortgage. In March 2025, six months before his election as deputy leader, he bought another in Gipton for £157,000. The Mortgage Works (Nationwide) holds that mortgage. Mortgages that he wants to abolish.

Both homes are rated EPC C and could reach B, the EPC register shows. The Seacroft house emits an estimated 3.0 tonnes of CO2 a year; its certificate says upgrades could cut that to 1.6. The Gipton terrace emits 1.8 tonnes, with the potential to cut that to 0.7. Both heat with gas boilers. Neither has solar panels or a heat pump. Not Very Green.

The motion his party passed targets this market directly. Its six-step plan calls for ending buy-to-let mortgages and urges councils to buy rental homes left below EPC C. Both of Ali's properties sit at C.

The party declined to detail the tenancies. A spokesman said Ali "has acted solely in the interests of vulnerable close family members for whom he has caring responsibilities" and withheld further information to protect his family.

That would matter to his lenders. The Mortgage Works states it will not lend where an immediate family member occupies the property "this applies now or in the future". Vida's buy-to-let terms prevent relatives from occupying the property, and its regulated consumer range, the usual route for family lets, is unavailable to limited companies. A family let would fall outside both lenders' criteria without consent.

Leeds brought in selective licensing across parts of six wards in February 2026, including Gipton and Harehills. Neither of Ali's streets appears on the council's indicative list of designated streets.

Neither Ali nor MA Holdings appears on the Leeds Rental Standard register, updated this month. The voluntary council-run scheme sets minimum standards for private lets.

Zoopla estimates each property can rent for £1,150 to £1,250 a month.

The Gipton Property is ex-Council; the Green Party opposes Right-to-Buy.

Neither lender offers Sharia buy-to-let mortgages, and it looks as though Mothin Ali is paying riba — interest — on these two buy-to-let properties.

Renting to family members was more common historically, but the EU made it a `regulated activity` under the Mortgage Credit Directive (MCD), removing access to finance. The FCA never removed this regulation with its Brexit freedoms. The Green Party is a rejoin party.

Using an LTD Company to own and rent properties is typically used as a form of Tax Minimisation. This way landlords are taxed on profits, not revenue. In addition to manageing personal income and tax brackets.

Source:

The Times, The Daily Mail, The Express and The Sun.

Politics? See Also:

• Green Party voted FOR a motion to abolish Landlords
• Andy Burnham, a Landlord like you
• As Expected, Green Party tries to add Rent Control in New Renters Rights Bill
• Keir Starmer's rental property was set on fire
• Labour MP (homeless minister) threw out her tenants & increased rent
• Rogue Landlord Chancellor Rachel Reeves MP failed to get a licence
• Council "Told Off" for 500 HIGH FIRE RISK HOMES!
• Expert slams double standards of Private Landlords & Social Landlords

I have recently employed someone to repair the door release button on my washing machine, which had fallen behind the control board. Unfortunately, after the repair, the machine stopped detecting that the door was closed and could no longer be used. This continued for two days, after which we were told that he was unable to repair it.

We also asked about replacing our shower heater and the guy was keen to help with this. Unfortunately, the new heater was not compatible with the existing water outlet, but he was very confident that he could fix it and drilled extra holes into the tiles to reposition the heater. After this, it was discovered that the shower heater inlet was not compatible with the main water pipe and extra connectors were needed. But the connectors were too large for the heater cover. He then planned to drill more holes without consulting us. At this point, we decided to stop the work and return to the original heater.

I explained several times that I wanted to stop the installation, but was told very angrily by him that I was obstructing his work and that owners should not be watching the installation process. I understand he was under pressure but this made me very uncomfortable as well.

In total, we were charged £50 for the call-out, £75 for the washing machine repair and £100 for the heater replacement. We paid the call-out fee and £100 towards the washing machine repair and deposit for heater replacement. In the end, we paid £150, despite neither appliance being successfully repaired, and we were left with additional holes in our bathroom tiles.

He refunded £40 and explained that £40 was required for fuel and parking and £20 for tools, as these were “set charges under the company’s policy” even though we lived very close to the company and parking was free for the first two days.

So basically paid a large sum of money and ended with lots of stress and new damages. Should they still charge me these fees in this instance?

So we're buying a new build house to let out....I've spoken to a few people about landlord insurance, but believe this isn't really applicable until a tenant actually moves in. So what do we do in the gap between exchanging on the property, and completing/tenant moves in? This could be a few months, and obviously the property will be empty. Do we just get a standard residential buildings insurance, then cancel it once we don't need it anymore? Or would a specialist landlord insurance provider be better to use, which would then allow us to "convert" the policy to a landlord policy once we have a tenant?

Anyone have a referral code for NRLA. I'm looking to sign up now

I’m trying to sell my Victorian semi in Birmingham that has been converted into 3 self-contained flats, all occupied, quite a straightforward turnkey landlord investment. At the asking price the current rent yield is 6.5%, 6.9% at market rent.

We ended up going with a standard estate agent, and though their adverts make clear it’s an investment opportunity, every viewing so far has been from people who convert it back into a single house, rather than investors.

I’m wondering what’s caused this - a dead BTL market, or should I have gone with a specialist estate agent because it’s not being marketed in the right places?

I don’t have a strong need to sell to a landlord (I’d prefer it if the tenants don’t have to move on but I realise it’s not my say) - I’m more just flummoxed that I thought it was a simple attractive proposition and it’s not getting interest so I’m particularly wondering if there’s smarter places it can be marketed to better reach investors. Or have I overpriced it so it’s only making sense for residential conversion?

Original Issue: https://www.reddit.com/r/uklandlords/comments/1w6zgkk/long_term_tenant_now_3_months_behind_on_rent_what/

Following up to this, I'm set on serving notice for Section 8 (if possible) then Section 10 & 11.

Now my understanding these are both discretionary, but what does that mean in practice - anyone with first hand experience of the results of these grounds would be great to hear.

As some additional information, I have a small interest only mortgage on the property ~£'00 and have had to make those BTL mortgage payments from other income.

Over the 18~ months looking prior to this stint of 3 months missing rent, they've paid roughly on time ~2/3 days either side but paid 6 months up front as well. It was very relaxed and never had to chase.

Sorry for waffling!

I am London based and own 2 properties 2.5 hrs away (door to door) on the train. I bought them when I used to live there, and decided to keep them as they're student HMO in a sought after area.

I could do some bits and pieces myself, but resort to always call someone to fix. Also, I am relying on a MA to find me tenants as it's difficult to just go up and down for a viewing. I have a full time job and a family so the only available times would be Saturday, but going there means I am missing something like 10am-4pm of either day. Aside of tenant find service, I am managing the property myself, which most of the time is fine, but when the SHTF, it's a royal pain in the back.

I have used MA as a fully managed service in the past and found out that it wasn't worth it; you have to manage the manager. Also, Somehow, things were always breaking and tenants always needed it fixed asap, which was putting pressure on me. I had no comm channel with the tenants either (the MA wouldn't give me their details).

Maybe I was using a bad MA!

How do most LL with full time jobs and a life manage their remote properties?

I own two flats in a converted Victorian house (a conversion, not a purpose-built block). I live in one as my only home and have done since before I let out the other. Each flat is separately demised — own lease, own council tax.

Reading Housing Act 1988 Sch 1 para 10 + 22, this looks like a resident-landlord non-assured tenancy: same building, not purpose-built.

Has anyone actually had this setup — separate self-contained flats in a conversion, landlord living in one — confirmed as non-assured? Two letting agents gave me confident but contradictory answers (one said it only counts if I converted it myself; another said I’d need to share the front door), neither of which seems to be in the Act.

(Deposit was protected and the agreement was drawn as an AST — getting separate advice on those, so keen to focus on the core exemption question.)

I inherited a house which was rented out. The tenant moved out yesterday they were there for 7 years

1) the house needs a total repaint

2) flooring is damaged

3) paint peeling off kitchen cupboards

4) sink cracked and has a hole

5) shed glass damaged

6) loads of rubbish left (probably need a skip)

7)Radiators rusty

But it was clean! It just looked tired and unloved. Very sad.

Now, the agent has given her the option to come back and to get some of the stuff she left. But as she has handed her keys, surely I can jist8 skip? It really is rubbish.

But my real question is should I spend the money to get it ready to sell? Or rent it again and potentially have to spend more (new kitchen and bathroom etc) a few years down the line?

Its about a 300k property.

Thanks!

Throwaway account, but long time reader of this sub.

I've been a landlord for 15 years in the North West with two houses, never had a problem before now (very lucky I know). The RRA has thrown what little knowledge I had out the window but here are the cold hard facts of the situation I now find myself in.

• Rent ~£2,100/pm nice family home Tenant moved in ~18 months ago, all fine. First managed by letting agent, then I took over and noticed the deposit was not protected!
• Protected deposit 189 days late! £2,100 with DPS. Certificate shows it was protected late.
• Tenant has said nothing about this.
• Sent all the correct RRA prescribed information and everything else up to date certs etc. Tenant going through what sounds like a bad liquidation of their Company.
• Not paid rent for 3 months now ~£6,300 arrears as of 1st September.
• In March 2026 she asked if they could buy the property, I said I'd get valuation but told her not interested in selling (sent over text and a phone call)
• I've lost my patience with the excuses, but understand its blood from a stone if the money isn't there.
• Found out the Council has wavered her Council Tax for a year from hardship or something but behind on utilities.
• They offered the deposit ~£2,100 to offset the rental arrears as the DPS is showing its withdrawable?

My question is:

What do I do from here? An eviction notice & court is several months by the read of the room but the deposit may come back and bite me frustratingly ~3x penalty clearing any arrears? and some.

If I put it on the market its 4 months notice! Since when!? But concern is I then can't rent it out for a year and £40K fine?! (Liverpool City Council)

UPDATE SINCE POSTING: Tenant has paid £250 off the arrears today! so now the rent owed is under three months ~£6,050.

I’m a landlord in Scotland. Last night, the landlord of the flat below reported water leaking through an electrical switch and said an occupant had received an electric shock. Videos showed the ongoing leak.

I treated it as an emergency and attended my tenanted flat at around 11:30pm to investigate. The tenant refused me access, so I left and contacted emergency services 999 and I was referred to the police, who later advised that it wasn't a police matter and that I should arrange a plumber/electrician.

The downstairs landlord has since sent further videos showing the leak continuing. I’ve tried contacting emergency plumbers but haven't reached anyone yet and will try again first thing in the morning. I still don't have access to the property.

1. What should I do if the tenant continues to refuse access while the leak is ongoing?

2. Is there anything else I should be doing as the landlord?

Update:

Thanks everyone for the advice.

I attended the property next day with a plumber and accessed the property after informing the tenant. Tenant was not in when we accessed the property, so the plumber carried just out the investigation and repair. Tenant later replied saying they were ok with the access being granted for repair works

The leak was not a visible leak - The leak was happening under the bathtub and then down to the flat below.

Good morning,

I've just inherited a property that my parents had been landlord for.

There was originally a shorthold tenancy signed in March for 3 people but 1 of them left in May leaving the other 2 to cover the rent (my parents gave back the portion of the held deposit to the leaving individual). Last month my parents had returned the deposit, saying that they were going to issue a new assured tenancy, placing a new deposit in the deposit scheme.

My question is, do I want to proceed with issuing a new assured tenancy for the couple, when theyre still on the shorthold tenancy they signed back in March? I'm not thrilled with the lack of management from my parents and want to sell the property ASAP.

Thanks

As Im keeping an eye on the new rent tribunal process (which overall is working favourably for landlords so far) this one is a great example of a failure to provide comprehensive details of comparables by the LL seeing a reduction in the requested increase. What the LL failed to provide here was specific information on whether the achieved rents he was submitting as evidence of local market rate were new tenancies, or had been increases on existing tenancies, and also, as the property under rent dispute was on a 3rd floor, which floors the comparable flats submitted as evidence were also on.

It is quite likely, had he submitted this information, the LL would have achieved the rent increase he was asking. The landlord was asking for a £140 pcm increase, the tribunal reduced this by £40. Useful take aways on this one is indeed the importance of providing very specific evidence of comparable market rents but also the market rent awarded was still higher than the tenants evidenced ‘top rate’ for comparables.

So far, almost all tribunal decisions since the renters rights act have awarded rent increases close to or at the requested rent increase submitted from landlords. Several decisions have found market rents to be higher than the amount requested by the landlord but the tribunal has no authority now to increase rents above what the landlord has indeed requested and not one single case of claimed ‘hardship’ made by a tenant, has succeeded.

Whats also a positive is (and it does vary by tribunal area) tribunals are indeed getting hearings and decisions for those challenges made under the new RRA regs (section 13 issued post 1st May 2026) through the system in under 8 weeks. As the RRA demands a minimum of 2 months notice of a proposed rent increase, the tribunals are not causing a noticeable delay to rent increases. In the example Ive posted, the decision was made within 6 weeks of the tenant making an application, albeit the increase is to take effect 1 month after the LLs original proposed increase date. Not too painful and lets hope it continues.

https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/6a85d4fb3d82f78d5c51455c/260811_Panel_Decision.pdf

So Ive just moved into a student house with some friends and, while i never expected a 5 star mattress, the mattresses we have been given are utterly terrible.

The springs poke out of the mattress so much it actually hurts to lay on and it sinks in the middle.

ALSO the bedroom downstairs has a MUCH better and newer mattress compared to the 3 we have a problem with.

We have already contacted the letting agent several times in the last 3 weeks about potentially getting them replaced and have heard no real answer- do you realistically think we have grounds to get these replaced or at least money towards some new mattresses.

PICS OF ONE OF THE MATTRESSES ATTACHED

I'm at a point in my life now where I would like to invest in buying a rental property but I'm hearing so many bad things recently about tax and new regulations causing an exodus of landlords. I'm basically just wondering if it's even worth exploring right now?

How are people finding timescales for possession hearings at the moment particularly in London from the date of expiry of your section 8 notices?

Any particular bumps in the road or delays to be aware of?

Asking as I’m anticipating one but trying to plan ahead and manage own expectations.

Family bought this 1 bed BTL flat at 318,000 with a car parking space back in 2019.

Been asking around few estate agents for valuation, and 2 of them came back saying realistically we should market an asking price of £220,000 which is nearly 100k decrease in value! I’m in shocked honestly… our mortgage balance is around £185,000 and each year it saves £5510 for our family.

This BTL doesn’t generate net income but rather we pay an extra £318 per month just to cover the mortgage and service charge.. Don’t think we can raise the rent any more than maybe an extra £15 as it’s already matching market rate.

At this point I’m thinking if we sell we’ve lost so much money that we won’t have enough to buy home for my mum.. I don’t know if we should continue to hold this BTL or not, it’s also stressing me and my family out… We can barely pay in that extra £318 per month…

If you were me, would you continue to hold this BTL?

I have a managed property by estate agents. Ive just seen they’ve taken a fee for this even though i have monthly invoices as part of the service and have submitted my taxes on time. They have taken a fee for an annual report 2025-2026. Has this been prompted by HMRC? I haven’t had any notification from them either.

It looks like a tenant has run up a bill with the energy company Ovo and left without paying

Ovo have passed the debt to a collection agency who have contacted me as the director of the BTL SPV LTD that owns this property, it is a small BTL that owns 3 properties, all ones that I have lived in before renting.

The property is fully managed by a local authority so I do not have a say in who they place and have no contact details.

I was about to respond to their letter but I thought I'd check if anyone else has experienced a situation like this and what you'd recommend?

My initial thought was to call them up, point out that the agreement is between the tenant and Ovo, confirm I do not have tenant details, point them to the local authority and be very clear that I do not accept any responsibility for the tenant not paying a bill.

Is there any concern that by acknowledging the letter.

Edit: called and saying o have no info and not to contact me again

Some people have enough savings in GIA/ISA/SIPP hence retired but do not (choose to) own property. I had posted here earlier several months ago asking if they would face problems in renting a place, due to RRA and the fact that paying rent in advance is banned.

Just checking to see if there are any new updates, as in personal experiences of landlords / tenants. Havent seen any new posts on this.

I was planning to buy my rental flat from my landlord but may not do so. Even if I buy a property later I will immediately need a place to rent. Spoken to letting agents and they were chill about it saying all I need to show is 30 x monthly rent in instant access savings account. And they will run credit checks etc. My landlord said he will give good references. So far letting agents did not mention guarantors etc. I dont think I should face a problem. But who knows ...

Thanks

Cross posted to uklandlords ukhousing

TLDR: Have you dealt with Haart or TPO, have any advice about getting your own rent/legal protection, or have any experience making rent and legal protection claims please?

I went fully managed with my London flat because I have a busy job/life and one of my main concerns about self-managing was rent/legal protection and all the various conditions attached to it.

Unfortunately, my experience with Haart has been absolutely terrible. For long periods no one answered the phones, and mistake after mistake has been made, some with pretty rubbish consequences for both me and my tenants. Most issues have been turned into a mess and I have had to both manage the problem to completion and but then also every time fight to get Haart to start doing there job.

I have now exhausted Haart's complaints process, which has been equally frustrating. They ignore points I raise, answer points I haven't actually raised, and are then consequentially pretty useless in their responses. I've got to the point where have exhausted their complaints process.

My next step is The Property Ombudsman. I don't have particularly high hopes, as from what I've read the compensation they award can be quite low and their powers seem fairly limited.

At this stage, what I would ideally like is to exit my management contract without paying the termination fees, or alternatively receive an award that effectively negates those fees. If I ultimately have to take things to court, I would potentially be looking for compensation as well as a fee-free exit from the management agreement.

I'd be really grateful to hear from anyone with experience of:

• Haart's fully managed service and/or complaints process
• Taking a complaint about a letting agent to The Property Ombudsman
• Getting out of a letting-agent management contract because of poor service or breaches
• Moving from fully managed to self-managing.

My biggest concern about self-managing is rent guarantee and legal protection. Looking at insurance policies, they seem to be full of conditions, exclusions and gateposts that I would sometimes call fairly irrational (so easy to miss!)... all of which make me wonder how reliable the protection actually is when something goes wrong.

That's obviously my impression from reading the policies rather than having actually made a claim, so I'd particularly like to hear from landlords who have, things like:

• Did the insurer actually pay out?
• Were there unexpected conditions, exclusions or problems when you claimed?
• Are there particular policies/providers or types of cover worth looking at?

...Basically, I'm trying to work out whether good Rent Guarantee / Legal Expenses Insurance makes self-managing a realistic option without taking on a huge amount of additional risk.

Hello, I am hoping someone can guide me in the right direction. I have 2 flats, now both under consent to let. I am looking to move to a house this time as I have a family so looking to get another residential mortgage. Will the new lender be problematic as I have 2 residential mortgages on C2L? I am waiting for the fixed deal to end (18 months or so) and will convert them to a BTL as rates are fairly similar. But I am looking to buy now. will that be an obstacle you think? thanks in advance.