Another year another Landlord Law Xmas post.
Ben, Tina (my assistant who helps with the blog posts) and myself are taking a well-earned break from the blog for a few weeks.
We will be back in January. But until then – lets take a look at what we did in 2018.
January
Ben started off the year by road testing the London Landlord Database and went on to look at Housing Health and Safety proposals.
I wrote about foreign ownership and co-housing in my Housing Crisis series and suggested that tenants be careful what they wish for re section 21.
Blog clinic posts included: whether a protected tenancy has ended or not, whether a tenant can be evicted because he is untidy, and selling a property with a sitting tenant,
See all the January posts here.
February
Ben looks at enforcing legislation against letting agents in London, renting laws in other countries and considers a landmark ruling in the Proceeds of Crime Act,
I look at custom build, community land trusts and land values in the Housing Crisis series and discuss the service of critical documents.
Blog clinic posts included: whether agents can refuse to give their landlord a copy of the inventory and whether next of kin are liable for costs re a deceased person’s tenancy.
See all this months posts here.
March
I ask whether landlords who refuse to consider tenants on benefit are acting illegally, discuss the new GDPR rules and give a plan of action, and discuss the solicitor’s rules and whether they should be allowed to work in non regulated firms.
Ben looks at the Homelessness Reduction Act 2017 in practice.
Blog clinic posts included: a resident landlords rights against their lodger, if there is a deadline for claiming deposit money never returned to the tenant, recovering your possessions after being evicted on 24 hours notice, and look at the rules for live-in landlords.
See all this months posts here.
April
Ben writes a powerful piece on how the police collude with landlords who illegally evict tenants, and goes on to look at the PRS and people trafficking and the language of law.
I discuss our regular Conference venue, look at what Property Redress Schemes are, discuss dealing with devious tenants and report on the ARLA Conference 2018.
Blog clinic posts included: how tenants who have been given notice can be made to leave, whether tenants can be charged extra rent if they leave the property in a dirty condition, and why protecting deposits in a savings account is not enough.
See all this months posts here.
May
I look at six things your letting agent may not be telling you, give some more guidance on GDPR, publish some pictures from our 2018 Conference and revisit my Foundations of Landlord & Tenant law series.
Ben writes about the Select Committee Report on the PRS.
Blog clinic posts included: dealing with tenants fire hazards in an HMO, whether a landlord can ask the tenant to leave after subletting on Airbnb without permission, and whether tenants can get back from their landlords deposit money paid to another tenant.
See all this months posts here.
June
I publish an interview I did with Ben and an interview with Peter Marcus, both done at our Conference.
On my Foundations series, I ask where law gets its authority from, look at the top six problems with landlords insurance claims
Ben considers the new HMO rules, the Rent to Rent challenge in the Courts, and the validity of signatures under the Companies Act. He also starts his series on criminal landlords with a post on how tenants are a harvest for them to crop.
Blog clinic posts included: whether a tenant can sue a landlord for not giving the How to Rent booklet, what you can do if your tenants are illegally subletting on Airbnb, and whether you can use section 21 to evict a licensee.
See all this months posts here.
July
I ask whether letting agents owe a duty of care to tenants and publish a ‘Westminster Briefing‘ video with Sean Hooker of the PRS.
Ben explains why with criminal landlords it is all about the money, and how they use dodgy contracts and misdirection.
In my Foundations series, I look at the six most important elements of a tenancy or lease, and common law and statute.
Blog clinic posts included: whether it is legal for landlords to ask prospective tenants for their bank statements, whether tenants have to pay high water bills caused by leaky pipes, and whether tenants get special rights if they stay a long time.
See all this months posts here.
August
Ben looks at lessons to be learned from a Nottingham prosecution, has some tales from the trenches, and finishes his criminal landlords series with a look at how Local Authorities are tackling the problems.
Both David Smith and Ben do posts on the Gaskin case and its implications for Councils.
I give ten top tips for landlords on evicting tenants, explain the Housing Act 1988 in my Foundations series
Blog clinic posts included: whether tenants can tell agents not to take photos during inspections and whether tenants who have moved out early should pay rent if the landlord then renovates the property.
See all this months posts here.
September
I discuss the case of Gill v. Kassam and why you need to be careful who you use to evict your tenants and ask whether landlords are ready for the new HMO laws and the new mandatory HMO bedroom sizes. I also start a new series on finding legal answers.
Ben looks at the new Rugg Report on the PRS, and considers housing MOTs.
Blog clinic posts included: whether a landlord can withhold money from the tenants bond for loss of rent, whether a landlord can seize a van for unpaid rent, and whether tenancy agreements should specify the liability for pests.
See all this months posts here.
October
I report on the new section 21 rules which apply to older tenancies now, another case where a Judge finds for a landlord against his letting agents, and speculate about the real reason why landlords don’t let to benefit tenants.
Ben looks at tensions between different local authority departments and the problems these cause, looks at the reality of dealing with today’s criminal landlords and has a relaxing thought for the day.
Blog clinic posts included: what landlords are entitled to deduct from tenants deposits, who is liable for the cost of damage done by a tenant’s guest, and section 21 notices and the How to Rent guide.
See all this months posts here.
November
Robin Stewart of Anthony Gold writes about whether Let Only agents are responsible for HMO licensing.
Ben looks at how repayment orders work, and when a landlord is not a landlord
Blog clinic posts included: the prospects of the ruling in the Caridon Property case being changed, who is responsible for enforcing parking restrictions, and whether a tenant can be evicted in two weeks if he has no tenancy agreement.
See all this months posts here.
December
A short month.
Ben looks at the Goremsandu case and the problem of enforcement and writes a plea to Mr Chope MP on the Sublet Property (Offences) Bill.
I tell everyone about the new Landlord Law website which has now gone live.
Blog clinic posts included: a landlord asking for clarity on who is responsible for cleaning chimneys, whether a tenancy agreement is null and void if the landlord’s name is wrong and whether a tenant can end a tenancy if furniture shown in adverts is not provided.
See all this months posts here.
And finally
So that is it! A lot of posts summarised in one post. I hope you have enjoyed reading them over the year.
Big, BIG thanks to Ben and Tina who have helped me keep the blog going this year, which has been particularly difficult for me as I have also been developing the new Landlord Law service.
The blog will now close for a couple of weeks but we will be back with you in early January.
Have a good Christmas and New Year in the meantime.
