Articles by James Wood

Are more landlords selling up? Evidence from the courts

The question of whether landlords are exiting the market is a contentious issue even for official statistics. Here the NRLA's head of policy James Woods takes deep dive into the data – and looks north of the border to examine the impact of legislation change on the number of landlords selling up.

Does your local authority tell tenants to wait for a bailiff? An update

Since the NRLA raised the issue of councils telling tenants to wait for the bailiffs when served with a Section 21 notice, we have been inundated with member stories. We have now submitted a list of local authorities to Government.

The long read: What might Labour's version of rental reform look like?

With speculation rife that a general election will happen in May, many will be wondering what will happen to the Renters (Reform) Bill should Labour come to power. Here NRLA policy manager James Wood takes a deep dive to examine what we could expect to see.

Does your local authority tell tenants to wait for the bailiff?

Renters Reform: NRLA pushing for vital amendments to notice periods

Challenging proposals to allow tenants to give notice as soon as they take on a new tenancy will be a key part of the NRLA’s ongoing rental reform campaign. Under the current plans tenants will be allowed to give two months’ notice at any point during the tenancy, meaning tenants could sign an agreement then immediately give notice – a practice some landlords fear could turn the PRS into ‘Airbnb-lite’. NRLA Head of Policy James Wood takes a look at this and other amendments the NRLA is campaigning for.

Important update in Wales: Occupation contracts

Landlords in Wales need to update their occupation contract templates, after the Welsh Government amended the documents this week. The change was made on Wednesday (December 6) when the Welsh Government amended the explanatory information part of the contract. NRLA Head of Policy James Wood explains what you need to know.

Trading standards publishes new guidance on property listings

This week, Trading Standards published new guidance for letting agents on the ‘material information’ that should be contained in property listings. The new guidance expands on the guidance for Part A material information published last year by adding Parts B (information for all properties) and C (information that may be relevant). Our Head of Policy James Wood explains what you need to know.

December deadline for HMO council tax changes

New legislation regarding council tax and HMO properties will come into force in England next week, putting an end to the practice of disaggregating houses in multiple occupation and clarifying who is responsible for council tax.

New amendments proposed to the Renter’s Reform Bill

This week the Renters (Reform) Bill reached the Committee stage, and a number of proposed amendments to the Bill have been tabled. NRLA Head of Policy James Wood explains more about the proposed amendments, and the further amendments the NRLA would like to see in order to secure landlord confidence.

NRLA Deep Dive: Court reform and possession: where are we at?

The subject of court reform has been getting a lot of attention lately after the Government’s announcement that it would not proceed with the abolition of section 21, until reforms to the justice system are in place. However, it has understandably raised concerns that it is kicking reforms into the long grass. Here policy manager James Wood takes a deep dive into the issue.