Changes to how the Local Housing Allowance operates have been urged by the National Landlords Association (NLA).

The organisation, which represents the interests of people letting out their properties, said that the payment system is causing problems for landlords.

Landlords have been advised to check whether their tenancy deposits are being managed correctly.

The call came from rent collection firm Landlord Assist in response to news of cases of homeowners having to pay back deposits they are not required to.

Home repossessions in Britain next year will not be as bad as feared, the Council of Mortgage Lenders (CML) has said.

Bernard Clarke, a spokesman for the organisation, which represents the interests of mortgage providers in the UK, said that low interest rates have boosted borrowing for home purchases.

Residential landlords could be seeing tenants vacate their properties to get away from neighbours, new research has suggested.

A recent survey by Abbey Mortgages revealed that 95,200 people have moved home in the last two years to get away from their neighbours.

The Financial Services Authority (FSA) should oversee regulation of property investments as a whole and not just the buy-to-let sector, Assetz has said.

This would ensure risks to investors were adequately disclosed and would prevent mortgage mis-selling, the property specialist claimed.

Homeowners, including buy-to-let landlords, could pay off their mortgages earlier than expected by taking advantage of low interest rates, according to the Council of Mortgage Lenders (CML).

The comment follows the publication of a survey by Co-operative Banking, which revealed that the number of people making overpayments on their home loans has increased by 56 per cent on last year.

Eco-conscious landlords who kit out their properties with environmentally-friendly household appliances may have been misled by manufacturers' claims, a new report has suggested.

Some of the biggest-selling products may not be performing in accordance with standards claimed by the manufacturer, according to a new study by the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs.

An extension to stamp duty relief would be nothing more than a "sticking plaster" on the underlying problems of the housing market, it has been claimed.

PricedOut.org.uk, the national campaign for affordable house prices, has said extending the tax holiday would be a short term measure and the government must do more to stimulate house prices.

Residential landlords could see void periods drop, with available properties reaching a wider audience, if online search engine Google launches a UK property portal.

The firm is in talks to launch the service early next year, according to media reports yesterday (December 3rd).

A group of Labour backbenchers has called on the government to extend the current stamp duty holiday beyond December 31st.

An Early Day Motion was raised by MP Lindsay Hoyle yesterday (December 2nd), urging the government to extend the exemption increase "in order to stimulate the housing market further and to help the economy grow in 2010".

Residential landlords are set to benefit from improved rents as more "accidental landlords" take advantage of house prices and leave the lettings market, it has been suggested.

The number of rental properties on the market has decreased for the first time since January 2008, according to the latest quarterly survey by the Royal Institute of Chartered Surveyors (RICS).

A "healthy" demand for properties in London's West End has seen one landlord turn over a significant profit despite the tough economic climate.

Shaftesbury, which operates a portfolio of residential, commercial and office lets in the Carnaby Street, Chinatown and Covent Garden areas, has posted an adjusted before tax profit of £21.3 million for the year to September 30th.

First-time buyers should be wary of the fees associated with short-term mortgage deals, one expert has claimed.

Although short-term deals can enable people to take the first step on the property ladder, they can be difficult for people to understand, according to Helen Adams, managing director of first-time buyer specialists Firstrungnow.com.

The government is "out of touch" with the rented sector, the Residential Landlords Association (RLA) has claimed.

RLA chairman Alan Ward highlighted the recent decision to treat holiday lets as unearned income as a clear example of the government's misunderstanding of the sector.