HM Revenue & Customs (HMRC) has denied that private landlords are being targeted with new tax measures.

The group has issued a statement insisting that a crackdown on landlords is not happening and is not being planned.

This follows the issue of approximately 500 letters to landlords and agents in recent weeks, which have requested information concerning income declared on returns.

Landlords have been urged to maximise the rental potential of their properties but making minor adjustments.

ServiceMaster has called for homes to be spruced up this summer in order to gain an edge over the competition and secure new tenants.

Being a landlord is not a simple job and people need to be dedicated and professional in order to do it well.

That is the view of the Residential Landlords Association (RLA), which has called for landlords to make sure they know all of the possibilities when getting into the rented property sector.

There are still likely to be many people looking to rent out homes once the housing market fully recovers, as it is still difficult to get onto the property ladder.

The Council of Mortgage Lenders (CML) has indicated that decreasing house prices will not necessarily result in a surge in homes being bought.

Tenants that can be relied on by landlords are worth keeping - even if the rent they are willing to pay is slightly less than other people.

That is the view of Marc Lockley, who suggested that receiving payments on time and in full is more valuable to landlords than charging more rent but being fraught with problems.

People renting property for the first time have been given advice by a government-approved tenancy deposit protection service.

According to mydeposits.co.uk, people entering the rental market need to know the rules in advance regarding privacy, money and deposits.

People investing in the buy-to-let sector have been warned to make sure they know the risks of purchasing property.

The Times has suggested that many people are attracted to the sector, but do not end up making profits due to mismanagement and other factors.

Landlords who are looking to sell one or more of their properties have been reminded of the importance of Home Information Packs (Hips).

The documents are required for all houses that are put on the market in England and Wales.

However, the price of Hips can vary widely depending on where they are bought, new research from Which? Money has found.

There has been an increase in the amount of activity happening in the buy-to-let sector, experts have claimed.

A new study from Connells Survey & Valuation has found that both buying and selling of rented properties is on the up.

Earlier this year, just one in 14 investors in the UK were moving into the buy-to-let market, but this figure rose to one in ten last month.

The buy-to-let sector has undergone a dramatic change in the past two years, which has been underpinned by the financial crisis.

That is according to the Residential Landlords Association (RLA), which has expressed the opinion that alterations to the UK's banks have had a massive impact upon buy-to-let investors.

An event has been organised to provide information and assistance to landlords in Gloucestershire.

The free conference, titled the Gloucestershire Landlord Expo 2009, will be held on September 16th at Gloucester Rugby Club.

There will be a whole host of activities to get involved in and seminars to attend, as well as a wide range of exhibitors.

Loft insulation could represent a good investment opportunity for landlords, experts have indicated.

According to the National Home Improvement Council (NHIC), improving properties without extending them can add value to houses.

This could result in landlords being able to charge higher rent prices to tenants, as the quality of their living circumstances improves.

The number of delinquencies on buy-to-let mortgages in the UK dropped in the second quarter of 2009, new data has shown.

Research from Standard & Poor's (S&P) has found that the amount of delinquencies in the sector declined for the first time in two years.

Landlords need to make sure that they declare any structural changes to their insurers.

The National Home Improvement Council (NHIC) has called for property investors to make alterations to their homes known as these can affect landlord insurance policies.

The government has been called upon to intervene in order to stop house prices from increasing to unpractical levels.

PricedOut.org.uk has suggested that home values will become more reasonable over the next few months.

However, the affordable property campaign website indicated that action must be taken to "prevent a future boom in house prices".

A manifesto for the private rented sector has been issued by the Residential Landlords Association (RLA).

The organisation has produced a document outlining its views on how to improve the sector for all parties.

Included in the manifesto are claims that a larger private rented sector would benefit the national economy in the long run.

Fewer landlords had possession claims issued against their properties in the second quarter of 2009, compared to the first three months of the year, new data has shown.

Research from the Ministry of Justice found that there were 34,421 landlord possession claims from the start of April to the end of June in the UK.

Landlords in the centre of London face a summer of "tough negotiations" to secure deals with new tenants, according to a report.

The latest Knight Frank Prime London Investment Index found that residential rents in the capital have dropped by 1.9 per cent in the three months to June.

There needs to be a 'rational approach' taken by landlords to any recovery in the buy-to-let sector, experts have stated.

The Residential Landlords Association (RLA) has indicated that there are still many opportunities for shrewd landlords in the sector.

A new guide has been launched by the Land Registry to provide assistance for landlords and other property owners.

The publication will focus on what to do where deeds lodged for registration need to be altered or corrected.

There is practical advice on the steps that need to be taken to complete this process, which may come up due to a clerical error or a change of plan.

Properties in seaside towns could prove to be good investments for landlords, according to new research.

A study from Halifax found that homes located near the sea are most affordable in the north of England.

However, seaside resorts are still more expensive to buy houses in than most inland areas of the UK.