Landlords Questions

Welcome to the Landlord Questions archive. Here you will find real questions submitted by UK landlords, with clear answers provided by the Property118 community and editorial team. The archive covers tenancy management, buy-to-let finance, property tax, compliance, and succession planning. Each entry reflects real-world scenarios faced by landlords, along with practical guidance and case studies that can help you make better decisions.

Plug-in solar panels outside a Nottingham landlord’s property beside an EPC C sign.

Can plug-in solar panels improve a landlord’s EPC rating?

Author: Readers Question

28th August 2026, 4 days ago | 11

Hello all. I am a landlord with many properties in Nottingham. I am going through the process of getting the...

Question mark beside HMO property marketing materials and a for sale sign, illustrating decisions around selling HMO portfolios.

What should I do with my soon-to-be vacant HMO?

Author: Readers Question

28th August 2026, 5 days ago | 3

Hi, I will have a 5 room HMO fully vacant in September. I have a few choices. I do not...

Broken chain and question mark beside a rental property and guaranteed rent agency sign

Has Anyone Had Problems with Rent to Rent?

Author: Readers Question

28th August 2026, 5 days ago | 2

I would be interested in hearing from any landlords who currently have, or have previously had, properties leased under guaranteed...

Portuguese flag, house and keys illustrating proposed rental reforms amid Portugal’s housing crisis

How Portugal is encouraging landlords to become landlords?

Author: Readers Question

26th August 2026, 7 days ago | 2

Hello, Portugal also has a housing crisis, apparently the stats. say on average people are paying 82% of their incomes...

HMRC Making Tax Digital exemption shield representing a successful appeal for exemption

Being assertive with HMRC about MTD exemption?

Author: Readers Question

25th August 2026, 1 week ago | 10

Hi everyone, After my first request to be exempt from MTD (Making Tax Digital) was denied, I was irked and...

BTL property screening for price, finance and risk before deciding whether a viewing is worthwhile

Which checks cause other landlords to reject a deal before viewing?

Author: Readers Question

19th August 2026, 2 weeks ago | 0

My bottleneck is deciding which BTL listings justify a viewing, especially when agents push for appointments before the numbers are...

£7,000 housing disrepair fines and Renters' Rights Act highlighted alongside rental property in England

Why the outrageous increases in landlord fines misses the mark?

Author: Readers Question

18th August 2026, 2 weeks ago | 7

Like many other Renters’ Rights Act policies being introduced, the increase in fines appears to be based on populist belief...

Tenant reporting a change in circumstances for Universal Credit on a laptop

Universal Credit refuses emailed paperwork over missing signature?

Author: Readers Question

17th August 2026, 2 weeks ago | 9

Hi, My long-standing tenant has recently applied for Universal Credit and we have run into a problem over the tenancy...

Broken chain and question mark beside a rental property and guaranteed rent agency sign

Best strategy for getting property back from guaranteed rent agency?

Author: Readers Question

11th August 2026, 3 weeks ago | 6

Hi, I’m an accidental landlord hoping for some advice from more experienced landlords, thank you in advance. We have had...

Question mark with rental house, keys, contract and calendar representing a commercial tenancy dispute over unpaid rent

Can a landlord end a commercial care company lease?

Author: Readers Question

4th August 2026, 4 weeks ago | 2

Hello, I rent a house commercially to a private care company under the government-run SEND (Special Educational Needs and Disabilities)...

Failed hot water tank with a no hot water symbol, piggy bank and question mark representing tenant compensation after prolonged hot water loss.

Should tenants receive compensation for delayed hot water repair?

Author: Readers Question

31st July 2026, 1 month ago | 12

Hi, I have two tenants in an all-electric property, and both elements in the hot tank failed. The thermal reset...

House model with falling price arrow, keys and a question mark illustrating uncertainty in London's property market.

Is everything Property118 predicted about the Renters’ Rights Act now happening?

Author: Readers Question

31st July 2026, 1 month ago | 7

Hi, rents in Dalston in London have gone through the roof, according to my agent. The market is flooded, flat...

APTs - Insurance and legal cover questions?

APTs – Insurance and legal cover questions?

Author: Readers Question

31st July 2026, 1 month ago | 4

I am just coming up to building insurance renewal and fairly happy to stick with the current broker and insurer....

Water dripping from a ceiling fire sprinkler head with surrounding water stains, illustrating a suspected sprinkler leak in a leasehold flat.

Fire safety equipment – who is responsible? The tenant or managing agent?

Author: Readers Question

29th July 2026, 1 month ago | 7

Hi, I have a suspected sprinkler slow drip leak in my leasehold flat ceiling. The property developers checked and don’t...

Fire risk assessment warning showing detached smoke alarm, fire extinguisher and communal hallway in a converted two-flat property.

Issues with my fire risk assessor?

Author: Readers Question

16th July 2026, 2 months ago | 3

Hello, I commissioned a London-based fire risk assessor to undertake an assessment of the communal area of my terraced property...

Flat entrance fire door with inspection checklist highlighting common FD30 compliance issues after a fire door survey.

Fire door survey, how reliable are they?

Author: Readers Question

15th July 2026, 2 months ago | 40

Hello, I am looking for advice on how to proceed regarding my flat’s main fire door. Our managing agent recently...

Paper fish representing UK housing legislation consuming smaller regulations, illustrating unintended consequences of tenant law reform.

Survival of the fittest?

Author: Readers Question

14th July 2026, 2 months ago | 10

We have seen tenant bodies jumping up and down, demanding, lobbying and creating over grievances with landlords. They have achieved...

The government claim Making Tax Digital works “well for those who need it”, despite ongoing criticism over the scheme. The controversial scheme came into force in April this year, with landlords earning more than £50,000 required to keep digital records and submit quarterly updates to HMRC using authorised MTD-compliant software. Landlords earning between £30,000 and £50,000 will join the scheme in April 2027. Can apply for an exemption In a written parliamentary question, Liberal Democrat MP James MacCleary asked: “what assessment has the government made of the potential impact of Making Tax Digital on those over-70?” In response, Labour MP Dan Tomlinson said: “The government has worked with taxpayers, representative bodies and software developers to ensure Making Tax Digital (MTD) for Income Tax works well for those who need to use it. “The government has worked with the software industry to ensure a wide range of options are available to suit different needs and budgets, including low-cost and free software, supporting those with the simplest affairs. Many products are designed for users who manage their own tax affairs or those new to digital tools. “Where a taxpayer cannot use MTD for Income Tax, for example due to age or disability, they can apply for exemption from the MTD requirements.” No advantage to Making Tax Digital As previously reported by Property118, despite the government claiming Making Tax Digital will help landlords, an accountant says this is not the case. Simon Misiewicz previously told Property118: “There’s no real benefit beyond maybe streamlining some of the work you already do, does it help with tax returns and submissions? The truth is, I can’t see how. “There’s no advantage for the individual in submitting quarterly returns, because HMRC doesn’t do anything with them until the end of the year. You don’t pay your taxes any earlier, and there is no real cash-flow benefit for the government”. The government admitted in the Making Tax Digital impact assessment that landlords earning £50,000 could incur an average transitional cost of £285 and an average annual additional cost of £115.

It’s me again getting in a state about MTD?

Author: Readers Question

10th July 2026, 2 months ago | 36

I’ve been thrown into a flat spin once again after reading that those poor sods who are already caught up...