My wife and I have five rental flats in South London, zone 3/4. Each are worth approximately £300,000 (£280,000 to £350,000), and we charge £1,500 to £1,650 pcm. Our three outstanding mortgages were £145,000 and we had £105,000 invested in stocks and shares ISAs. We invest mainly in low cost tracker funds such as Fidelity […]

Labour peers will be forced to sit late into Wednesday night to push the Renters’ Rights Bill through the committee stage, according to The Telegraph. The final two committee stage debates are scheduled for this week, with one taking place today (Monday 12 May) and the other on Wednesday. The Conservative Party has criticised Labour […]

While London lays claim to the highest average rent being paid by tenants, it isn’t home to the priciest rental postcode, research reveals. That accolade goes to Buckinghamshire’s HP9 postcode where tenants face an average monthly rent of £5,920. According to a study by Cohab, a property management platform, this figure dwarfs the South East’s […]

The UK’s private rented sector is undergoing a major transformation with landlords increasingly adopting professional strategies and using limited companies, researchers say. According to Foundation Home Loans, there has been a big rise in limited company ownership, diversification into specialist properties and robust profitability despite regulatory challenges. Its Q1 2025 Landlord Trends study reveals that […]

Local Councils use Selective Licensing to make money, and Landlords are forced to pay when Councils find a reason to license an area. I have two concerns over this: Number one, the law allows them to use antisocial behaviour in the private sector as a reason for licensing. Where would Councils get that information from, […]

Hi all, I am in a very complicated situation where I have a tenant at my property, not paying rent for 10 years. The estate agency that put the tenant in went under administration. They did try the S21 route with no luck, as he kept on causing damage to all repairs that were carried […]

Properties in the South East of the UK face the steepest hurdles to sale, while Scotland emerges as the smoothest market for sellers, research reveals. According to TwentyCi’s latest Property & Homemover Report covering April 2024 to March 2025, the regional disparities show how easy or difficult it is to sell homes. It has evaluated […]

The average amount tenants owe landlords in unpaid rent has rocketed to £2,237 in the first quarter of 2025, a 23% jump from £1,818 the previous year, research reveals. According to deposit alternative provider Reposit, this figure reflects a 56% increase since Q1 2023, underscoring the financial strain facing the PRS. High interest rates and […]

Landlords are increasingly turning their attention to Northern areas, and if current trends continue, by 2033, most buy to let purchases will be in the Midlands and North, Hamptons says. The North offers more affordable properties, and better returns are offsetting the burden of higher stamp duty and mortgage rates. Hamptons says that in the […]

Building on green belt land will fix the housing crisis in the capital, claims London Mayor Sadiq Khan. London Mayor Sadiq Khan has announced a public consultation on plans to build more affordable homes, including on selected areas of green belt land. Generation Rent has welcomed the proposals, saying they “will help protect Londoners from […]

Landlords across England and Wales struggling to get their properties back because of months of delays and a ‘postcode lottery’ in the County Court system are being urged to enforce their judgments through the High Court. Landlords across England and Wales currently face significant delays in evicting problem tenants and reclaiming their properties caused by […]

A few weeks ago, I warned that the private rented sector (PRS) faces a far graver threat from the government’s Energy Performance Certificate (EPC) mandates than from the much-debated Renters’ Rights Bill. Now, two heavyweight voices – UK Finance and Paragon Bank – have echoed my fears, sounding the alarm on Labour’s reckless push to […]

Several UK specialist lenders have introduced innovative products to address the evolving needs of professional landlords and property investors, offering greater flexibility and competitive pricing. Hampshire Trust Bank (HTB) has rolled out Portfolio Edge, a structured lending solution designed for brokers helping landlords with complex portfolios. This product merges a two-year fixed-rate term mortgage at […]

I had a property which burnt down in a fire 4 years ago, and was a landlady to a lovely tenant whom I took on via the local council rent guarantee scheme. The insurance has paid for the alternative accommodation for the last 4 years. However, as the property is nearing completion in July (hopefully), […]

The government should abandon the 2028 deadline for all new tenancies to meet EPC C targets, claims UK Finance. In response to a government consultation on improving minimum energy efficiency standards in the private rented sector, UK Finance argues the 2028 deadline could have severe consequences for the supply of rental properties. The government has […]

The Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan, has announced a new coalition aimed at ending London’s cladding crisis. The Joint Remediation Partnership Board, which includes members of City Hall, the government, local councils, the London Fire Brigade and regulatory bodies, will work on a plan to accelerate the removal of unsafe cladding from residential buildings over […]

There has been a robust upswing in buyer activity across England over the past year with nearly every county witnessing more potential homeowners, research reveals. The study by estate agency Benham and Reeves reveals the growth is down to improved market confidence and better mortgage accessibility. The analysis, which examined property sale listings, focused on […]

An amendment in the Scottish Housing Bill to allow rent controls for purpose-built student accommodation will have a “chilling effect” on investment, claims an industry body. Under the Scottish Housing Bill, local authorities would be required to assess local rents and recommend to MSPs whether rent controls should apply in their area. However, the Scottish […]

I have a difficult tenant who is refusing access for maintenance to the flat. I have a good relationship with him, but it’s the freeholder who wants access, and the tenant won’t let them in because he’s unhappy with their building firm. In my experience, the builders are just doing what most builders do — […]

As widely predicted, and not this time following the US Federal Reserve, the Bank of England’s Monetary Policy Committee (MPC) voted 5-4 to reduce the Bank Base Rate by 0.25% to a total rate of 4.25%. Although it looked like a close vote, two MPC members wanted to reduce the rate by 0.5% points, and […]

The UK’s house prices edged up by 0.3% in April, reversing a 0.5% dip from March, bringing the average property value to £297,781, according to Halifax. This marks an increase of nearly £900, with the annual growth rate climbing to 3.2%, the highest this year. Northern Ireland, Wales and Scotland led the UK in annual […]