Landlords who own leasehold flats have until 11.59 pm on 23 September 2026 to influence the rates that may determine how much they pay to extend their leases, buy their freeholds or remove ground-rent liabilities under the Government’s new valuation system. The Government consultation on leasehold enfranchisement valuation rates runs to 39 questions and quickly […]

Despite Prime Minister Andy Burnham saying rent controls were being considered for England’s landlords, the new Housing Secretary Angela Rayner says a rent freeze will not be brought in. Speaking on BBC Breakfast, she said the idea was not being pursued amid concerns that the measures could damage the private rented sector. She said: “I […]

Manchester has seen stronger house price growth, following Andy Burnham becoming Prime Minister. Data by Benham and Reeves, using the government’s UK House Price Index, compares London Mayor Sadiq Khan and former Manchester Mayor Andy Burnham’s average house price movements, residential sales volumes and new housing completions. The news comes as the Office for National […]

Almost every landlord has changed the way they operate following the recent Renters’ Rights Act reforms, while more than a third are considering leaving the sector altogether, according to Aviva. Its research found that 94% of landlords had altered their business practices with changes ranging from spending on properties to rewriting agreements and reviewing entire […]

Landlords with qualifying income above £50,000 have nearly two weeks to submit their first Making Tax Digital (MTD) quarterly update. HM Revenue and Customs says more than 864,000 landlords and sole traders are within the scope of the new digital tax requirement. The first filing deadline falls on 7 August 2026. The update must include […]

News of landlords facing longer possession delays and tougher council enforcement during the second half of 2026 has left many wondering whether now is finally the time to leave the private rented sector. Since Section 21 was abolished on 1 May 2026, there has been a huge increase in the number of landlords searching for […]

A press release landed in my inbox suggesting that a £42,500 prosecution in County Durham demonstrated why landlords should check their properties regularly for signs of pests. That may be one lesson from the case, but it overlooks a much more uncomfortable question for landlords and letting agents. When adult tenants create or choose to […]

The government claims the Breathing Space Scheme offers several safeguards to help landlords. Introduced during the COVID pandemic, the standard scheme offers tenants protection from enforcement action, including eviction, for up to 60 days. The Mental Health Breathing Space Scheme extends protection for tenants receiving mental health crisis treatment, plus an additional 30 days after […]

The political carousel has spun once again to bring Angela Rayner back into government running England’s housing brief. That’s just 10 months after resigning as Housing Secretary for underpaying £40,000 in stamp duty on her own flat, a breach of the ministerial code she was found to have committed ‘despite acting in good faith’, she […]

Labour’s mayoral candidate for Greater Manchester has pledged to introduce rent controls and strengthen the city’s Good Landlord Charter. Under Labour’s manifesto, the party has also promised to limit the number of HMOs and build 50,000 affordable homes by 2039. Manchester’s mayoral election will take place on 30 July, with Bev Craig, the current leader […]

Property investors have good reason to watch leasehold reform closely. Much of the public debate is framed around homeowners, but leasehold is also an investment market. It affects buy-to-let landlords, freehold investors, mixed-use owners, developers, managing agents and lenders. The challenge is to distinguish between what reform changes and what it does not. MHCLG estimated […]

Landlords in Greenwich, Ealing and Hertsmere are facing proposed changes to selective licensing, HMO licensing and shared housing standards. The Royal Borough of Greenwich wants to expand selective licensing from five wards to as many as 18, bringing around 70% of the borough within the scheme. Ealing Council is consulting on extending its borough-wide licensing […]

Fresh uncertainty over a possible rent freeze could deter housing investment just as construction is falling, according to analysis of government figures. The rent freeze proposal has not been officially confirmed, leaving landlords and investors to guess what may emerge. Media briefings this week suggested that new Prime Minister Andy Burnham’s cost of living plans […]

Landlords are reporting higher turnover, falling margins and concern over future costs one month after the Renters’ Rights Act took effect. Rental services provider Housing Hand questioned 30 landlords 30 days after the legislation was implemented on 1 May 2026. Of those, 83% said its effect on the rent market had been negative so far. […]

Rent prices are continuing to rise across the UK, but the pace of growth has slowed in most regions, according to new analysis from the National Residential Landlords Association (NRLA). The NRLA’s rental prices: a deep dive into current trends blog post reveals that headline rental growth stands at 3.3%, while rental prices have increased […]

Most readers will have seen the coverage of the new £7,000 penalty for Category 1 hazards. What has had far less attention is how the penalty is actually decided once a council officer has been through the property, and what the government’s new landlord and agent guide, published on 23 June 2026, actually asks of […]

The government has hinted that the Private Rented Sector (PRS) Ombudsman could take into account previous cases of inadequate conduct by landlords. In a written parliamentary answer, housing minister Matthew Pennycook claimed the Ombudsman is not designed to ‘punish landlords’ but can consider evidence of repeated poor conduct. The news comes after Peers previously warned […]

The latest agreement between Gleeson Homes and Lloyds Living will deliver another 104 private rental homes across two developments in the Midlands. The properties will be built at Hollinwell Heath in Kirkby-in-Ashfield and Watermills in Apedale, near Newcastle-under-Lyme, with a mixture of two, three and four-bedroom houses intended to appeal mainly to couples and families. […]

Average private rents across the UK rose by 3.3% to £1,388 a month in the year to June, while house price growth in England slowed sharply, the Office for National Statistics (ONS) reports. The annual increase in rent was unchanged from May, with tenants in England paying an average of £1,446 a month, up 3.4%. […]

Landlords across Slough could face new licensing fees and conditions under proposals covering nearly 17,000 privately let homes. Slough Borough Council has opened a 10-week consultation on selective and additional licensing schemes that would extend across the borough. Selective licensing would apply to privately let properties occupied by one person, a single family or no […]

Annual house price growth has become the exception rather than the rule, with fewer than one in seven homes rising in value in each of the past five years. That’s according to Zoopla, which found that 14% of homes, equivalent to 4.2 million properties out of 30 million, recorded consecutive annual increases between June 2021 […]