Hello, I’ve just been just been shafted as I’ve had a couple of new EPCs done to ground floor flats, both fully D/G windows throughout. Got a worse rating within the EPC for the window rating than the previous even though they are exactly the same windows! Now rates the windows as ‘poor’. Windows are […]

Landlords are facing a tenant base that is staying put for longer, with new research showing many renters have remained in the sector far beyond their original plans. LRG’s Spring 2026 Lettings Report, based on responses from 650 landlords and tenants, found that 60% of tenants in England and Wales are renting for longer than […]

A London tenant earning through the winter, the spring and into June has, on average, only just covered the year’s rent bill, Generation Rent claims. The tenant activist group said that 2 June was London’s ‘Cost of Rent Day’. That’s the point in the calendar when the income earned by the average private renter in […]

A charity has warned that renters are facing “rock-bottom service from letting agents”. According to Citizens Advice, nearly half of renters (48%) who have dealt with a letting agent in the past three years experienced rule-breaking behaviour. The charity is now calling for tougher regulation of letting agents, alongside stronger enforcement of existing rules. Nobody […]

This week, I’m sharing two increasingly popular strategies that I use personally, but before I go any further, I should make it clear that the following reflects my own personal views and experiences. It is intended for general information purposes only and should not be regarded as financial or investment advice. I also fully appreciate […]

Landlords are placing greater weight on certainty from lenders as rate movements, product withdrawals and shifting mortgage conditions continue to affect their buy to let decisions. Landbay’s latest landlord survey found more than 80% of respondents now view the BTL market as unstable or unpredictable. It found that 55.6% of landlords describe conditions as ‘somewhat […]

My letting agent has sent me a renewal bill for £1298. I didn’t think the tenancy could be “renewed” after the Renters Right Act, the tenancy just goes on until they ask to leave? Looking back over the 8 years I have used him, he hasn’t charged this high renewal fee before. The rent is […]

Landlords already dealing with Renters’ Rights Act compliance deadlines are now facing another tax proposal being resurrected. The Daily Telegraph reports that the New Economics Foundation is calling for National Insurance Contributions to be extended to landlords’ rent income. The left-leaning think tank says the current exemption is ‘unwarranted’. It told the Telegraph that the […]

Landlords in one town face new landlord licensing rules from this week after a court battle that went all the way to the Supreme Court – which the landlords lost. Luton Borough Council will now introduce selective licensing in the town centre and Park Town areas, while additional licensing for HMOs will apply across the […]

If the Renters’ Rights Act (RRA) is attempting to improve life for tenants, it looks to be falling short and here is why I think that is.  Whilst there were many grounds for eviction under section 8, Shelter reported 90% were for rent arrears. Whilst data was not collected for the reasons behind Section 21 […]

A council has approved plans to buy 26 homes from a private landlord to prevent tenants from being made homeless. Fife Council’s Cabinet Committee decision will see the acquisition being funded by the council and the Scottish Government. The homes then transferred into the council’s social housing stock. Commitment to help The council’s housing spokesperson, […]

The government has urged all social housing landlords to meet standards of thermal comfort in their properties. In a written parliamentary question, Green MP Carla Denyer asked: “What assessment has the government made of the risk of overheating in social housing?” The news comes after a group of tenants has threatened legal action against their […]

The government’s 12-month no re-let rule has caused chaos in the private rented sector, leaving landlords in financial limbo, a story in The Telegraph claims. Under the Renters’ Rights Act, landlords who evict tenants in order to sell a property, but whose sale then collapses, must wait 12 months before re-letting it. Last year, the […]

Landlords and letting agents in London now face a greater financial risk from licensing breaches, with council fines moving close to £25 million. The analysis by Kamma shows local authorities in the capital have recorded £24.1 million in fines against landlords and agents. These are recorded on the Mayor of London Sadiq Khan’s Rogue Landlord […]

Not long ago, a landlord said something that will resonate with more Property118 readers than many might admit. After completing the sale of one troublesome rental property, he paused and said: “I should have done this two years ago.” He was not talking about a bad investment. The property had risen in value over time, rent […]

A think tank has claimed that abolishing stamp duty and council tax could help tackle London’s housing crisis. A report by Centre for London argues that reforming property taxes would improve affordability and increase fairness across the housing system. The news comes as an industry body has also claimed that landlords play a key role […]

More than half of tenants could need a guarantor following the introduction of the Renters’ Rights Act, a deposit scheme claims. Research by Zero Deposit suggests the proportion of local authority areas where tenants are likely to fail affordability checks could rise from one in five to almost one in two. Under the act, landlords […]

I would be grateful for some practical views from landlords, planning consultants and anyone experienced with listed buildings and retrospective planning/heritage matters. I own a Grade II listed property, which was converted by a previous owner into several self-contained residential/student units many years ago. The internal works included modern plasterboard/gypsum-based materials and subdivision works which, […]

An advisory board to the Scottish government has warned Awaab’s Law will deter investment and cause landlords to leave the market. In a letter to the government, the Regulatory Review Group (RRG) raised concerns about the implementation of Awaab’s Law in Scotland. The law received Parliamentary approval in March and is due to come into […]

I am due to give my tenants a rent increase soon, using the new Section 13 form 4a. The tenants have been in the property since 2014, during which time we have signed several tenancy agreements. The last time we signed a new contract, and increased the rent at the same time, was August last […]

Foundation, Kensington Mortgages, Coventry for intermediaries and NatWest have all announced updates across their buy to let ranges, including new fixed-rate products, cheaper existing deals and free valuations. Foundation, the intermediary-only specialist lender, has launched two Limited Edition buy to let products at 75% loan-to-value. The two-year fixed-rate deals sit in its F1 range, which […]