Since Section 21 was abolished on 1 May 2026, there have been huge increases in the number of landlords searching for information about evicting tenants using Section 8. Many have convinced themselves they only have two options: keep the property and hope things improve, or evict the tenant before trying to sell, but the problem […]

Oh, dear, another week and another call for rent controls. This time it’s the turn of Generation Rent, which has published an article asking what rent control in England could look like. We’ve already had three prominent think tanks, including the New Economics Foundation, the Institute for Public Policy Research (IPPR) and the Joseph Rowntree […]

Landlords could face on-the-spot fines of £7,000 for each hazard found in a property and a £40,000 civil penalty for failing to remedy the issue and continuing to breach the new health and safety standards. The government has announced changes to the Housing Health and Safety Rating System (HHSRS), which will come into force on […]

Landlords in Wales have until Sunday (14th June) to inform tenants of anti-discrimination rules under the Renters’ Rights Act. The Welsh government says that landlords will need to give tenants a new occupation contract or a statement of variation. The changes are being introduced under the Renters’ Rights Act and will make it unlawful to […]

Media reports suggest the government could bring forward plans to cap ground rents following pressure from MPs. A story in The Times says ministers may introduce a £250 ground rent cap in 2027 instead of 2028. However, campaigners argue that implementing the cap a year earlier does not amount to the decisive action needed to […]

The government has claimed Section 21 evictions had already decreased before they were abolished. The government has confirmed data shows Section 21 cases fell before the Renters’ Rights Act came into force on 1 May 2026. It has also confirmed that no additional protections were provided to tenants who received Section 21 notices before the […]

Hello, I am constantly receiving updates on changes to the Renters’ Rights Act via email. I am not sure what the exact changes are. Do I need to give a copy of the whole new thing to my tenant (if so, that’s going to be a massive amount of paper as I have about 15 […]

Landlords watching the unfolding impact of the Renters’ Rights Act, now have another reason to look closely at London, where falling supply is already being linked to higher rents. Tom Bill, the head of UK research at Knight Frank, says the reforms should act as ‘a cautionary tale for policymakers’ because economic policy can create […]

Britain has some of Europe’s oldest housing stock, and with government plans to bring private rented homes up to EPC C, the question remains: how will older properties meet the standard? Industry bodies have warned a “one-size-fits-all” approach to energy-efficiency targets is not the answer for older properties. As older buildings become harder to maintain, […]

The Renters’ Rights Act has been in force for just over five weeks. In that time, one council has publicly admitted it will need to fund enforcement through the fines it collects from landlords. Another has updated its policy to allow formal enforcement without a warning letter first. And the government has told every local […]

Landlords are facing renewed rent pressure as tenant demand rises and the supply of available homes remains constrained. The latest RICS UK Residential Market Survey for May shows tenant demand recorded a net balance of +14%, while landlord instructions stayed firmly negative at -28%. Rent expectations strengthened to +36%, the highest reading since May last […]

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 […]

The latest e.surv report puts the average house price in Great Britain at £327,400, up 1.6% on a year ago. Its House Price Index reveals that prices have risen 0.2% over the month and 0.4% over the quarter. Yorkshire and the Humber is the strongest-performing region, with average prices up 3.6% year on year to […]

The Home Office has no ‘credible’ long-term plan for housing asylum seekers, MPs have warned, despite a government pledge to stop using hotels by 2029.  A highly critical report from the cross-party committee says the asylum system is under ‘severe strain’, with rising costs and persistent backlogs. The committee says the Home Office has not shown […]

Landlords with homes in cheaper rent markets are seeing some of the sharpest rises in the country, even as rent growth slows across much of the UK. Zoopla’s latest Rental Market Report says rents in areas where average monthly rents are £750 or less are rising by 5% a year. That’s more than twice the […]

The government has moved to reassure student landlords, confirming that HMO landlords will still be able to facilitate the “ongoing yearly cycle of short-term student tenancies”. In a written Parliamentary question, Conservative MP Gregory Stafford asked about “the potential impact of the abolition of Assured Shorthold Tenancies on university students in cases where previous fixed-term […]

A landlord association has warned that funding alone will not be enough to meet EPC C targets. The National Residential Landlords Association (NRLA) have urged the government to provide “a comprehensive package of support to landlords”. The news comes as the government have proposed all private rented properties will need to meet EPC C targets […]

Landlords with more complex portfolios, short-term lets or commercial property interests are being offered new mortgage options as lenders adjust their BTL ranges. Paragon Bank has launched a Tailored service for buy to let applications that fall outside standard lending criteria. CHL Mortgages has introduced limited-edition products from 2.7% and YBS Commercial Mortgages has cut […]

The Renters’ Rights Act has reshaped local rental markets across the UK as affordability pressures persist, according to new research. Data from Propertymark’s rental price and average salary tracker for May shows that rents have continued to rise, alongside an increase in the salary needed to secure an average-priced rental home over the past year. […]

One of the most interesting aspects of running Property118 is that we speak to landlords at every stage of their journey. Some are still actively acquiring properties. Others are reducing debt, selling selected assets, planning for retirement or thinking about how to pass wealth to the next generation. What often surprises me, though, is that […]

The government has confirmed it will keep its powers to regulate Houses in Multiple Occupation (HMOs) under review after rejecting a petition calling for tighter controls on HMOs in a London area. During a government debate, Conservative MP Louie French presented a petition from more than 2,300 constituents in Old Bexley and Sidcup, which argued […]