On paper, the strongest candidates for expansion are easy to identify. They have low borrowing, substantial equity and established portfolios. They understand the market, have access to finance and, in many cases, have already proven their ability to grow successfully. If anyone were expected to continue expanding, it would be them, yet that is not what is […]

Leaseholders will have a legal right to request fast broadband connections, with freeholders unable to unreasonably refuse. Under the Leasehold and Commonhold Reform Bill, leaseholders will gain stronger rights, including making lease extensions and freehold purchases cheaper and easier, as well as simplifying the process of converting leasehold flats to commonhold. The government has also […]

Home sales are taking more than 100 days to reach exchange for the first April on record, with leasehold deals dragging buyers and sellers into longer and riskier waits. Connells Group says the average home that exchanged contracts in April had gone under offer 104 days earlier. That is around four weeks longer than in […]

I am struggling to identify the correct end dates on a pre-1 May student tenancy. Most student tenancies are less than a full year to allow a gap between, for cleaning, etc. Take, for example, the following: Tenancy from 3 September 2025 to 28 August 2026. Rent payable 8/25 – 6 weeks, three days’ worth, […]

Most landlords are still making money from their portfolios, though the Renters’ Rights Act is now weighing heavily on expectations for the months ahead. Research from Aldermore found that 84% of landlords say their lettings activity is profitable, with average achieved yields reaching 6.5% in the first three months of the year. That figure is […]

Angela Rayner claims she has been “exonerated by HMRC of deliberately avoiding tax” and does not need to pay a financial penalty. However, HMRC have declined to comment on Ms Rayner’s claim, with a spokesperson telling the Telegraph it could not respond due to confidentiality laws. Ms Rayner resigned as Deputy Prime Minister and Housing […]

Tax rises affecting landlords which are due next year, could feed through into higher rents for tenants already under pressure. The warning comes from the National Residential Landlords Association, which found that 46% of landlords plan to increase rents over the next 12 months because of the changes. That’s because, from April 2027, income tax […]

Hello, A group of students signed an agreement before 1 May, before the Renters’ Rights Act, which starts later this year. They now want to alter this agreement to change one person named on the tenancy. Can I amend the agreement (which has quarterly payments), or must a new agreement be issued for monthly payments? […]

Rental arrears have hit record levels as landlords become more cautious following the introduction of the Renters’ Rights Act. Data from deposit alternative provider Reposit shows average rental arrears reached £2,281 in the first quarter of the year. However, despite rising 2% year-on-year, the figures suggest the pace of growth is beginning to slow. Landlords […]

The government claims there is no evidence of a landlord exodus, despite industry experts warning that the days of small landlords “are over”. A story in The Telegraph reveals small landlords are selling their properties whilst larger and institutional landlords are snapping up homes. The news comes as the Renters’ Rights Act came into force […]

For years, equity was seen as fuel. Build it, release it, reinvest it. That was the cycle. As portfolios grew and values increased, landlords would refinance, extract capital and deploy it into further acquisitions. That cycle is now slowing, not because equity has disappeared, but because the appetite to use it has changed. Many landlords now hold […]

A council has decided to press ahead with a public consultation on its selective licensing scheme. Durham County Council has announced a 10-week consultation on whether its selective licensing scheme should go beyond March 2027. The news comes after Great Yarmouth council was branded “deluded” by a landlord over its claims that selective licensing will […]

Average rents in England slipped in April with landlords preparing for the Renters’ Rights Act coming into force. The Goodlord Rental Index puts the average cost of a new tenancy at £1,205, down from £1,212 in March, a fall of 0.6%. Compared with April last year, rents were 1.7% higher, when the average stood at […]

Landlords rarely decide to sell because of one dramatic event, they decide after years of smaller ones. For example, they may have dealt with all of the following over several years of ownership. The boiler that fails just before winter. The roof leak that appears after heavy rain. The tenant issue that becomes a weekly […]

One of the biggest misconceptions surrounding inheritance tax planning is that people can “sort it out later”. In reality, delaying inheritance tax planning, especially when it relies on Whole of Life cover, has a direct and measurable cost that compounds with every birthday and every change in health. Many landlords now sit on portfolios worth […]

King Charles has delivered the King’s Speech setting out the government’s legislative agenda. Among the proposals was the Commonhold and Leasehold Reform Bill, which will cap ground rents at £250 a year for leaseholders and aims to “bring an end to the feudal leasehold system”. Other proposals include investment in social housing and a Building […]

Councils can enter a landlord’s business premises under rules set out in the Renters’ Rights Act. However, government guidance makes clear that the business premises power cannot be used to enter premises that are wholly or mainly used as a home. In December last year, under the Renters’ Rights Act, councils were given powers to […]

If most landlords were starting again today, many would not structure things the same way. That is becoming increasingly clear. There is a growing disconnect between how portfolios are currently held and how landlords would choose to hold them if given a clean slate. The preference has shifted, but the structure has not. That gap is not accidental. It […]

In an exclusive for Property118, solicitor Tessa Shepperson of Landlord Law answers some of the most common questions landlords are asking following the abolition of assured shorthold tenancies and section 21.  The Renters’ Rights Act is now in force, and we have said goodbye to assured shorthold tenancies and section 21 (save from where notices […]

I have just received an enquiry from a potential tenant who wants to move to one of my properties due to the current landlord moving undesirables next door. They had a contract allowing one month’s notice. They now apparently have to give two months’ notice. Surely, as they have only just received the RRA information […]

The vitriol directed at landlords has resulted in laws that protect rogue tenants to a quite remarkable degree, delaying their inevitable removal, often at the expense of the landlord’s health and well-being. The truth is rogue tenants, people who disrespect the contract, then use the law to support their errant behaviour, are better served now […]