Page 13 – Property118
Leaseholders and freeholder lobbyists in a tug-of-war over leasehold reform outside Parliament

Leaseholders clash with lobby group over leasehold reforms

10th June 2026

Leaseholders have slammed a “shadowy lobbyist group” for its last-ditch attempt to derail leasehold reform. The National Leasehold Campaign (NLC) has hit out at a freeholder group for challenging the government’s reforms and threatening legal action. The move comes as the government has announced a range of leasehold reforms, including a legal right for leaseholders […]

Social housing waiting list reaches 119 years as demand far outpaces new home construction in England

Social housing backlog would take 119 years to clear

10th June 2026

Shelter says more than 1.3 million households are waiting for a social housing, while just 12,198 were built across England last year by councils, housing associations and private developers. The charity’s research says that means 110 households are waiting for every new social home delivered. At the current rate of building, it would take 119 […]

Record-breaking landlord rental income highlighted by longer tenancies and satisfied renters in the UK PRS

Landlord rent incomes hit record

10th June 2026

Landlords are seeing higher annual rent income as longer tenancies and happy renters continue to underpin the private rented sector. Research firm Pegasus Insight found that the average annual landlord income has reached a record £89,000. That’s up £14,000 in a single quarter and £16,000 higher than a year before. Its latest Landlord Trends research […]

Northern Ireland rental homes with safety and compliance icons representing landlord registration reforms

Propertymark backs stronger landlord register rules in Northern Ireland

10th June 2026

Propertymark has backed plans to toughen Northern Ireland’s landlord registration rules, with gas certificates, electrical checks and alarm details among the extra information that could be required. The changes would give councils and enforcement bodies sharper tools to spot unsafe homes. The professional body said proposals to amend The Landlord Registration Scheme Regulations (Northern Ireland) […]

London skyline with highlighted East London boroughs showing strong buy-to-let rental yields and investor growth.

Tower Hamlets tops London buy to let yield table

10th June 2026

Landlords weighing up where London still pays its way are seeing the strongest gross returns in the east of the capital. Research by Benham and Reeves puts Tower Hamlets at the top of the table with an estimated gross yield at 6.3%, rising from 5.5% over 12 months. The firm said the increase was linked […]

Landlord property sale obstacles including tenant issues, missing paperwork, planning complications and refurbishment costs preventing landlords from selling rental properties

The biggest obstacle stopping landlords from selling isn’t what you think

9th June 2026

The biggest obstacle preventing landlords from moving forward is rarely the property itself. It is usually the issues surrounding it. Many landlords know the feeling. A tenant issue drags on longer than expected, paperwork has gone missing and a refurbishment project keeps getting postponed. Before long, what was supposed to be a straightforward investment starts […]

Broken rental regulations sign with Scottish flag and rental property, illustrating landlord compliance challenges in Scotland

Scottish landlords risk PRS rule breaches

9th June 2026

Scottish landlords are being warned that fragmented guidance is increasing the risk of accidental rule breaches as regulation across the private rented sector continues to change. A study commissioned by the SafeDeposits Scotland Charitable Trust found that landlords report little or no direct communication from local authorities. And that’s despite being part of Scotland’s landlord […]

Students moving into a rental property while comparing tenancy agreements under the Renters’ Rights Act

RRA and the How To Rent booklet?

9th June 2026

Hello, My daughter’s house was a student house where the three students had a 12 month AST. Under the RRA, the AST has now become a periodic tenancy. One of the original tenants is staying on and two new tenants will be moving in the next couple of months. Under the old law, I understand […]

Puppy and kitten with a “Please let us stay” sign illustrating tenants’ pet requests under rental rules

Landlords receive guidance on reasonable pet requests

9th June 2026

An animal charity has issued guidance to landlords regarding tenants’ requests to keep pets. Under the Renters’ Rights Act,  tenants have the right to reasonably request a pet, and landlords cannot unreasonably refuse permission. Dogs Trust has spoken to the National Residential Landlords Association (NRLA) about what landlords need to consider when assessing requests from […]

Has your holiday home become your most expensive luxury?

9th June 2026

Last year, I sold my holiday home in Florida. The property had been part of our lives for over 20 years. We had enjoyed countless holidays there, created wonderful memories and, like many people who buy overseas property, always assumed it would remain part of our long-term plans. So what changed? The reality was that […]

Search interest in buy-to-let mortgages declining as BTL mortgage searches fall in May

Buy to let mortgage searches fall again

9th June 2026

Mortgage searches fell again in May, with 1,590,911 being carried out, down 7% on April’s figure and 15% below May 2025. The data from Twenty7tec reveals that buy to let followed the same direction, with total BTL searches falling 9% to 249,403. BTL purchase searches were 22% lower than the same month last year. Residential […]

Concept image showing “Landlord” transforming into a new term, highlighting debate over landlord rebranding

Do landlords need a rebrand?

9th June 2026

Hello, Given the way landlords are often portrayed by government, the media and some campaign groups, is it time for us to think seriously about how we describe ourselves? The word “landlord” now seems to carry a negative image for many people, even though most of us are simply providing homes, taking financial risk, maintaining […]

Key containing cash in front of a rental property sign, illustrating concerns about key money and rental bribes

Has ‘key money’ returned?

9th June 2026

Hello, The new ban on open bidding for rental properties, and the shortage of available properties, seems to have brought back the old practise of agents or landlords being paid ‘key money’ (cash bribes). This used to be a common practise back in the 60s and 70s. If there are many people all offering asking […]

Engineer installing a heat pump unit for a rental property while considering installation costs and tax implications.

Cost of installing heat pumps?

8th June 2026

Hi everyone, I’m looking to install a heat pump for one of my lets, and if I have this right, I cannot claim the costs as day-to-day running costs? Even though the gas boiler is all but dead, I have been told it would not pass another gas inspection due this summer. Also, have I […]

Sword cutting through a percentage symbol, representing falling buy-to-let mortgage rates for landlords

TMW, Accord, HSBC and Darlington cut buy to let mortgage rates

8th June 2026

The Mortgage Works and Accord are among the buy to let lenders cutting their mortgage rates, following five lenders who did so late last week. The latest reductions cover individual landlords, limited company borrowers, let-to-buy, houses in multiple occupation and holiday let cases. HSBC and Darlington Building Society are also reducing or highlighting new landlord […]

Laptop displaying a rent tribunal challenge tool alongside a rent increase notice and legal symbols

Tenants’ union launches tool to help renters challenge rent increases

8th June 2026

Tenants are being urged to “resist rent rises” by using an online tool to check whether they should challenge their landlord at a rent tribunal. A group of tenants’ unions, including the London Renters Union, has launched an online tool allowing renters to assess and challenge proposed rent increases. Under the Renters’ Rights Act, landlords […]

Rent sign outside residential homes with annual rent growth slowing to 1.7% despite a monthly increase.

England’s rents rise 0.5% but annual growth stays low

8th June 2026

Landlords saw rents rise again in May after April’s fall, but annual rent growth remains at its lowest level for 10 months. The Goodlord Rental Index shows average rents in England reached £1,211 in May, up 0.5% from £1,205 in April. However, rents were still only 1.7% higher than in May 2025, when the average […]

Megaphone beside UK rental property signs near Parliament, highlighting strong rental demand and landlord concerns

Call for government to help landlords and tenants

8th June 2026

Almost six in 10 landlords are still seeing strong demand for homes to rent, the National Residential Landlords Association (NRLA) is warning. And while there’s not a queue outside every landlord’s front door, it says that the figures should give ministers pause before adding fresh costs to the sector. The survey shows that investors in […]

The head of the Scottish Association of Landlords commenting on the Scottish Budget and its impact on the private rented sector

Good intentions alone do not house people – SAL

8th June 2026

The Scottish Parliament is back in session following the recent election and, while much of what is and will be happening in Holyrood will be of keen interest to Scotland’s private rented sector (PRS), the appointment of a new Cabinet Secretary for Housing is undoubtedly the most significant development for our industry. On behalf of […]

Energy performance certificate rating graphic with arrow hitting C target for rental homes by 2030

Landlords closer to EPC C targets than expected as deadline looms

8th June 2026

More landlords may already be closer to meeting EPC C targets by 2030 than they think, according to a new report. Data by property management firm Rushbrook & Rathbone reveals smaller private rented properties and flats are more likely to meet the EPC C deadline, while landlords with larger properties may struggle to meet the […]

Hand moving a chess piece among model houses, symbolising strategic landlord property decisions

The Great Landlord Shake-Up: Strategic Planning for 2026 and Beyond

5th June 2026

One month after the Renters’ Rights Act came into force, the landlord exodus has not materialised in quite the way many expected. However, with stronger enforcement powers for councils, increasing compliance obligations, future energy efficiency requirements and continuing uncertainty about what further regulation may be introduced, many landlords are reviewing their portfolios and planning ahead […]