The UK’s increasing population and immigration levels are piling pressure on the private rented sector, the boss of Paragon Bank says. And rather than seeing landlords leave the PRS for various reasons, the government should be encouraging landlords to invest. Nigel Terrington, the company’s chief executive, told The Times that the shortage of landlords is […]

Like many landlords, there’s not a lot that gets me hot under the collar anymore after years of being victimised and ridiculed but two things this week deserve closer attention. Private landlords are being squeezed dry by councils wielding selective licensing schemes like a blunt weapon. Fees, such as Leicester City Council’s eye-watering £1,290 per […]

Hello, We have an Annual General Meeting (AGM) coming up and possibly 2 (more recent appointees) likely to resign as forthcoming building works might mean some actual input (eg getting redecoration quotes; liaising with fire alarm installation contractor; being the Fire Safety “Responsible Person” to weekly test fire alarm etc etc) and one selling their […]

A London council is pushing forward with a controversial new selective licensing scheme, despite previously continuing to process applications months after the original scheme had expired. Hackney Council has proposed implementing a new selective licensing scheme in 17 council areas, which could affect more than 26,000 properties. The council also plans to introduce an additional […]

The Scottish Housing Bill has passed stage two of scrutiny by a cross-party committee of MSPs. More than 600 amendments were proposed, one of the highest totals for any legislation in the Scottish Parliament’s history. One of the amendments agreed during stage two will allow rents in rent control areas to rise in line with […]

The UK’s house prices saw a slight drop of 0.4% in May, following a modest 0.3% rise in April, according to Halifax. The average property price now stands at £296,648, down by £1,150 from £297,798 last month. Despite this dip, the housing market has remained largely stable throughout 2025, with prices only 0.2% lower since […]

Pepper Money has unveiled a new House of Multiple Occupation (HMO) mortgage product for both limited companies and individual landlords. It’s available for existing HMO houses with up to six bedrooms. The move follows Pepper Money’s re-entry into the buy to let last month. It says the HMO mortgage is designed to address a gap […]

Hello, I’m hoping for some advice or a steer in the right direction. I own a first-floor flat with a BTL mortgage in a converted residential property where I have a share of freehold with the ground floor flat. For a few years, the previous owner had an agreement where they got buildings insurance for […]

London’s PRS is experiencing a boost in available properties, providing tenants with greater choice and potentially less competition. According to a study by Benham and Reeves, there are 40,067 rental homes currently listed across the capital. Of these, 16,116 properties, that’s around 40%, have become available in the past 30 days, indicating a fresh influx […]

The government’s ambitions to boost the energy efficiency of private rented homes are ‘unrealistic’, the National Residential Landlords Association (NRLA) warns. Current proposals suggest that landlords may have less than two years to improve more than 2.5 million properties to meet a minimum energy efficiency rating of C. The plan outlines that this standard will […]

With just a few of the more than 280 amendments being taken up for the Renters’ Rights Bill, more clarity on its impact is needed, says one industry leader. Allison Thompson, the national lettings managing director at LRG, says she is disappointed that so few amendments to improve the Bill have been added. She says […]

Another batch of buy to let lenders have made changes to their landlord offerings with Market Financial Solutions reducing rates across its fixed-rate bridging loan portfolio. Residential single loans now start at 0.70%. The rate cuts extend to portfolio loans, second charge, light development, semi-commercial, commercial and development exit loans, with lower rates also available […]

Paragon Bank has reported a 25% rise in new buy to let lending for the first half of its financial year. It reached £812.2 million compared to £649.3 million in the same period last year. The surge, the bank says, reflects strong demand from landlords responding to a persistent shortage of rental properties. Paragon’s mortgage […]

Property investors are being urged to convert properties into HMOs to achieve higher yields. According to Excellion Capital, purchasing a three to four-bed property and converting it into a six-bed HMO could cost a £512,340 in England, but the average yield achieved is 10%. The firm say lenders are highly attracted to HMOs, and bridge […]

London Mayor Sadiq Khan has pledged to end rough sleeping by 2030, but an industry body warns the Renters’ Rights Bill could lead to an increase in homelessness. Propertymark welcomes Mr Khan’s proposal to stop rough sleeping but urges the Mayor to support landlords rather than deter them from the market. The news comes after […]

The only people to benefit from the Renters’ Rights Bill will be councils, claims a legal expert. In an exclusive video interview with Property118, legal expert Des Taylor from Landlord Licensing & Defence warns landlords of the consequences of the new rules and regulations, and why it may be time for some landlords to leave […]

A city council is facing legal action, which has been joined by 40 landlords, to tackle its ‘unreasonably extortionate’ selective licensing application fee. Letting agents are also signing up to target the council’s £1,290 per property charge, which landlords argue is unjustifiably steep compared to other cities. The legal action, by leading letting agent Martin […]

A council which is grappling with the rapid rise of houses in multiple occupation (HMOs) has unveiled plans to restrict them in future. With more than 2,300 currently operating, the local authority has unveiled a draft local plan designed to impose stricter controls on HMO, the Southend Echo reports. Southend Council says it wants to […]

A loophole allowing holiday homeowners to sidestep council tax by registering properties under the business rates system is costing the UK government £334 million annually, experts say. Colliers warns that despite tightened regulations; second homeowners are exploiting the system by renting out properties for just 10 weeks a year to qualify as small businesses. Doing […]

Nearly half of Britain’s buy to let (BTL) landlords (44%) are set to increase rents ahead of the Renters’ Rights Bill becoming law. That’s according to a Landbay survey which found that higher rents will impact tenants who could see an average monthly rent rise of £74 – or a 6% increase. Increasing the rent […]

A new Bill being proposed in Northern Ireland aims to address excessive fees being charged to tenants by letting agents in the private rented sector. The Private Member’s Bill, spearheaded by Ciara Fergurson, the MLA for Foyle, seeks to ensure renters are not burdened with unreasonable costs. Now Propertymark has voiced its concerns about the […]