Councils refused 1,203 HMO planning applications in 2025. In 2021, the figure was 590. There is an important caveat. The number of applications being decided also increased sharply, from 1,848 to 3,454 across the same 144 English councils. Therefore, councils have not suddenly become twice as likely to refuse an HMO application. The approval rate […]

Landlords could become liable for an annual property tax under proposals that would replace council tax and stamp duty with a charge paid by owners. The Prime Minister Andy Burnham is facing pressure from Labour figures and left-leaning think tanks to consider the overhaul, although he has said major reform is not imminent. The model […]

Landlords may now be asked to approve plug-in solar panels at rented homes after the devices became legal across Great Britain this week. The government says the panels can be used from 27 August and could cut household electricity bills by up to £110 a year. The devices can be placed in outdoor areas or […]

Hello all. I am a landlord with many properties in Nottingham. I am going through the process of getting the EPC ratings to a C before the 2030 deadline. I have looked at the plug-in solar panels which are becoming available soon. Have any of the readers of Property118 found out if and how they impact […]

The UK’s largest not-for-profit accreditation scheme for lettings and management agents is calling for tougher enforcement after one firm was accused of failing to return deposits to more than 100 tenants. Safeagent made the demand after the allegations were reported by BBC News and it acknowledged the workload facing trading standards officers responsible for enforcing […]

Tenant demand hits record highs as supply drops and flatsharers compete for rooms. Findings from SpareRoom reveal that demand for rooms has reached record levels, with the Merseyside town of Bootle recording the highest demand. The flatshare website is urging the government to raise the Rent a Room Scheme threshold, arguing that encouraging more homeowners […]

Landlords could face weaker returns and may be pushed towards selling if ministers reverse course and introduce rent controls in England, property lawyers have warned. Kristine Ng, a partner at Morr & Co, and Paul Rooke, a partner at Mayo Wynne Baxter, said restrictions could discourage investment and reduce the number of homes available to […]

Landlords face a greater risk of arrears and failed tenancies when housing support leaves benefit-receiving tenants unable to meet the full rent, Propertymark says. It has written to DWP minister Baroness Sherlock and urged her to restore Local Housing Allowance (LHA) to at least the 30th percentile of local rents and update rates every year. […]

Landlords could be offered more compliance support and a wider choice of paid services as letting agents respond to the Renters’ Rights Act, one leading expert says. Sally Lawson of training outfit Agent Rainmaker, says agents must rebuild managed stock after losses across the sector, with acquisitions, lead generation and new services pursued together. She […]

Hi, I will have a 5 room HMO fully vacant in September. I have a few choices. I do not want to keep it as an HMO myself with 5 tenants. I have paid high agency fees, potential tenant issues. I also pay council tax and water bills but not gas and electric. I could: […]

I would be interested in hearing from any landlords who currently have, or have previously had, properties leased under guaranteed rent or Rent to Rent arrangements. I have two properties leased to a Housing Group. One property is already subject to a notice to terminate the agreement and, for the first time, rent due on […]

A letter from Lewisham Council says the licensing application for one tenant’s home was submitted 744 days after the council’s selective licensing scheme began. Reports suggest another 314 applications connected with the same Legal & General development remain pending. That is the striking fact behind claims that L&G could be facing a rent repayment and […]

An empty property can put pressure on you to accept the next offer. A tenanted property keeps earning while you find the right buyer, and that buyer could even be your tenant with our help to make it possible. Traditionally, many landlords wanting to sell have rushed out to get vacant possession, tidy the property […]

MPs have written to the housing secretary Angela Rayner, urging her to reconsider the government’s refusal to introduce rent controls in England. It comes as research commissioned by the Joseph Rowntree Foundation and undertaken by the Autonomy Institute models three rent control ideas from next year. They are: a CPI-linked cap, a nominal freeze and […]

Article by Mark Chick, ALEP director and Senior Partner at Bishop & Sewell LLP At the time of writing, the Commonhold and Leasehold Reform Bill still has no published First Reading date.  But is it imminent? Andy Burnham entered Downing Street on 20 July and brought Angela Rayner back to the Ministry of Housing, Communities […]

Shelter claims families facing homelessness cannot afford “high private rents” as it calls on Prime Minister Andy Burnham to turbocharge council housebuilding in the Autumn Budget. According to new government statistics, 135,580 households are currently homeless and living in temporary accommodation. Shelter claims the Prime Minister must do more to tackle rising homelessness and increase […]

Landlords are placing more responsibility in the hands of letting agents as rented property rules become increasingly complex. Research for the National Residential Landlords Association (NRLA) found that agents are involved in managing 66% of private rented homes in England and Wales. The figure is the highest recorded for at least two years. Now the […]

Annual rents in Scotland fell by 0.2% in the second quarter of 2026 as the country’s three largest cities recorded little movement from a year earlier. The latest Citylets figures show rent levels in the main markets have changed little as supply and demand become more closely balanced. Local authorities are due to carry out […]

The Welsh rental market continues to shrink as small landlords leave the sector, while larger landlords increase their presence. Data from the Rent Smart Wales register shows there were 213,463 registered properties and 100,422 landlords in May 2026. During the month, the number of registered properties fell by 532, while the number of registered landlords […]

40.2% of homes assessed in England and Wales in the year to June 2026 were below EPC band C. The government estimates the cost to landlords of getting privately rented homes up to band C by 2030 will be £9.9 billion. The average expected cost per property is £5,387, capped at £10,000. We split the […]

Landlords considering selling up should note that house buyer searches have risen by 7% compared with last year, although agreed transactions remain lower. Zoopla says the increase has been recorded across every region and country for the first time since August last year and is the beginning of an ‘autumn bounce’. Sales agreed are still […]