Northern Ireland’s councils have taken control of the Landlord Registration Scheme which should boost housing oversight, the communities minister says. Launched in February 2014, the initiative established a central database capturing details of private landlords, ensuring access to current and precise property data. The communities minister, Gordon Lyons, said: “When I launched the Executive Housing […]

The pace of the UK’s rent rises is at the slowest in three and a half years – while demand continues to increase, Zoopla reports. Its figures reveal that average rents for newly let properties have risen by a modest 3% in the past 12 months. That’s a big drop from the 7.4% surge recorded […]

Labour has announced an initiative to dismantle the country’s leasehold system with its Commonhold White Paper. The landmark move aims to revolutionise property ownership across the UK by revitalising commonhold, a system set to replace leasehold as the standard for flat buyers. Under these sweeping changes, new leasehold flats will soon be prohibited, fulfilling a […]

A new group for commercial property agents has launched to “fix the broken commercial property industry.” The Experts Group’s self-employed model, called The Commercial Property Experts, will provide agents with training, marketing, and technology. The group aims to build a network of 100 experienced commercial property experts across the country. Sector hasn’t changed in decades […]

Leaseholders in mixed-use developments will gain greater authority over their properties under the Leasehold and Freehold Reform Act 2024 which takes effect from today (Monday 3 March). One key change, outlined in Section 49, adjusts the non-residential threshold for Right to Manage (RTM) claims, broadening eligibility. Previously capped at 25%, the commercial portion of a […]

Government statistics reveal a rise in the number of tenants facing Section 21 evictions – though the number of households at risk of homelessness fell by 1.3%. The Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government (MHCLG) data reveals that 6,800 households were threatened with homelessness due to a Section 21 eviction notice between July and […]

Members of the House of Lords have proposed several amendments to the Renters’ Rights Bill. Founder of the Big Issue, Lord John Bird, wants the Labour government to abolish Section 21 ‘no-fault evictions’ as soon as the Bill becomes law. However, other members of the House of Lords have tabled amendments which could allow smaller […]

Propertymark is carrying out a survey to understand the effects of recent leasehold changes on leaseholders and estate agents across England and Wales. Along with Leasehold Knowledge Partnership and the National Leasehold Campaign, it is highlighting the challenges facing the leasehold system. In 2018, Propertymark’s groundbreaking report, ‘Leasehold: A Life Sentence?‘, laid bare the struggles […]

The current government is pushing ahead with policy that results in added complexity unfairness and higher costs for tenants, those it purports to champion. I will give three examples driving costs for tenants and reducing rental housing stock. 1. Having different rules around tax for company or personal ownership of property creates an unlevel playing […]

Hello any advice please on how to tackle a leak affecting my tenants which is coming from a tenanted property next door? We have noticed the leak because a wall needed replastering (what we now know to be because of this damp) and a section won’t dry. We got a damp expert in who said […]

Demand for properties is at an all-time high, and with the property market booming, now could be the perfect time to sell. In the last month alone, demand for homes has increased by 13%, and we’ve had more than 200 landlords contact Landlord Sales Agency to sell their rental properties — you could be next! […]

The private rented sector is at a tipping point, and landlords are caught in the crosshairs of a perfect storm: we have a hostile Labour government, a media that’s easily swayed by tenant lobbying groups and landlord organisations struggling to make an impact. The debate following the story about the Eastern Landlords’ Association (ELA) calling […]

Two more leading buy to let mortgage providers, Fleet Mortgages and The Mortgage Works, have joined the rush of other lenders and unveiled reductions on their fixed-rate offerings. Fleet Mortgages has lowered interest levels on its two-year fixed-rate loans. For standard and limited company borrowers, rates have dropped by 30 basis points, shifting from 4.69% […]

The housing market showed continued strength in February, with the annual rate of price rises holding firm at 3.9%, a slight dip from January’s 4.1%, Nationwide reveals. On a monthly basis, prices edged up by 0.4%, marking the sixth straight month of gains after adjusting for seasonal trends, according to lender’s latest data. The resurgence […]

Discover how to profit with 8+ room HMOs in 2025 and stay ahead in the ever-changing property market! In this video, Ranjan Bhattacharya, unpacks expert insights into why larger HMOs are the key to navigating rising mortgage rates, utility costs, licensing fees, and new council tax challenges. Find out why scaling up to 8+ room […]

A coalition of property experts is highlighting the lack of homes to rent in the UK could derail ambitious government plans to lure top-tier international talent. Organisations representing landlords, individual property owners and letting agents have united in their call for swift measures to increase the availability of homes for tenants. The Chancellor Rachel Reeves, […]

The Ministry of Justice (MoJ) has confessed it doesn’t have any records on the volume and nature of rent rise disputes adjudicated by the First-tier Tribunal (Property Chamber). That lack of information leaves a gaping hole in preparations for the upcoming Renters’ Rights Bill, one firm says. The MoJ admission came in response to a […]

The average price of a house in the UK will breach the £300,000 mark this year, driven by a wave of eager buyers flooding back into the market, research reveals. Specialist lender West One Loans says these buyers are invigorating the sector, enabling builders to unlock funds from current projects and kickstart fresh developments. Its […]

The Scottish government’s Housing Minister, Paul McLennan, has kicked off a fresh initiative highlighting the entitlements of renters in Scotland. The drive aims to steer tenants towards vital support and guidance resources. Scotland boasts some of the UK’s strongest tenant protections including the ability to challenge rent rises with a formal review and for landlords […]

The housing market has kicked off 2025 strongly with prices rising but there’s a clear divide between buyers increasingly opting for houses rather than flats, one index reveals. According to Zoopla, the divide between house and flat values has hit its widest in three decades. The average house is now £319,500 – which is 67% […]

A leading regional landlords’ association says it is time for a national proactive organisation that effectively represents landlords. The call is being made by Paul Cunningham, chair of the Eastern Landlords’ Association, which represents landlords in East Anglia. He fears that the government’s Renters’ Rights Bill could worsen homelessness and drive more landlords out of […]