Members of the Scottish Parliament (MSPs) have agreed the Scottish government’s £63 billion Budget for 2025-26. The minority SNP-led administration secured backing from the Greens, Liberal Democrats and Alba, while Labour MSPs abstained during the final stage three vote. The Conservatives opposed the financial blueprint, branding it as imposing the “heaviest tax burden in the […]

Hi, I let a 2-bed top floor flat which now has serious water leaks into the flat from the roof. The tenants (including a child) are living with water ingress and mouldy damp patches so it’s a very serious situation. My letting agents have been trying for over 3 weeks to get an inspection by […]

The landscape of flatsharing is undergoing a dramatic shift, with older generations leading the charge, research reveals. Data from SpareRoom reveal that the number of over-65s hunting for rooms in shared houses or seeking housemates has surged by an astonishing 970% over the past 10 years. Meanwhile, the over-55s have seen their numbers swell by […]

EPC C targets will have a huge effect on the supply of leasehold properties, says one industry body. In an exclusive video interview with Property118, the chief communications officer of The Property Institute (TPI), Jaclyn Mangaroo, says leaseholders currently have no access to funding for energy efficiency improvements. Jaclyn also points out the lack of […]

The government is to scrutinise a controversial mechanism allowing landlords to request rent directly from tenants’ benefits. It follows a story on Property118 and recently in national media about Nathan Roberts successfully challenging deductions from his benefits. They had been automatically redirected to his landlord for arrears and ongoing rent, despite a dispute over property […]

Children are suffering due to social landlord shortcomings in tackling damp and mould, a report from the Housing Ombudsman reveals. The ‘Learning from Severe Maladministration’ document focuses on inspection failures and sloppy information handling. It is highlighting issues that leave families vulnerable ahead of Awaab’s Law enforcement in the social housing sector later this year. […]

News that BMW is to delay building the new electric Mini in Oxford over ‘uncertainty’ should not come as a surprise. I see nothing here different to what the government, the Labour Party, the Conservative Party and Nottingham City Council and other councils are doing to landlords. BMW Mini says “given the multiple uncertainties facing […]

Private landlords are seeing yields climb to their highest in more than a decade at 6.93%, Paragon Bank reveals. The lender says that the returns recorded in the final quarter of 2024 are the highest yields since March 2011 when it peaked at 7.12%. Paragon’s analysis of its mortgage offers statistics for both purchases and […]

Landlords are facing a steep rise in void costs as the gaps of no rent being paid grow longer and costlier across England. The findings from lettings and estate agency Benham and Reeves reveal a 19% rise in lost rental income when the property is unoccupied. However, landlords in some areas are witnessing a staggering […]

Manchester City Council and Gateshead Council have introduced expanded selective licensing schemes targeting thousands of privately rented homes across their regions. The councils say the initiatives aim to ensure safer, better-managed properties while tackling issues like antisocial behaviour and substandard housing. In Manchester, an additional 1,863 flats and houses across six wards – Cheetham, Crumpsall, […]

I am a leaseholder in a block of four flats but am selling as I no longer want to be a landlord. The managing agent for the freeholder is awful but the good news is (though a bit late for me) that they want to sell the Freehold. It was offered for the four of […]

The number of buy to let mortgage products available to the UK’s landlords has climbed to an all-time high, Moneyfactscompare.co.uk reveals. It also says that the average two-year fixed rate has dipped over the past six months. The analysis highlights a booming market, with 3,560 deals now on offer — comprising both fixed and variable […]

Landlords are being warned that their insurance policies could become worthless due to oversights and tenant actions. Specialists from Quotezone.co.uk have pinpointed five frequent blunders that might render landlord insurance null and void, leaving landlords exposed. The insurance platform says that landlords are facing growing issues over profitability which means protecting their assets has never […]

Mortgage advisers have signalled a cautious outlook, anticipating only two more reductions to the base rate in 2025, research reveals. According to Landbay’s research, this shift in expectations emerged shortly after the Office for National Statistics (ONS) revealed a steep climb in inflation to 3% in January. That’s up from 2.5% in the month before […]

Property values are sliding as landlords sell up low yielding properties in London and the southern counties, one index reveals. According to Home.co.uk’s February asking price index, former rented homes are now flooding the market. That is leading to sellers in Greater London and southern England to cut prices to stand out amid a glut […]

The Government has launched an open consultation (Click Here) seeking views on the implementation of measures in the Supported Housing (Regulatory Oversight) Act 2023. It focuses on the details of a licensing regime and National Supported Housing Standards and includes content on Housing Benefit. What is Supported Housing?Supported housing is accommodation designed to help people […]

Around 25,000 first-time buyers across England are on course to miss the critical stamp duty deadline of 31 March because their property completions will be in April. That delay will trigger an extra £34 million in tax, Rightmove says, and it wants the government to temporarily extend the deadline. Its analysis shows that nearly 74,000 […]

There has been more activity in the UK’s buy to let lending sector as MT Finance, InterBay and Pluto Finance join the throng of lenders lowering rates. MT Finance has trimmed its BTL mortgage rates by as much as 0.50% across its full suite of products. This includes its newly introduced Tier 2 range, with […]

Six out of 10 homes across England and Wales now have an Energy Performance Certificate (EPC) rating of C or above, research reveals. According to epIMS, a platform for landlords to boost energy efficiency, this demonstrates that over the last four years, C has emerged as the predominant EPC rating. And that points to a […]

Scotland’s tax incentives and the imminent removal of rent caps could trigger a big boost in private rented sector (PRS) funding, one property expert says. David Alexander is the chief executive of the agency DJ Alexander, and he says the decision to scrap rent restrictions next month might unleash a wave of pent-up investor enthusiasm. […]

The pace of rent rises for new tenancies has dropped, with average monthly payments climbing by just 1.8% in January compared to the previous year, Hamptons reveals. Its data also shows that this is the smallest rise since October 2020 to mark 18 months of continuous easing. For tenants signing new leases, the typical cost […]