Contrary to what most people think, tenant2owner is not primarily about tenants buying where they are renting; it is about tenants knowing about their options and choosing the best one. This particular route to homeownership however, also presents a perfect opportunity for a landlord wishing to sell. Savills reported that 254,000 previously let homes were […]

Mortgage brokers told us that many lenders still become nervous at the mention of trusts or beneficial ownership, even where legal title and the registered charge remain untouched. The legal position is not nearly as mysterious as the market response. The harder question is why some lenders appear to treat an ordinary commercial restructuring as […]

One in four landlords say they have struggled to regain possession from problem tenants, according to a Goodlord snap poll of nearly 250 landlords. The survey found 25% had faced possession challenges following the abolition of Section 21 ‘no-fault’ evictions under the Renters’ Rights Act on 1 May. Landlords seeking possession must now use Section […]

Rent controls are likely to reduce the supply of homes available to tenants and push some landlords to leave the market, according to research from the Institute for Fiscal Studies (IFS). It says that private renters spent an average 28% of their household incomes on housing costs in 2024–25, compared with just over 11% across […]

More than half of landlords still regard residential property as a good long-term investment, but very few plan to expand their portfolios. A survey from Benham and Reeves of landlords in England found 51% remain positive about property as a long-term investment despite increased regulation, while 63% intend to keep their portfolios at their current […]

More than one in four flats for sale were previously let as landlords continue to dispose of properties hit by higher costs and weaker returns. Flats, in particular, are bearing the brunt, an analysis from Thisismoney reveals. Using exclusive Hamptons data, 26.7% of flats currently on the market were previously let, compared with 16.3% at […]

Hi everyone, I’m planning to put my flat on a short-term/Airbnb. The property is personally owned, but the short-let business will be operated and managed through my limited company. I’m trying to clarify how I should deal with the Council Tax and the Electoral Register while the property is being used as a short let. In […]

The Labour government says it remains committed to delivering its target of 1.5 million homes by this Parliament. In response to a written parliamentary question, Parliamentary Under-Secretary for Housing Baroness Taylor of Stevenage said the government is making progress towards its housing target. However, analysis reveals Labour is set to miss its housing target deadline. […]

The Scottish government is unlikely to meet its target of delivering 110,000 affordable homes by 2032, according to new research. Research by the Fraser of Allander Institute (FAI) workforce shortages and rising material costs are among the factors putting pressure on housebuilding and making the target increasingly difficult to achieve. The news comes as the […]

Article by Katherine Simpson, Partner at Edwin Coe LLP Over the past year, I have seen more leaseholders move towards Right to Manage (RTM) in response to changes in leasehold reform. It is an interesting example of how uncertainty – primarily in response to the long-awaited draft Commonhold and Leasehold Reform Bill but also the […]

Hello, Portugal also has a housing crisis, apparently the stats. say on average people are paying 82% of their incomes in rent! Please see below extracts from Idealist publication, summarising how the government is helping landlords to enter the rental market. It’s almost, whatever recent governments have done here, Portugal is doing the opposite! Renting […]

Small HMO conversions could require planning permission in six more wards under a council’s plan to extend controls across the whole borough. Burnley Council’s executive has been asked to support an Article 4 Direction removing permitted development rights for such conversions. The proposed area covers Briercliffe, Cliviger with Worsthorne, Coalclough with Deerplay, Hapton with Park, […]

Most landlords considering incorporation want to know how they can defer Capital Gains Tax. One landlord is preparing to do the opposite and pay HMRC approximately £200,000 now. Why? Because, according to a LinkedIn post by accountant Alexandre Norian FCCA, the transaction would leave him with a director’s loan account of £2.8 million in the […]

Seven days before HMRC amended its controversial 20-hour guidance for landlord Incorporation Relief, the First-tier Tribunal handed down another property tax judgment which deserves rather more attention than it has received. It is not a Section 162 case and I am not going to pretend that it is, but one part of Alan Pontin & […]

For years, anyone questioning a large housing development near their home has risked being dismissed as a NIMBY. New research from Barclays suggests that caricature is not just lazy. It is probably wrong. In the language of the housing debate, the UK may be far more YIMBY than NIMBY. More than two in five UK […]

Nearly three-quarters of challenged rent increases were set below the landlord’s proposed figure in a sample of tribunal decisions. LonRes examined 200 market rent determinations, including 169 with published reasons and 108 that stated both the proposed and final rent. Among those 108 cases, 73% ended with a lower figure, with a median reduction of […]

There is a piece of arithmetic that a lot of landlords planning a sale this autumn have not done, and I keep running into it. Everyone knows that using Ground 1 or Ground 1A locks you out of the lettings market for twelve months. Almost nobody agrees on when that clock starts and stops. I […]

Hi everyone, After my first request to be exempt from MTD (Making Tax Digital) was denied, I was irked and I appealed. I spoke ‘from the heart’, my utter frustration and anxiety came through without insulting anyone and I am happy to say I have now been exempted due to my age, not ever having […]

A new online tool has been launched to help leaseholders check their lease length and estimate extension costs. The Leasehold Advisory Service has launched a free lease extension calculator which provides leaseholders with personalised information about their remaining lease term. The news comes as, under the Leasehold and Commonhold Reform Bill, leaseholders will gain stronger […]

Scotland’s housing emergency has been decades in the making, according to estate agent DJ Alexander. Scotland’s largest estate agency has revealed a decline in social housing stock, with the private rented sector increasingly filling the gap. The news comes as Scottish landlords are having to wait up to a year to regain possession of their […]

Landlords considering new-build home purchases are finding developers reluctant to cut asking prices, even when the properties remain unsold for months. Octane Capital found that 25% of new-build homes had been advertised for longer than three months. Its analysis covered a representative sample of more than 1,100 live listings across England. One in eight properties […]