Data from trade body UK Finance has revealed a drop in the number of landlords in buy to let mortgage arrears for the last quarter of 2024, while BTL property possessions remained stable. It says that the fourth quarter saw 12,610 BTL mortgages behind on payments by 2.5% or more, a 3% drop from the […]

Propertymark has responded to the Welsh government’s housing white paper consultation and expressed support for some measures – but warns about the impact on PRS investment. The white paper outlines proposals to improve affordability and quality in the private rented sector, alongside long-term goals for better housing across all tenures in Wales. The government is […]

The third survey this week is highlighting that landlords are planning to sell properties this year with the latest one revealing that one in five landlords in England are looking to do so. The findings come from Octane Capital which says that the landlords are looking to sell because of the forthcoming Renters’ Rights Bill. […]

Following the tragic death of Awaab Ishak of mould-related illness, the housing regulator went after landlords with a brutal attack supported by their headline 2021 report. Mould – ‘Its not lifestyle’. This post is in no way meant to dismiss all mould as a landlord’s responsibility, but it appears wholly unacceptable to blame Landlords in […]

Hello everyone, We let and managed a property for which we found and installed tenants. The landlord subsequently sold the property through a different agent and the purchasers have now issued a county court summons citing the vendor as the 1st defendant and ourselves as the 2nd defendant based on a fault in the heating […]

The Bank of England’s Monetary Policy Committee (MPC) hawks came out on top today, voting 7-2 to cut the Bank Base Rate by 0.25%, bringing it down from 4.75% to 4.5%. In a surprise move, two members pushed for a much bigger cut to 0.5%, hinting that more rate cuts could be on the cards. […]

Jeremy Corbyn is now, thankfully, a complete irrelevance. I’ll never forget how happy I was when he lost the election, he represented an existential threat. But his simplistic economic views are still attractive to many. It’s populism at its worst, exploiting a problem, rather than providing a solution for the cause. It’s either deceit or […]

The deepening crisis in the UK’s private rented sector has been laid bare with a survey revealing that landlord confidence has taken a knock with 67% believing the PRS has worsened. The survey by Total Property highlights that nearly half (49%) of landlords are planning to leave the PRS within five years. The firm questioned […]

Insurance provider Paymentshield has revamped its tenant contents policy ahead of the Renters’ Rights Bill which will restrict landlords from ‘unreasonably’ denying pet requests. The updated product includes expanded protection for property damage caused by pets, offering cover up to £10,000. Under the Bill, landlords can ask the tenant for appropriate insurance to cover potential […]

Rent controls imposed in Scotland in 2022 to alleviate cost-of-living pressures will be lifted next month. The decision follows industry warnings that the caps stifled investment and inflated rental costs. Scottish Housing Minister Paul McLennan told the Herald newspaper: “The temporary changes to rent adjudication were in place to support the transition away from the […]

The North East has delivered the highest average rental yield for buy to let investors over the past five years, surpassing even London, research reveals. According to an analysis from Benham and Reeves of England’s rental markets, the North East delivered a 4.84% average yield, exceeding London’s 4.42%. Nationally, the average BTL was 4.17% with […]

Hello, I thought I’d look at the EPC study going on at the moment till mid-February but was horrified. The questions we need to answer to provide input appear inappropriate and wasteful. There will likely be a big review that misses the main points and we will all likely be burdened with heavy costs and […]

Residential or commercial property — what’s the smarter investment in 2025? In this video, we break down the top 5 reasons why switching to commercial property is the game-changing move property investors need to consider. From navigating new legislation like the Renters Rights Bill to tax benefits, stamp duty savings, and even pension-friendly options, we […]

The Renters’ Rights Bill has passed its second reading in the House of Lords and will now go to the Committee stage. A total of 44 members of the House of Lords spoke at the second reading of the Bill. Baroness Taylor of Stevenage, Parliamentary Under-Secretary of Housing, who introduced the second reading of the […]

Hello, I rent out one property, and a significant number of other landlords do the same. The rental from this property is my only income since I am retired. It was an investment, but it also provided a home for somebody else which is more than you can say of most investments. It has always […]

Landlords should receive tax incentives for energy-efficient property upgrades which help reduce renters’ ‘crippling’ utility expenses, Tory MPs have urged. MailOnline reports that Labour has been told by MPs in the Conservative Environment Network (CEN) that tax relief will lower tenant costs and reduce UK reliance on foreign fuel imports. As part of the government’s […]

Two leading lenders have announced reductions in their buy to let mortgage rates, offering competitive financing options. The first is Accord Mortgages which has dropped rates across its BTL product range. Two- and three-year fixed rates up to 80% loan-to-value (LTV) are down by 0.25%, while five-year fixes have been reduced by 0.20%. Tracker rates […]

A looming crisis will hit the UK’s private rented sector as two-thirds (67%) of landlords say they will either leave, reduce their portfolio size or switch to short lets this year. The research conducted by SpareRoom reveals that just 4.5% of landlords are planning to buy in 2025. It found that confidence among landlords has […]

Up to one million children in the PRS could face poverty by 2026 because of a rent shortfall due to frozen Local Housing Allowance (LHA) rates, a report highlights. The study from the Institute for Public Policy Research (IPPR) blames the combined impact of welfare changes, a growing number of children in the PRS and […]

John Bird, the founder and editor-in-chief of the Big Issue, has criticised tenant-landlord dynamics and highlights the urgent need for more public housing. In an article for the magazine, he writes: “All I know is that we have to end the vulnerability of tenants who are caught in a trap that only enriches the landlord […]

The Renters’ Rights Bill faces its second reading in the House of Lords today (Tuesday 4 February), with calls for revisions to address potential negative impacts on the private rented sector. Those concerns come from Propertymark which fears that the regulations could reduce housing availability, inflate rental costs and hinder access to affordable homes. Government […]