Hi, I have an ex-local authority one bed flat in Norwich which I have owned for 9 years. I bought it with the tenant in situ and she has been a model tenant, always paying the rent on time. I have increased the rent only once in this time by £20, the monthly rent is […]

Did you know there’s a financial safety net that could help cover rent arrears and prevent tenancies from being put at risk? It’s called the Discretionary Housing Payment (DHP) and Rachel Reeves latest Budget has added 1 Billion extra pounds to the available pot. However, not enough landlords or tenants know how to tap into these […]

Fleet Mortgages has launched a new range of five-year fixed-rate products for landlords across the UK. The buy to let mortgage lender’s fixed-rate mortgages are available for standard buy to let properties, limited company purchases and HMO/Multi-Unit Blocks (MUBs). Available up to 75% LTV, standard and limited company mortgages start at 5.29%, while HMO/MUB options […]

A new referencing tool specifically designed for student landlords aims to simplify the tenancy process for both agents and students. Vouch’s student reference package includes essential checks like ID verification, eliminating unnecessary procedures like credit checks and salary verification that are typically required for salaried tenants. The company says this reduction in checks not only […]

Hello, I signed a contract with a 12% fee three years ago with a managing agent to handle my HMO in London. I am now looking to switch to another agency as I am unhappy with their service. When the agency took over, the property was fully let, so they started collecting their management fees […]

While the looming threat of a capital gains tax (CGT) hike had landlords worried in the lead-up to last week’s Autumn Budget, the increase in stamp duty on second homes seems to be a lesser concern. A survey from estate and letting agents Benham and Reeves found that nearly one-fifth (19%) of landlords had paused […]

Acorn, the tenant activist organisation, is urging renters to contact their MP calling for a stronger Renters’ Rights Bill. Its new campaign declares: ‘The Renters’ Rights Bill in its current form is a great start, but if it’s going to deliver the change we really need, it must be made stronger! Email your MP to […]

Rachel Reeves, the Chancellor of the Exchequer, and her husband are earning £74,000 annually from rental income, The Telegraph reveals. The revelation comes shortly after Ms Reeves introduced a Budget that significantly impacts landlords and second home buyers with increased stamp duty costs. The newspaper reveals that the Chancellor is believed to receive more than […]

The government’s progress in remediating dangerous cladding to make buildings safe is too slow, the National Audit Office (NAO) warns. It says that despite significant changes to remediation programmes, up to 60% of buildings with dangerous cladding have yet to be identified. The NAO’s report highlights the lack of a clear target date for completing […]

Despite an increase in affordable housing, only 700 social homes were built in England last year, according to the Regulator of Social Housing (RSH). According to the RSH, private registered providers added about 5,200 social rent homes in England. However, this gain was offset by a loss of around 4,500 social rent homes for local […]

Hello, I bought a new build property in Cornwall 2 years ago and its now a successful Airbnb. However, I’m thinking of using it as a Buy To Let instead. This is largely because I want to move house myself but my trusted mortgage advisor tells me that, although the outgoings on the holiday let […]

In the 2023 Autumn Statement, the government announced an end to a four-year freeze in local housing allowance rates (LHA) rates. However, on the 30th October 2024 Rachel Reeves quietly froze them again, this has raised serious concerns for low-income renters across the UK. Despite increasing rental prices, the LHA—originally designed to help people cover […]

Hello, I have a tenant who always pays on time and respects the property. One of his neighbours has been known to be a little standoffish on occasion, but my tenant has now twice responded to the neighbour by shouting back when she argues with him. Last time he told her that if she doesn’t […]

Landlords across the UK are facing mounting challenges, from skyrocketing taxes to endless regulations, making it harder and harder to stay in the rental market. It feels as if the government has declared a war on landlords, and it’s not just landlords who are feeling the heat—tenants are being dragged into this crisis too. So, […]

The wet UK weather is exacerbating a growing problem – mould and damp in rental properties and a survey has found that 43% of renters have battled these issues. The findings from Quotezone.co.uk also show that more than 65% of renters have encountered hazards in their homes – with 20% reporting unresolved complaints to their […]

Annual house price growth in the UK slowed in October to 2.4% from 3.2% in September, while monthly growth was a modest 0.1%, one index reveals. According to the latest figures from Nationwide, market activity has remained resilient in recent months with the number of mortgage approvals approaching the levels seen pre-pandemic. The lender says […]

Three silver linings were found in what was a terrible 2024 Labour budget. This was supposed to be a Budget for growth and it was: Growth in taxes Growth in borrowing And growth in public sector expenditure Please click on the video below:

Ending child poverty in Scotland can only happen by tackling the housing emergency, says Shelter Scotland. A report by Shelter Scotland and Aberlour claims Scotland’s housing emergency and child poverty are inextricably linked, as more than 10,000 children are currently trapped in temporary accommodation. The Scottish government and 12 Scottish councils have declared a housing […]

House prices in London take a dramatic dip as the property market continues to struggle. According to research by Moverly, house prices in the capital in the last year alone have fallen by a staggering -21.1% — a loss of almost £202,616. Despite the drop in house prices in London, the average UK house price […]

It’s been tense week this week as landlords waited patiently for Rachel Reeves’ Autumn Budget. As the countdown began to the Chancellor’s announcement, the biggest fear for landlords was a possible hike in Capital Gains Tax. Yet to the utter relief of the entire landlord sector, the day passed with the news that CGT was […]

In a Budget that surprised no one for being the biggest tax grab in decades, Labour really has shown what they think of landlords in the PRS. Absolutely nothing. They know nothing about us, the sector or why we need people to keep investing. It’s all about the tenants, isn’t it? Except it won’t be […]