Salford City Council is seeking public opinion on whether to reintroduce a selective licensing scheme for private landlords in parts of Broughton and Kersal. Selective licensing requires all landlords renting properties within a designated area to obtain a license from the council. The proposed scheme would cover around 1,340 properties across Broughton and the Kersal […]

The Build to Rent sector has attracted a staggering £800 million in investment during the third quarter of 2024. Savills says the surge in investment is being fuelled by both bulk and single site transactions, as investors aim to establish essential operational infrastructure. Bulk deal investments reached £1.2 billion in the year leading up to […]

The NRLA has slammed the Labour government’s decision to freeze housing benefit rates, warning it will “hurt vulnerable renters.” Since March 2020, Local Housing Allowance (LHA) rates — which cap housing benefits for private renters — have been locked. The Joseph Rowntree Foundation warns that, with LHA rates frozen for this parliament, private renters on […]

We exchanged on a property to add to our company residential buy to let portfolio costing £490,000 last week. It would seem that we will be charged an extra 2% on top of the 3% stamp duty that we were due to pay at completion on 15th November. If this extra stamp duty had been […]

With all private rented sector properties needing to meet EPC C targets by 2030, many landlords are under financial pressure. More than five million rental properties will need to be upgraded to meet energy-efficiency targets which could cost landlords thousands of pounds. In response to the upcoming regulations, a new AI tool called Eco-Landlord, supported […]

Labour’s Budget Shock: What Property Investors Must Know! In this groundbreaking video, Ranjan Bhattacharya unravels the first Labour budget in 14 years, offering expert insights and analysis crucial for property investors. Discover how these changes will affect your investment strategies and the property market. Highlights include: The £40 billion tax-raising scheme targeting employers Strategies to […]

As the government raises the Stamp Duty Land Tax (SDLT) surcharge for small landlords to a staggering 5%, the system has become blatantly skewed in favour of corporate investors who pay drastically less. With corporate landlords able to purchase multiple properties under non-residential SDLT rates, they’re paying a fraction of the SDLT that small landlords […]

In a move that could severely damage the private rented sector (PRS), the Chancellor Rachel Reeves announced in the Budget that the stamp duty surcharge on additional homes will increase to 5% from tomorrow. The rise from 3% will hit landlord profits – and likely undermine desperately needed landlord investment in the PRS – and […]

The 2024/25 Budget could have been the government’s chance to stop the landlord exodus that is tearing apart the UK’s rental market. Instead, it has done the opposite. At a time when landlords are leaving in droves and tenants are struggling to find affordable housing, the Chancellor has chosen to pile on more financial strain […]

As Halloween approaches, landlords find themselves trapped in a horror story that just won’t end. Every year, they hope for relief, yet every Budget announcement only deepens the nightmare. The government’s failure to recognise and act on the landlord exodus has created a never-ending cycle of terror—not just for landlords, but for tenants too, who […]

UK landlords are growing increasingly anxious about potential tax hikes and regulatory changes, particularly the looming threat of Section 21 eviction reform. A survey by Butterfield Mortgages reveals that 77% of landlords fear that tax increases, such as a potential rise in Capital Gains Tax, could negatively impact their investments. Also, 70% of landlords expressed […]

A third of all homes for sale in Britain have an EPC rating below C, according to new research. A survey by epIMS, reveals more than 33% of all properties currently listed for sale have an EPC rating below a C, although this figure climbs as high as 46% in some major cities. The government […]

A London council is seeking public opinion – including from affected landlords – on a proposal to introduce a new property licensing scheme for private rented homes across 15 wards in the borough. The selective licensing scheme would cover all private rented properties, not just Houses in Multiple Occupation (HMOs) which were already subject to […]

My short term lease expired with my letting agent and they refused to move out the tenant. After 3 months I contacted the local housing authority to have the rent paid directly to myself or the new letting agent I wanted to manage the property. The housing authority stopped the rent and it was an […]

Property investors can expect a brighter outlook for the market in the coming year – despite the looming uncertainty of the Autumn Budget. According to Octane Capital’s chief executive, Jonathan Samuels, lower mortgage rates will drive increased activity. He explains: “Investors are worried about the impact of this week’s Budget, largely stoked by the government’s […]

The trend of landlords incorporating their Buy-to-Let (BTL) portfolios into limited companies has become more prominent in recent years, spurred by changes to tax relief and the shifting regulatory environment. However, this shift can come with complications that many may not fully understand—especially when it comes to mortgage arrangements. This article aims to help the […]

In this episode of Property Breaking News, Ranjan Bhattacharya and Andrew Roberts deep dive into the latest government regulations impacting the property market and reveal how commercial conversions can be your golden strategy. Explore how you, as a savvy property investor, can navigate the complexities of the housing market with expert insights. Discover why major […]

The UK’s private rented sector is facing an unprecedented crisis, and letting agents are feeling the impact more than ever. Landlords are leaving the market in droves, driven by relentless tax changes that have made it harder and more expensive to keep their properties profitable. For letting agents, this exodus represents a real threat to […]

Rent rises in Scotland’s private rented sector (PRS) are beginning to ease as policy measures for rent controls continue to progress through the Scottish Parliament. The latest report from Scottish lettings portal Citylets, shows the rate of annual growth trending downward in the low single digits for all main cities. Notably, Glasgow recorded a year-on-year […]

With the Budget only a day away, many industry leaders are calling on the Chancellor Rachel Reeves to support landlords. Industry bodies such as Propertymark are urging the Labour government to reverse Section 24 emphasising that failure to do so could lead to increased rents. Rightmove and the NRLA also warn without financial incentives in […]

Landlords across the UK are growing increasingly pessimistic about the future of the private rented sector (PRS), despite strong tenant demand and record-high rental yields. A new report by mortgage market specialist Pegasus Insight reveals that 91% of landlords believe the Labour government will have a negative impact on the sector. Their primary concerns include […]