Page 199 – Property118
A park in London

Property investors look beyond London for growth

21st May 2024

Property investors are shifting their focus away from traditional hotspots like London and towards regions offering higher yields, research reveals. According to Handelsbanken, the East of England is now the most attractive region for commercial and residential investment over the next year (26.5%). Its ‘Property Investor Report’ questioned investors with an average of 35 properties […]

Lenders cut BTL rates and unveil new products

21st May 2024

The UK’s buy to let mortgage market is seeing activity from several lenders with announcements of rate cuts, new product launches and simplified remortgage options. Among them is Fleet Mortgages which is targeting limited companies with new 65% loan-to-value (LTV) fixed-rate products. It is offering a zero-fee option at 5.64% and a 5.44% option with […]

Chancellor delivering a speech on Britain’s economic future

Labour could bring in rent caps at a local level

20th May 2024

A Labour government could bring in rent caps that would empower local councils to restrict annual rent increases by landlords. That’s a similar proposal to Scotland’s Housing Bill which has recently been unveiled. Rachel Reeves, the shadow chancellor, made the revelation during a BBC Radio Essex interview. She said that rent controls might be a […]

pic of Manchester and its selective landlord licensing scheme property118

Greater Manchester unveils the UK’s first property checks for tenants

20th May 2024

Greater Manchester is launching property checks to tackle substandard rented housing and to clampdown on criminal landlords. The Property Check scheme is a UK first and part of a £600,000 package aimed at improving rented housing ‘so it works for people, not against them’. The scheme, which could see Greater Manchester Fire and Rescue Service […]

House prices hit record high but growth slows

20th May 2024

House prices in the UK have reached a new record high, according to Rightmove, but the rate of growth is slowing. It says the average asking price for properties coming to market rose by 0.8% this month to £375,131, but this is only 0.6% higher than a year ago. The strong performance in May, a […]

Judge’s gavel and legal scales symbolising landlord possession court actions.

Court hearing when using accelerated S21 route?

20th May 2024

Hi, I am currently in process of evicting one of my unpaying tenant using accelerated Section 21 route, I am under the impression that the court does not need a hearing if you don’t claim any unpaid rent. However, I received a notification stating that possession has been granted (with an order to follow), but […]

Two professionals discussing withheld landlord documents during a property handover.

How to sue a letting agent for breach of contract?

20th May 2024

Hi, I am a landlord and I entered into a long battle with a former letting agent regarding their fully-managed service of my property. Following legal advice, I put in a formal complaint to the agent and followed their complaints procedure, escalated this to the Property Redress Scheme, rejected their early resolution proposal and have […]

From £400 to Property Empire: Dawid Dowbusz’s Inspiring Journey

20th May 2024

In this episode of the Succeed in Property Podcast, hosted by Ranjan Bhattacharya, we’re privileged to have Dawid Dowbusz as our special guest. Dawid shares his remarkable journey from arriving in the UK as a Polish immigrant with just £400, to becoming a highly successful property investor. Through determination and hard work, Dawid built an […]

Woman in red dress smiling while seated in an office chair.

Sitting tenants see rents rise as gap with open market narrows

20th May 2024

Tenants renewing their tenancies are seeing rents rise at a faster pace than those moving to new homes, research reveals. According to Hamptons, the average rent paid by a tenant renewing their contract rose by 8.3% over the last 12 months, compared to 6.4% for newly let properties. It says the trend is due to […]

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Tenancy fraud and council apathy!

20th May 2024

Hi, just read an interesting article on Inside Housing about tenancy fraud see below: English regulator is ‘turning a wilful blind eye’ to tenancy fraud, experts warn A non-executive director at the Tenancy Fraud Forum (TFF) has accused the English regulator of “turning a wilful blind eye” to tenancy fraud and said it has “lost […]

Legal expert warns of looming chaos from the Renters (Reform) Bill

17th May 2024

The impending passing of the Renters (Reform) Bill spells trouble for tenants and landlords, warns a legal expert. Ian Narbeth, a commercial property lawyer and BTL and HMO landlord, tells Property118 in a video interview that can be seen below that some Tory MPs have “woken up too late” to the damaging effects the Bill […]

Knight-themed Landlord Crusader logo symbolizing landlord advocacy

The landlord exodus explained – what our critics don’t want to hear

17th May 2024

So, another week in landlord land and another slew of stories highlighting how bad landlords are for selling up – but there’s no perspective of WHY landlords are choosing to sell. And there’s a good reason for that. No one, literally no one, cares about the why. They only care about handing control of rented […]

Tenancy Deposit Protection – 30 calendar days or 30 working days?

17th May 2024

Hi all, I found myself in a difficult situation while trying to evict a tenant during a rolling tenancy. The letting agency collected a deposit from the tenant and transferred it to me and I protected it with the Tenancy Deposit Scheme (TDS). I provided all documents and my legal team prepared the case for […]

pic of bailiff gaining entrance to a rented home to evict property118

Section 21 ‘no-fault’ evictions rocket by 19%

17th May 2024

The Section 21 ‘no-fault’ eviction rates for bailiff repossessions in England have reached a six-year high – leading Shelter to question the effectiveness of the Renters (Reform) Bill. Ministry of Justice figures show a 19% year-on-year rise in evictions due to Section 21 notices, with 2,682 possessions taking place between January and March 2024. This […]

Why the UK Remains a Haven for Foreign Property Investors

17th May 2024

The United Kingdom has long held a magnetic pull for international property investors. From the towering skyscrapers of London to the charming terraces of historic towns, the UK offers a plethora of opportunities for those seeking a foothold in a stable and potentially lucrative market. But what exactly makes British bricks and mortar so appealing […]

Stamp Duty rebate on uninhabitable property?

17th May 2024

Hi, I am a long-term property investor, buying properties often at auction, refurbishing, renting and holding. I am a RICS surveyor and CIOB Construction Manager so I have some good general knowledge. I have recently bought a property which had been empty for about three years and had an EPC rating of F, no kitchen, […]

My tenants split up but husband staying – deposit issues?

17th May 2024

Hello, Since 2017 I have rented a small 2 bedrooms terrace house with garden to a couple. They had 3 children in the last 5 and a half years. The wife complained to me that the house was now too small. In nearly 7 years I increased a rent already below the market value, once. […]

Hand signing an eviction notice related to Section 21 concerns

Can I force entry to change the locks?

17th May 2024

Hello, I used an agent who issued a tenancy agreement for a tenant on DSS. She lives there with her husband and kids, which the government knows that she is single. She is sub-letting the house to raise funds for her husband to buy a house. I became aware of it and issued a section […]

Lord Frost criticises Renters (Reform) Bill in the Lords

17th May 2024

Leading Conservative politician Lord Frost has voiced his concerns over the Renters (Reform) Bill by saying it is a ‘poor Bill’ and blasted the Tories. Lord Frost was the UK’s chief Brexit negotiator and in the House of Lords second reading debate, he said: “It is a poor Bill and I do not think it […]