Sharp rises in room rents across major UK cities are affecting affordability for tenants and shaping demand as a result. Research from flatshare site SpareRoom shows Belfast recorded the steepest increase among the UK’s 20 largest cities over the past five years. Average room rents in the Northern Irish capital climbed 53.2% between Q4 2020 […]

All tenants must have a new tenancy agreement and be given a copy of the ‘Information for tenants ‘ booklet. That’s fine, but my registered rents – Fair rents tenants have completely different rules. >> https://www.gov.uk/guidance/fair-rents I cannot put up the rent yearly. The rent is decided by the fair rent office and has to […]

April 2017 marked the beginning of one of the most consequential fiscal shifts in modern private renting. Section 24, the restriction on mortgage interest relief for individual landlords, was phased in over four years. It was presented as a fairness measure. Nearly a decade on, the deeper question is whether it achieved its wider economic […]

Hello, As an informative. I’m 73 and (hand) wrote a letter (a bit scrawly on unlined paper!) to HMRC. I mentioned my age, that my memory was not so good, I’m a bit doddery on my feet and not au fait with software although I can manage a basic spread sheet. I also said I […]

Landlords hoping to keep tenants in place for longer may need to focus less on rent levels and more on the relationship at the centre of the tenancy, research reveals. According to the Winter 2025/26 Lettings Report by LRG, it highlights that when asked what would most encourage them to stay long term, 68% of […]

The latest RICS survey shows that tenant demand is broadly stable over the three months to February, but landlord instructions are still in decline. The Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors’ survey also shows more members are expecting to rise over the next three months. Its UK Residential Market Survey also reveals that the housing market […]

It’s not due to take effect until 1 May, but one organisation is claiming that the Renters’ Rights Act is already driving a surge in tenant complaints. Figures published by The Property Ombudsman show a big rise in enquiries and complaints from tenants increasingly wanting independent support when disagreements with agents and managers arise. It […]

Average monthly rents moved in different directions across the country in February, with several regions recording increases while others registered short-term declines, Arla Propertymark reveals. Its latest rent and salary tracker shows the East Midlands recorded the strongest monthly rise with increases of 3.4% between January and February to £1,027. The North West followed with […]

Three years ago, landlords flocked to us to sell their properties. Interest rates had squeezed them, and they were desperate to steady the ship. Sound familiar? You might be one of them. We got to work, helping over 4,000 landlords sell their properties or downsize until the ships were indeed steadied. And we got the […]

The government has responded to a consultation to reform the Energy Performance Certificate (EPC) system to announce that planned reforms will not now take place until late next year. It says the move follows ‘engagement with industry’. The changes to the Energy Performance of Buildings regime set out plans to redesign EPCs so certificates show […]

Competition for rented homes has fallen to its lowest level in six years as demand eases and more properties become available to let, Zoopla has revealed. The property platform says renters are now making an average of 4.8 enquiries per property, down from 6.5 a year earlier. The change follows a 14% drop in demand […]

The value of homes in the private rented sector (PRS) fell by £48bn in 2025, marking the largest annual contraction recorded this century, according to analysis from Savills. Over the past three years, the PRS has shrunk by £79bn, even as the wider housing market continued to grow. That’s down to smaller landlords selling to […]

Letting agents in Nottingham are managing the largest number of homes to rent per office among Britain’s major cities, according to new research. Tenancy platform Propoly has crunched the numbers to find that the city has around 3,714 homes to rent handled by 106 letting agency branches. That works out at roughly 35 listings per […]

Landlords in England dealt with an estimated £470m in rent arrears over the course of a single year, according to an analysis of government data. Research of official figures by the compliance platform, Propoly, found that 210,163 households fell into rent arrears during 2024-25. The average amount owed across the year was £2,238, producing a […]

The Housing Ombudsman has set out its plans to tackle a rise in complaint cases involving social housing landlords. Over the last five years, the Ombudsman has seen more than a 500% increase in cases, reaching more than 13,000 last year. The Housing Ombudsman has launched a consultation on its business plan for the year […]

Most experienced landlords remember the early logic of their property portfolios very clearly. The strategy was simple; a) acquire residential property with high tenant demand, b) finance it sensibly, c) allow tenants to service the debt, and d) hold the assets long term. Over time, rents increased, and capital values rose. For many investors that […]

Part 1 of a series revisiting the questions raised by the late David Knox FCA, AKA ‘Appalled Landlord’. “ If any landlord thinks that an attack on Shelter is going to help landlords, think again. Want to be seen as a nutjob? ” That was one of the reactions when David published an article analysing […]

The government will publish online sometime in March 2026, their document to be given to existing tenants on AST. (Probably as badly drafted as the RRA???? lol) Landlords will have until 31 May 2026 to provide this to all their tenants, either digitally or on paper. Landlords are able to do this as soon as the information sheet […]

With less than a month to go until Making Tax Digital comes into force, only 5% of taxpayers, including landlords, have signed up, according to a story in The Telegraph. Under the controversial scheme, from April 2026 landlords earning more than £50,000 will be required to keep digital records and submit quarterly updates to HM […]

Stoke-on-Trent has been identified as the fastest-growing commuter town for people travelling into Manchester, according to an analysis of commuting patterns and relocation trends. Average rail journeys from the town to Manchester take around 45 minutes, while a typical peak-time round-trip costs £25.58. Data used in the analysis by credit card firm Aqua also shows […]

Investors have poured almost £40bn into the Build-to-Rent (BtR) sector over the past decade, with most of that cash being directed towards professionally managed multifamily housing schemes. The findings from the property consultancy Knight Frank found that around £30bn, roughly 75% of total investment since 2015, has gone into apartment-led BtR developments. That investor-led move […]