Welcome to Property Answers, the series where we address your burning property questions! In this Election Special, Ranjan Bhattacharya, John Howard and Liana Wall dive into the critical issue of Labour vs. Tories: Who’s better for property investors? Watch the video below

Property management thrives on efficiency, but keeping track of rent payments, managing maintenance requests, and ensuring smooth financial operations can quickly become overwhelming. This is where technology steps in, and open banking is poised to revolutionize the way property managers handle cash flow. By leveraging open banking solutions, property managers can streamline the process of […]

Generation Rent has criticised Labour’s newly announced ‘Freedom to Buy’ initiative which aims to help more than 80,000 young adults move out of their parental homes and onto the property ladder within the next five years. However, the tenants’ campaign organisation says the scheme overlooks the struggles of renters. The initiative is designed to aid […]

Property investors and landlords might be interested in a study of London’s moving trends which reveals a significant rise in people relocating to areas with lower house prices. London continues to be the most expensive place to buy a house in the UK, with a whopping £701,280 average house price. This hefty price tag, coupled […]

Hello, Over the last few years I have been hit with this awful cladding issue and repossession by my lender due to expiry of mortgage term on one flat by Mortgage Express and the other flat being taken over because of arrears – due to having to pay tens of thousands in legal bills. It […]

Councils are failing to properly inspect properties with potentially dangerous hazards, claims the NRLA. Under the Housing Health and Safety Rating System (HHSRS), local authorities can inspect rented properties for hazards after a tenant complaint and force landlords to fix them. Freedom of Information data obtained by the NRLA reveals that between 2021 and 2023, […]

The UK’s private rented sector (PRS) is experiencing a slowdown in rent growth at 6.6% – the lowest increase in 30 months. According to Zoopla’s latest Rental Market report, despite the fall in growth, competition for rented homes remains high and rent growth for this year will drop to 5%. The platform says there are […]

I’m looking to buy a block of 10 flats and I’m a bit confused about how much SDLT I will need to pay. It appears there are several options. The flats are all identical and I can purchase the whole block for £2,000,000 including the freehold and all 10 leases. I know that Multiple Dwellings […]

Two unnamed landlords have launched a legal action against a council’s ‘unlawful’ decision to bring in a selective licensing scheme, Teesside Live reports. Middlesbrough Council recently unveiled its Newport 1 scheme which would cost landlords £998 per licence. The scheme would run for five years, and the licence fee has been increased from £820. But […]

Buy to Let by Foundation, a specialist BTL lender, has launched a new limited edition five-year fixed-rate mortgage for landlords. The product is available for both individual and portfolio landlords with a strong credit history, offering a competitive rate of 5.74% at up to 75% loan-to-value (LTV) with a fee of 1.75%. This new product […]

London’s housing crisis could be eased by building on vast swathes of unused brownfield land, according to new research.  The analysis by SBA Property Management, found that the capital has enough derelict land to accommodate at least 414,273 new homes. This brownfield space, defined as previously developed land no longer in use, covers a staggering […]

Tenants moving into new Build to Rent (BTR) developments across the UK will now have the option to avoid the traditional five-week cash deposit thanks to a collaboration between deposit alternative provider Reposit and four major BTR operators. The new partnership will see Reposit’s service offered at Lampton Parkside in Hounslow for the Pinnacle Group, […]

Following on the heels of the National Residential Landlords Association (NRLA), Generation Rent is also calling for the next government to bring in a new Renters (Reform) Bill as a matter of urgency. It says this will protect households and families from homelessness – and the organisation wants more social and affordable homes to be […]

Hi, I was granted possession after a wait of over 7 months. Since one of my tenants is disabled, the judge has given them the maximum time to stay. However, I doubt they will leave when the two-week eviction period ends. Should I write to the council to ask them to rehouse my tenants? Even […]

Angela Rayner has promised a Labour government will immediately end Section 21. Ms Rayner claims the Tories “have completely failed a generation of renters” by not passing the Renters (Reform) Bill. Housing charity Shelter met Ms Rayner in Darlington on the general election campaign trail. Labour will immediately end no-fault evictions The Renters (Reform) Bill […]

The buy to let market for landlords is receiving a boost with new offerings from both The Mortgage Works (TMW) and Market Financial Solutions (MFS). The Mortgage Works, a specialist BTL lender, is launching a new tool specifically designed to help brokers working with portfolio landlords. This sector faces growing complexity, making it crucial for […]

Propertymark members say they are concerned about landlords ‘choosing to exit the sector’ despite a surge in tenant demand. The organisation’s latest Housing Insight Report shows that tenant registrations grew from 82 in March, to 90 in April 2024. There are now nine new applicants being registered for each available property – but supply is […]

Despite a national average UK house price rise of 1.8%, research reveals that nearly half (48%) of local authority areas have seen house prices fall over the past year. The analysis by Open Property Group reveals the biggest drops over the past year were concentrated in London and the South East. However, the City of […]

A recent article in The Times, using research from Savills, argued that renting out property in the last 10 years has become less profitable for landlords. Among the reasons given was the price of property increasing from £161,404 to £236,311 – and the average deposit size nearly doubling. Also, stamp duty has gone from 1% […]

Landlords are showing renewed confidence in the buy to let market, with 44% intending to purchase property in the next year, a survey reveals. The findings from Landbay show this is a big jump from 32% of landlords planning to do so in a previous survey. Building a property portfolio is the primary motivator for […]

After seeing five years of hard work in shaping the Renters (Reform) Bill for the private rented sector (PRS) evaporate when the general election was called, the next government must work ‘from scratch’ on a new law. That’s the verdict of Ben Beadle, the chief executive of the National Residential Landlords Association (NRLA) writing to […]