The average price of a new-build home has surpassed £500,000, according to new research. Data by Propertymark reveals the average price of a new-build property reached £501,658 in July 2026. However, regional disparities remain, with the largest decline in the East of England. Every nation faces its own housing challenges According to the data, the […]

A council has launched a major crackdown on houses in multiple occupation (HMOs). Stoke-on-Trent City Council has proposed a cap on the total number of HMOs within each ward and plans to require planning permission for new conversions. The news comes as landlords in Norwich could face a new licensing regime covering smaller HMOs. Require […]

A new target of more than 30,000 purpose-built student accommodation (PBSA) beds over the next decade will require flexible planning, according to Lichfields. The planning and development consultancy has warned that a flexible planning approach will be needed to deliver 31,500 student beds across the capital, helping to ease pressure on the private rented sector. […]

A criticism repeated against Substantial Incorporation Structure (SIS) arrangements is that transferring the beneficial ownership of mortgaged properties to a company must have breached the mortgage terms, making the transfer ineffective and automatically invalidating Section 162 Incorporation Relief. That argument compresses several separate legal questions into one convenient conclusion. The evidence heard during the ten-day […]

Despite Andy Burnham’s pledge to end rough sleeping, new figures reveal an increase in the number of people sleeping rough in London. Figures from the Combined Homelessness and Information Network (CHAIN) reveal 3,959 people were sleeping rough in London in April to June this year. While this is down by 10% compared to the same […]

Generation Rent may not be disappearing. It may simply be getting older, and neither Britain’s pension system nor its housing policy looks ready for what follows. A Facebook post by Adam Lawrence recently stopped me in my tracks. It suggested that somebody retiring as a tenant could need £400,000 in pension savings just to pay […]

An industry body has warned that the PRS Database must not become a duplication of selective licensing. Propertymark says schemes should not duplicate existing regulation, warning that “simply collecting licensing fees will not improve standards”. Under the Renters’ Rights Act, all landlords will need to sign up to the database, which will include information about […]

A council has launched an intelligence-led taskforce to tackle rogue landlords and improve standards in the private rented sector. Lewisham council’s new Rogue Landlords Taskforce will target landlords linked to poor housing conditions, unlicensed properties and waste problems. The move comes as Bath and North East Somerset Council proposes tougher financial penalties for landlords, including […]

Tenant demand has risen to its highest level in two years, as concerns over landlords selling their properties continue to grow. Data from Pegasus Insight shows 63% of landlords now describe tenant demand in their areas as either ‘very strong’ or ‘quite strong’, up from 58% in Q1. This marks the first quarterly increase since […]

A council is urging landlords to sign up to a new scheme to improve the EPC ratings of their properties while helping to provide temporary accommodation in the area. Brighton & Hove City Council has launched the Energy Performance Grant Scheme, offering eligible landlords grants of up to £7,500 to carry out energy efficiency improvements […]

My bottleneck is deciding which BTL listings justify a viewing, especially when agents push for appointments before the numbers are established. I expect a viewing to resolve questions that records and a short agent call cannot answer. A deal that already fails on price, finance or obvious risk seldom improves after a walk-through. My first […]

A drafting criticism is not a court judgment. When a paid review begins with predictions of catastrophic tax consequences and ends with a recommendation to unwind or settle, clients are entitled to ask whether every realistic option has genuinely been considered. Over the last few years, I have been shown a growing collection of reports, […]

I’m going to say this plainly: no other organisation has more practical experience of landlord incorporation than Property118. That is a bold claim, but it is one we have earned the right to make. We have conducted thousands of consultations with landlords, helped hundreds to incorporate their property businesses and supported clients through HMRC compliance […]

Timing is everything, from knowing when to buy, when to hold and when to sell, and the same can be said for selling your property portfolio. We know because we are landlords ourselves, so we know the market is tough right now. We’re a company founded by landlords for landlords, made up of some of […]

More than half of homes in England and Wales are taking longer to sell this summer due to higher mortgage rates, claims Zoopla. Data from the property portal reveals homes in 180 of 363 local authorities are taking longer to sell this summer, with eight taking two months or longer on average. However, the national […]

One of the UK’s largest social housing providers claims modular homes could be the key to solving Britain’s housing crisis. Places for People (PfP) wants to work with councils across the country to prioritise modular housing for temporary accommodation instead of costly hotels and B&Bs. A modular home is a type of prefabricated housing built […]

Millions of renters have welcomed a pet or are planning to get one following the Renters’ Rights Act. Data from Simply Business reveals, since the Act came into force in May, nearly half of renters (44%) have taken on a pet. Under the Renters’ Rights Act, private rented sector tenants now have the right to […]

Like many other Renters’ Rights Act policies being introduced, the increase in fines appears to be based on populist belief and emotion. It is hoped the fines will benefit tenants. However, there is a somewhat obvious flaw in this plan, as AI points to most existing fines already going uncollected. AI says: “Between 2023/24 and […]

The government has announced new planning reforms aimed at making it easier to build homes near train stations. Under the government’s new National Planning Policy Framework, there will be a default ‘yes’ for homes within a reasonable walking distance of well-connected stations, alongside new minimum expectations for the amount of housing that should be built […]

Article by Katherine Simpson, Partner at Edwin Coe LLP The government’s language on leasehold reform remains forthright. Ministers speak of, “bringing the feudal leasehold system to an end,” of returning power to homeowners, and of making commonhold the default way to own a flat in England and Wales. The draft Commonhold and Leasehold Reform Bill, […]

Landlords in one local authority area could see locally set housing fines increased by up to 50% where the council finds aggravating factors such as previous non-compliance, a breach lasting more than six months or deliberate offending. It is now consulting on a tougher Housing Services Enforcement & Financial Penalty Policy, drawn up after new […]