Hi, I am seeking clarification on a situation in which I am a member and leaseholder of a share of freehold along with four other properties owners who are also members. It is a limited company by guarantee. There has been an ongoing dispute regarding the service fees for the past 14 years. Recently, following […]

Hi, I am torn whether to throw the towel in with my agent and letting? I’ve not had a great experience to be honest. My tenant has expressed leaving early from a fixed term. Not sure whether this would be a good time to also withdraw from my agent and maybe self manage or sell? […]

Hi, I’ve been a landlord since 2005 and I’ve never issued a Section 21. However, I’m about to change that as I have two tenants that are behind in rent payments,one owes £600.00 and the other owes £2,500.00. In my efforts to be reasonable I have agreed payment plans for both of these tenants. The […]

Welcome to Property Answers! In this episode, join Liana, John, and Ranjan as they go in-depth with expert analysis on one of the most pressing questions in property: How will leasehold reform affect buy-to-let property investing? Our experts will break down the proposed changes, discuss potential impacts on investors, and offer strategic advice to navigate […]

More than half of landlords say they manage their portfolios themselves, treating it as a full-time job. Surprisingly, those who self-manage are often spending more on property management, the survey from buy to let lender Landbay reveals. Their bills are more than what they would pay a letting agent or property management company. However, just […]

Scottish property taxes have reached a record high, exceeding £628 million in the past year, according to analysis by DJ Alexander. Scotland’s largest property firm says this represents an £8.5 million increase compared to the previous year. A significant portion of the tax revenue – more than £195 million – comes from the additional dwelling […]

Low tenant demand is causing problems for letting agents and landlords in some parts of the UK, according to new data. While the national picture suggests a healthy rental market, with 78% of properties occupied, there are huge variations by postcode. Research by tenancy deposit alternative Zero Deposit found incredibly low turnover rates in some […]

Temporary accommodation and homelessness spending by councils has soared to £1bn in the last eight years. According to figures by the Local Government Association (LGA), the total amount spent by councils on temporary accommodation has soared by more than £733m since 2015/16. Back then, councils spent around £315 million on emergency housing, but by 2023/24, […]

Holiday lets are being unfairly blamed for the UK’s housing crisis, according to a new study by the Short Term Accommodation Association (STAA). Its research shows that in most local authorities, there are more empty homes than holiday lets. This contradicts the common perception that holiday lets are ‘hoovering up’ properties, particularly in desirable locations. […]

Hi, our new freeholder has inherited permitted development rights to add two storeys of flats to our four storey block. Builders are refusing to supply their insurance but admits it ends this July. Do we have a legal right to see it to see how protected we are? They want to take out bricks to […]

Hi there, bit of a steer if I may on my leasehold flat. Out of the blue our Freeholder appointed a new agent and we received the following whopping bill for the next 12 months: General Building Repairs/Works £ 500.00 Accountancy Fees £ 168.00 Management Services £ 931.67 Bank Charges £ 30.00 Emergency out-of hours […]

Hi everyone, as the student changeover season has now begun, can anyone advise on a reasonable charge for defrosting a large upright freezer left fully iced up by the exiting tenants? I can list it under ‘missed cleaning’ but what’s a reasonable cost for work involved? Thanks very much for any advice on this. Lord

Hello all, I have ended up in court with the lodger as they refuse to leave after the notice to quit expired.  In court on the 16th May the judge accepted my arguments on the facts that they were lodgers. However, the lodgers rejected this claim and were given until July 10th, to present evidence […]

The Mortgage Works (TMW) has announced a reduction in its buy to let mortgage rates for both new and existing customers, with rates starting from 3.69%. The lender’s new rates include: Two-year fixed rate (purchase and remortgage) at 3.69% with a 3% fee (up to 65% LTV) Five-year fixed rate (purchase and remortgage) at 4.04% […]

Letting agents are being urged to lobby new MPs to help shape future housing policy – irrespective of which party forms the next government. The call to action has been made by Neil Cobbold, the commercial director of PayProp, during a recent webinar. He says that politicians will be receptive to input, and property professionals […]

This week I also analyse key reports from the Bank of England and Zoopla. Bank of England Stress Test: Supply Side Shock: Disruptions that cause Bank Rate to rise to 9% for a year are modelled. Demand Shock: A severe recession that causes Bank Rate drop to 0.1% for two years is modelled. Both scenarios […]

With just a day to go until the general election, landlords are still undecided on who to vote for. A study by online letting agents OpenRent reveals that 30% of landlords haven’t made up their minds yet, while tenants are leaning more towards Labour. The survey, conducted nationwide, gathered responses from 20,000 landlords and 20,000 […]

Hi, as a Right To Manage Company, we are dealing with fire safety issues and many other problems. Such as water leaks, alarms going off, and heating issues that have to be rectified. We never know when a leak will happen; they are multiple as the developer installed kitchens and bathrooms with loose pipework, no […]

High demand and a lack of available properties are pushing rents outside London to record levels, according to Rightmove. It estimates that 120,000 more rental properties are needed to achieve sustainable levels of rent growth. The property website says the average advertised rent has reached a new peak of £1,316 per month – a 7% […]

Landlords across England and Wales are seeing a boost in their rental yields, according to the latest Buy to Let Rental Barometer from Fleet Mortgages. Every region showed an increase in average yields compared to the same period last year. The strongest growth came in the North East, where yields reached double digits at 10.1%, […]

Hi, I’m in the process of purchasing a property, which is a 3-bedroom house with two titles: leasehold and freehold. The current vendor holds both titles, but the leasehold has less than 70 years remaining. Does it need to be renewed before I purchase the house? Will the seller pay? I have spoken with the […]