While the Government has confirmed new rates for Local Housing Allowance (LHA), the amounts are lagging behind rent rises, a report from Savills reveals. The new rates, which are the maximum amount that people renting from private landlords can receive in Housing Benefit or Universal Credit, will apply from April to March 2025. They will […]

One charity is calling for major reforms to EPC’s saying the current system is “not fit for purpose”. The Building Research Establishment (BRE) demands reforming EPCs to be net zero-ready claiming it will help decarbonise UK homes. The charity is calling on the government to cut the validity of EPCs from ten to five years. […]

Hello, During Covid, my letting agent sent the Prescribed Information (PI) to my tenant by email the night before the tenant paid his deposit and took the keys. Four years later, after issuing a s21 via the letting agent, followed by an Accelerated Possession Order prepared by my solicitor and sent to the court, the […]

Hello, Finally, after 8 months I have had the court bailiffs in to repossess my property. However, the tenant wasn’t in and has left all her belongings, including her furniture, in the house. I was notified by my solicitors to put a notice on the door advising the tenant to contact me within 14 days […]

February is the best month to list a home for sale, according to new data from Rightmove. The data reveals on average homes listed in February typically find a buyer the quickest, as well as being most likely to be marked sold subject to contract. The data also reveals that March is another strong month […]

Rough sleeping in the capital is now the highest level in a decade, according to new figures. According to the new combined homelessness and information network (CHAIN) 4,389 people were counted sleeping on London’s streets ­– more than half were sleeping rough for the first time. The Mayor of London has said the figures should […]

For landlords who thought they’d left their problems in 2023, think again. 2024 isn’t letting up, and the system continues to be unfair for a growing number of them. The Guardian recently highlighted a report from Hamptons that said in the last year landlords will have sold 294,300 more homes than they have bought since […]

This is the first episode of the Succeed In Property Podcast. In this first episode, Ranjan Bhattacharya is joined by John Howard, fellow Property Angel from the hit Sky TV show, Property Elevator. Together, Ranjan and John share their predictions for the property market and the impact of it being an election year. Plenty of […]

Hello, I rented out my only house in April 2022 due to a job opportunity in a different city. Two months into the agreement, the tenant claimed job loss and sought support from DWP and the council. Throughout the process, the tenant was uncooperative and failed to provide evidence for her claims. Unfortunately, I couldn’t […]

Hello readers, I am again seeking people’s superior knowledge. A flat in a block where I have the Freehold has been sold by auction owing to repossession. It has tenants in situ and they are nice, quiet, hard-working people. The Leaseholder went into mortgage arrears and let’s just say he never wanted to spend money […]

Hello, I own an ex LA flat which I have rented to a group of 3 students since 2016. I have recently applied for a selective HMO licence. This was granted and then revoked because the Housing Office at the council said that my lease does not permit me to sublet other than to a […]

Liverpool City Council is turning to the private rented sector to address the homelessness crisis. The city is facing huge rises in temporary accommodation costs from £250,000 in 2019, to a projected £25m by the end of this financial year – a rise of 10,000%. That’s the budget equivalent of everything the council spends on […]

Hi, we bought a property with a tenant on an AST periodic tenancy from a company that owned a large amount of land as well as our property. The EPC was only an F rating so we set to work on meeting the requirements to bring it up to at least an E (our intention […]

Hello, I have a BTL property which I have had for two years now. But my circumstances have changed and I now need to move into the property. Can anyone advise me as to whether I am entitled to do so (obviously providing notification to the lender) Do any Property118 readers know what the ramifications […]

House prices in England and Wales look set to fall by 3.6% during the first quarter of 2024, according to new data. The comparison website Reallymoving reveals property prices will fall from £323,594 in  2023 to £311,936 in the first quarter of 2024. The website says the economic doom and gloom of 2023 looks set […]

Renters are sacrificing summer holidays due to rising costs, according to new data. Flat share website Spareroom reveals that 72% of renters will be taking fewer holidays in 2024 due to a lack of funds. Spareroom says renters have faced “a miserable 18 months” due to rent hikes. May not go on holiday at all […]

The Bank of England’s Monetary Policy Committee (MPC) voted 6 – 3 to maintain the Bank Base Rate at 5.25. Two MPC members voted to to increase the rate by 0.25% and one member voted for a 0.25% reduction. This is consistent with the MPCs’ recent decisions to follow the FEDs decisions announced the day […]

Hello, I am trying to prepare in advance of 1st April when the new LHA rate is applied. According to S13, a rent increase has to happen on the same day the tenant moved in so for this example let’s say the 29th of the month. So in this example, I issue the S13 on […]

A Loan to Value of 85% is now possible with Lendinvest, including fees and 12-month roll-up interest of 1.09% per month. Below is a recent case study for this product that also incurred a 2% lender fee and a valuation fee of £850. Background – Experienced landlord with redevelopment experience and a fast team of […]

Paragon Bank has announced the launch of new five-year fixed-rate products for buy to let landlords with properties that have high energy efficiency ratings. The products are available on Paragon’s 5% fee option, which is suitable for the purchase or remortgaging of single self-contained (SSC) properties that have an energy performance certification (EPC) of A-C. […]

The cost of renting a property in England rose by 7% year-on-year in January 2024, with the average monthly rent now £1,154, up from £1,076 in January 2023, one rent index reveals. According to the Goodlord’s data, rents increased by 1% month-on-month in January, following a strong December for the market. The North West saw […]