Despite Scotland facing a housing emergency, First Minister Humza Yousaf spent £6,000 a month of taxpayer’s money on a rented flat in Edinburgh. The Scottish Tories slammed the eye-watering cost of the three-bed flat, which the SNP leader used while Bute House (the official residence of the First Minister) was undergoing an £825,000 refurbishment. This […]

Many people are delaying their first home purchase until their 50s or beyond, as house prices have rocketed in recent years, one firm reveals. Tembo Money, a mortgage specialist, analysed data from the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) and found that the number of first-time buyers aged 50 or older increased by 29% between 2018 and […]

Letting agents believe the consequences of the Renters (Reform) Bill could significantly harm the private rented sector.   A Propertymark survey reveals a massive 94% of letting agents believe more landlords will leave the PRS if the bill becomes law. A further 83% of agents were concerned that the Bill would also result in fewer […]

Scotland’s housing emergency worsens as more than a quarter of households are in housing need. A report by Homes for Scotland (HFS) reveals 15,000 households are living in temporary accommodation. Last year, housing emergencies were declared in Edinburgh, Argyll and Bute and Glasgow. Living in ‘unfit’ properties According to the report, 123,000 households in Scotland […]

99% mortgages are on the horizon! Join Ranjan Bhattacharya as he dives into the details of this groundbreaking development and explores its potential impact on property investors. What does this mean for those looking to enter the property market or expand their portfolios? Our analysis will provide valuable insights, considerations, and strategies to navigate this […]

A new survey has revealed the top features that UK renters look for in a property and how much they are willing to pay for them. The survey from Molo, asked renters to select their top five most important property features from a list of 18 options. The most important feature for tenants is the […]

Hello, I am planning to set up a Limited Company to enable shared ownership of our family’s holiday cottage and would like some advice. I’ve set out the context first and then given a specific question. Any info is gratefully received! 1. CONTEXT My mum and her two siblings own a holiday cottage in the […]

It’s a common issue for landlords around the country – dealing with tenants who are reporting issues with damp and mould. Now researchers share eight tips for the 73% of Brits experiencing condensation on their windows and nearly half (45.1%) who suffer from mould outbreaks in their homes during winter. These problems are caused by […]

Zoopla has revealed that the housing sales market has improved in 2024, despite a drop in prices last year. According to its House Price Index, annual UK house price falls have moderated again and stand at -0.8%, to the end of December, which is an improvement from the -1.4% low recorded in October 2023. House […]

A leading industry body has criticised the Scottish government for not providing more information on the transition to end the emergency rent cap. Propertymark says more clarification is needed about Rent Service Scotland’s ability to assess market rents. The Scottish government announced last week that the emergency rent cap will end on the 1st of […]

The Chancellor should scrap the 3% Stamp Duty Levy on the purchase of additional properties in the Spring Budget to create more homes for rent and generate £10 billion for the Government, the National Residential Landlords Association (NRLA) says. It points to an independent analysis by Capital Economics that reveals the removal of the tax […]

News this week that councils around the country are flagging up the prospect of going bankrupt because of the ever-growing homelessness bill they have to meet. Oh please, cry me a river. Not once will councils and the government accept that their short-sighted policies hurting landlords are to blame. It’s always the landlord’s fault. Council […]

A council has launched a campaign to prevent homelessness in its area – and it says tenants with arrears or who cause anti-social behaviour shouldn’t be evicted. Torbay council is appealing to landlords and tenants to get in touch with them for assistance and advice if they face any difficulties with their tenancy. The campaign […]

Hi, so for twenty-odd years I’ve been told by my accountants that I can claim 10% of my home expenses (Mortgage interest or rent/utility & council tax) as an allowable home as office expense to offset against my profit, so that’s what I’ve been submitting. Now a different accountant at the firm is only allowing […]

Hello, I’m trying to help someone who has vacated a property that is on a joint AST. No notice has yet been served by the tenant who has vacated but the agents are aware of the situation. The tenant who remains wants to take on a single AST but has failed the checks and cannot […]

Hello, we have rented out property for many years and our experience of 6-month break clauses has always been that they perform exactly as implied, ie the landlord or tenant can end the tenancy after 6 months have expired on the giving of at least 2 months notice. We have just negotiated a new tenancy […]

Hello, I intend to issue an S21 on a tenant that lacks mental capacity and has a Deputy of the Court of Protection acting for him (his mother). This is because we have to sell the property and buy a bungalow instead, as one of the other tenants is now wheelchair bound and the property […]

Rents in the UK reached new records in 2023, but the pace of growth slowed down significantly compared to previous years, according to Rightmove. There are also signs that some areas are seeing the tenant affordability ceiling being reached. The property website reports that the average advertised rent for properties coming onto the market outside […]

The Scottish government has announced the end of the emergency rent cap. Introduced in 2022, the Cost of Living (Tenant Protection) (Scotland) Act, aimed to protect tenants from rent increases and ban evictions. The Scottish Parliament has confirmed from the 1st of April 2024, the legislation will no longer apply but one organisation claims the […]

The UK’s buy to let hotspot has been revealed after the city saw a 12% surge in the number of privately rented properties over the past year, a new report has revealed. The findings from Simply Business, which analysed more than 100,000 landlord insurance policies, have identified which cities have experienced the biggest growth in […]

Hello, my tenants have messaged me with concerns about the new tenants in the flat below them. The building is a converted Edwardian property, eight flats. Ever since the new tenants, a man and a woman, moved in not quite a couple of months ago the man, more often than the woman, there has been […]