Page 235 – Property118

Rent protection payments on the tax return form?

19th January 2024

Hi, Has anyone here used rent protection insurance? If so did you just treat the insurance payments exactly like rent for tax purposes? I am having to evict a tenant for non-payment of rent during this tax year. Fortunately, the insurance policy is paying the rent until I have possession. This set me wondering if […]

Forfeiture for non-payment of ground rent – would this happen?

19th January 2024

Hello, Having got to the very end of a lengthy conveyance of a probate leasehold house purchase, I have an issue that I am trying to understand the potential risk of actually happening. The freeholder seems to be absent/deceased in 2017, however I am unable to obtain an absent landlord indemnity cover due to the […]

Pic of UK cash paid to tenant section 21 landlords council property118.com

Rent arrears recovery from a limited company tenant?

19th January 2024

Hello, Can anyone help? I rented my HMO property through an agent to a limited company on a tenancy agreement which was not an AST. The limited company paid one month’s deposit which is held in my agent’s client account, i.e. not in a deposit protection scheme. The limited company tenant was legally evicted owing me […]

Business professional in blue suit representing NRLA leadership on housing crisis.

NRLA urges MPs to support amendments to Renters (Reform) Bill

19th January 2024

The National Residential Landlords Association (NRLA) is calling on MPs to support ‘pragmatic changes’ to the Renters (Reform) Bill. The move would, the landlords’ organisation says, help both landlords and tenants in the private rented sector. Now the NRLA says that amendments to the Bill proposed by Conservative MP Anthony Mangnall and others, would make […]

1 million more rented homes are needed by 2030

19th January 2024

Up to 1 million more homes for rent will be needed by 2030 to cater to the increasing rental demand, especially from young families – and the build to rent (BTR) sector will be crucial for this, a new report reveals. The findings from Savills on the future of BTR in England and Wales identify […]

UK rental market sees slower growth amid easing demand

19th January 2024

The demand for rental properties in the UK is showing signs of slowing down, after reaching record levels in the past few years, a property expert says. However, the market is still tight, with demand exceeding supply and rents are expected to keep growing in 2024. That’s the verdict of Nicky Stevenson, the managing director […]

Commercial landlords eye growth despite inflation woes

19th January 2024

Most commercial landlords in the UK are optimistic and plan to expand their portfolios in the next year, despite the challenges posed by inflation and mortgage volatility, a report reveals. The research from mortgage lender Together, entitled Opportunities and Outlook: The future of commercial property, is based on a nationwide survey of buy to let […]

Rental market rebounds as pandemic deals expire

19th January 2024

The number of properties available for rent has increased by 45% compared to last year, reaching the highest level since Covid, Chestertons reports. The London-based estate agency attributes this surge to the expiry of many three-year contracts that tenants signed at below-average rates during the pandemic. Chestertons also predicts that rents will rise by 5% […]

Understand the opportunities in the 2024 property market

19th January 2024

2024 is going to be one of those years that investors look back on and either, congratulate themselves for doing incredibly well with their property investing, OR, they will have the pain of regret from missing out on what will probably be the best opportunity to make money in property this decade. You get to […]

How to find domestic electricity supplier for Victorian style flats?

19th January 2024

Hello, we would like to change the supplier for our communal hallway electricity. Our properties are old Victorian style with a minimum of four flats and up to 10 flats all fully self-contained with their own meters for gas, water and electricity. I can only find small/commercial business suppliers online. Our supply is a domestic […]

UK housing market shows signs of recovery but landlords are ‘scarce’

18th January 2024

The UK housing market improved in December, with buyer demand stabilising and sales activity picking up but there remains a shortage of homes to rent, the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors (RICS) says. Its latest UK Residential Survey, which covers the lettings and sales markets, shows that tenant demand increased in December, with a net […]

Shawbrook’s Emma Cox discusses landlords’ challenges meeting 2030 EPC targets

City flats attract landlords as office workers return to urban areas

18th January 2024

City flats are the top investment choice for UK landlords as office workers resume their urban lifestyles, a new study by Shawbrook Bank reveals. The research found that 28% of UK landlords agreed that city flats were the best investment in the past year, and 26% expected them to remain so in the next year. […]

Wales tops BTL lender’s rental yield chart

18th January 2024

The latest rental barometer from Fleet Mortgages reveals that Wales has overtaken the North East as the region with the highest rental yield in England and Wales. The report, which covers the fourth quarter of 2023, compares the rental yield changes in each region where Fleet operates. According to the specialist buy to let lender’s […]

Scottish rents soar despite rent cap law

18th January 2024

The Cost of Living (Tenant Protection) (Scotland) Act 2022, which aimed to protect tenants from excessive rent increases, has failed to prevent new rents from skyrocketing in Scotland. According to Citylets, a leading lettings portal, new rents have risen by double digits for the fifth quarter in a row, reaching an average of £1,097. However, […]

Counting the cost: Council’s exorbitant charges for HMOs!

18th January 2024

Hello, I am expressing my concern regarding the local council charges for HMO licensing fees. I own a 5-bedroom flat in Scotland that has been converted into an HMO, compliant with the guidelines provided by the council. Initially, the council fees were £300.00 per year, which seemed reasonable considering the need for the council’s HMO […]

UK house prices plunge at the fastest pace in 13 years

18th January 2024

The UK property market saw the average house price drop by 2.1% in the year to November, data from the Office for National Statistics (ONS) reveals. This was the third month in a row that house prices declined, and the steepest annual fall since 2011. The ONS said that the average house price in the […]

Tenants see rents hit record highs in 2023 – ONS

18th January 2024

Tenants in the UK are feeling the pinch as private rent prices reached record highs in the year to December 2023, the Office for National Statistics (ONS) reveals. The ONS reports that rents rose by 6.2% last year, unchanged from the annual rise seen in November. The increase was driven by strong demand and a […]

pic of a to let board as tenants face higher rents when challenging a rent rise property118

Rent rises set a record in 2023 amid landlord costs and housing shortage

17th January 2024

Renters in the UK paid an extra £1,488 per year on average in 2023 as rent prices soared by a record high of 10.2% year-on-year in December, according to a new report. The research from Hamptons, found that rent prices broke 2022’s record of 7.7%. Last year, renters in newly let homes paid on average […]