Landlords and agents, along with housing associations, have been warned by the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) about their ignorance of data protection laws. It says that non-compliance by landlords could potentially lead to severe repercussions. Helen Raftery, the ICO’s head of data protection complaints, said: “Housing organisations necessitate access to personal data, ranging from contact […]

Sadiq Khan is urging the government “not to completely give up on council housing” as a vital way of delivering affordable homes. His comments come after new figures show London delivering twice as many council homes as the rest of the country combined. The figures from the government reveal that last year, local authorities in […]

There has been a substantial decline in buy to let mortgage inquiries across the UK for December 2023, data reveals. The findings from technology firm Twenty7tec show there were 175,108 buy to let mortgage searches – 32.8% decrease on November’s figure. However, property valuations and loan requirements for BTL investments showed slight increases, with the […]

Fleet Mortgages has announced a substantial reduction in interest rates for its mortgage products covering two-, five- and seven-year fixed terms within its standard, limited company, and HMO/multi-unit block portfolios. Effective immediately, the rate cuts range from 20 to 40 basis points, offering more competitive terms for investors. Its standard and limited company borrowers will […]

Hello, Can you help? A PEEP – a Personal Emergency Evacuation Plan – has been requested by the management company for a tenanted flat. I own a 2 bed flat in a small 2000 block. Ours in on the first floor, there are just 3 floors in total, brick built and no cladding. The management […]

Are you a landlord in France or do you own a second home there? Then, Ruby Hinchliffe, money reporter for the Telegraph would like to speak with you.  The French government is planning on introducing new tough emission rules to try to prevent certain properties from being sold or let if they aren’t energy efficient […]

Landlords looking to invest in a property opportunity might want to check out the homes that have come back to the market after failing to sell in 2023. That’s according to Yopa, the national estate agency, which says these homes offer the best value for money and the most opportunities for negotiation. It has collected […]

Letting agents must inform their landlord clients and tenants about the dangers of fake energy efficiency schemes, Propertymark is warning. The alert comes after the UK Government launched several grants to help households install energy efficiency measures, such as insulation, heating and renewable energy. This is part of its plan to decarbonise homes and reduce […]

The UK’s property market will offer attractive returns for investors in the next five years, with some asset classes and regions outperforming others, Savills reveals. The property consultancy has identified eight types of property that will deliver annualised returns above 8% between 2024 and 2028. These include residential buy to let properties in the North […]

Hello, my daughter is about to buy her first property and, unfortunately, due to property prices and mortgage availability, she will have to go leasehold, which is something we have no experience of. We have heard a lot of horror stories of leaseholders being charged many thousands for unexpected improvement works done on the building, […]

Hi, The Bailiffs are coming to evict my tenant (Mr D) on 10th January. However, Mr D has paid his rent for January (well partially, it went up in July, he has never paid the new rent but continues to pay the original rent). I don’t understand why, because the bailiffs hand-delivered the eviction notice […]

Supply and demand remain static in the private rented sector but could soon rise in the New Year. The latest figures from Propertymark’s Housing Insight Report reveal that 25% of letting agents saw rents rise in November 2023. The run-up to Christmas saw more tenants struggling with rent arrears as financial pressures continued to mount. […]

Forget juggling spreadsheets and chasing late rent calls – 2024 is the year savvy UK property investors embrace tech to transform their portfolios into cash flow-generating juggernauts. Picture yourself, a modern-day Medici, commanding your empire from a digital throne, fueled by the magic of property management software (PMS). Ditch the Paper Chase, Embrace the Cloud: […]

A licence for houses in multiple occupation (HMOs) is now required by most landlords in Royal Greenwich after a new scheme went live on 1 January 2024. The additional HMO licensing scheme covers properties where three or more residents from different households share a kitchen, bathroom or toilet. The council says the scheme is for […]

A council has been urged to improve its temporary housing for residents living in poor conditions in an open letter signed by dozens of people. Written by the Croydon Temporary Accommodation Campaign, the letter calls for ‘change now’ and criticises the council for placing residents in ‘uninhabitable’ temporary accommodation. They say the housing crisis in […]

Hello, We have been residential landlords for over twenty years now and it has gone well. We now want to make a further investment – through an SPV limited company – and are a bit concerned by the increasing uncertainty and proliferating regulations surrounding ASTs. An agent has suggested that we look at the possibilities […]

Hi, Do landlords have a viable political home? It appears not. Historically the Conservative party has been the party of the landlord, permitting the market to control itself to a large extent. This is no longer the case. Why? Because we have a left of centre conservative government (note the small c). The tail is […]

Around 74,000 single-parent households and their children could be evicted and made homeless in England this winter, according to a new survey by housing charity Shelter. The research, funded by the Nationwide Building Society, shows that one in seven lone parents who rent privately are in danger of losing their home. That’s because they have […]

The number of people buying their first home with a mortgage dropped to its lowest level in 10 years in 2023, as rising interest rates and inflation made it harder to afford a property. According to Yorkshire Building Society, only 290,000 first-time buyers secured a mortgage last year, a 21% decrease from the previous year. […]

The housing crisis has sparked a wave of ‘creative resistance’ from renters who are using music, video games and novels to vent their anger and frustration, the Guardian reports. In Manchester, a record label has challenged musicians to create an alternative soundtrack for a promotional video of a luxury apartment block. The original video showed […]

I am considering gifting my annexe accommodation to terminally ill people as a holiday, referred to me by a charity that only does this. This is only a potential issue, as it has not happened yet! What if the charity introduced a person to stay in my annexe and at the end of the week’s […]