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 […]

Robert Jenrick, the former housing secretary, has urged the government to end its ‘war’ on small landlords. Writing for the Daily Telegraph, he argues that the next Budget should restore mortgage interest relief which was scrapped to discourage buy to let investment. He claims that this policy has backfired, as many landlords have left the […]

More than half of buy to let landlords have increased their property holdings in the past year, a new study by The Mortgage Lender (TML) has found. The research, which surveyed more than 1,000 residential BTL landlords, showed that 52% of them acquired more properties in the last 12 months, with 25% buying one more […]

Private rented sector landlords are set to receive more than £70 billion in housing support from the government over the next five years, according to an analysis by the New Economics Foundation (NEF). The think tank found that private landlords will benefit from six times more public money than the government’s planned spending on affordable […]

Will a Labour Government mean tough times ahead for buy-to-let landlords and buy-to-let property investors?  And what amendments will Labour make to the Renters Reform Bill going through Parliament? Join Ranjan Bhattacharya as he discusses all this and more in the video below 

Labour’s Angela Rayner says the party will extend Awaab’s Law to landlords in the private rented sector (PRS). She told Good Morning Britain viewers – see the video below – this will protect 1.6 million children who live in cold, damp or mouldy homes owned by private landlords, according to data from Citizen’s Advice. Awaab’s […]