The UK housing market showed further signs of recovery in January 2024, according to the latest survey by the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors (RICS). The survey, which covers various aspects of the residential market, revealed that all key indicators improved in the first month of the year. However, the survey also indicated that the […]

Hello, We are slowly (and thankfully) escaping the world of rental properties after almost 20 years, which involves selling our portfolio of 13 properties. We haven’t had the best advice and went with the wrong agent with the wrong “fixed price” option, but we are back on track with an alternative for some of them. […]

Hello, I’m interested to hear your thoughts on the following: • Flat rented out to Party A on a 1 year AST with no break clause. All tenant checks came back green. • Property fully managed by a reasonably big estate agent. • Sublet agreement obtained to rent to Party A from the freeholder. • […]

As rental costs continue to soar, most UK renters are urging their landlords to invest in green home improvements, according to a new report from NatWest. The report, based on the Greener Homes Attitudes Tracker, shows that 75% of renters who anticipate a rise in their monthly payments in the next year want their landlords […]

Hello, I have 4 BTL interest-only mortgages originally with Mortgage Express, later taken over by Siberite. No missed payments/arrears, and the LTVs are well within the original criteria. P&L is still OK despite the rate rises, I’m looking at remortgaging 1 – 3 of the properties to pull out cash to refurbish the others. There […]

A property expert is warning that the Renters (Reform) Bill, which aims to end no-fault evictions and improve security for tenants, will have negative consequences for both tenants and landlords. Chris Daniel, who has more than 20 years of experience in the property sector, said that the Bill will make it harder for landlords to […]

A journalist at The Times would like to hear from landlords on the biggest challenges they are facing this year. Rachel Mortimer, Assistant Money Editor at The Times would like to speak with landlords ahead of the Budget and any changes they would like to see from the Chancellor.  They must be happy to be […]

A controversial council has found itself in hot water following a damning report that exposes its failure to ringfence its selective licensing fees. Nottingham City Council finally published a report this week by accounting firm Ernst and Young (EY) who accused the council of “inappropriate financial activity”. The review which was commissioned by the council […]

Hi, I’m quite new to buy to lets and have educated myself as I go along. I have now learnt the hard way of the importance of being extra careful to issue the correct information in the right time. I have a tenant who has fallen behind on their rent and caused some damage. I […]

Hello, I have been asked to sign as a witness to a deed on a guarantor agreement. My friend’s daughter is renting a property in Belfast from July along with 4 other students. The students have all signed the TA (they signed today) along with the LL (signed last week) and now the agents are […]

UK house prices rose by 2.5% year-on-year in January, the highest annual growth rate since January 2023, according to Halifax. The lender’s house price index reveals that the average house price last month was £291,029, up by £3,924 or 1.3% from December 2023. This was the fourth month in a row that house prices increased, […]

If you are interested in purchasing property at auction and you are looking to finance this through a bridging loan, there are some considerations to make before application. What is your exit strategy? Are you looking to refurbish the property to sell or are you looking to keep the property and convert to a BTL? […]

Hello, There is tarmac to the front and side of my property and my neighbour has told me that it is trespassing on their land along the side of their house where it is under their eave projection, ie it oversteps their boundary if a notional line is taken from their roof eaves to the […]

Mortgage lenders and advisers have called for a government U-turn on the relaxation of energy performance certificate (EPC) legislation for landlords, new data from the Mortgage Advice Bureau shows. The survey of some of the UK’s largest mortgage lenders and advisers found that 49% of lenders and 32% of advisers would support any decision to […]

Londoners looking for property management services in 2024 should pay attention to the latest trends and insights from SBA Property Management. The provider of property management solutions says it has identified the top five service areas that will be most sought-after by landlords and customers this year. A director of the firm, Tim Darwall-Smith, said: […]

A legal firm that specialises in helping landlords has issued a warning about the dangers of selective licensing schemes that many local authorities in the UK are implementing. Selective licensing schemes aim to improve the quality and management of private rented properties in areas with low demand or high antisocial behaviour. However, Landlord Licensing & […]

Hello, I have issued a section 21 notice to my long term tenants recently, their latest rental agreement was dated back in 2010 on a rolling basis. I got advice from NRLA that I don’t need to comply with the current legal requirements – I should just put a note on my application that the […]

The UK housing market is showing signs of recovery in 2024, as mortgage rates fall, buyer confidence rises, and sales activity increases, according to a leading estate agent. Nicky Stevenson, the managing director of Fine & Country, says that the Bank of England’s decision to keep the interest rate at 5.25% for the fourth month […]

Tenant demand for rental properties remained high in the last quarter of 2023, a survey by Paragon Bank reveals. The survey found that 63% of landlords saw an increase in tenant demand for their properties in the final three months of last year, with 37% reporting a significant increase and 26% a slight increase. Just […]

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. […]