Page 250 – Property118
Andy Hulme of Hyde Housing Association responding to Housing Ombudsman report

Housing Ombudsman orders social housing landlords to improve complaint handling

21st November 2023

The Housing Ombudsman has revealed that it issued 52 orders to social housing landlords for failing to handle complaints properly in the last quarter. This is the highest number since the Ombudsman started publishing its reports in 2021. The orders, known as Complaint Handling Failure Orders (CHFOs), are given to social housing landlords who do […]

Property sector anticipates the government’s Autumn Statement

21st November 2023

With the government’s Autumn Statement tomorrow, the property sector is keenly awaiting the Chancellor’s key announcements. Many in the sector are hoping housing will be at the front of the agenda and some tax cuts for landlords will be on the cards. Some in the property sector also hope the Chancellor will abolish Section 24. […]

Ground rent squared?

21st November 2023

Hello, I think we have seen cash strapped councils trying plenty of tactics to raise much-needed funds, the most obvious being the selective licensing scheme. What I have been invoiced for this month though, is new to me. My ground rent invoice this year was more than double what I was expecting (Ground rent = […]

Is it time to buy rental properties?

21st November 2023

Hi. I was looking at buying another two properties to add to the 3 I already have. The latest mortgage quotes I received mean that even if I go ahead and buy two more properties, I will be worse off with 5 properties due to the current interest rates. I’ve decided to use the savings […]

Paragon Bank, PRS,

Landlords optimistic about rental yields and the PRS

21st November 2023

Landlords in the UK have seen a strong rebound in their confidence levels in the third quarter of 2023, according to a survey. The findings from Paragon Bank, which involved nearly 800 landlords, found that all aspects of landlord confidence improved compared to the second quarter, driven by more stable market and economic conditions. The […]

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

Portfolio landlords defy rising interest rates to expand

21st November 2023

Despite inflationary pressures and rising interest rates, the UK’s portfolio landlords – those with five or more rental properties – are not deterred from growing their property holdings, research reveals. Shawbrook Bank surveyed more than 1,000 residential landlords and found that 88% of portfolio landlords had grown their portfolios in the past six months. Of […]

Property expert discussing landlord sentiment after stamp duty increase

London leads the way in rental affordability improvement

21st November 2023

Renting in London is still the most expensive in England, but the capital has also seen the biggest improvement in rental affordability over the last five years, according to a new analysis. Estate and letting agents Benham and Reeves have analysed data from the Office for National Statistics (ONS) on rents and incomes across different […]

Labour's Angela Rayner promises rental reform and the abolition of Section 21 'no-fault' evictions at the party conference.

Rayner vows to ban S21 ‘no-fault’ evictions on day one of a Labour government

20th November 2023

Angela Rayner says that if Labour wins the next General Election, she will ban Section 21 ‘no-fault’ evictions on the first day of taking office, without any conditions or delays. Labour’s deputy leader and shadow secretary of state for levelling up, housing and communities, has outlined her ambitious plans for housing reform in an interview […]

tenancy agreement

Can I evict a tenant if they are not on the tenancy agreement?

20th November 2023

Hi everyone, I really need some help and would appreciate any kind of advice or suggestions. So, I have tenants; a husband, wife and their 2 children (1 of which is now 18) who have been living at my property since 2013. It was initially done through an estate agent but after a couple of […]

Gas check S21 landlords UK agent tenants property118.com

Tenant eviction – proof of Gas Safety certificates?

20th November 2023

Hi All, I wondered if anyone has experience of this or some advice please. Through the letting agent I gave notice in July for the termination of the AST, they were due to vacate on the 18th Oct 2023. The letting agent is fully managing the house, and has provided most of the documents we […]

Pic of landlord insurance document non-resident cover property118

My rent and legal insurance was cancelled?

20th November 2023

Hi All. A bit of a long story. Apologies! I have a fully managed property and took out rent and legal cover through the estate agents. My tenant was fine for the first 9 months paying on time, but then started to fall behind, despite promises to put things right. My agents then decided to change […]

Landbay break the sub 5% BTL barrier!

20th November 2023

Landbay, the BTL powerhouse taking on the bigger lenders in the fold have released a 4.75% mortgage rate! This is undercutting a huge amount of other products currently available and will see them edge forward into mainstream even more. At a time when swap rates are high, they are not going to be making money […]

Former housing minister sacked over Tweet

20th November 2023

Rachel Maclean, the former housing minister, was sacked over a Tweet that laid bare groundbreaking leasehold reforms set to be unveiled in the King’s Speech. According to Robert Peston, ITV’s political editor, Ms Maclean was axed over leaking the government’s plans for leasehold reforms on X (formerly Twitter) before the King’s Speech on the 7th […]

Sadiq Khan’s plan to tackle London housing crisis unveiled

20th November 2023

The London Mayor has launched a new initiative to convert private housing into council homes. Sadiq Khan aims to build an additional 10,000 council homes in the capital in the next decade. London is experiencing a housing crisis with more than 170,000 Londoners currently living in insecure temporary accommodation. Council housing at heart of plan […]

House prices in England and Wales plummet by 4.1% in October

20th November 2023

The housing market in England and Wales suffered a blow in October as the average house price fell by 4.1%, or £15,700 to £362,777, according to the latest data from e.surv Acadata house price index. This is the biggest monthly decline since August 2009, when the market was recovering from the banking crisis of 2007/2010. […]

DOUBLE WHAMMY FOR LANDLORDS Interest Rate Rises AND Section 24

17th November 2023

Until the recent interest rate rises started to bite into cashflow, many larger portfolio landlords had taken the decision to pay the extra tax resulting from the Section 24 restrictions on finance cost relief as opposed to restructuring their business. It might be said that the level of pain they were enduring from Section 24 […]

New Property Investing Opportunities for 2024

17th November 2023

This week Ranjan takes a deep dive into new property investing opportunities coming in 2024. In particular, new permitted development rights coming into force in early 2024. Watch this video below so you are ready to benefit from first mover advantage!

Neil Cobbold discusses impact of Renters’ Rights Bill on letting agents

Industry expert urges Chancellor to help landlords and tenants in Autumn Statement

17th November 2023

The Chancellor will unveil his Autumn statement next week and one industry expert is urging for “swift and specific” measures to help landlords and tenants. Neil Cobbold, the managing director of PayProp UK, is calling on Jeremy Hunt to reduce taxes for landlords and to unfreeze the local housing allowance. According to the Institute for […]

EPC

British Gas urges government action on EPC upgrades for landlords

17th November 2023

British Gas is calling on the government to provide more green grants to landlords. The energy supplier says one of the main barriers for landlords upgrading their properties comes from a lack of knowledge about EPC standards and the availability of grants. The supplier lists a number of recommendations which they say aim to help […]

Boarded-up house representing a fixer-upper property opportunity.

Alarming rise of empty homes across England

17th November 2023

Empty homes in England have risen by more than 10% over the past five years, according to the Local Government Association (LGA). The LGA and Empty Homes network study reveals that one million properties across England in 2022 were unoccupied, an increase of nearly 60,000 homes since 2018. Despite the introduction of an empty homes […]

Your Invitation to Gain Early Access to my Black Friday Offer!

17th November 2023

Every year my team and I challenge ourselves to come up with a Black Friday Offer even better than the year before. Last year’s offer was pretty amazing, if I say so myself, but I think we have done it again, and come up with an even better offer this year, which I am confident […]