The major cities that currently have the highest level of affordable homes for tenants that are at or below the current average rent have been revealed. A new study by Zero Deposit, the tenancy deposit alternative, looked at the average rent in 15 major British cities and compared it to the availability of rental properties […]

The government has announced more than £150 million in funding to tackle rough sleeping, allocating the funds towards building or buying more than 1,200 homes for people at risk of homelessness. As part of the government’s Single Homelessness Accommodation programme, 46 local authorities, housing providers, and charities across England will benefit from the initiative. The […]

Hello, one of my leasehold flats just had a Ground Rent increase which takes it over £250. I’ve heard that ‘lenders’ do not like it when GR passes £250 and, when/if selling this may cause problems for future purchasers to get mortgages. I have 130 years left on the lease, does anybody have experience on […]

The private rented sector (PRS) deserves more consistent and effective leadership from the government, rather than being a political pawn, says the chief executive of the National Residential Landlords Association (NRLA), Ben Beadle. He made the claim during an interview for the latest episode of The Home Stretch podcast, hosted by Iain McKenzie, the chief […]

Hello, recently I extended my lease, after that my freeholder wanted to charge me £100 for maintenance/ service charge yearly. However, according to my lease, there is no clause saying that I need to pay this £100, therefore I refused to pay this. Now my freeholder keeps adding £100 to my invoice every year and […]

Hello, does anyone let student houses in NI? I’m looking at it from a student/tenant view to see what the differences are to England and what the ‘norm’ is in regard to what the landlord needs to provide gas cert. EICR, EPC (similar?). I’ve got a relative going into year 2 at Uni over there […]

The UK’s private rented sector (PRS) is set to experience unprecedented rent growth in the next few years because the pandemic has created a mismatch between supply and demand, according to a new report by Savills. The real estate firm predicts that average rents will have increased by 9.5% by the end of 2023 – […]

UK renters are feeling the pinch as rents rose by more than a third above inflation in the past year, according to new data. The Deposit Protection Service (The DPS) tracks the average monthly rent and it found that rents reached £1,121.46 in Q3 2023, a 9.13% increase (£93.79) from Q3 2022. Meanwhile, inflation rose […]

Buyers are getting an average of £18,000 off the asking price of their next home, according to one house price index. Zoopla’s report shows that the UK housing market is cooling down as higher mortgage rates dampen demand and more homes for sale increase choice and bargaining power. The gap between the listed and achieved […]

Hello, can anyone assist me with a damp issue relating to a flat I bought on leasehold last December? I realised there was a problem which I didn’t pick up on inspection, as the areas of the problem were obstructed. I didn’t have a survey done as I was in the grieving process and felt […]

Hello, I want to rent out my freehold house on a private estate. I pay estate charges, but the estate freeholder is delaying maintenance to the common driveway (shared with 8 leaseholders). The driveway is usable but some leaseholders plan to dispute repair costs at the Tribunal, holding things up. Would I be responsible to […]

Landlords who rent to social tenants will face a £1,700 annual shortfall on new lets despite the Chancellor’s attempt to increase housing benefits in his Autumn Statement, the Daily Telegraph reports. The local housing allowance (LHA) rates, which determine the amount of housing benefit claimants receive, will be raised in April 2024 to cover rent […]

The Government has unveiled a new bill that will deliver significant new rights and protections for millions of landlords and homeowners in England and Wales who are trapped in the unfair and outdated leasehold system. It will make it cheaper and easier for leaseholders to buy their freehold or extend their lease, increase standard lease […]

Hello, the bailiffs finally evicted our very troublesome tenant on Friday after months of hassle. Our tenant had made zero effort to pack any of her things prior to eviction. The bailiff gave her, very politely 10 minutes to put into bin bags what she needed to take. Our tenant now has 14 days to […]

A market forecast for the sales and lettings markets for the next two years reveals that tenants will see rents rise and landlords and homeowners will see their property values fall. The forecast leading estate agency Chestertons has looked at the economic outlook for 2023, along with the interest rate hikes, and the supply and […]

Booming Rental Market: How OpenRent Landlords Are Maximising Profits Dear OpenRent team, I object to your article for several reasons. Firstly, the whole tone of ‘landlords maximising profits’ and ‘How Much Can a Landlord Increase Rent in 2023?’ are not helpful or correct – there is double digit real inflation (methods of measurement have been […]

After Storm Babet and Ciaran wreaked havoc across the country in recent months, there’s more bad weather on the way and landlord flood insurance is one way to help protect a rental property investment. Flood insurance is one of the biggest challenges facing the insurance sector and landlords will want peace of mind when choosing […]

The government should revive its EPC plan to make landlords insulate their rental properties to a higher standard, a think tank has said. The Social Market Foundation (SMF) said that raising the Minimum Energy Efficiency Standard (MEES) for the private rented sector to an Energy Performance Certificate (EPC) rating of C would help the UK […]

The private rented sector (PRS) in the UK has a new campaign group: the Housing Coalition. The group consists of several leading organisations, forums and associations that represent landlords, agents and tenants, including Property118 and Propertymark. The group’s mission is to allow a collaborative voice to improve standards within the sector, make private renting fairer […]

Hello, I’ve not needed to use section 21 previously and it would be great to hear your experiences if members are willing to share (whilst there still is a Section 21!) I would state my aim would always be to make amicable arrangements with the tenant and avoid the need but what I am really […]

Hello, please can I have some help from Property118 members? I would like to know what is the shortest amount of time I can give my tenant to remove their belongings if they leave these in the property after the bailiffs have been and the locks have been changed. Any advice from Property118 members on […]