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property prices, rents,

Renters face higher rents and fewer choices in 2024, Rightmove warns

9th January 2024

Tenants face the prospect of rents rising even higher this year and the number of homes to rent will continue shrinking, Rightmove says. The UK’s largest property website is predicting that rents will increase by 5% outside London and 3% in the capital by the end of 2024, following a 10% and 6% rise respectively […]

landlords tenants 'no fault' evictions property118.com

Industry body seeks input from landlords over eviction guidance from councils

8th January 2024

It’s an all too common practice for local authorities to tell tenants to stay put when facing eviction. This causes not only complications for the tenant but also the landlord as they deal with the legal costs and uncertainty. Here at Property118, we have done various investigations on this issue and now the NRLA wants […]

Landlord working out service charge demands property118

Management company demanding previous owner’s service charge?

8th January 2024

Hello all, happy new year and I hope you can advise how we should proceed. My son bought his flat and moved in May 2023. As part of the conveyancing process, he paid an apportioned service charge for the period to 31 October 2023. In November, he received his first invoice/service charge demand from the […]

Four property investing strategies for 2024

8th January 2024

Are you ready to kickstart your journey in UK property investment? If so, then Ranjan Bhattacharya’s latest video is for you. Here, he reveals his top four investing strategies tailored specifically for beginner investors in 2024. Whether you’re a first-time buyer or looking to expand your portfolio, these tried-and-tested approaches will set you on the […]

New BTL mortgage options unveiled by Foundation Home Loans and Shawbrook

8th January 2024

Foundation Home Loans has unveiled a new five-year fixed rate buy to let mortgage for both acquisition and refinancing needs. The BTL mortgage has a rate of 5.64% for loans up to a 75% LTV ratio, accompanied by a 1.50% product fee. The mortgage follows December’s repricing which saw rates being reduced by up to […]

Pic of wooden house insurance tenant letting agent landlord property118.com

Subletting insurance wake-up call for landlords

8th January 2024

One of the biggest challenges facing landlords is they simply don’t realise they need subletting insurance. Subletting poses a real threat to landlords, especially if a tenant is subletting without permission. Landlords need to be aware that standard landlord insurance will not cover subletting. At Property118, we’ve teamed up with The Home Insurer who can […]

Modern Scottish Parliament building in Edinburgh with Calton Hill in the background

Scotland unveils transition plan from its rent cap – but will still suppress rents

8th January 2024

The Scottish Government has unveiled a scheme for rent arbitration procedures to help restrict big rent rises when the country’s rent cap ends in March. Propertymark says that Patrick Harvie, the minister for zero carbon buildings, active travel and tenants’ rights, has been in touch about what happens when the government transitions from the Cost […]

NatWest chairman sparks controversy over comments on property market

8th January 2024

Generation Rent slams Natwest chairman for his comments about the property market. Sir Howard Davies told the Radio 4 Today Programme, he “did not think it was difficult to buy a house at the moment”. His comments have raised eyebrows in the industry with Generation Rent asking “what planet does Sir Howard Davies live on”. […]

Knight-themed Landlord Crusader logo symbolizing landlord advocacy

Will the abolition of Section 21 solve the housing crisis?

5th January 2024

One of the big issues for the ‘housing crisis’ is that so many groups, commentators and tenants welcome the abolition of Section 21 as a panacea. But I have yet to meet a landlord who actually believes that removing section 21 would make things better. I mentioned in a recent column that s21 isn’t a […]

UK house prices rise in 2023 – but are set to fall in 2024

5th January 2024

The UK’s house prices rose by 1.1% in December – the third month of consecutive growth – and showed a surprise annual rise of 1.7%, Halifax reveals. The current average cost of a house is £287,105, which is an increase of £4,800 compared to the previous year, and the highest since last March. According to […]

Landlords see rents soar and voids drop in 2023, index reveals

5th January 2024

Landlords in England saw rents rocket by nearly 9% last year, and several rent records were broken in the summer, one leading rent index reveals. According to Goodlord, rents rose by 8.8% to an average of £1,182 – in 2022, the average rent was £1,086. However, the highest rents were seen from July to September, […]

pic of man adding loft insulation as private renters need protecting from eviction if the work is carried out property118

City landlords urged to apply for discounted green home upgrades

5th January 2024

Landlords, renters and homeowners in Leeds living in a property without gas central heating are being urged to apply for free or discounted home improvement upgrades. Leeds City Council’s Home Energy Help team is working with energy services provider Everwarm to help residents benefit from £15.5 million of government funding. The money must be spent […]

Information Commissioners Office logo

Landlords and agents warned over data protection risks

5th January 2024

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 calls for continued support for council housing

5th January 2024

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 […]

Buy to let mortgage inquiries drop by a third

5th January 2024

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 cuts its BTL interest rates

5th January 2024

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 […]

Disabled tenant & PEEP – Personal Emergency Evacuation Plan – Help!

4th January 2024

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 […]

elegraph logo used in rebuttal to article on landlord tax structures

Daily Telegraph wants to speak to landlords in France about new EPC rules

4th January 2024

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 […]

Verona Frankish, Yopa chief executive, smiling during a professional portrait.

Thousands of home sellers discount prices as they re-enter the market

4th January 2024

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 […]

Landlords and tenants warned over fake energy efficiency schemes

4th January 2024

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 […]

Savills predicts high returns for UK property investors

4th January 2024

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 […]