Hello, I want to forfeit a lease and take control of my warehouse by changing the locks, I have a locksmith that will change the locks. I have the keys to enter to do this. I then want to take control of the warehouse. I want to do this myself not using a bailiff early […]

The housing secretary, Michael Gove, has been accused of breaking his pledge to end the ‘feudal’ leasehold system in England and Wales, after it emerged that his flagship new Bill does not ban developers from selling new houses under leasehold. The leasehold reform bill, which was unveiled this week after being announced in the King’s […]

Mould and damp have become an issue for people across the country, according to a new survey. According to energy experts Uswitch, 63% of people who’ve experienced mould in housing were tenants in privately rented or local authority housing. According to the report, 38% of people believe that UK properties are not suitably built to […]

The London Mayor is calling for tougher sanctions for private landlords who let out mouldy homes in the capital. Sadiq Khan wants to see rent rebates doubled if landlords fail to fix mouldy and draughty homes in London. As part of the mayor’s measures, Rent Repayment Orders – legal orders which require rogue private landlords […]

Hello, a coalition agreement was signed in New Zealand this week following the recent election. Here are two highlights: 1) Increase the speed at which mortgage interest deductibility is restored for rental properties with a 60% deduction in 2023/24, 80% in 2024/25, and 100% in 2025/26. 2) Encourage more landlords to enter the rental market […]

The rising cost and scarcity of rental homes have forced thousands of families to downsize and older renters to move to cheaper areas, the BBC has revealed. It has seen statistics from Dataloft, a consultancy firm, showing that nearly half of the new tenancies signed by families earning between £30,000 and £70,000 in the first […]

Not only are councils not doing enough to help private rented sector (PRS) landlords deal with anti-social behaviour, but they shouldn’t be pushing that responsibility onto landlords to deal with. Chris Daniel of Possession Friend, a service that helps landlords with eviction cases, points to the Local Government and Social Care Ombudsman report that reveals […]

In the current market, some landlords are struggling to meet the lender’s requirement for rental income to be 125% – 145% of the mortgage payment. This can leave some stuck on the lenders standard variable rate, a higher rate of interest. Quantum Mortgages may have the solution. Their pound for pound remortgage product was launched […]

The rise of social media has seen self-professed ‘property experts’ offering property investment courses and pricey one-day seminars with promises of becoming ‘financially free’. By that, they mean rich. But these so-called property gurus charge a hefty fee for their advice, and many get-rich-quick landlords are now paying the price. Many investors who dived headfirst […]

Despite a rent cap, there has been a sharp increase in average rents across all property sizes in Scotland, with the most common size of home in the private rented sector (PRS) – two-bedroom homes – rising by 14.3% in the year to the end of September. The data has been released by Scotland’s chief […]

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 […]