The BBC has challenged London Mayor Sadiq Khan’s claims that rents in the capital will rise to £2,700 per month – leaving renters to struggle since the average salary is £2,131. The mayor has called several times for a rent freeze to help tenants cope with the housing crisis – and used these figures as […]

Hello, I’m hoping for some advice please. I had rising damp treatment carried out beneath the bay window of a Victorian terrace and the firm I used recommended ‘tanking’ as the way to deal with it. The contractor’s 20-year guarantee now appears to be worthless on the sale of the property. (I had no sight […]

All tenants have a right to quiet enjoyment, but can councils still inspect a property if a tenant and landlord refuse? The answer to the question – which many landlords may find surprising – is ‘Yes’. Councils do have a legal right to entry and don’t need permission from the landlord or the tenant. In […]

A staggering five million households will be forced to spend more than a third of their income on housing by the end of the decade, according to a new study. The National Housing Federation reveals the sharp rise in renters struggling to meet housing costs. The report finds that by 2030, compared to the most […]

If you need to sell you no longer have to worry about Estate Agents taking too long, or auctions offering too low a price, portfolio exit specialists are the solution. Over the last 12 months we’ve have had to deal with impossible rules and regulations that have put an end to property being a savvy […]

The government have announced £50 million in funding to help older and disabled people make adaptions to live independently in their own homes including in the private rented sector. Landlords can access the funding from the local authority Disabled Facilities Grant (DFG), providing they have a tenant living in the property that requires the adaptation. […]

Buy to let landlords wanting cheaper BTL mortgage products are seeing rates being reduced as three more lenders are now offering cheaper products. The Mortgage Works (TMW) has unveiled rate reductions of up to 0.5% on selected new business products, delivering potential savings to investors in the buy to let market. Fleet Mortgages, a specialist […]

Renters in the UK are facing the highest level of rental affordability in a decade as demand for rented homes outstrips supply across the country, Zoopla reveals. The property platform has published its latest Rental Market Report and found that renters need to spend 28.4% of their gross earnings to cover the average rent. That’s […]

The UK’s rental market is facing a shortage of available properties, as tenant demand continues to outweigh landlord instructions, the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors (RICS) reveals. The survey also shows that house prices are on a downward spiral, as the sales market slows down. According to RICS, tenant demand rose for the third consecutive […]

QUESTION If a UK letting agent collects say £10,000 in rents from tenants and passes this onto landlords net of the agents 5% fees, what income does the agent need to declare to HMRC? Would it be the full £10,000 of rent collected or would it be his 5% agency fees only? ANSWER FROM PROPERTY118 […]

Up and down the country landlords are caught in the trap of having to pay for a selective licence. These licenses aren’t cheap and for the money landlords spend, councils don’t appear to be inspecting properties. In a series of special reports, Property118 looks at the issues surrounding selective licences starting with the expansion of […]

Landlords have been reducing their property portfolios across England and Wales due to unfavourable policies by the past few Conservative governments, one letting and estate agent says. The research by Benham and Reeves compared the number of properties owned by investors in the first quarter of 2022 and 2023. It found that the average portfolio […]

Hello, my flat which I let out, is in a block of 15. As leaseholders, we applied and got RTM. Even though no other buildings are on the land, which now has a separate title, the landlord charges out for gardens. The landlord has now decided to charge £200 every 2 years to register tenant […]

A survey has revealed that 72% of renters in the UK are either actively searching (46%) for new accommodation in different areas or contemplating it (26%) due to the unprecedented surge in rental costs. The findings from the platform SpareRoom also highlight that 7% of those surveyed are considering leaving the UK to escape the […]

Amidst the recent economic turmoil, the average amount owed via buy to let mortgage loans has surged by 19% in the past year, one firm reveals. Lenders Octane Capital says that BTL landlords in England and Wales have seen debt levels grow from £467,548 per landlord in the first quarter of 2022 to £558,423 in […]

As the new academic year kicks off, the UK’s rental market is witnessing a seasonal peak characterised by a substantial increase in demand, minimal void periods and a surge in renters looking to renew their tenancies, one property expert highlights. Recent data from HomeLet reveals that the average monthly rent reached £1,261 last month, marking […]

Landlords in the private rented sector (PRS) and social landlords have been given guidance from the government on how to deal with damp and mould in tenant homes. The government stresses that mould in a property should not be seen as a tenant’s ‘lifestyle choice’. The guidance sets out the legal responsibilities of private sector […]

Hello, How can I find out what happened at county court yesterday? I rang and they can’t tell me! Long story short. There was an eviction, the tenant’s possessions were all left behind – abandonment notice. The tenant then got an emergency court hearing! To extend the time his possessions are kept in my flat. My […]

Within the sphere of UK property investment, astute investors are perpetually on the lookout for ways to optimise their financial strategies, especially when it pertains to safeguarding family wealth and mitigating Inheritance Tax (IHT). One sophisticated strategy that’s gaining traction is the utilisation of Family Investment Companies (FICs) in tandem with carefully structured share classes […]

Landlords in the UK are now requesting ‘pet references’ complete with photographs and biographies of dogs and cats, due to the increased popularity of pet ownership during and after the Covid-19 pandemic, the i newspaper reports. Renters are going to great lengths, crafting detailed descriptions of their pets’ behaviours and temperaments, to secure a rental […]

Hello, I moved from Kent to another part of the country for my son’s education and I rented out my house to a family with 3 kids. It didn’t work out for my son’s school and we wanted to come back to our home, but the tenant didn’t want to move out. We had to […]