The Scottish property market has seen a slight dip in average house prices over the last year, but newbuild and detached homes have bucked the trend and recorded positive growth, data reveals. The findings from lettings and estate agents DJ Alexander show that from July 2022 to June 2023, the average house price in Scotland […]

Around 170 university students in Huddersfield have found themselves in a desperate scramble to secure new accommodation after being abruptly evicted from what was once touted as ‘luxury’ housing. The purpose-built student accommodation, which boasted a cinema room, gym and other student amenities, is reportedly being repurposed to house hundreds of asylum seekers. The affected […]

Two private landlords who breached planning laws and ignored council warnings have been handed hefty fines of more than £250,000. Ealing Council acted in the two unconnected cases after the landlords failed to follow planning rules and ignored the council’s planning enforcement team over warnings for properties in Southall and Perivale. Ealing Council’s cabinet member […]

Hello, I am a landlord of a flat within an estate and have been paying service charges to a property management company (Company B). The maintenance for the estate appears to be controlled by a limited company (company A) which had three directors and the property manager co-acted for company A in doing the maintenance […]

Fraudsters are placing fake listings adverts online in a bid to cash in on the lack of supply in student accommodation, according to new data. Figures from Action Fraud, reveal there were 5,751 reports of rental scams last year, a 23% rise compared to 2021. Now the National Association of Property Buyers (NAPB) and Gumtree […]

A reputable retail and commercial bank has been announced as the new sponsor for the Property Investors Awards. Shawbrook Bank has been named as the Official Judging Day Sponsor for the 2023 Property Investors Awards. The judging day for this year’s applications will be held in Shawbrook’s London office in September. Innovative solutions that investors […]

A council crackdown on unlicensed HMO landlords has seen fines worth £207,500 being imposed, though just last month it faced stinging criticism from the Housing Ombudsman. The action from Haringey Council has seen 59 formal warnings being made to landlords who have been renting out unlicensed HMO properties to groups of three or more individuals […]

Landlords who are in Birmingham’s new selective licensing scheme are being urged to ignore social media ‘experts’ who say they don’t need to apply for a licence. Landlord Licensing & Defence says the advice could see the landlords who don’t apply being hit with a £30,000 fine. And the firm warns that enforcement begins on […]

London’s boroughs are sounding the alarm over the escalating housing pressures after it was revealed that there has been a surge in landlords pulling their properties from being used temporarily by homeless households. The crisis has reached ‘new extremes’, leaving local authorities grappling to accommodate the rising number of vulnerable individuals and families. A recent […]

British house prices would need to plummet by a staggering 19.3% to reach their pre-pandemic levels as fears rise over a cooling market, research suggests. The findings from property purchasing specialist, House Buyer Bureau, show this decline is more substantial than the -12.9% contraction seen during the global financial crisis of 2008/09. It says that […]

Hi All. I am the landlord of a property, I applied for a repossession order through the court as my tenant would not move out after eviction notice. The hearing was on 16th August, my  appearance was by video link (Tenant was a no show and did not send in the defence form either). I […]

Hello, I’m thinking of looking outside England for rental opportunities but not Wales or Scotland. I would be interested in anyone who currently lets in Northern Ireland to determine what differences there are to England. I’m guessing all the basics are the same, like gas certs/elec certs and EPC’s but are there any specifics I […]

Do you want to become an award-winning property investor? Get your nominations in fast as the final deadline for the Property Investors Awards is closing soon! The extended deadline for submitting nominations is Friday the 8th of September. The awards celebrate excellence in the property industry and offer the chance to become recognised as a […]

In a bid to safeguard tenants facing potential homelessness when a landlord falls into BTL mortgage arrears, one tenants’ rights group is urging mortgage lenders to uphold their ‘moral obligation’ not to evict tenants. The call comes from Generation Rent and its chief executive, Ben Twomey, has written an open letter to the chief executives […]

Hi, Does anyone know currently the time frame for a bailiff eviction date in Manchester? The letting agents told me it used to be 4 to 6 weeks. I have been waiting nearly 4 months now and have still not received the notification. Thank you, Aki

Hello, I own three fairly typical mid terrace solid-brick houses. All have double glazing, loft insulation and gas central heating. Over the last year I have had Positive Input Ventilation (PIVs) installed in all three. These have been great in reducing condensation and mould, and the tenants and I are very happy with them. I […]

Hello, I have a tenant that wants to leave at the end of month 8 of a 12 month tenancy as he has bought somewhere. What should I do? He is offering to make a settlement to cover costs. I self manage and don’t really want the work, although I can probably get 8% more […]

The government needs to offer more details about its proposed Renters (Reform) Bill to landlords and agents so they can prepare for its impact. That’s the call from the managing director of payment specialists PayProp, Neil Cobbold, who says there are too many unanswered questions that could threaten the future of private rented sector (PRS) […]

Hello, Our block of flats is owned by the leaseholders, except one which has a long lease pre-dating self-enfranchisement. According to this lease, ground rent should be reviewed every 21 years, which falls in December. This requires an expensive valuation of the whole block. Given the recent change in law, and government’s apparent intention to […]

The UK housing market is facing a slump in 2023 with the number of sales expected to drop by 21% compared to 2022 and reach the lowest level since 2012, according to a new report by Zoopla. Its latest House Price Index data predicts that only one million homes will be sold in 2023, which […]

It’s not often that two separate stories manage to tell the unfolding horror of what is happening to the private rented sector – and both involve so-called tenant activist groups. This is a story about unintended consequences and the sting in the tail that is coming to tenants everywhere. First out of the blocks are […]