Fleet Mortgages has widened its buy to let (BTL) lending criteria, removing its minimum income requirement and adjusting several affordability and property rules. The lender said the changes are intended to reflect landlords’ real-world borrowing circumstances while maintaining responsible lending standards. Under the revised criteria, applicants will no longer need to meet a fixed earned […]

Two councils have opened consultations on the future operation of the private rented sector locally, inviting tenants, landlords and letting agents to submit feedback. However, only Torfaen County Council is asking private renters in its area to share their experiences as it prepares a new Private Rented Sector Strategy covering 2026 to 2031. Responses, the […]

Searches for Making Tax Digital have surged ahead of the April deadline, according to new research. Under the controversial scheme, from April 2026, landlords earning more than £50,000 will be required to keep digital records and submit quarterly updates to HMRC using authorised MTD-compliant software. Landlords earning between £30,000 and £50,000 will join the scheme […]

Hello, Under the Renters’ Rights Act, fixed-term assured shorthold tenancies will be abolished and replaced with periodic assured tenancies with no fixed end date. Under SDLT legislation, leases which have a net present value of over £125,000 are subject to SDLT. Short leases in almost all cases will not be subject to SDLT as the […]

Scottish Labour has pledged to build 125,000 new homes over the next Parliament. Party leader Anas Sarwar claimed Scotland’s housing emergency is “a moral imperative and an economic one” and set out a package of reforms for housebuilding ahead of the Scottish elections in May. The news comes as the Scottish Conservatives have pledged to […]

Four in 10 tenants thinking about moving this year say they are considering doing so because of rent prices, research reveals. The findings from CIA Landlords suggests affordability is influencing not just the type of home tenants choose, but the location they can afford. Of those weighing up a move, 12% said they were ‘very […]

Property118 has spent more than a decade reporting on the private rented sector, helping landlords, journalists, lenders and policymakers understand the commercial and regulatory realities shaping housing supply.During that time, Property118 has also played a quieter but equally important role. We have helped academic researchers engage directly with landlords, supported university research projects, and ensured […]

Like Thelma and Louise hurtling towards the cliff edge, more people are beginning to see the problems coming with the Renters’ Rights Act. Thankfully, tenants are now asking why landlords are leaving and why rents are rising. I say that after reading the comments under a BBC story this week about rents topping £1,000 a […]

In 2015, months before Section 24 became law, Property118 founder Mark Alexander met officials at HM Treasury responsible for the policy and raised concerns about how landlords might restructure their businesses if the new tax rules made existing models commercially unviable. The discussion included reference to the Elizabeth Moyne Ramsay case and the potential relevance […]

Councils in England have collected only a quarter of the civil penalties issued to landlords for housing offences over the past two years, research reveals. The National Residential Landlords Association says its data was obtained through Freedom of Information requests to English councils responsible for PRS enforcement. Across 2023/24 and 2024/25, 285 councils imposed almost […]

House prices edged higher again in February, pushing the average UK property value to £301,151 after a monthly rise of 0.3%, according to Halifax. That followed a stronger 0.8% increase in January for average prices to be boosted by roughly £3,000 since the start of the year. Annual growth saw house prices being 1.3% above […]

The government insists private landlords must not wait until the Decent Homes Standard 2035 deadline to improve rental properties. Under the Decent Homes Standard, landlords will need to meet certain criteria, including that homes must be in a reasonable state of repair and provide core facilities and services, including a kitchen with adequate space and […]

An industry body has warned the Decent Homes Standard must raise standards without reducing housing supply. Propertymark has cautioned that any reforms to the Decent Homes Standard must “incentivise landlords to invest in improvements rather than create further uncertainty.” The warning comes after the government’s Decent Homes Standard impact assessment was criticised as “not fit […]

Many investors never ask themselves an important question. What if this year ends up looking exactly like the last one financially? Not terrible. Not amazing. Just the same. You worked hard, stayed busy and maybe even made investments. Yet when you step back and look at the results, progress often feels slower than it should. […]

London is experiencing intense demand and high rent prices, according to a new survey. Data by SpareRoom shows that inner London postcodes have recorded the highest rental costs, with Bethnal Green (E2) seeing the largest five-year rent increase in all of inner London, up 56%. The findings come as the number of rental homes in […]

Rent control has an obvious political appeal. If rents are rising faster than wages, the solution can appear straightforward. Limit how much landlords are allowed to charge and tenants will immediately benefit. Campaign groups often present the idea in exactly those terms. Cap rents and affordability will improve. Yet the international evidence tells a far […]

The government claims energy performance certificate (EPC) standards are “proportional” to landlords and tenants. In a written question, Plaid Cymru MP Llinos Medi, asked whether the government would consider the impact of proposed changes to the landlord cost cap and exemptions for Welsh private renters The news comes as the government announced all private landlords […]

A charity has urged the government to guarantee that EPC targets deliver benefits for older renters. Research from Independent Age reveals that 63% of older tenants would be worried about a rent increase, while 35% would fear eviction if their landlord carried out work to improve the condition and energy efficiency of their home. The […]

The Association for Rental Living (ARL) is urging the government to take prompt action to support the UK’s Build-to-Rent (BtR) sector and address the increasing issue of viability that is deterring investment in new rental homes. It warns that rising costs, regulatory change and weaker investment returns are discouraging investors from backing new BtR developments. […]

A city council has unveiled a huge cash injection to deal with ‘rogue’ landlords ahead of the Renters’ Rights Act being implemented in May. It says that landlords will face increased scrutiny as the council prepares for new enforcement duties tied to the rental reforms. City of Wolverhampton Council has confirmed it will commit an […]

In response to a petition calling for faster evictions and a tenant database, the government said it does not support the proposals. The government claim “it is not proportionate” to introduce a tenant database and argues that the Renters’ Rights Act will provide landlords with sufficient grounds for possession. The petition reached more than 15,000 […]