Rachel Maclean, the former housing minister, was sacked over a Tweet that laid bare groundbreaking leasehold reforms set to be unveiled in the King’s Speech. According to Robert Peston, ITV’s political editor, Ms Maclean was axed over leaking the government’s plans for leasehold reforms on X (formerly Twitter) before the King’s Speech on the 7th […]

The London Mayor has launched a new initiative to convert private housing into council homes. Sadiq Khan aims to build an additional 10,000 council homes in the capital in the next decade. London is experiencing a housing crisis with more than 170,000 Londoners currently living in insecure temporary accommodation. Council housing at heart of plan […]

The housing market in England and Wales suffered a blow in October as the average house price fell by 4.1%, or £15,700 to £362,777, according to the latest data from e.surv Acadata house price index. This is the biggest monthly decline since August 2009, when the market was recovering from the banking crisis of 2007/2010. […]

Until the recent interest rate rises started to bite into cashflow, many larger portfolio landlords had taken the decision to pay the extra tax resulting from the Section 24 restrictions on finance cost relief as opposed to restructuring their business. It might be said that the level of pain they were enduring from Section 24 […]

This week Ranjan takes a deep dive into new property investing opportunities coming in 2024. In particular, new permitted development rights coming into force in early 2024. Watch this video below so you are ready to benefit from first mover advantage!

The Chancellor will unveil his Autumn statement next week and one industry expert is urging for “swift and specific” measures to help landlords and tenants. Neil Cobbold, the managing director of PayProp UK, is calling on Jeremy Hunt to reduce taxes for landlords and to unfreeze the local housing allowance. According to the Institute for […]

British Gas is calling on the government to provide more green grants to landlords. The energy supplier says one of the main barriers for landlords upgrading their properties comes from a lack of knowledge about EPC standards and the availability of grants. The supplier lists a number of recommendations which they say aim to help […]

Empty homes in England have risen by more than 10% over the past five years, according to the Local Government Association (LGA). The LGA and Empty Homes network study reveals that one million properties across England in 2022 were unoccupied, an increase of nearly 60,000 homes since 2018. Despite the introduction of an empty homes […]

Every year my team and I challenge ourselves to come up with a Black Friday Offer even better than the year before. Last year’s offer was pretty amazing, if I say so myself, but I think we have done it again, and come up with an even better offer this year, which I am confident […]

Rental properties should be seized from landlords who consistently break the rules and take advantage of tenants, says a Labour MP. Clive Betts, the chair of the levelling up, housing and communities select committee, told the Guardian, that confiscated homes could become the property of councils, which could then use them to house people in […]

Private rents increased by more than 6% in England, according to the ONS lettings price index. London saw a big surge in rent prices at 6.8% ­­­– the biggest annual rate rise since London records started in 2006. Private rental prices in Wales increased by 6.9% in the 12 months to October 2023 and by […]

The Home Office has issued an update to the Right to Rent guide for landlords and letting agents. The sixth version of the guide comes into force alongside the Immigration Act 2014 (Residential Accommodation) (Maximum Penalty) Order 2023 and the Immigration (Restrictions on Employment and Residential Accommodation) (Codes of Practice) (Amendment) Order 2023. All landlords […]

Hello Property118 memebers. My question is if there are changes to a tenancy for anoccupational contract in Wales must the guarantor be told of these changes? In the case I am considering it’s about applications made by the tenant to add pets to the property. This can obviously significantly increase the risk of damages for […]

The government has tabled amendments to make it illegal for landlords and letting agents to have blanket bans on renting to people who receive benefits or who have children. Other amendments include introducing a Decent Homes Standard to the private rented sector. The amendments will be considered at the Committee stage for the Renters Reform […]

A professional membership body has expressed support for a property portal for landlords but believes it won’t remove the need for selective licensing. The Chartered Institute of Environmental Health (CIEH) highlighted the lack of environmental health professionals to enforce housing standards in the PRS and the role played by licencing in providing funding for enforcement. […]

Renters have lost faith in the government following the delay of Section 21 evictions, according to a new survey. The survey of more than 1,000 current tenants across England and Wales, commissioned by Benham and Reeves, reveals that 91% of renters believe the government doesn’t care about them or their quality of life. The government […]

Regular property inspections are crucial to tackling the bed bug crisis, says inventory chief. Daniel Evans, chair of the Association of Independent Inventory Clerks, said dealing with any infestation early was vitally important. This comes after newspaper reports of “bed bug invaders” across the UK with cities like London and Manchester being bed bug hotspots. […]

More than 12,000 social homes in Greater Manchester are to be treated for mould and damp problems following the release of government funding. Earlier this year, Housing Secretary Michael Gove announced £15 million in funding to tackle damp and mould health hazards. The government also recently announced a new ‘Awaab’s law’ that will force social […]

Hi, I have asked my tenant for a rent increase from £800 to £1100. But she is blaming now that there is a clause in the tenancy agreement which says that the rent will be reviewed annually and be increased according to inflation. So this should only be £855 as the inflation rate is now […]

I issued a section 21 which expired in early September. The tenant stayed in. My insurer took over and seems they are going the Section 8 route, not the Section 21, even though all procedures were followed exactly with the S21. I have a rent guarantee policy in place and I understand this may be […]

Angela Rayner has accused landlords of using Section 21 “as an easy get-out to turf people out of their home.” In an interview with ITV News, Ms Rayner slammed the government for delaying no-fault evictions which was first promised in 2019. The Shadow Housing Secretary also said Section 21 is having a “devastating impact on […]