Page 285 – Property118

N325 request for warrant of possession?

1st November 2023

Hi all, I’m looking for some help, please. I read somewhere that when sending/taking the N325 to the county court certain documents have to be attached to the form, but I cannot find anything more about this. Is there a way to speed up the process? I have sent an email to the court, but […]

Business professional in formal suit at modern office building

UK house prices rise in October – but see an annual fall

1st November 2023

UK house prices rose by 0.9% in October – but the annual rate of house price growth remained negative at -3.3%, the latest figures from Nationwide reveal. The average UK house price is still lower than it was a year ago and now stands at £259,423. Nationwide’s chief economist, Robert Gardner, attributed the monthly increase […]

Scotland’s private rent surge sparks fears of a wider rent cap

1st November 2023

Average rents in Scotland for new tenancies have risen by double digits for the fourth consecutive quarter, reaching up to 19% year-on-year growth in some regions, research reveals. The findings from Citylets point to the Cost of Living (Tenant Protection) (Scotland) Act 2022 which introduced caps on rent increases within tenancies as the reason for […]

Landbay's sales and distribution director, Rob Stanton wearing a light blue suit and white shirt

Landbay cuts the rates on its buy to let products

1st November 2023

Landlords looking to buy or remortgage properties can benefit from lower rates and more choices from Landbay. That’s because the specialist buy to let lender has made more than 80 changes to its product range, including rate reductions of up to 0.20% across various products. Landbay offers products for standard properties, small houses in multiple […]

Chief executive commenting on falling rent prices in England’s private rental sector

Rents fall and voids rise in England’s lettings market

1st November 2023

The lettings market in England experienced a post-summer slump in October, with rents on new tenancies falling by 11% and voids increasing by 29%, according to the latest Goodlord Rental Index. The report, which tracks key indicators of the rental sector across seven regions in England, shows that the average rent for a new tenancy […]

What Next For Interest rates?

31st October 2023

Ranjan is back with another video talking all about interest rates. With the Bank of England decision on interest rates expected this week, Ranjan shares his predictions for what lies ahead for interest rates and highlights the opportunities and threats for property investors. Check out the video below:

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Reshaping Property Management Through Technology

31st October 2023

Property management, whether you’re overseeing a handful of properties or a more extensive portfolio, can often present complex and demanding challenges. Balancing tenant communication, maintenance, rent collection, and cash flow tracking can quickly become overwhelming. Thankfully, property management technology is evolving to make this task more manageable. In this article, we will explore how technology […]

chicken and rabbits

Why a tenant’s furry and feathered friends can rejoice over a forgotten law

31st October 2023

With the Renters (Reform) Bill passing its second reading, one important detail many landlords and tenants will want to know is about tenants keeping pets in their rented home. However, a largely forgotten act already exists that allows tenants to keep a pet rabbit or chicken. The little-known Allotment Acts 1950 allows renters to keep […]

Housing law expert Phil Turtle discussing landlord enforcement and civil penalties

Council tax reform for HMOs: good news for some, bad news for others

31st October 2023

While the Government has announced a new policy to simplify the council tax system for houses of multiple occupation (HMOs), not all types of HMOs will benefit from the change, and many tenants and landlords will still face higher bills, one legal expert warns. Currently, the Valuation Office Agency (VoA) is re-assessing each room in […]

professional headshot of a man representing commentary on UK tenants facing upfront rent pressures

Landlords raise rents to cope with rising costs, survey shows

31st October 2023

Many landlords in the UK are hiking rents to deal with increasing costs, especially higher interest rates and legislation changes, a survey reveals. The findings from The Deposit Protection Service (The DPS) show that three-quarters (75%) of landlords have either increased rents in the past year (40%) or intend to do so soon (35%). The […]

Pic of a leasehold hall being flooded landlord leaseholder property118.com

Rental flat with water ingress, how can I speed up section 20?

31st October 2023

Hello all, I’m hoping that someone can help with this matter. Our grand floor flat in a building of 7 flats has an issue with water ingress that has spread from the front corner of the property along a wall that is now making the bedroom uninhabitable. The building’s property management company is siting section […]

Matt Hutchinson discussing the government’s second homes policy and housing shortage

Renters take on extra jobs to cope with rising rents

31st October 2023

Growing numbers of renters are having to work more than one job to make ends meet amid soaring inflation and spiking rents, according to a new report. The findings from SpareRoom, a flat-sharing site, questioned more than 2,000 renters and found that 17% of tenants have more than one job – which increases to 20% […]

Middlesbrough landlords slam selective licensing fee property118

Landlords slam ‘unfair’ selective licensing fee as council reviews policy

31st October 2023

Landlords in Middlesbrough have criticised a selective licensing scheme that charges them £800 for a five-year licence – but it only has months to run. Teesside Live reports that the scheme, which covers part of the Newport ward, has been criticised by landlords who say it is a ‘private tax’ that is forcing them to […]

Britain’s housing market, the PRS – and Shelter’s contribution?

31st October 2023

Hi, I’m sure a lot of us landlords watched the BBC programme about the housing market, which disappointingly stopped short of looking at the directly associated PRS problems in detail and the reasons behind the quagmire successive governments which have progressively got the country further and further into. I for one was unaware that a […]

house price and inlation growth landlords property118.com

House Prices Are Cheaper in 2023 Than They Were in 2007 (in REAL TERMS)

30th October 2023

According to HM Land Registry, the average sold house price at the peak in September 2007 was £190,032. However, as of August 2023 that figure is £291,044. But surely that’s a gain of £101,032 I hear you say! Well, from a tax perspective, it is, and if you had purchased an average property in September […]

Business professional in blue suit representing NRLA leadership on housing crisis.

Government to end council tax on HMO rooms

30th October 2023

Renters in shared housing could save up to £1,000 a year thanks to a campaign by the National Residential Landlords Association (NRLA). The Government has announced it will reform the way council tax is applied to houses of multiple occupation (HMOs). Currently, some local authorities assess each room in an HMO as a separate unit […]

Bristol Council wants more PRS licensing?

30th October 2023

On Wednesday, October 25, 2023, 4:29 AM, Consultation Team wrote: Consultation on new schemes to improve the quality and management of private rented properties across the city Dear Resident Bristol City Council is seeking your views on a proposal to introduce two new property licensing schemes in Bristol. Scheme 1 A citywide additional licensing scheme […]

TMW slashes buy to let rates for new and existing customers

30th October 2023

The Mortgage Works (TMW) has announced a series of rate reductions across its buy to let products, effective from last Saturday (28 October). The lender is offering some of the most competitive deals in the sector, with rates starting from 4.49%. The rate cuts apply to both new business and switcher products and cover a […]

Property expert outdoors discussing rising UK rent prices

Affordable homes to rent are ‘scarce and in high demand’

30th October 2023

Finding a cheap rental home in the UK is a daunting challenge with only 1.9% of the current rental market stock costing less than £500 per month, research reveals. The analysis by Zero Deposit highlights that this is the lowest level of stock of all the rental market price bands they looked at. However, the […]