Scotland has seen a remarkable surge in house prices since the start of the pandemic, according to a leading property firm. DJ Alexander Ltd, Scotland’s largest estate and letting agents, said that average prices have increased by 27.4% since March 2020 when the pandemic began. This is a stark contrast to the previous 40-month period, […]

The Renters (Reform Bill), which aims to improve the quality and safety of rental properties, could impose heavy fines on landlords who fail to comply with the Decent Homes Standard. However, inventory clerks could play a key role in helping landlords avoid such penalties by providing professional inspections and reports. That’s the view of Nick […]

Hello, this a case whereby I have served a section 8 to my tenant and at the same time tried to negotiate with Universal Credit if they could pay the tenant’s rent. Unfortunately, I received an email from the Universal Credit team that the tenant does not qualify for Universal Credit and will not be […]

Hello, to reduce paperwork/printing etc, I’m looking at options (like DocuSign as just one example) where my own docs/contracts etc plus copies of gas certificates and the like can be sent through to the tenant to be marked as received, signed for and copies of the same returned electronically. Also, need the ability to send […]

After a tough week, starting with reports from the Telegraph urging banks to “stop treating landlords like cash cows” we finally have some good news. Over the last two months landlords approaching portfolio exit companies to sell have seen a huge increase in their properties being sold in bulk to private buying companies. It comes […]

The buy to let mortgage sector has bounced back from the pandemic slump with lower fixed rates and more product options, according to the latest analysis by Moneyfactscompare.co.uk. The comparison site found that the overall BTL product availability – both fixed and variable – has improved month-on-month by more than 100 deals. There are now […]

The UK housing market is proving resilient in the face of high interest rates, according to Nicky Stevenson, the managing director of Fine & Country. She says that the market is recalibrating to a higher interest rate environment, and that sentiment should slowly improve as buyers and sellers increasingly know where they stand. Ms Stevenson […]

The National Residential Landlords Association (NRLA) has welcomed plans by Labour to boost the supply of homes in the UK should it be returned to power. Shadow Chancellor Rachel Reeves had told the Labour Party conference in Liverpool that the party would ‘rebuild Britain’. That would see the speeding up of the planning for critically […]

Hello, I have a building control issue whereby the extension was built and not enough insulation was put in the cavity wall by the builder who was not aware. Building control wants this done as per the required amount. They have been advised that the whole property is an old one and no cavity wall […]

Social housing tenants are being urged to put pressure on landlords to improve their living conditions in a new campaign. The government has launched the next phase of the ‘Make Things Right’ campaign, which aims to empower residents to report issues and make complaints to improve social housing conditions. The government wants to inform social […]

Hello, I tried to evict a tenant in 2022 and got a possession order asking the tenant to leave on 1st December 2022. Got bailiffs involved but we cancelled the bailiffs as the tenants paid the majority of the debt. Now the tenant has not finished paying the old debt, but we agreed to let […]

Hello, what do you do as a responsible landlord when your plumber arranges an appointment not once but twice to visit your tenant’s flat on the anniversary of your gas safety check to be greeted by the tenant/contract holder (Wales) with there is no gas running to the boiler. The tenant hasn’t paid the bills […]

Landlords in the private rented sector (PRS) will have rental reform – including the abolition of Section 21 ‘no-fault’ evictions – imposed on them, Labour’s Angela Rayner has promised. The deputy Labour leader was speaking at the Party’s conference in Liverpool where she told delegates: “We will provide stability and certainty for the affordable and […]

A coalition of renting pressure groups has unveiled a manifesto that calls for sweeping changes in the private rented sector – including rent controls, open-ended tenancies and ‘fair’ four-month notice periods.  The Renters Manifesto also demands an end to Section 21 and for all PRS homes to have an EPC rating of C or above. […]

Landlords looking for a lucrative investment opportunity should consider buying student properties in the North of England and Scotland, research reveals. The data from easyMoney ranks the top 100 UK universities based on the average yields of properties in their postcodes, using house price information and rents from various sources. The findings show that the […]

The UK’s private rented sector (PRS) has seen a significant increase in both the number and value of deposits protected by tenancy deposit schemes in 2022-23, according to the latest briefing by TDS Group. The report compiles data from various sources, such as Freedom of Information (FOI) requests and the Office for National Statistics (ONS). […]

The National Residential Landlords Association (NRLA) has called on the Government to take urgent action to address the supply crisis in the rental market. The call comes after new figures from Rightmove revealed that there are 25 tenants enquiring about each available rental home. According to the data, which covers newly let properties, rents in […]

The mayor of West Yorkshire has launched a scathing attack on landlords, in a new interview. Labour mayor Tracy Brabin has criticised landlords who raise rents in a cost-of-living crisis. However, she does not advocate for the use of rent controls and instead wants to focus on building more affordable homes.  Avaricious and greedy Mayor […]

The Conservative Party used to be the party of property ownership and free enterprise, but its recent policies on housing have betrayed its core values and its loyal supporters. The Tories have broken their promises to reform the private rented sector (PRS), and have instead punished landlords with unjust taxes, soaring costs and stalled legislation. […]

The UK’s housing market showed further signs of cooling in September with the sixth consecutive monthly fall, Halifax says. The average house price fell by 0.4% month-on-month, and the annual rate of house price growth also slowed to -4.7%, the lowest since April 2021. Halifax said that house prices were still supported by the low […]

The Scottish government’s recently launched consultation on a range of issues affecting the private rented sector (PRS), including rent controls and tenant eviction protections, has been slammed by one leading property expert. Neil Cobbold, the managing director of automated rental payment specialists, PayProp UK, says the consultation being carried out, is ‘not fit for purpose’. […]