Page 290 – Property118
Business professional in blue suit representing NRLA leadership on housing crisis.

Welsh Minister supports tax review proposal for the PRS

20th June 2023

The Welsh Minister for Climate Change, Julie James MS, has expressed her support for the National Residential Landlords’ Association (NRLA) proposal to conduct a comprehensive review of taxation in the private rental sector (PRS). The endorsement came during the launch event of NRLA’s State of the Welsh Private Rented Sector report, and she says suggestions […]

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Rising interest rates threaten 26% of homeowners with mortgage defaults

20th June 2023

A study has exposed the vulnerability of millions of homeowners who may face mortgage defaults if interest rates continue to climb. Moneyhub’s research indicates that 26% of homeowners with a mortgage could struggle to make their payments if there were another rate hike. The study also found that 35% of these homeowners are worried about […]

Pic of short term lets in London crackdown on landlords urged property118

Crackdown urged on London’s surging holiday lets

20th June 2023

A report revealing a significant increase in second home registrations in London has prompted leading figures to call for government intervention in the holiday lettings market. The data, collected by Generation Rent, indicates that the number of non-primary residences in the city has rocketed since 2019. And that’s despite pandemic-related travel restrictions and shifting domestic […]

Pi of BTR building site in UK landlords in BTL property118

BTL landlords will be ousted as City investors move in

20th June 2023

As small buy-to-let landlords struggle to keep up with increasing interest rates, a wave of City investors is stepping in to fill the gap in the rental market, one property consultancy says. The firm, JLL, is predicting that within the next three years, the build-to-rent (BTR) sector will double in size, making up 20% of […]

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Rent increase during assured shorthold tenancy?

20th June 2023

Hello, like thousands of others, the monthly interest payments on my one and only rental property have more than doubled since this time last year, and regrettably, I feel I now need to pass some of this cost on to my tenants via a rent increase. They are now paying well below the market rate […]

Stop, read, contact – if you don’t there is a cost of delay!

19th June 2023

Unless you’ve been travelling around on Jeff or Elon’s space rockets recently, you would not have missed the chaos and turmoil in the mortgage market. In just the last week or so, major lenders pulled all of their products from the market and did not replace them straight away. And when they did, yes, you’ve […]

Landlords encouraged to sell this month as property prices rise by 0.2%

19th June 2023

In a market where interest rates are sky high, tax bills are extortionate and mortgage payments are higher than rents, coupled with a backlog of refurb costs and difficult tenant situations, landlords are rushing to cash in and sell their property portfolios. If you were a landlord on the fence about whether or not it’s […]

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Property ownership questions?

19th June 2023

Hi, I am unsure of what actions we as a family need to take in the situation we are in now. I bought a property in 2009, transferred it to my two children 50/50 in 2010. However, I continued to manage the property, and both children received regular rent in their joint account and they […]

“To Let” sign outside residential houses reflecting UK rental market challenges

Buying my first HMO – planning permission question?

19th June 2023

Hello, I’m considering buying my first HMO in an article 4 area where C4 planning is required. If the property I buy is already used as a HMO and has been since before article 4 came into place, would I still need to obtain C4 planning permission? Thank you, Josh

A man in a suit holding a calculator, a clipboard, a small model house at a desk sitting opposit a person,

Mis-sold Rent 2 Rent – now an investment loss?

19th June 2023

Hello fellow landlords. A year ago I was sold a ‘fully hands off’ rent-to-rent 5 year lease on a property to run as serviced accommodation, the ‘sourcing fee’ was paid to an investment arm of the letting agent which would be also acting as the Landlord in the agreement and charge a management commission fee. The […]

Housing experts and charities call for EPC deadline for the PRS

19th June 2023

The Chartered Institute of Housing (CIH) has teamed up with a group of charities and consumer organisations, dubbed ‘Warm this Winter’, to encourage the government to decide on a deadline for the implementation of EPC rules for the private rented sector (PRS). The Public Bill Committee is currently scrutinising the Energy Bill and it is […]

Council urges landlords to apply for licences – but only dishes out 9% so far

19th June 2023

Private landlords in one city who have not yet applied for licences to rent out their homes are being urged to act quickly despite the council only processing just over 9% of applicants. Oxford City Council introduced a selective licensing scheme in September 2022, requiring all privately rented homes to obtain a licence. This is […]

Mortgage rate rises cause summer slowdown

19th June 2023

Average new seller asking prices fallen for the first time this year, the Rightmove House Price Index reveals. New seller asking prices fell by £82 this month to £372,812. The House Price Index for June reveals, despite increases in mortgage interest rates over the last few weeks, that buyer demand is holding steady but there […]

pic of blocks showing a rent rise for a tenant property118

Legal limits for rent rise?

19th June 2023

Hi all, I’m renting a one-bedroom flat in London for £1000 a month. The tenant has been there for seven years, and I have not raised the rent in that time. I am advised the current market value for the rent is around £1450 per month. Next summer, the mortgage will increase by up to […]

Weekly rents in London reach record breaking high

19th June 2023

New figures reveal Londoners are having to pay £600 a week for rent. Figures from Foxtons reveal that average weekly rental prices in May have surpassed the peak of 2022, increasing 8% from the previous month. New listings increased 22% from April to May, whilst applicant demand increased 31%. Renter demand is outstripping supply Sarah […]

not guilty for housing crisis, short-term rentals, holiday let market

Is the short-term lets market to blame for the housing crisis?

16th June 2023

We all hear about the rise in short-term lets, and how it might be to blame for the housing crisis – but is it really true? With growing regulation around short-term rentals such as Airbnbs, many holiday-let owners are being forced out of the market. This Property118 investigation looks at the data behind short-term rentals […]

Knight-themed Landlord Crusader logo symbolizing landlord advocacy

Landlord Crusader: In the end, it was the Bank of England that broke the PRS

16th June 2023

As hardworking and worried landlords, we all know the buy-to-let market is facing a potential catastrophe of rising interest rates, tightening lending criteria and falling house prices. That inevitably means many of us may find ourselves struggling to keep up with mortgage payments, or worse, unable to remortgage at all. And all of this is […]

Citizens Advice calls for a two-year ban on tenant evictions

16th June 2023

Citizens Advice has raised concerns about the potential for backdoor ‘no fault’ evictions if Section 21 is banned – and it wants renters to be protected from eviction for the first two years of a new tenancy. The charity says it has seen a surge in tenants seeking assistance with Section 21 issues, reaching a […]

Multiple “To Let” signs outside a property, illustrating the competitive UK rental market

LHA is ‘not enough’ to pay rocketing rents

16th June 2023

Low-income renters in England who rely on benefits are finding it increasingly difficult to secure housing due to skyrocketing private rents that far exceed local housing allowance rates (LHA). These rates, which determine the maximum amount of financial help tenants can receive through universal credit or legacy housing benefits, have remained stagnant since 2020. Originally, […]

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Is a commercial landlord responsible for tenant debts?

16th June 2023

Hi Property118 readers, I wonder if any commercial landlords can help me with a situation. I own a freehold of a building with a tenanted commercial unit (I receive rent as the landlord) and 8 flats with different leaseholders (I collect annual Ground Rent as the freeholder). The flat leaseholders have created their own Right […]

Kate Davies of IMLA discussing impact of PRS regulation on landlords and tenants

Call to support struggling landlords to remain in the PRS

16th June 2023

The mounting impact of tax and regulatory changes, coupled with the recent spike in buy-to-let mortgage rates, may force a growing number of private landlords out of business, one organisation warns. The Intermediary Mortgage Lenders Association (IMLA) says the situation could have a detrimental effect on the long-term stability of the private rented sector (PRS), […]