Page 292 – Property118

Net zero consultation?

22nd June 2023

Hello, in case Property118 readers are not aware the building regulations changed on June 15th 2022 with a 12-month transition period just ended. It applies to new builds so if you are thinking of building an annexe which could be rented out at times (like we are) then they have just added £30-40k to a […]

pic of Peterborough where the council will use a third party to inspect licensed rented home property118

Council will use a third-party firm for inspecting rented homes

22nd June 2023

A city council is to hire a third-party firm to carry out the licencing inspections of private rented homes at a cost of £4.4million over five years – while pocketing £1,014,500. Peterborough City Council also says that when its new selective licensing scheme is approved by the government, landlords will have three inspections over five […]

Tenants’ contents insurance provider offers a subscription model

22nd June 2023

A general insurance platform provider has unveiled a new rolling subscription model for tenants’ contents insurance in a bid to deliver flexibility for renters. Paymentshield says that its offering is a first and 42% of UK tenants expressed a preference for the flexibility of paying for an insurance policy on a rolling monthly basis, compared […]

confused

Can a Section 21 notice expire if council refuse to grant a selective license?

22nd June 2023

Hello, Property118 readers according to Section 75 and 98 of the 2004 Housing Act, it appears a section 21 is valid if the application for a selective license is made but has not yet been granted. Same interpretation from Shelter’s website. My question is having served a valid 21 notice, can or will its validity […]

Are corporate landords taking over?

22nd June 2023

Hello, I’m extremely surprised it has taken so very long for commentators to only now wake up to the fact that an ever-increasing number of major corporate investors, pension funds, American and other private equity companies have and are targeting the UK BTL market. It was several years ago the FT published an article reporting […]

Rents and house prices rise in latest ONS data

22nd June 2023

The UK’s private rental market saw a 5% surge in rents in the year to May – with growth now outpacing the previous 12-month period, the Office for National Statistics (ONS) reveals. That’s when average prices rose by 4.8% with England’s rents increasing by 4.9%, while Wales and Scotland experienced slightly higher growth of 5% […]

Council planted tree and it ruined my property!

22nd June 2023

Hello, I was a London resident all my life but moved with my mother to Yorkshire when she became seriously ill. As my studio flat was empty in London, I rented it out while I was in Yorkshire. When my mum died I could not return to London so I decided to keep the property […]

Pic of landlords high yielding house for sale higher mortgage rates property118

Landlords sell their high-yield properties amid surging mortgage rates

21st June 2023

Landlords are now scrambling to sell their high-yielding rental properties as rocketing mortgage rates hit profit margins on even the most lucrative investments, the Daily Telegraph reports. In data provided by Hamptons estate agents, the report reveals that 25% of buy to let properties sold this year have boasted yields of 7% or higher. That […]

Lender offers £1,000 landlord cashback deal for improving EPC levels

21st June 2023

In a pioneering move, one buy to let specialist lender says it will offer a £1,000 cashback incentive to landlord borrowers who upgrade their property’s Energy Performance Certificate (EPC) level to C or above. This limited-edition feature applies to Fleet Mortgages’ five- and seven-year fixed-rate products, excluding Green options, and is valid for completions from […]

Property Investors Awards – Property Investor of the Year Max Scott

21st June 2023

Max Scott’s journey began in 2013 when he decided to spend some of his savings on a year’s property investment training programme. Now his firm, Star Property Group, has a portfolio that has grown by £30 million in the last 12 months and Max is the managing director – and now the winner of the […]

Sadiq Khan’s Ulez plan will hammer London’s property prices

21st June 2023

Landlords and property investors are being warned that a plan by the Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan, to introduce an Ultra-Low Emission Zone (Ulez) expansion could put the skids under house prices. A study by London-based estate agents Benham and Reeves has found that the Ulez expansion is already putting a damper on property values. […]

How to dispose of tenants’ building materials in communal hall?

21st June 2023

Hello, there is a tenant who has repeatedly used the ground floor communal hall in the block to store large pallets of building materials for his wood floor laying business for weeks on end. The lease for the long leaseholder excludes storage of anything in the communal hall. The tenant takes no notice of warning […]

Planning refused HMO permission – he did it anyway!

21st June 2023

Hello, I’d be really grateful for suggestions on what I could try next – Neighbouring property applied to planning for a change of use from residential to HMO (we’re an Article 4 area) and the council quite rightly, refused two times. Subsequently, the same owner went ahead and did it anyway and even registered for […]

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Leaseholder refusing to pay after Section 20 process?

21st June 2023

Hello, we have roof repairs to undertake and have notified leaseholders through the Section 20 process this process is completed. There were no responses during the consultation process. After this, we have received payment from the leaseholders except one, who subsequently on the request for payment has then listed objections and is refusing to pay. […]

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Landlords continue selling up – but it’s not an exodus

21st June 2023

There is a consistent stream of private landlords leaving the UK’s property market – and it has been a steady flow since 2018 – but it is not an exodus, Zoopla says. The property platform says the overall number of privately rented homes has remained unchanged since 2016, thanks to increased investments from corporate landlords […]

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 […]

Pic of woman reading new mortgage deal property118

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 […]