A council is preparing to own social housing again after a gap of 20 years, although its first proposed purchase amounts to just 18 homes. The council has now been registered as a local authority provider of social housing, clearing a regulatory hurdle so it can build directly owned housing stock. Preston City Council had […]

House prices in some of Britain’s best-known seaside locations have fallen by as much as 38% in a year, research reveals. Seahouses in Northumberland recorded the largest annual house price drop among the locations analysed by Yopa, with its average property value dropping by 38%. Prices in Portmeirion, Wales, declined by 20.2%, while Fowey in […]

The government has corrected its official possession guidance after wrongly suggesting that landlords could have used the sale of a property as a Section 8 ground before 1 May 2026. The error has now been quietly removed. However, it comes as landlords relying on notices served under the old possession system face a fast-approaching deadline […]

The Bank of England has held interest rates at 3.75% despite a volatile market and ongoing economic uncertainty. The Monetary Policy Committee (MPC) voted by a majority of 7-2 to keep interest rates unchanged. Two members voted to increase Bank Rate by 0.25 percentage points, to 4%. Act to reduce inflation over time The MPC […]

Hello, There appears to be conflicting advice about the notice tenants must give under the Renters’ Rights Act, so I am posting this in case other landlords have received similarly mixed messages. The Act amends section 5 of the Protection from Eviction Act 1977. The new section 5(1ZA) appears to say that a tenant’s notice […]

Form 4A has been live for five weeks. In that time, at least two readers’ questions have appeared on Property118 from landlords who cannot work out what to put in Section 4 of the form. The comments underneath those threads show experienced landlords disagreeing with each other about the correct answers. The frustrating thing is […]

Hello, We are all used to protecting our tenancy deposits by paying a one-off protection fee (If we use an insurance based scheme rather than a custodial one) however that is all about to change. I’ve just received an email from mydeposits advising me that their scheme will be changing to a subscription model. They […]

Manchester’s house prices have risen by 63% in a decade, putting the city at the top of Rightmove’s long-term growth table. London, meanwhile, has limped along with the country’s slowest rate of growth with an increase of just 7%. The average asking price in Manchester now stands at £261,891, compared with £160,422 10 years ago. […]

Landlords saw rent growth slow down again in May, although average monthly payments still climbed to £1,383 across the UK. Figures from the Office for National Statistics show private rents rose by 3.3% in the 12 months to May. That’s down from an annual growth figure of 3.5% in April. Average rents in England increased […]

The government has announced potential changes to the tenancy deposit protection system, including plans to remove insured deposit schemes. Under the Renters’ Rights Act, landlords must place a tenant’s deposit in a government-approved tenancy deposit scheme such as the Deposit Protection Service (DPS), MyDeposits or the Tenancy Deposit Scheme (TDS). Housing minister Matthew Pennycook said […]

Houses now cost 1.7 times more than flats across the UK, as weaker flat price growth and leasehold costs widen the gap between the two parts of the market. The difference between house and flat prices has reached its widest point in 30 years, according to Zoopla. Its latest analysis shows the average UK house […]

One of the questions I frequently ask myself is what are the top 5-reasons that prompt landlords to book a one-to-one consultation with Property118. Some people assume it is because they want to incorporate, where others assume it is driven by tax planning, inheritance tax concerns or a desire to restructure ownership. Whilst those subjects […]

Landlords could face fines of up to £40,000 if they “knowingly or recklessly” breach rules under the Renters’ Rights Act. In response to a written parliamentary question, housing minister Matthew Pennycook confirmed the definitions of “knowingly” and “recklessly” in relation to the misuse of a possession ground. The news comes as landlords could face on-the-spot […]

Landlords have been handed another round of buy to let mortgage rate reductions, with The Mortgage Works, Rely, HSBC and Coventry for intermediaries all announcing new prices. TMW has made cuts of up to 0.26 percentage points across selected two-, three- and five-year fixed rate products for new and existing customers. Its reductions cover mortgages […]

An independent body has urged the government to provide landlords with financial support to help meet Energy Performance Certificate (EPC) targets. The Committee on Fuel Poverty (CFP) responded to the government’s consultation on the Warm Homes Plan, arguing that landlords will need additional funding to achieve EPC C targets by 2030. The committee, which is […]

Hello, I recently had a request by a tenant that moved in early February to have her husband added as a permitted occupier. At the time she viewed the property she told the estate agent that she needed something temporarily while refurbishing her house, although it seemed a bit strange as her address was the […]

An industry body has warned that banning upward-only rent reviews in commercial leases would have “far-reaching consequences”. Propertymark has called on the government to provide a detailed consultation and robust impact assessment, warning that reforms could weaken investment in the commercial property sector. Last year, the government announced, under the English Devolution and Community Empowerment […]

Private landlords have helped make a city’s homeless housing scheme a success by providing homes for 122 people. This is the same council which unveiled a £714,000 funding boost three months ago to increase scrutiny of ‘rogue’ landlords and strengthen private sector housing enforcement under the Renters’ Rights Act. One participating landlord in the scheme […]

Landlords and letting agents face a tougher moving market as tenants struggle to find the upfront cash deposit needed to move home. Research from Reposit says 34% of tenants are delaying a move because they cannot afford a five-week cash deposit. The deposit replacement firm says the average deposit in 2026 has reached £1,351, leaving […]

More than two in five landlords may sell off part of their property portfolios despite reporting stronger yields, Aldermore reveals. The lender says that 42% of landlords are considering portfolio cuts as regulation, taxation and property costs weigh on investment decisions. Its latest Buy to Let Index found that nearly half of those surveyed (47%), […]

A pet charity has helped a tenant secure permission to keep a cat in her home after explaining the new rules to her landlord. AdvoCATS helped Ms A* (real name withheld) gain permission to keep her cat, Marshy,  after her landlord initially refused the request, saying the flat was too small. Under the Renters’ Rights […]