I own the freehold of a small block of flats. I also owned all of the leasehold flats (jointly with another), which we sold in the last couple of years. I now intend to dispose of the freehold and will, of course, offer it to the leaseholders as required. If the leaseholders do not wish […]

Picture this. You have a tenancy agreement you have been relying on for years. It has a clause saying you can increase rent every twelve months. You send your tenant the usual letter in April. The rent goes up in June. Simple. Except from 1st May 2026 that process is unlawful. The clause in your […]

Councils in England will receive £41 million to pay for their new enforcement powers under the Renters’ Rights Act, the government has announced. The cash is part of a wider £60 million allocation across 317 authorities and includes £18.2 million provided last autumn. From May, councils will have a statutory duty to ensure compliance with […]

The Northern Ireland government must “strike the right balance” under proposed rental reforms or risk landlords leaving the market, Propertymark warns. The Department for Communities in Northern Ireland has proposed introducing some of the longest Notice to Quit periods in the UK, increasing standard notice periods for tenants to up to six months. The current […]

With rising buy to let mortgage costs back in focus after more than 1,300 products being pulled since the end of March, one organisation says that isn’t why rents are rising. TDS Charitable Foundation points to Moneyfacts data showing that average BTL mortgage rates have climbed with two-year fixed deals jumping from 4.66% to 5.40%. […]

Student landlords will raise rents to cover a loss of income, as university students could head home six months early under the Renters’ Rights Act. A story in The Times reports under the Renters’ Rights Act, renters will be able to end their tenancy at two months’ notice and fixed-term tenancies will be abolished. However, […]

The Welsh Green Party has pledged to introduce rent controls and abolish no-fault evictions ahead of the upcoming elections. Launching its manifesto, the party says it will strengthen tenants’ rights in Wales, adding that landlords who breach rent caps would face financial penalties of up to £7,000. The manifesto has been unveiled in the run-up […]

The government has published guidance for tenants on the grounds for possession and the court eviction process under the Renters’ Rights Act. It sets out what happens when a landlord gives notice on or after 1 May, and the court and eviction process if a tenant decides not to leave. The guidance comes ahead of […]

The housing cost that almost nobody expected. In 2018, Property118 contributor, the now late David Knox FCA, writing under the pseudonym Appalled Landlord, examined a statistic that seemed extraordinary at the time. Manchester City Council’s spending on temporary accommodation had risen from roughly £2.25 million to almost £13 million in just five years. The increase, […]

Ahead of the Scottish elections, the SNP has pledged tenants will get first refusal if a landlord puts their home up for sale. Under the proposed plans, when a landlord puts the property on the market, renters in Scotland would be given a period of exclusivity to purchase it “at a fair market rate”. The […]

With the Renters’ Rights Act coming into force on 1 May 2026, landlords are facing the biggest legal changes in a generation. I’m finding that many landlords still aren’t entirely clear what they need to do and more importantly, what they need to do now to stay compliant and avoid problems later. Over the past […]

A council failed to contact a landlord or assess whether tenants should remain in a rented property during eviction proceedings, the Local Government and Social Care Ombudsman has found. The case centres on Canterbury City Council after a private landlord, known as Mr X, served a Section 21 notice in February 2024 so he could […]

Hello Property118 readers: I’m William Harford. I co-founded Harthing with Neil Carthy and Adam Saul. We’ve built a property management platform specifically designed for landlords with small portfolios that they’re self-managing, and are trying to keep up with the endless stream of new regulations and tax requirements www.harthing.co.uk. Between us, we have over 50 years […]

Landlords have been slammed by the Housing Secretary Steve Reed for evicting tenants before the Renters’ Rights Act takes effect. From 1 May, the Act will mean Section 21 ‘no-fault’ evictions will be banned. But that hasn’t stopped Mr Reed from hitting out at landlords after tenant campaign group Acorn claimed last week that landlords […]

The government claims awareness and communication around the Renters’ Rights Act have been successful among landlords. In response to a written parliamentary question, Housing Minister Matthew Pennycook said the multi-platform campaign has achieved strong engagement. The news comes ahead of the Renters’ Rights Act coming into force on 1 May 2026. Strong engagement and a […]

A growing disconnect is emerging within the structure of UK property ownership. According to the Property118 Landlord Sentiment Survey Q1 2026, most landlords continue to hold property in their personal names, even though many now indicate a preference for company ownership going forward. Based on 2,380 completed responses, 61% of landlords currently own their properties […]

The Property Ombudsman has expelled six letting agents after they failed to pay landlord clients, and a tenant, the compensation it ordered to be paid following upheld complaints. The decision came after a review by the scheme’s compliance committee, which found each business had breached membership rules by ignoring binding awards. The chief ombudsman, Lesley […]

Hi, I’ve recently agreed to purchase a studio flat with a pre-auction offer. I paid the auction fees of £7,800 and a 5k deposit (non returnable). The sales details state a service charge of £1,400 annually. However, now I’ve received the final purchase statement from my solicitor, it says the service charge is £5,000 annually! […]

Hi, I own a ground-floor flat where all owners have their own parking space. I rent it out. It’s a shared freehold, and I’m a director of the management company set up to run the block. Most flats are on the 2nd and 3rd floors. Built in 2007 and 11 flats in total. Is it […]

As a single property landlord who lives a fair distance from my property. I am heavily reliant on the letting agent to find suitable contractors for jobs at my property. A prime example involved a staircase handrail, which was to be moved to the opposite side of the stairs and repainted. The letting agent informed […]

Many landlords only start thinking about this when they are already in their 60’s and above, and by then, some of the options are already close to closing. The recent Property118 landlord survey revealed that many established landlords have very low LTV’s across their rental property portfolios, and some have no borrowing at all, but […]