Hello, do former tenants owe you money? Here’s how we deal with this: For many years we could not find any debt recovery companies to take on the challenge of trying to recover debts from our former tenants. As most of our tenants were in receipt of benefits at the time of their occupation with […]

Landlords and homeowners alike scrambled to find out how much it would cost to remortgage after the Bank of England’s base rate increase last Thursday, a data firm says. Twenty7tec says there was a 39% surge to 40,902 inquiries compared to an average Thursday – which is also 21% higher than any previous interest rate […]

The National Residential Landlords Association (NRLA) is demanding immediate action from the government to alleviate the financial strain on renters and landlords after 13 consecutive interest rate hikes. The organisation says the full restoration of mortgage interest relief and the unlocking of housing benefit rates will ease the burden. Its urgent appeal comes as the […]

London’s Mayor Sadiq Khan has called for an immediate two-year rent freeze AND a ban on section 21 ‘no-fault’ evictions in London to help 160,000 Londoners who are behind on their rent. His call comes as a survey from City Hall reveals that 30% of private renters in the capital are struggling financially – and […]

It may be good news for our furry friends that under the Renters’ Reform Bill they might be allowed in rented properties, but what does this mean for landlords? The proposed rules mean that landlords cannot reasonably refuse a request to have a pet in the property. How will this work and what does it […]

Hello, due to the Renters Reform Bill and renting my properties becoming unworkable I am considering my options. I’ve seen lots of councils offering five years leases to landlords on fully managed, guaranteed rent, fully repairing etc. Does anyone know if this would constitute a ‘business tenancy’? I am concerned about which legislation would govern […]

The number of new property listings this year has risen by nearly 4% compared to 2022, and is only trailing 6% behind the pre-pandemic levels of 2019, research reveals. Data science firm TwentyEA says the figures are encouraging and indicate that the housing market is steadily recovering after experiencing a slump in recent years. Though […]

Here’s an interesting question for landlords to consider this week: would you prefer the government to offer you mortgage support or help your tenants pay their rent? I was pondering this issue with politicians calling for homeowners to get mortgage payment support to tackle rising interest rates. Why? Why is this an issue when calls […]

In a bold move, the Bank of England has implemented an unexpected half per cent interest base rate increase to hit 5% – the highest since 2008. Seven out of the nine committee members voted for the move, and they acted after seeing the mounting market rates for government borrowing. For now, this aggressive interest […]

The Bank of England’s Monetary Policy Committee voted 7 to 2 to increase the Base rate by 0.5% against the expected 0.25% to a new post-credit crisis high of 5%. Interestingly the two dissenting Doves voted for no increase and to hold at 4.5% The Bank of England stand accused of undershooting base rate increases, […]

Hold onto your seats because we have a jaw-dropping revelation about mortgage rates today that will leave you stunned. Did you know that a seemingly modest 6.43% rate offered today is equivalent to a whopping 25.7% rate back in 1980? That’s right, housing affordability has plummeted to an all-time low, and we’ve got the numbers […]

Fixed-rate remortgages continue to be the preferred choice for buy-to-let property owners – but the gap between choosing a two-year or five-year fixed rate is narrowing, a survey reveals. Landbay says that 79% of landlords will choose a fixed-rate mortgage when it’s time to remortgage though the preference for a five-year fixed rate has seen […]

At some point, most people will run out of their own deposit money, and that is when they think they have to stop investing. With the current falling property market, more and more great property deals are becoming available every week, so it’s a great time to invest, as long as you know what you […]

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 […]

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 […]

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 […]

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 […]

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 […]

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% […]

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 […]

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 […]