A think tank has warned that landlords’ unwillingness to spend money on rental properties to boost their EPC ratings is a ‘significant obstacle’ to Britain’s Net Zero-carbon agenda. The cross-party Social Market Foundation (SMF) revealed in a survey that 60% of landlords are unwilling to commit more than £250 towards the costs of improving the […]

Hello, Thermal imaging surveys – are these a good idea? I am considering one for my own home to determine where there might be some obvious heat leak areas. Ideally each room scanned, as well as the building as a whole. Anyone had any experience of them – do they really ‘see’ and are able […]

Hello, I’m thinking to fix my residential mortgage for 10 years with Nationwide which is due for renewal. My concern is if my situation changes (a bit likely) and have to move out, will Nationwide be difficult with consent to let? I won’t have the heart to sell given the hefty early repayment charges. Thank […]

Rents in March increased slightly across England, while voids grew by just one day on average, a rental index reveals. The findings from Goodlord show that rents are still high when compared to February’s figures. Tenants in England are now paying £1,090 on average – that’s up 0.14% month-on-month – and is the highest rise […]

London Mayor Sadiq Khan has again called for a rent freeze for tenants to be implemented in the capital. He was responding to a news report that highlighted data from Rightmove that shows the average asking rent in London leapt by 15% over the year to reach £2,480. And the rents for homes in inner […]

A social housing provider has been heavily criticised by the Ombudsman over damp and mould. The Housing Ombudsman identified patterns of ‘exclusion’ and ‘marginalisation’ in Rochdale Boroughwide Housing. The social housing provider supplied accommodation to Awaab Ishak, the toddler who died from exposure to mould in his social housing flat. Housing Ombudsman found unsympathetic, inappropriate […]

Hello, I’m a landlord with 4 flats that turnover less than £5k per annum each. They will never reach an EPC C. I can apply for exemptions once I have spent up to the £10k (more than 2 years turnover, not profit) on each flat. I’m so annoyed with the stupidity of this legislation. It […]

Labour MP Diane Abbott appeared on ITV’s ‘Good Morning Britain’ today (Monday) to push for a renters’ charter that will help protect tenants. The segment highlighted that the number of available homes for renting in the UK has dropped by a third in the last 18 months – but rent prices have seen a 20% […]

This Property118 investigation highlights how anti-social behaviour has caused problems for both tenants and landlords. On the BBC Radio 4 Today programme, housing campaigners voiced their concerns that the police don’t understand the law protecting tenants from harassment and illegal eviction. The housing charity Shelter said there is a big disparity between the number of […]

It’s a tough time for landlords with interest rates rising by a further 0.25% to a post credit crisis high of 4.25%. For many of us, we’ve held out as long as we can, but a large percentage of us have decided that selling up might be the best solution. For a Midlands based landlord, […]

Hello, My daughter’s flat is blighted by the fire safety issues arising from the Grenfell tragedy, hence she wants to get a “Leaseholder protection deed of Certificate”, which provides capped protection from payment of remediation costs, and wishes to use this to help her sell the property in the coming one or two years. But […]

Hello, If the new £10,000 limit proposed upgrade to a band C before the deadline goes ahead, I was wondering whether this cost limit would be allowed to be spread over a couple of years rather than all in one go at £10,000. For example, spending £8,000 on changing double glazing for this tax year […]

Hi all, Is it only me getting a bit sick of getting the blame for damp and mould in Victorian terraced properties, especially the solid stone walled type? Cold walls = condensation = eventually mould. When I inspect adjacent windows, the seals clearly show mould too, so a lack of ventilation. I think we should […]

House prices in the UK have fallen at their fastest rate since July 2009, a major house price index reveals. The data from Nationwide shows that prices are down 3.1% compared with March last year – the biggest fall in 14 years. It is also the seventh consecutive month that prices have fallen. Every region […]

You may be surprised to know that life insurance isn’t always about death. There are several different types of insurance, they all do different things and are made to cover certain aspects of finance. If it’s not for leaving millions of pounds behind, it’s for making sure your financial commitments are met. Or maybe to […]

Research that could help landlords and potential property investors alike has been published that highlights the best and worst rental yield spots in the UK. According to Track Capital it has never been more important for investors to weigh up the facts before choosing an area that is right for investment. That’s because landlords need […]

Hello, I have a flat in a listed building with an existing window in the bathroom which is suitably sized. IF it is opened as needed there would be no need for an extractor. Two previous tenants lived here, a single guy and then a family of 4 with no issues of excessive condensation, ie […]

A private tenant who complains to their landlord about the state of their property is more than twice as likely to be evicted than a tenant who does not complain, the homeless charity Shelter says. The organisation has carried out research and found that a renter who has complained to their landlord, local council or […]

Landlords will have five years to reach planned EPC targets for ALL rented homes, and the new cap on costs will be £10,000, a newspaper reveals. The Telegraph says the government will announce the new deadline after responding to fears that landlords do not have time to meet the proposed 1 April 2025 target. And […]

Hello all, We have a 7 bed flat which will eventually be split in 2 small units. However, we have been approached by an individual who is keen to take the property on as an HMO. They have a few currently and will become the licence holder. We have been advised verbally by licensing (Newham) […]

Property sales have plummeted by up to 40% in some areas of the UK, according to new research. The findings from Moverly reveal the average number of monthly transactions have dipped by 25% since interest rates first started to climb in December 2021. Those rate rises have now seen a reduction of 40% in the […]