As a recent graduate, I know the difficulties of finding a student house and a proposed ban on fixed-term tenancies will have a serious knock-on effect on students. Many students start searching for accommodation months in advance. I started searching around December time as I knew how fast some houses can be snatched up. I […]

The tightening supply of homes to rent and affordability issues mean many renters will be reluctant to access their new rights under the Renters’ Reform Bill, research suggests. The findings from TDS Charitable Foundation highlight that nearly a third of tenants are finding it difficult to meet their rent payments – and more than half […]

It’s been a year since the grand opening of London’s Elizabeth Line and a new report has revealed the latest trends among renters around its stations. According to Rightmove, the biggest surge in tenant demand is being seen at the stations farthest from the city centre. The same tenant trend has been unearthed by Foxtons […]

Investors and second home buyers account for more than a quarter of all Scotland’s property taxes paid over the past year, research reveals. DJ Alexander Ltd, Scotland’s largest estate and letting agents, says these buyers have contributed £179.1m in additional dwelling supplement (ADS) between May 2022 and April 2023. That’s nearly 28% of the £642.4m […]

Landlords often hear about rules and regulations when it comes to energy and electricity but what about water? Legionella is a bacteria that can be found in water and prove to be fatal with hundreds of cases reported every year in the UK. This Property118 investigation highlights the risk of the deadly disease and what […]

The National Union of Students (NUS) is celebrating the Renters’ Reform Bill as a landmark victory for renters’ rights and warns that attempts to ‘water down’ the law will create an ‘underclass’ of student tenants. The NUS says the proposed law will bring much-needed security and protection to students living in poorly maintained properties. And […]

Preparing your annual tax information for your accountant can be a very time-consuming exercise! Alphaletz has just released a new update to help landlords get the information they need in a matter of seconds. It’s in a format that makes it extremely easy for accountants, or even landlords, to prepare their returns and save themselves […]

Are you a landlord who is facing difficulties remortgaging? Then, Alexa Phillips, the personal finance reporter for the Telegraph would like to speak with you. Alexa would like to ask Property118 readers about: How are banks assessing your affordability? Are you not able to raise rents enough to cover the increased mortgage costs? Are you […]

Off-plan sales for new homes have continued to plummet as property investors avoid buying, research reveals. Real estate firm Hamptons says that just 34% of new homes in England and Wales were sold in advance of completion last year. That’s the lowest level since 2013 and just one in five of those sales was to […]

Over the last 12 months, £250bn worth of property has been sold in the UK with the richest local market – surprisingly – being found north of the Scottish border. Estate agents Nested analysed the total volume and combined value of property sales to reveal which areas are booming, and which ones are struggling. It […]

Opportunities for landlords and investors might have improved after research reveals that commuting for renters and buyers in London has got a lot easier. According to a new report from Foxtons, the transport improvements in the capital have opened up a whole new world of commutable options. Its London Report found that in 2022, 39% […]

Property prices in the UK have fallen for the fourth month in a row as values dropped by 0.9% between February and March, the Office for National Statistics (ONS) reveals. Its latest house price index shows that the average house price climbed by 4.1% in the last year. However, that annual rate of increase is […]

The Government is trumpeting that the Renters Reform Bill will help landlords deal with anti-social behaviour. A number of commentators have been taken in by this spin. Ben Beadle of NRLA has said: “We welcome the government’s pledge to ensure landlords can swiftly recover properties from anti-social tenants and those failing to pay their rent.” […]

Hello, We wish to obtain quotes from managing agents to take over the management of our small block of 7 flats. I have obtained a list of 5 agents who operate in our area but only one of them is ARMA accredited. Are there other equally respected accreditations? For example, one MA who have a […]

In what appears to be a sudden U-turn, housing secretary Michael Gove is apparently backtracking on his Renters’ Reform Bill, just a week after unveiling it, the Daily Telegraph reports. It says that the government is now reconsidering whether it should end assured shorthold tenancies for student lets to become periodic tenancies. The move follows […]

Being dynamic and challenging the norm are the watchwords that have seen Jack Jiggens and Ben Richards from XP Property enjoy success in the property market. The company specialises in delivering the highest quality residential, commercial, land and mixed-use space and the duo have won a Property Investors Award two years in a row – […]

Landlords and letting agents have been warned that updated fire safety regulations need to be strictly adhered to so they will ensure that tenants in high-rise buildings are safe from any potential danger. The warning comes from inventory provider No Letting Go, which is now calling on landlords and agents to improve communication with tenants […]

Hello, What can you do when a tenant just ignores a Section 13? If he/she takes it to a Tribunal then you have to abide by the judgement. When it is just ignored, is the initiation of a Section 21 eviction the only option? Although you may not want to. Thank you, Steve

Research reveals that 81% of renters in the UK are spending more than 30% of their take-home pay on rent – which means that most Brits are now classified as ‘rent burdened’ and it’s getting worse. The data from flatshare site SpareRoom also shows that one in three (34%) tenants are spending more than half […]

Professional landlords look set to seize opportunities in the property sector despite the tough economic background with plans to expand their portfolios, research reveals. Handelsbanken says that more than half of large portfolio professional landlords (57%) are gearing up to acquire at least one new asset in the coming year. And nearly two-thirds (60%) are […]

Hello, As a reasonably large portfolio landlord, we had been caught out by the ‘Doubling Ground Rent’ clause in numerous leases for a multitude of apartments. These clauses make the property un-mortgageable in many cases, and the Competitions and Markets Authority (CMA) recognises these clauses as punitive and unfair. Many superior landlords undertook a pledge […]