Page 316 – Property118
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Scotland’s property tax revenue has ‘collapsed’

24th March 2023

Scotland has seen its income from the Land and Buildings Transaction Tax (LBTT) on residential sales collapse this year with the first two months down £44.4m. That’s a drop of 36%, compared to the previous two months, research from property firm DJ Alexander Ltd reveals. And now the firm is calling on the Scottish Government […]

Pic of probate law book for BTL landlords property118

Restriction on Title?

24th March 2023

Hello, I could do with some advice. I have a restriction on one of my BTL properties in favour of one of my investors, e.g., No disposition of the estate without the written consent of investor X….. The restriction was registered when the investor lent me £50K as a long term investment/loan to my property […]

Woman on phone under umbrella in kitchen during water leak

How do I approach neighbours over a water leak?

24th March 2023

Hello, I have a mini HMO next door to one of my BTL’s. When someone next door uses the shower a leak occurs in my property’s kitchen ceiling. I have had the pipework in my property surveyed and all is OK. Any suggestions as to how to approach this would be greatly appreciated. Thank you, […]

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One in 10 tenants is ‘hiding a pet’ from their landlord

24th March 2023

One in 10 renters say they are currently living with a furry friend in their rented home despite the landlord banning pets, a survey reveals. Researchers questioned 1,000 adults who either rent or have rented a home while owning a pet at the same time. The findings show that 25% of tenants say they’d had […]

Bank of England emblem symbolising decision to hold the Base Rate at 5%

Bank of England steady the ship with a 0.25% Base Rate increase

23rd March 2023

The Bank of England’s monetary policy committee (MPC) today voted by a majority of 7–2 to increase Bank Rate by 0.25%, to 4.25%. Two members of the MPC voted to keep the rate the same at 4%. The eleventh-hour surprise was yesterday’s inflation figures going up instead of down mainly due to the recent rise […]

Man looking at a bill for a Community Infrastructure Levy fees for small developers property118

Community Infrastructure Levy fees for small developers?

23rd March 2023

Hello, I have planning permission to build a one unit flat on top of an existing building (I own the flat below). I also have all the necessary legal documents with the Freeholder. I advised the council that the works would start in mid-January – I needed to do this in order to avoid reapplying […]

Hike in rented housing tax ‘costs Treasury £1.5bn’

23rd March 2023

An independent analysis shows that tax changes in the private rented sector (PRS) have contributed to the loss of £1.5 billion in Treasury revenue. The research was commissioned by the National Residential Landlords Association (NRLA) and carried out by Capital Economics and found that restrictions in mortgage interest relief have contributed to there being 1.2 […]

Pic of leasehold vs freehold can a landlord be both property118

Freeholder, Leaseholder – can you be both?

23rd March 2023

Hello, After setting up a property development company, my first project was a large extended terraced house. The property was in poor condition and I was fortunate enough to buy it cash. I was granted permission to convert it into two flats which I intended to keep and rent out. Once the conversion work was […]

Plumber fixing a blocked toilet landlord inventory property118

Should an inventory show appliances to be in working order?

23rd March 2023

Hello, Just had a tenant report an issue with a Saniflow toilet a week after moving in (blocked by a rag – tenant has 4 year old child!). I then looked to the inventory to ascertain that it had been in working order prior to the tenant taking possession, only to find that inventory clerks […]

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Pressure builds for England’s landlords to meet EPC rules

23rd March 2023

Time is running out for England’s landlords to meet the Government’s proposed deadline to improve rental property EPC ratings to a C, one homebuying firm says. The Open Property Group says that just 41% of homes in England meet the recommended Energy Performance Certificate (EPC) rating of ‘C’ or above – up 1% from last […]

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Rents still rising at below the rate of inflation

23rd March 2023

Tenants in the UK have seen their private rents rise by 4.7% in the year to February – which is still below the annual rate of inflation. The figures from the Office for National Statistics (ONS) show that rents rose by 0.3% from January and the annual percentage change is the largest recorded by the […]

UK house prices fall between December and January

22nd March 2023

The average UK house price fell 1.1% between December and January, the latest Office for National Statistics (ONS) house price index reveals. However, the average price was £289,819 – 6.3% higher than in January last year. Using data from HM Land Registry, the ONS says that the average price of a new home climbed 6.7% […]

Landlords upgrade property to enjoy rental and capital gains

22nd March 2023

Standards in privately rented property are being boosted with four in five landlords upgrading each rental home they purchase, a survey reveals. The findings from Paragon Bank found that 81% of landlords will improve every property they buy. And 22% of them will invest more than £25,000 when upgrading, with 18% spending between £10,000 and […]

Fleet cuts rates on its two- and five-year fixes

22nd March 2023

Fleet Mortgages has announced reduced product rates across its entire range of two-year and five-year fixed-rate products. The buy-to-let specialist lender says that all two- and five-year fixes within its standard, limited company and HMO/MUFB (Multi-Unit Freehold Block) range have been reduced by 20 basis points. The product range now includes: 75% LTV two-year fixes […]

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Revealed: The imbalance of the property market

22nd March 2023

Rental stock accounts for just 5% of available homes in some areas of England, according to new research. The findings from the Gradual Homeownership provider, Wayhome, revealed in areas like the Isle of Wight rental properties account for just 5% of the total market stock. According to the report, there are 15.6 million owner occupiers […]

Pic of tenant signing a tenancy agreement estate agent landlord property118

Estate agent lost tenancy agreement?

22nd March 2023

Hello all, I am using an estate agent to let my property. Whilst going through an insurance claim for a leak, the insurer has requested the Tenancy Agreements of those living in the property. Upon requesting the Tenancy Agreements, the estate agent has been unable to produce one of the four agreements. It has since […]

Letting agent pens open letter to Michael Gove

22nd March 2023

An estate and letting agent in Leeds has written an open letter to Michael Gove urging the Government to address the chronic shortage of rental properties available in the private rented sector (PRS). The firm, HOP, says that the situation is driving rents up and making life increasingly difficult for tenants. The letter to the […]

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Letting agents who ban children are breaking equality rules – ombudsman

22nd March 2023

The Property Ombudsman has ruled that a blanket ban on letting a property to a family with children is discriminatory against women and against its code of practice for the rented sector in England. The ruling comes after an NHS nurse called Lexi Levens challenged the practice after she and her four children had been […]

pic of HMRC property sales 2023

February sees the lowest property sales in a decade

21st March 2023

Data published by HMRC show that non-seasonally adjusted property sales were up 2% from January, to 76,920 in February – but this is down nearly a fifth from last year (18%). However, the seasonally adjusted figures show that things look even worse as transactions are down 18% in a year and 4% since January. That’s […]