Landlords who want to avoid disputes with renters over their deposits might want to follow some expert advice from The Deposit Protection Service (The DPS), the UK’s largest protector of deposits. The DPS says that one of the most common mistakes that landlords make is not submitting images or copies of invoices to support their […]

The Telegraph personal finance reporter, Alexa Phillips, would like to speak to landlords who are selling properties now because of concerns about the costs of higher EPC ratings and future tightening of the regulations to a minimum C rating. How is the sale price going and have buyers used your EPC ratings to negotiate? What […]

Housing Secretary Michael Gove has praised independent landlords for their ‘vital’ role in the private rented sector (PRS). He has written for the member magazine of the National Residential Landlords Association (NRLA), and argues that landlords offer tenants more options, flexibility and value for money. Mr Gove also outlines the Government’s plans to reform the […]

Propertymark has called on the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) to reconsider its current Local Housing Allowance (LHA) scheme and communicate with landlords more. Speaking at a recent Commons Committee hearing, the organisation’s Timothy Douglas detailed how the existing level of LHA is affecting the private rented sector (PRS). Propertymark, along with various other […]

The lender Landbay has unveiled its upgraded buy-to-let affordability calculator, complete with a new comparison feature. Its innovative tool is designed to simplify the process of comparing the different financial products offered by the company. The calculator offers a user-friendly platform for landlords and intermediaries to evaluate various scenarios related to product selection and pricing. […]

Hi, I am in the process of purchasing a freehold house, which has covenants attached to the land. One of the covenants doesn’t allow for a HMO. The beneficiary (limited) company cannot be found at Companies House. Can someone tell me: Can the covenants be deemed unenforceable? Is it possible to seek an order to […]

Hello, I own the freehold to the house and the leasehold to my flat. There are only two flats as it is a house converted. My lease has about 50 years left to run so I want to extend it and thought as I own the freehold and leasehold it would be straightforward forward but […]

The number of houses on sale in England has rocketed by 15% since the start of the year as sellers struggle to find buyers, a study reveals. According to the House Buyer Bureau, the oversaturated market has 720,540 properties currently listed for sale. That’s an annual growth of 9% and a 15% rise from the […]

House prices in June saw a modest rise of just 0.1% – but year-on-year prices are down 3.5%, Nationwide says. The current average home price stands at £262,239. First-time buyers are struggling as they need to put down 55% of their gross annual income as a deposit – a slight improvement from late 2022, when […]

Hello, we own the freehold of a maisonette building made up of eight flats and we also own the leasehold of the first-floor flat. The ground floor flat is completely self-contained and includes both the front and back gardens. There is a hole in the roof and rain is coming into the loft and our […]

Hello, I am the leaseholder and I am having issues with the freeholder who rents out the flat above. The tenants are noisy because of the wooden floors and there have been two leaks which have caused damage to my flat downstairs. The freeholder pays a letting agent to manage the property upstairs. In terms […]

Hello, my wife and I bought a property, the completion date was January 2023. We bought with a tenant in situ who since April has been in rent arrears and is refusing to leave after section 21 and 8 has been issued. The solicitor is about to issue an accelerated possession order but has requested […]

The potential rise in evictions means the government must immediately introduce the Labour Party’s Private Renters’ Charter to help protect tenants. Labour’s call follows Shadow housing secretary, Lisa Nandy, announcing that Labour would not introduce a rent freeze – despite her support of the move last September. Key stipulations of the charter include putting an […]

Mark Drakeford, the First Minister of Wales, has rejected the idea of implementing a rent freeze in the country. That’s despite his government launching a consultation on introducing rent controls in Wales earlier this month. This week, Mr Drakeford was asked by Peredur Owen Griffiths, a Plaid Cymru Member of the Senedd, about his government’s […]

A rental index reveals that England’s rental market has caught fire, with rents rising for the sixth straight month in June and voids plunging. The latest data from Goodlord points to an ever-increasing demand for rental properties – as the peak season for lettings approaches. The survey found that seven out of the eight regions […]

Hello, builders next door have commenced building work without planning approval yet an application has been submitted. No party wall notices were issued and no neighbour consultation was done. The rear extension to the mid-terrace is 6m long. Is this acceptable under permitted development rights as there is only 3m remaining to the rear garden […]

Landlords and homeowners are facing steep costs to upgrade their properties to meet potential Energy Performance Certificate (EPC) ratings – with an average price tag of £13,981. According to mortgage data firm Dashly, homeowners in Greater London will feel even more of a financial pinch with an average cost of £14,589 to make the necessary […]

Hello, we are all required to improve our properties so as to adhere to standards set by the government in regard to insulation etc. This is not a bad thing but it does mean a significant reduction of airflow around the home. Consequently, there is less air available to dry out areas around the house […]

Lisa Nandy, Labour Party’s shadow housing secretary, has rejected calls for rent controls – despite saying at the Labour Party conference last autumn that she supported them. Now, she believes that rent controls are a ‘sticking plaster on our deep-seated problems’. Ms Nandy also expressed concerns that such a policy could result in increased homelessness. […]

Despite a slight nationwide drop in rental interest, the Midlands is emerging as an exception to the trend, a rental demand index reveals. The latest findings from Barrows and Forrester highlight that Dorset is the current epicentre of the rental market, with Herefordshire showing the highest growth rate over the last quarter. The index from […]

Hi everyone, my family own several leasehold flats and in each case the leases allow the freeholder to arrange building insurance and to recharge this to the leaseholders. Every time the property is valued by an RICS surveyor the insurance value has increased way beyond inflation and has now reached ridiculous levels so that the […]