A charity is calling for a new law aimed at cracking down on mould issues in social housing to be extended to private housing landlords. Citizens Advice is urging the government to bring regulation of the private rented sector (PRS) in line with social housing after the death of Awaab Ishak. The government recently announced […]

Hello, In cases of eviction, the chances of getting rent owed (plus legals etc) seem remote, but are there any landlords out there who have been successful? “Blood out of a stone” I know, but how do we find out if the ex-tenant actually has any funds, his bank account details etc? Even with a […]

The specialist buy-to-let lender Fleet Mortgages has revealed that it has brought back its two-year fixed-rate products for landlord borrowers. The firm also says that it is launching a new range of five-year fixes. Advisers can now access the new 75% LTV two-year fixes which complement Fleet’s existing range of five- and seven-year fixes, plus […]

Hello to everyone, I’m new here and pretty fresh in the property world as well. I own a 3 bed semi with a pretty uncomfortable mortgage as my residential house. This had plenty of room in the back garden and planning approved, so I have built a new 3 bed detached house there. Now I’m struggling […]

The loan sizes being offered to buy to let investors have bounced back after last autumn’s market contraction, data reveals. According to Mortgage Broker Tools (MBT), an analysis of real cases processed through its research software shows that BTL affordability fell to its lowest level on record last November 2022. That’s when nearly a fifth […]

Hello, I’m hoping the Forum can help me. Bit of a different one as the advice needed is for a tenant rather than a landlord. My niece has a periodic tenancy after the fixed term lapsed. In the initial contract, it had a break clause: Break clause 7 months it is agreed that 2 months […]

A promise to sell homes that have been empty for a long time for just £1 by Scottish Labour has been slammed as a politically led housing gimmick by a leading property firm. DJ Alexander Ltd, Scotland’s largest lettings and estate agency, said that the announcement by Scottish Labour leader Anas Sarwar at the party’s […]

The UK’s highest average rental yields are in Bradford where they currently stand at a massive 11.06%, according to a new report. Data from debt advisory specialists, Sirius Property Finance, revealed the current average UK rental yield is 4.08%, a 0.19% increase over the past year. UK rental yields have increased by 2.5% over the […]

One property auction firm says that more than a third (38%) of their current lots are from buy-to-let investors looking to get out of the market quickly. And it claims that some landlords are willing to take a hit of up to 30% on the property’s price just to leave the private rented sector. Online […]

Hello, I have a tenant who is suing me for damp and mould problems. When the tenant moved into the property it was just renovated with a new carpet and painted throughout. The flat is a two bedroom ground floor. She and her three children ages 12, 14 and 10 months – all boys. After about […]

Landlords face an increasingly difficult situation as councils look to set up or expand their mandatory licensing schemes – leaving unsuspecting landlords with the prospect of paying thousands of pounds in fines for non-compliance. But it doesn’t have to be this way, says Phil Turtle from Landlord Licensing & Defence. He says that while the […]

Hello, In November 2022 I accepted a new tenant on a 1 year AST. The property is a 2 bed first floor flat in a converted building. He is aged mid 30s (I think of Nigerian origin) and doing a post grad course at a local University. Let via an agent, but I manage. It […]

Seven in ten (68%) landlords plan to raise rents if their mortgage rate goes up when they come to remortgage, according to a new survey.  The mortgage platform, Landbay, revealed almost half (44%) of landlords said they expect to increase rent by 6-10% in the coming 12 months if their mortgage rate increases. Of those […]

Looking for some post-completion help, please. We are new to property investing and we purchased two buy-to-let properties within a month of each other, using the same conveyancing solicitor. The first property we were able to refinance 6 months after works were completed without a hitch. The second property is a different story. It is […]

Hi everyone, it had to happen. I have got my hands on some troublesome tenants. My fear is the chance of a harassment/threatening behaviour claim by them and thus a possible rent repayment order. It is a HMO (licenced a bit over a year ago and a half ago) student property and has valid gas […]

Hello, let me explain the situation, I am wanting to evict a tenant via the accelerated possession method using the N5B form. On question 6) it states: On what date was the property let to the defendant by the way of a written tenancy agreement.? History: I purchased the property 10 years ago and I […]

Landbay has revealed that it is reducing rates for buy-to-let loans on houses in multiple occupation (HMO) and multi-unit freehold blocks (MUFBs). The lender is also reintroducing products for first time landlords purchasing HMOs/MUFBs. Rates on small HMO and MUFBs of up to six bedrooms/units have been reduced by 30 basis points on two-year fixed […]

Hello, My tenant generally pays on time, is cooperative and polite but is incapable of keeping the place up. It has turned in four years from a nice place into a tip, and various fixtures have got broken. My question is, when the tenant is so careless is there any reason we should fix everything […]

Ben Beadle, the chief executive of the National Residential Landlords Association, wrote an excellent piece in the Telegraph at the beginning of this year which illustrates the crisis in the buy-to-let sector with demand far outstripping supply and a planned increase in the exodus of landlords from the sector during 2023. He puts tax at […]

The number of agreed sales is returning to near 2019 levels having recovered strongly from a 30% drop in the aftermath of the mini-Budget, according to a new report.  The Rightmove House Price Index reveals that the number of sales agreed continues to improve, and is now just 11% down on 2019’s levels, recovering from […]

In 2022 there were over 50,000 property investment companies formed in the UK but less than 1% of them were Family Investment Companies. This is despite HMRC having given this form of business continuity and legacy planning the thumbs up in the previous year. In this article and accompanying video we explain what the difference […]