Hello, I’m about to exchange on a six-bed (all with kitchenette and en suite shower) in a large period house. It is being sold to me with an EPC level of D. Currently, this is fine and it comes with a three-year guarantee income from the local council (the tenant). However, what happens if the […]

Half of letting agents say the abolition of Section 21 evictions is their biggest worry, according to a new survey. A survey of 690 letting agents by Goodlord reveals the concerns among letting agents about the Renters’ Reform Bill. The majority of agents are also concerned about the move to periodic tenancies and the bill’s […]

The North East is the most affordable region to rent in the UK, according to new data. Figures from Paragon Bank reveal that rental affordability ratio, which is average earnings divided by mean rent, found that the ratio in the North East was 23.5%. Paragon’s Rental Affordability Index uses recently published government data on the […]

Limited supply continues to impact the lettings market in London, according to new data. Research by independent property analysts, LonRes reveals rental demand remains high in the capital due to limited supply and high demand.  Rental values across prime London locations such as Kensington are around 25 to 30% above where they were pre-pandemic. Strong […]

Dear P118, I don’t want these words to come across as a rant. I just want some peace of mind that the BOE is right in their approach to the current financial situation and that they’re not profiteering like everyone else (banks not passing rates to savers to name but one). When something doesn’t quite […]

Hello everyone, A company put a mobile phone mast on the flat roof of my property which has been there for a number of years. However, this has caused the roof to leak and now the company is trying to use new legislation, treating the mobile phone mast as a utility, to dramatically reduce the […]

Hello, A friend of mine has been renting a room in London for £1,250 a month and he has just told me it hasn’t got any windows – which I told him is illegal. What is the best way to handle this situation as he wants to move out before the tenancy ends? Is there […]

Hello, I have a commercial EPC rated as a ‘B’ that expires in September. A new tenant has just taken over a new lease on a fixed term 2 year contract and has a copy of the current EPC. Do I need to have another new EPC done in September or do I only need […]

Property sector leaders say the Renters’ Reform Bill is a ‘golden opportunity’ for the private rented sector (PRS) However, they caution the government from introducing ‘piecemeal legislation’ so that landlords are not over-burdened. The legislation is seen as the most transformative overhaul of the PRS in decades and encompasses various proposals including the abolition of […]

In the face of economic uncertainty, large portfolio professional landlords are focusing on reducing debt and optimising their portfolios, one study reveals. The research from Handelsbanken shows that investors who own a portfolio with an average of 29 properties worth around £14 million, are keenly aware of the risks and obstacles in the current market. […]

One in 10 landlords is currently looking to buy additional investment properties, a survey reveals. The findings from The Deposit Protection Service (The DPS) found that 60% of those landlords anticipate buying within the next two years. And that’s despite regular media stories speculating over whether landlords are selling up and leaving the PRS. The […]

Millions of couples are left facing being unable to afford rent due to house price rises outstripping wages, according to new research. The data from the Guardian and Twentyci reveals the massive difference between people’s earnings and the cost of properties available to buy and rent. Figures from the Office of National Statistics (ONS) reveal […]

Are you gifting your holiday home to your children? Then, the chief money reporter for The Times and The Sunday Times, Ali Hussain would like to speak with you. Mr Hussain is looking for case studies to interview about families passing on wealth to younger generations in a tax-efficient way including holiday homes. He would […]

Polly Neate, the chief executive of the housing charity Shelter, says that good landlords have nothing to fear from the Renters’ Reform Bill which could ‘transform the lives of millions’. Writing in the Sunday Times, Ms Neate says that since the deregulation of private renting in the Housing Act of 1988, the balance of power […]

A financial expert is predicting misery for the property market in the months to come with rising interest rates hitting both landlords and potential first-time buyers. Sarah Coles, the head of personal finance at Hargreaves Lansdown, says that with house prices and sales falling, plus the potential for mortgage rate hikes, the sector will be […]

Most landlords may be feeling that everything appears to be turning against them, what with rising interest rates, the Renters’ Reform Bill and the growing incidence of Selective Licensing from local authorities. Now, a former housing officer gives her side of the story to Property118 in a bid to tell landlords that there are housing […]

In May, the rental market experienced a slowdown in price growth across Great Britain, research reveals. The average rent for newly let homes increased by 9.1% year-on-year, a drop from April’s 11.1% growth. The report from Hamptons also reveals that the slowdown was seen in every region, except the South West. London, previously home to […]

To cater to the diverse needs of landlords, Paragon Bank has introduced a series of limited edition buy-to-let mortgage offerings. The new options include five-year fixed-rate deals with no fees or flat fees, as well as discounted standard variable rates. The lender’s decision to offer these mortgage options was influenced by broker feedback, underlining its […]

On paper, my spouse and I were worth £3,000,000 but the reality was that we had no savings, no money whatsoever to live on after paying our tax bills, and this was despite having rental income of £300,000 a year coming in. In fact, it was even worse than that, our tax bill exceeded our […]

I can’t keep quiet! Two stories on the same day on Property118 highlight what is wrong with the private rented sector – and if everyone concerned took a step back to understand the other side’s point of view, it would make everything a lot better. First up is the incredible news that Generation Rent wants […]

A staggering 81% of landlords believe that mainstream media coverage of the buy-to-let market is unjust and inaccurate, research has found. The Landbay quarterly landlord survey reveals that despite the ever-growing demand for rental properties, landlords feel unfairly ‘demonised’ with their crucial contribution to the housing sector going unrecognised. Landlords argue that the media wrongfully […]