The Scottish government looks set to extend its rent cap for another six months in the private rented sector in a bid to ‘support tenants’. That would mean landlords will be restricted to rent rises of 3% and the moratorium on evictions continues. Tenants’ Rights Minister Patrick Harvie says the provisions of the Cost of […]

We all know that the UK is facing a housing crisis, and the blame for this is usually placed at the feet of landlords in the private rented sector (PRS). That’s despite private landlords providing quality accommodation for millions of tenants. The other issue is that the public and media tend to confuse poor social […]

A leading Wall Street investment bank has issued a warning that the Bank of England will need to raise interest rates to their highest level in more than 15 years to combat persistent inflation. According to researchers at Goldman Sachs, inflation is expected to remain above the central bank’s 2% target until at least 2026 […]

The most economical cities for first-time homebuyers in the UK have been revealed – and it offers valuable insights for property investors. The research from Rightmove reveals that Bradford is the most affordable city for first-time buyers. Homes there have an average monthly mortgage payment of just £521. The property platform says the typical property […]

There has been a 58% drop in property sales across England and Wales in the past year, research reveals. The findings from estate agents Nested compare the first quarter of this year to the same period last year. And by analysing the property sold price data from the Land Registry it found that 76,489 properties […]

Rent prices across England increased for the fifth consecutive month in May, signalling a strong market demand as the summer season approaches – typically the busiest period for the sector. Goodlord’s rental index reveals that of the eight regions monitored, six experienced rising rents last month. And the void periods also show that tenant demand […]

May has brought more bad news for some landlords with the Nationwide Building Society reporting a 3.4% drop in house prices in the year to May ’23 and interest rates that are expected to rise to 5.5.% later this year. Landlords with a long-term outlook, high-yield properties, and/or either no mortgage or fixed-price mortgages, may […]

House prices have fallen by 3.4% in the year to May – which is a bigger decline than the drop of 2.7% seen the month before, Nationwide reveals. The data also shows that prices edged down by 0.1% last month, taking the average property price to £260,736. The building society says that mortgage interest rates […]

Hello, will selling up be a mandatory ground in the Renters’ Reform Bill? Like others, I was concerned that while the white paper mentioned a new mandatory ground for persistent rent arrears the new proposed ground to enable a landlord to gain possession in order to sell or move themselves or a relative did not […]

A study has found that while 53% of private tenants subscribe to a TV streaming service like Netflix, only 51% have contents insurance for their rented homes. The findings from general insurance provider Paymentshield, highlight that this proportion increases to 60% for those aged between 25-54. Although the percentage of renters with contents insurance has […]

HMRC’s latest data reveals a staggering drop in UK property transactions, signalling a potential slowdown in the housing market. In April 2023, the provisional non-seasonally adjusted estimate for residential transactions plummeted to 67,220 – that’s a 32% decrease compared to last year. And it is a 29% decline from March 2023. The seasonally adjusted figures […]

Hello, I have a property which is rented out via a letting agent with full management service. The current agreement was signed by both parties in 2018 with a monthly % management service fee and fixed costs for renewals there is no end date to the contract. The latest terms of business were requested in […]

The Renters’ Reform Bill is a prime opportunity for landlords to reassess their property portfolios and objectives before the proposed legislation reshapes the private rented sector (PRS), one firm says. Guy Coggrave, the managing director at GSC Grays, says now could be the perfect time for landlords to restructure their investments or explore new opportunities. […]

Hello, 99% of landlords have an Electrical Installation Conditions Report (EICR) in place, which determines the electrical condition of the property’s electrics. However, I am still going into properties that have older-type fuse boards – some even with rewireable fuses. This goes down as a code 3 (needs improvement) but a code 3 does not […]

Taking a farm building that had fallen into disrepair and turning it into a stunning double barn conversion shows that Hunnings Homes has gone above and beyond to win Commercial Property Conversion of the Year at the Property Investors Awards. The award recognises investors who demonstrate excellent project management and social impact in the property […]

Hi all, I am in the process of moving abroad. My income from overseas would be considerably larger and I was planning to invest it into Buy to Let in the UK. The broker I usually speak to practically said it would not be possible as an expat with income abroad to get funding for […]

On Wednesday 24 May, inflation was announced at 8.7% short of the 8.2% predicted level and a gaping gap from the target of 2%. Core inflation (inflation minus food and energy) increased from 6.2% to 6.8%. Food inflation is currently running at 19.1%, the highest for over 40 years. This resulted in 2-year Swap rates […]

Birmingham City Council, the largest council housing landlord in the country, has come under fire for failing to meet regulatory standards and adequately maintain its homes. The Regulator of Social Housing has revealed that the council, responsible for managing 60,000 properties, has breached the Homes Standard and the Tenant Involvement and Empowerment Standard. During their […]

Landlords searching for the perfect buy to let mortgage deal are in for a shock as growing numbers of lenders are pulling their products from the market, research reveals. The latest analysis by Moneyfactscompare.co.uk found that dwindling options are available to both residential and buy-to-let borrowers, with a significant impact on average mortgage rates. In […]

A whopping 75% of landlords are in a furry fury and will raise rents in response to the upcoming Renter’s Reform Bill which aims to make it harder to refuse tenants with pets, a survey reveals. Mortgages for Business, a specialist buy-to-let broker, surveyed landlords and discovered that 17% plan to increase rents without altering […]

Hello, I am in process of selling a 1 bed flat and need to extend the lease. The lease has approx. 53 years to run. The flat is valued at around £170,000. The lessor has proposed a premium of around £28,000 for an extension of 72 years. Is it usual/possible to negotiate the premium? Does […]