In a bid to highlight the increasing burden on landlords in Scotland’s private rented sector (PRS), Propertymark is calling on the Scottish Government to reverse its recent 6% Additional Dwelling Supplement (ADS). This is an extra charge that was imposed on additional residential property purchases after 16 December 2022 in Scotland. Now, Propertymark’s chief executive […]

Landbay has updated its five-year fixed rate buy-to-let mortgage range with the introduction of lower loan-to-values and rates now starting at 4.39%. These five-year fixed rates are for standard properties and Landbay has brought in new LTVs of 55% and 65% on loans up to £1.5m. This is in addition to the existing 75% LTV […]

Data shows that a significant proportion of the new rental properties coming to London’s rental market had previously been put up for sale – suggesting that sellers are reacting to the slowing sales market by switching to the rental sector instead. The findings come from Chestertons who say that these ‘frustrated sellers’ are adding rental […]

Hello everyone, My previous tenants who left my flat on 9th January have admitted on email to smoking in the flat. This is in breach of their AST and they are aware of this. What are my rights here? Am I able to deduct the cost of re-decorating and replacing a smoke ruined sofa from their […]

Landlords are being warned that councils are using the inspection process to implement fines rather than help landlords improve their property. The warning comes from Phil Turtle, the compliance director with Landlord Licensing & Defence who has a letter from Coventry City Council that is sent to landlords. In it, the inspector makes clear that […]

The Chartered Institute of Housing (CIH) Scotland says that investing in ongoing professional development and housing qualifications help to improve agent practice in the country’s private rented sector. The CIH has published an independent review of the training and qualifications needed for letting agencies – and it highlights how these have improved professionalism among agents. […]

Hello, I own a single rental house as joint tenants with my elderly father who lives overseas in NZ. It has probably risen in value about £50k since we bought it. He’s suggested putting this wholly in my name (and probably formally gifting his portion) to ‘make things tidy’. I’m trying to work out whether […]

Hello, There are two parts to this question: 1). I’d like to add a second guarantor to an existing tenancy agreement BUT – the tenant is the son of the guarantor, and the tenant lacks mental capacity, so the guarantor has also signed on behalf of their son in their capacity as a Deputy of […]

An analysis of the latest census data shows that between 2011 and 2021 the number of households renting privately increased by 151,800 in the 10% most deprived areas of England and Wales, compared to an 80,100 rise in the 10% least deprived areas. The findings from Hamptons reveal that 23% of households in the poorest […]

Hello, We all know that you are legally required to obtain an EPC on a property you let, and you are also required to give a copy to the tenant before they enter and AST etc…but… Are you legally required to actually show this to the Council? This may sound like an odd question but […]

Most letting agents say they expect to see more landlords leave the market in 2023 – against a backdrop of rising arrears and falling house prices. The findings come from a survey of more than 160 industry professionals as part of Goodlord’s recent ‘2023 predictions‘. The survey also reveals that more than half of all […]

Hello, My tenant has been served a section 21 notice (runs out in Feb 23). Got a professional company to write and check all paperwork before posting it. The problem I now have is the tenant has missed 2 month’s rent then paid the following month and now missed this month’s rent. I looked into […]

The average new seller’s asking price went up in January after two months of falls, Rightmove says. According to its house price index, house prices grew by £3,301 or 0.9%. However, the average asking price is still £8,720 lower than its peak in October. The property platform says that it is early days, but there […]

Hello, Firstly thanks for taking the time to read my article/questions. I have recently acquired a property and freehold which comprises of 5, 1 bedroom flats. 3 of which are owned by myself two of which have separate individual owners. For ease, and anonymity, I am going to call the individuals “A” and “Z”. “A”, […]

The Substantial Incorporation Structure is quite the opposite of avoidance from a tax perspective, in that it utilises anti-avoidance legislation to hasten the deemed completion of a business sale from a tax perspective, thus triggering both CGT and SDLT, together with all applicable reliefs including incorporation relief. Anti-avoidance tax legislation includes provisions to say that […]

Hello. I am planning to rent out my property on ATS for the entire 12 months. The potential tenant, whom I really like, failed the reference check, and the guarantor has agreed to cover only 6 months. So we are currently looking at the following schedule of payment with this Tenant: 1 month deposit plus […]

First of all, a little background about my particular circumstances, which led to this question. My step-mother passed away last September and left me her house. It’s fully paid for and is worth around £420K. I now have a number of choices regarding how to use the house or to sell it and use its […]

Of the total number of available homes to rent in the UK, just 16% came to the market in the last 14 days with fears that renters will struggle to find somewhere to live in some areas, a report reveals. The findings from Ocasa also show that the average cost of renting has risen by […]

Hi All! I was wondering what fellow landlords are using to track their portfolio info, income, expenses etc. I have 50 properties and have been using excel but wondering if there are online websites etc people are using to track large portfolios? I look at transactions manually every couple days and then fill in the sheet […]

Landlords and property investors in Scotland have hit out after the Scottish Government recommended that the current rent freeze and eviction ban be extended. Patrick Harvie MSP, the minister for Tenants’ Rights delivered a statement to the Scottish Parliament on the Cost of Living (Tenant) Protection (Scotland) Act 2022. His report is a requirement under […]

Not only has the Welsh MS Janet Finch-Saunders branded the new tenancy laws in Wales as a ‘disaster’ for landlords – but says that tenants are being failed by the Welsh Government and homelessness will get worse. The Labour-led government in Wales is supported by Plaid Cymru which has seen the introduction of Rent Smart […]