Propertymark has told Scottish Parliament’s Local Government, Housing and Planning Committee that the Cost-of-Living Act 2022 has led to rent rises and landlords leaving the private rented sector (PRS). The organisation’s head of policy and campaigns, Timothy Douglas, gave evidence showing that most letting agents in Scotland are seeing landlords continuing to exit the market. […]

A crackdown on unqualified social housing managers will see new rules being brought in to protect residents.  The Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities (DLUHC) has announced that social housing managers must gain professional qualifications. Around 25,000 social housing managers will now be required to have an appropriate level housing management qualification regulated by […]

The total value of the UK’s homes reached a new record last year at £8.68 trillion, research reveals. The findings from real estate firm Savills show that house prices saw a 5.1% year-on-year increase and with mortgage debt standing at £1.66 trillion, the net housing wealth in the UK exceeds £7 trillion for the first […]

Landlords – How do you calculate your properties’ rebuild value when your insurance is due for renewal? For those who don’t know, the rebuild cost is the amount it would cost to completely rebuild your property if it was destroyed beyond repair. It includes the price of labour and materials. This cost is usually lower […]

Hello. I have a situation that commenced last month and I got some good pointers from here. Tenants are on a 12 month fixed contract ending in Oct 2023. However, due to domestic violence (DV), one of the parties wanted her name removed from the tenancy. I organised a meeting with both to discuss their […]

New research shows that four in 10 non-freehold tenants do not feel completely safe in their homes. A national sample of 2,000 non-freehold tenants was surveyed twice over an 18-month period (from 2021-2023) to assess whether their perception and impression of building safety has changed. Findings from the management software company Zutec revealed that eight […]

I have been asked to write an experienced based article on the benefits of moving to Portugal for portfolio landlord owners. Whilst I lack the expert tax knowledge of the organisers of this forum at the moment, they have confirmed that I’ve been able to accurately summarise several of the key tax incentives of moving […]

As landlords, we face the bizarre situation of being taxed without taking into account loan interest and not on the actual profits that we make – unlike any other business in the country. Making a profit isn’t necessarily a bad thing because we provide a home and have expenses that need to be met when […]

Hello, I am looking for some advice. I used to have boiler and heating cover for my semi-commercial residential house with British Gas. Now they have closed, I am looking for something similar. Does anyone on the forum have any recommendations? It’s a large house with a domestic boiler but because the pipes are greater than […]

A charity is warning of a ‘worst of all worlds’ downturn in the housing market and wants landlord limited zones to help restrict BTL and short-term let investors.  With the Budget due on the 15th March, a report from the Joseph Rowntree Foundation (JRF) considers the possibility of a serious downturn in the housing market […]

One of the best-selling UK property books of all time, is Property Magic by Simon Zutshi, with over 100,000 copies in circulation, which is a lot for a non-fiction book. Today you can grab your complimentary copy of Property Magic, to celebrate the 15th Anniversary since first publication. Claim your copy here When Property Magic […]

An open letter has been signed by rent activists, trade unions and several Labour Mayors, including Sadiq Khan, calling for the housing minister Michael Gove to implement a private rent freeze and an eviction ban in England to help tenants in the ‘current rental crisis’. The letter stresses that since landlords earn an average of […]

Hi, My husband is Australian and owns a house in Australia. He hasn’t lived in it for over 15 years while living in Europe and his mother was living in it. He is going to try and sell it. In the meantime, we have had an offer accepted on a property in the UK. In […]

Hello, we have tenants who will be leaving a property and the property has now been listed for sale. We will need to convert our insurance to unoccupied insurance. The Insurance Company we are with requires a property visit/inspection every 7 days for unoccupied property. We are not local to the property any longer, and […]

More than half (52%) of commercial landlords do not think EPC timescales are achievable, according to new research. The findings from consulting firm RSM UK reveal that just a third (36%) of respondents believed the timescales are achievable, while 12% remained unsure. Nearly a fifth (18%) of commercial landlords still have properties with an EPC […]

Hello, Our tenant has contacted us about a neighbour who is keeping chickens. Their hen house and run is at the bottom of our tenant’s garden and he is complaining about daily noise and occasional smells. There has been no mention of rats or other pests. As a landlord do I have any responsibility to […]

Hello, I own 2 flats in the North East – basically a terrace house that has been split into an upper and a lower flat I put them up for sale 2 years ago and got buyers in the first week – then the fun began. They are what is called ‘Tyneside flats’ meaning the […]

Licensing is not the best way to improve standards across the private rented sector, according to an industry body. Propertymark says that although local authorities exist to improve housing stock in their area, their aspirations are’often overambitious’ but under resourced. And while good landlords are paying a hefty price, criminal landlords continue to operate under […]

Hello, I’m just wondering if any landlord on here has had any success with a complaint against the shambolic way that U/C operates regarding tenant arrears and APA? I’m getting nowhere with the helpline!? They don’t even advise on the complaints process, if there even is one, such as who to contact next. I have […]

Hello, How long does the government think this situation is sustainable for? Squeezing landlords dry with increased taxes and high BTL mortgage interest rates! I have personally, for the past 4 years, accepted that I was only just breaking even with my 2 rental properties… then with the change in tax rules meaning I paid […]

Hello, Please could I ask if it is a legal requirement for there to be a valid EPC on a commercial property if a new lease is granted? A new FRI lease was drawn up and signed by both tenant and landlord (through a solicitor) but the EPC expired 4 months before the new lease […]