Hello, My tenant of 5 years recently ended up in hospital for 3 months. My building’s insurance stipulates that the property cannot be empty for more than 31 days in a row. The tenant’s family informed the agent what had happened, and a family member visited the property occasionally, however no-one was staying there. The […]

Santander is predicting a 10% drop in UK house prices this year – and they could return to 2021 levels.  According to the bank, the economic outlook for 2023 remains ‘serious’ with ‘stubbornly high inflation’. And, along with high household utility bills, rising interest rates and a likely recession, means a decline in house prices […]

Hello, My tenant’s 12 month tenancy ended over a week ago. One of them is still in situ. No more rent has been paid. On attending the property with my agent 3 weeks ago to allow a new prospective tenant to view , it became apparent all the locks had been changed. A section 21 […]

In a bid to show how serious the current rental housing crisis is, landlords are calling on the government to carry out a review on how the sector is taxed. The call has been made by the National Residential Landlords Association (NRLA) after a survey revealed that 65% of landlords say that tenant demand for […]

The following is a debate on Facebook with a “hater” who chose to troll our advertising. Ordinarily, I would simply have blocked this person and deleted his comments, but on this occasion, I decided to respond. My comments are posted in text whereas his are screenshots. My response … Phil Barnett good old Maggie also completely […]

Are you a landlord who is dealing with rising mortgage rates and higher costs? Then, Melissa Lawford, the economics reporter for the Telegraph would like to speak with you. Melissa would like to know:  How you are affected by lenders’ ICR requirements Have you been hit by higher rates? What are you doing to be […]

England’s house in multiple occupation (HMO) market is still shrinking despite a growing need for affordable rental accommodation, a survey reveals. The latest figures from Octane Capital show that the number of HMOs has shrunk dramatically by 21,000 properties in the last two years with landlords leaving the sector and tighter licensing regimes being potential […]

Hello, Due to dates/times not quite aligning, I will be moving into a new property midway through the rental period on my current rented property (rolling monthly contract, no arrears or issues). To save having to drive back and forward between properties to check on the empty rental and being liable for gas/electric/water, can I end […]

Landlords in most regions of England and Wales have seen their yields increase, a BTL survey reveals. Fleet Mortgages say that yields have enjoyed annual and quarterly increases from 5.9% a year ago, and 5.4% in Q3 2022 to 6.2%. The BTL lender highlights that six out of 10 regions enjoyed better annual rental yields, […]

Hello, I have a flat in a listed building which has a flat roof. The roof requires major works which the management committee have been planning for the past two years. All the leaseholders have paid £10K in advance for this work which keeps getting delayed. My flat is the worst affected as it is […]

Property taxes in Scotland have increased by nearly a quarter of a billion pounds in the last year, compared to the pre-pandemic period, says a leading property firm. DJ Alexander has analysed the figures and found that the Scottish Government’s revenues from Land and Buildings Transaction Tax (LBTT) were £247m (62.4%) higher in the 12 […]

It has nothing whatsoever to do with money! Due to having no mortgage on this property, Mark wasn’t at all affected by the Section 24 restrictions on finance cost relief or rising interest rates. As many Property118 Members will be aware, Mark Alexander emigrated to Malta back in 2016. What you may not know though […]

Hello, I wonder if you could answer this query please? I live in a mixed 14 flat block where some are ‘share of freehold’ and some are ‘leasehold’. There is a maintenance/service company in place to whom both groups pay annual charges and two Directors of the company (of freeholders). Only the leaseholders pay ground […]

We have a very special gift for you this Sunday, but you need to claim it now. Over the last two weeks, Simon Zutshi has been sharing what he thinks is the best strategy for the 2023 falling property market. Simon, is the only current UK property mentor, who was actually investing and teaching during […]

If you are landlord who is buying or selling buy-to-let properties or has done so recently, Alexa Phillips, the personal finance reporter for the Telegraph would like to speak with you. Alexa would like to know: Where are you buying or selling, and why? Are there any challenges you’ve faced? What has your experience of […]

Property and finance experts have reacted to the news that the Bank of England has raised the base rate from 3.5% to 4%. They highlight that the mortgage market has been preparing for the base rate increase by the Bank and have factored this into their product ranges. However, landlords may find that the stress […]

The Bank of England Monetary Policy Committee (MPC) today voted by a majority of 7–2 to increase the Base Rate by a further 0.5% to a post credit crisis high of 4%. The two dissenting members voted to freeze the rate at 3.5%. The US Federal Reserve yesterday increased its rate by only 0.25%, so […]

There are between 120,000 to 160,000 social housing properties in England that have notable issues with damp and mould, the Regulator of Social Housing (RSH) says. And up to 80,000 of those homes have ‘serious issues’. The revelation comes after the RSH wrote to all social housing landlords in November in the wake of the […]

Hello, I paid a reservation deposit of £1,000 for BTL property for it to be taken off the market. I commenced all legal work and applied for a mortgage with the first lender and they down valued the property by about £10,000. I couldn’t fund the cash difference, so I made this clear to the […]

More landlords will decide to raise rents in 2023 because profitability has taken a hit, according to a report. Foundation Home Loans says that larger landlords are 20% more likely than smaller landlords to put up rents in the first six months of 2023 after profits fell between the third and final quarter of 2022. […]

The private rental sector (PRS) in England has rocketed in value by 30% since 2019 to be worth £1.5trn, research reveals. The findings from debt advisory specialists Sirius Property Finance looked at the level of stock and its current market value, along with the average yield available before the Covid pandemic hit. And, despite the […]