The average UK house price is predicted to fall by 10% in 2023, real estate firm Savills says. It points out that prices have risen by 24% since March 2020, but as the Bank of England base rate is forecast to rise to 4.0% at some point, this will have a serious knock-on effect. The […]

Demand across the lettings market is high and continues to push rents up, the latest surveyors’ report reveals. RICS says that tenant demand continues to rise at a ‘solid pace’, with a net balance of +46% of survey participants noting an increase in October. However, landlord instructions fell once again with a net balance of […]

Hello, I am being forced to sell my rental property to a developer because of a big development including my property. I will need to buy another property to rent as I rely on the income. Other countries allow CGT to be held over to the next property but the UK currently don’t. If the […]

The Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) has stepped in to look at the purchase of student accommodation provider Student Roost by GIC and Greystar. The CMA fears that the move could lead to higher rent and lower quality housing for students in Birmingham. In their initial assessment, the CMA looked at how the proposed deal […]

The average rent bill could rocket to hit £2,269 a month if prices rise in line with the hikes already being seen across other living costs, a specialist rental platform warns. A market analysis from Ocasa shows that with the cost of living on the rise, there are lots of factors impacting the lives of […]

The disputes between landlords and tenants that end in bitter court action could be easily avoided by a thorough, professional independent inventory. That’s the claim from the Association of Independent Inventory Clerks (AIIC) which say that a qualified impartial inventory clerk, with no potential for bias, can offer protection and confidence to both parties when […]

Propertymark has responded to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities (DLUHC) consultation on the Decent Homes Standard in England by offering clarity on how to deliver greater parity between the social and private rented sectors. The organisation says that its response will help ensure landlords who do not treat their tenants fairly are […]

Home buyers are spending an average of 15.5% more for an energy-efficient property, research reveals. The findings from Santander show that four in five estate agents (79%) are predicting a big rise in buyers wanting homes with an Energy Performance Certificate (EPC) rating of C or above. And nearly three-quarters (70%) of agents have seen […]

Paragon Bank has unveiled a market-leading five-year fixed rate buy-to-let mortgage with a reduced reference rate. The mortgage is available at 70% loan-to-value (LTV) with an initial rate priced at 5.69%. The product is subject to a 2.00% product fee and features a free mortgage valuation. Paragon is offering the five-year fix with an ICR […]

Students heading or returning to university are fighting it out for limited accommodation with research showing that 3.1 students are chasing EVERY bed. The findings from Stripe Property Group highlight that the private student rental sector is ‘overwhelmed’ and ‘under-stocked’, and there’s a lack of purpose-built student accommodation (PBSA). Stripe estimates there are now 2,180,419 […]

A councillor has accused private landlords of kicking out tenants to make room for asylum seekers because the landlord can earn more in rent from the Home Office. The accusation was made by Julie Young at a meeting of Colchester Borough Council’s scrutiny panel meeting after revelations that the city could soon be home to […]

Data from Halifax this week shows that the UK’s house prices fell at the sharpest pace in almost two years last month as rising mortgage rates and a gloomy economic outlook took their toll. The figures show that house prices fell 0.4% in October – the third decline in four months. The annual rate of […]

A tenant welcome pack can help your tenant relationships get off to a great start. Have you ever had a tenant contact you with unreasonable or minor requests that then escalate into much bigger issues, or just create tension between you? Setting out expectations upfront is a great way to ensure your tenancy runs smoothly. […]

Hello, No landlord can be immune to the ever increasing attacks, not only on the buy to let business in general, but also very personal attacks that question our morals, our values, even our right to exist. I decided to sell up after the S24 announcement. The writing was on the wall. I only had […]

Hello, I am small-scale landlord, with 3 long-held properties that give me a steady income. I treat my tenants well, and vice versa; they average 5-8 years, and I value their decency hugely. I am not overleveraged, and although I do have mortgages I don’t have the bandwidth to chase every efficiency. I also don’t […]

More than a quarter of landlords are planning to sell their rental properties because of the current buy to let environment, mortgage brokers say. The research comes from broker forum, cherryplc.co.uk, which found that 28% of landlord clients are planning to sell properties, while 39% of BTL investors say they will increase rents. Just over […]

As fed-up landlords brace for further tax rises and soaring mortgage rates, it has been revealed that the number of rental homes being sold is at the highest level in four years. According to real estate firm Hamptons, 16% or one in six of the homes sold this year have been rental properties. The data […]

Hello, Apologies for this rambling query. Background: My daughter has landed a permanent job at Cambridge University and is about to immigrate to the UK (we are South African). She is a director and shareholder of our small BTL company registered in the UK. The company currently owns 3 houses in the North East and […]

These days, we are facing a lot of challenges. The housing market is experiencing high inflation, people aren’t rushing to take out mortgages and loans, and it’s unclear when the sun will shine again. A wise man from the world of real estate once told me that after every great decline comes a great rise, […]

The average house price in the UK fell by -0.4% in October – the third price drop in four months, Halifax data reveals. Prices fell by -0.1% in September and the annual rate of growth has now fallen to +8.3%, from +9.8%. Halifax says that the average UK property now costs £292,598, that’s down from […]

The government will target landlords in a bid to plug a £50bn hole in the country’s finances, reports reveal. The move could see landlords losing thousands of pounds when selling their property under proposals which will come as a fresh tax blow for investors. One report says that landlords could face an £8,400 squeeze in […]