The Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) has revealed that it is to investigate the consumer rights of tenants and explore what can be done to help landlords and intermediaries to understand their obligations. The organisation is also launching a market study into housebuilding amid concerns that housebuilders are not delivering the homes people need at […]

Landlords in the private rented sector (PRS) have reportedly driven a 165% increase in the number of homes that have an Energy Performance Certificate (EPC) rating of A to C. The findings from Paragon Bank show that over the past 10 years, a focus on the energy performance of rented property by landlords has seen […]

Landlords will have to carry out maintenance or repair work on a buy-to-let property 72 times during their ownership – costing them more than £34,000, research reveals. And, according to lettings and estate agent, Benham and Reeves, the most common maintenance issue facing landlords are plagues of pests. The firm says that roofing repairs are […]

The UK Government’s Boiler Upgrade Scheme ‘is failing to deliver’ – and many landlords and agents are unaware of it. The House of Lords’ Built Environment Committee Inquiry has found public awareness of low-carbon heating systems is very limited, and promotion of the Boiler Upgrade Scheme has been ‘inadequate’. The scheme provides grants to cover […]

Hello, I know I may be jumping the gun somewhat but if the proposed minimum EPC rules are sanctioned, and also a ban on Section 21 comes into force, what are the likely outcomes? We will be able to evict on EPC grounds? I know it’s a lot of conjecture, but interested in other landlords […]

Home sellers are having to slash asking prices in a bid to find a buyer, one house price index reveals. Zoopla says that home sellers are accepting an average 4.5% discount on the asking price – that’s the highest amount in five years. And, as the buyer’s market takes hold, price inflation has slowed down […]

A survey has revealed that 83% of renters want to buy their own home but more than 75% believe that they won’t be able to do so in 2023. Unsurprisingly, the main reason for 54% is an inability to save for a deposit. And now the Finbri ‘UK Renters’ Report 2023′ also highlights that 32% […]

Hi, I do 6 monthly checks on my tenant and have never had any issues previously. They have been in my house for 18 months and there are no rent arrears. I have been trying to go around since Nov 2022 to fit a fence panel but kept being cancelled due to covid/illness/funeral/illness again etc. […]

Landlords might be interested to hear that the cost of upgrading an old property is more than £70,000 – with EPC costs accounting for a third of that bill, research reveals. The Home Builders Federation’s (HBF) says that most potential homeowners are underestimating significantly the costs of doing up an existing property. In a report, […]

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 […]