A bid by a landlord to get the Government to reinstate tax relief allowing mortgage interest to be set against rental income has been shot down after the petition reached 28,000 signatures. Simon Foster started the petition on the Government website to reinstate the full amount of mortgage interest against rental income before tax is […]

Everyone knows that the UK property market is starting to come down, but no one knows how far it will fall, or when it will hit bottom before it starts to bounce back. The problem is, that if you have not invested in a falling property market, (the last time being back in 2008), how […]

Hi all, I have been listening to many reports on the news and most recently a representative of Shelter on Rip Off Britain. Whilst I fully agree some properties are in a bad state of disrepair and mould, however the majority of landlords keep there properties in EXCELLENT condition. Where is the landlords’ voice? Why […]

Hi, Can anyone please advise me on an ongoing situation? A close friend of the family brought a property to rent out some years ago, but instead let her son and his girlfriend move in as a favour. The idea was for them to pay minimal rent, enough to cover her mortgage so they could […]

Hello, A client of mine has a BTL mortgage and for various reasons cannot find a tenant. They are looking at doing the house as a HMO instead as there’s more demand, however their mortgage company doesn’t offer HMO mortgages and re-mortgaging would be prohibitively expensive due to rate increases. What could happen if they […]

Emergency measures that saw a rent freeze and an evictions moratorium being introduced in Scotland will now see rent rises capped at 3% in the private sector from April, the Scottish Government has revealed. The enforcement of evictions will still be prevented ‘in most cases’ but landlords could raise rents by 6% if they apply […]

Hello, I have a 5 year HMO licence on a property in London until 2024. During Covid we found it difficult to find suitable tenants and in 2021 decided to rent the whole house to one family on an AST contract. The council have informed me I am liable for the council tax for this […]

If you are looking to SELL some of your properties this year, or if you are looking to BUY property this year, then you need to watch this brand new video. As you know many landlords are looking to exit the property market and sell some, or all of their properties this year, for many […]

Propertymark has revealed its concerns and opportunities for landlords, buyers, tenants, sellers and investors in 2023. And its annual report highlights that more people than ever before are looking for a home in the private rented sector. There’s also a prediction of a return to a buyer’s market by the end of the year. Strong […]

There has been a further weakening in the property market with sales, instructions to sell and prices all declining in the RICS Residential Market Survey for October. The organisation says that this downward trend could last over the coming months. House prices have fallen for three consecutive months and new buyer enquiries nationally are -39% […]

Hello, As regulated tenants we have been renting a flat with a secure storage room in the roof area, since 1968. The store room is not mentioned in the original lease, however, it has been mentioned in every fair rent review since the first review in 1970. An additional document indicating the room number was […]

The average tenant is paying 23.5% of their net earnings on rent – and up 42.8% in England’s least affordable rental market, research reveals. The findings from Ocasa looked at the latest household earnings data to find the monthly net income across England and how much tenants spend putting a roof over their heads. The […]

As tenant demand continues to outstrip supply, room rents have hit a record high, a survey reveals. According to SpareRoom, rents reached a record at the end of last year as landlords continue to lose confidence in the rental market. The flatshare site says that average room rent grew by 13% year-on-year in December. The […]

The average UK house price rose by 10.3% in the year to November 2022, which is down from 12.4% in October, the Office for National Statistics (ONS) says. Sellers saw the average price increase by £28,000 to £295,000 in that period. England saw the highest rise of 10.9% to £315,000, Wales and Northern Ireland were […]

Hello, Not sure if anyone can advise, but I have a long standing good tenant who has complained about the new neighbour in the flat upstairs (shouting/fighting/baby crying at all sorts of hours including midnight and beyond). This has been going on for a few months, my tenant and her husband are shift workers so […]

The demand for rental property is still outpacing supply and rent growth is still rising – so the sector starts 2023 very much like it ended 2022, one property expert says. Nicky Stevenson, the managing director of Fine & Country points out that the shortage of supply is what will underpin rent rises in 2023. […]

To help landlords and their tenants, a new guide that offers help on how to make a rented property more energy efficient is available. The free offering has been published by TDS in partnership with the National Residential Landlords Association. And though many landlords have already made energy efficiency upgrades to help reduce energy costs, […]

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 […]