Hello, I have a flat that has modern electric panel wall heaters with thermostats and timer switches which run on standard-rate electricity. The tenant has a direct contract in their name with the electricity supplier. The EPC rating for the flat is D. The local Housing Officer has recently visited the flat and has now […]

Just a day after the Scottish Government unveiled its legislation for introducing a rent freeze, politicians in Wales are calling for the same measure. Plaid Cymru says it has forced the Welsh Government to look again at enacting a rent freeze and a moratorium on evictions. The party’s housing spokesperson, Mabon ap Gwynfor MS, has […]

Landlords with private-rented single-household properties in a London borough will need a license in a bid, the council says, to root out criminal landlords. The Royal Borough of Greenwich has introduced the selective licensing scheme – which went live on 1 October – for PRS properties with just one household in Woolwich Arsenal, Woolwich Common, […]

While landlords in Scotland are worried about the rent freeze and ban on evictions until next March, one leading politician says that ‘good landlords have nothing to fear’. That’s the belief of Scottish Green co-leader Patrick Harvie, the Scottish Government’s tenants’ rights minister. He was speaking about the proposals on BBC Good Morning Scotland when […]

The increasing cost of renting is putting a squeeze on rental market affordability for the nation’s tenants, research reveals. The specialist rental platform Ocasa looked at the current cost of renting across each area of England and what percentage of income is required to cover this cost. They then analysed the areas that have seen […]

Hello, We have a leasehold property in London which is unexpectedly vacant. The letting agent can find a good credit tenant at an increase in rent. Or another estate agent wants to sell it and quote a good price. This will expose us to a good chunk of CGT. If we sell, we can buy […]

Hello, There are 62 flats in a purpose-built block, which is now getting on. From time to time there are leaks from communal areas and from pipes under the floorboards in addition to the normal leaks from kitchen pipes and appliances or bathroom furniture and fittings and associated pipes. Leaks from the communal are dealt […]

The Scottish Federation of Housing Associations (SFHA) is urging a rethink on Scotland’s proposed rent freeze because it will threaten the delivery of social housing. The SFHA says that without increased government investment, housing associations will not be able to build the affordable homes that are needed to tackle poverty if a proposed rent freeze […]

After the Scottish Government unveiled its proposed legislation that would bring in a rent freeze and a moratorium on evictions, one landlord organisation has hit out at ‘political rhetoric’. The Scottish Association of Landlords (SAL) says that the SNP and Greens are pushing for ‘rhetoric over results’ and this stance is already affecting housing supply. […]

The Scottish Government has unveiled its emergency legislation that ‘seeks to increase protection for tenants from rent rises and eviction action’ during the cost-of-living crisis. If approved, the Cost of Living (Tenant Protection) (Scotland) Bill will give Ministers temporary power to cap rents for private and social tenancies’ The cap will be set at 0% […]

Hi, I would appreciate your help with regard to the lifetime transfer of property to my soon-ex-to-be wife. We are amiable and have agreed on the assets to transfer. I understand that the flats in question must be transferred in the same financial tax year to be free of capital gains tax, but will she […]

Landlords everywhere are feeling the pinch and looking at how they can increase their rents to help cover increased interest rates and inflation. You must ensure you approach this correctly and understand what you can and can’t do! Alphaletz, the Property Management Software company, has worked with Landlord Law to explain how to approach this […]

Hello, All landlords should write to their local MP and ward councillors to express why they are exiting the PRS market. Without a collective voice we remain silent. I suggest that a draft template letter that can be modified. It is important that we do not continue to express ourselves in an echo chamber forum […]

It’s just over a week since the Chancellor, Kwasi Kwarteng, presented his tax-cutting mini-budget, that kick-started a crisis of confidence in the markets. The tax cuts triggered a drop in the pound to a record low. The SWAP rates, the mechanism that lenders use to set their 2, 3, 5 and 10 year fixed rates, […]

Five agents that failed to pay a compensatory award have been excluded from The Property Ombudsman (TPO) scheme, it has been revealed. Because the agents – detailed below – failed to pay, they had been referred to the scheme’s independent Compliance Committee. It ruled that they should be excluded from The Property Ombudsman scheme. Ever-increasing […]

Tenant demand is rising across England’s rental market with eager tenants pushing the national figure up by 7% between the second and third quarters of this year, research reveals. The findings from estate and lettings agent, Barrows and Forrester highlight that demand has shot up by as much as 15% in some parts of the […]

You have until March 31st 2023 to spend £1 Million Pounds on Capital Allowances to benefit from the 130% super deduction. Join me with Alex Norian, the property tax specialist, from Property 118 to discuss all the qualifying capital allowances. Please click on the video below: https://youtu.be/du_JTh2O-dY

Research conducted by Dr Alison Wallace and Dr Julie Rugg has previously influenced Government legislation, so Property118 is always keen to help them wherever possible. Property 118 members are now invited to contribute to a new project by completing the short survey linked below to assist the latest research to better understand the uptake of […]

The government has unveiled a U-turn after its recent mini-budget saw the top rate of income tax of 45p being abolished and it will now reinstate the levy. The mini-budget led to turmoil on the money markets and saw lenders withdrawing mortgage products across the board. But now the Chancellor Kwasi Kwarteng says the abolition […]

Hello, I have 5 single let properties in and around the Nottinghamshire & Lincolnshire area. One property in Nottingham city centre is within the Selective licence area. I applied and received my licence when required to do so 4 years ago. I have now been given a week to produce evidence of attending GOOD LANDLORD […]

Rents in England have broken records in September and have soared to the highest rate ever recorded by one rent index. The finding from the Goodlord Rental Index also reveals that voids remain steady across the country as demand from tenants remains strong. Their research shows that rental costs hit a new high in September […]