It has been a busy time for landlords with several stories that would normally make my blood run cold, but let’s start with a question: ‘Since when did a rent freeze mean no need to pay rent?’ I ask this, because this was one of the takeaways from the issues in Scotland where the number […]

Propertymark, the body for letting agents, says ‘enough is enough’ and is calling for an end to the freeze on local housing allowance (LHA) and it wants more support for renters. The organisation’s policy and campaigns officer, Tim Thomas, made the announcement to MPs at a Westminster Hall debate covering LHA. The allowance provides tenants […]

The UK’s average house price grew by 0.8% in March, the second month running that prices have picked up after February’s 1.2% rise, Halifax says. However, the lender says that the annual rate of house price growth continues to slow and was 1.6% in the year to March. In February the year-on-year rise was 2.1%. […]

Would you like to be paid for property deals that you don’t want? When you are looking for property deals in your area, you will probably find some deals that don’t meet your personal investing criteria. Instead of passing these unwanted deals, you could sell them to other investors for a fee, as long as […]

Landlords in Scotland are being urged to back a National Residential Landlords Association (NRLA) campaign that will challenge policies from the Sottish Government that damage the country’s private rented sector (PRS). The move follows a decision by the government to develop a rent freeze and ban on repossessions in the PRS without proper consultation with […]

Property118 and Cotswold Barristers including Mark Alexander, founder of Property118, and Mark Smith, Head of Chambers at Cotswold Barristers will be attending the Property Investor Show at London ExCeL on 21st and 22nd April 2023. You can find us on stand 362. Click here to Register for Free Mark Alexander and Mark Smith will be […]

Hello, Last year I bought a property with an EPC rating of D. This is the only property I have. Now all the news about upgrading a property to a minimum of EPC rating of C is making me think what action should I take to do this? When I look at our EPC certificate, it […]

The Association of Independent Inventory Clerks (AIIC) is calling on the government to include measures in the proposed Renters Reform Bill to guarantee independence and more transparency in the inventory process. Daniel Evans, the chair of the AIIC, says there is ‘a significant number of property companies large and small that own their own inventory […]

Hello, Not a long one this! I’ve had a 3 bedroom semi for 4 years, let it to a single mum with no real issues but she’s now given notice as she’s met a partner. Do I sell? The house is fully paid for, EPC grade C, fully checked and up to date regarding gas/electric […]

Demand for homes in the UK is at the highest since last October as a strong labour market and falling mortgage rates help to support buyer interest, a report from Zoopla says. The platform points out that the market is experiencing ‘soft repricing’ and that annual house price inflation has slowed to 4.1%, with prices […]

Are you a landlord who has recently converted or is planning on converting their rental property to a holiday let or Airbnb? Then, Alexa Phillips, the personal finance reporter, for the Telegraph would like to speak with you. Alexa would like to speak to Property118 readers about: When did you make the change from a […]

Top Conservative MPs and an independent think tank for ‘liberal conservatism’ have teamed up with homeless charity Shelter to offer a ‘radical new vision’ for fixing the UK’s housing crisis. The Bright Blue think tank has published a collection of 16 essays in its new book, ‘Home advantage: a new centre-right vision for housing’. They […]

Landlords are seeing that rents on new tenancies are beginning to rise again after a brief dip in January, a rental index reveals. The findings from Homelet show that the average rent for a new tenancy in March was £1,184 per month. That’s a year-on-year rise of 9.8% and a rise of 0.8% between February […]

An organisation has warned that delays to boosting energy efficiency standards could cost private renters £1 billion in energy bills. The Energy and Climate Intelligence Unit has reported that because of poorer energy efficiency in the PRS, homes are likely to use more energy and cost more than similar homes in other sectors. The organisation […]

A think tank has warned that landlords’ unwillingness to spend money on rental properties to boost their EPC ratings is a ‘significant obstacle’ to Britain’s Net Zero-carbon agenda. The cross-party Social Market Foundation (SMF) revealed in a survey that 60% of landlords are unwilling to commit more than £250 towards the costs of improving the […]

Hello, Thermal imaging surveys – are these a good idea? I am considering one for my own home to determine where there might be some obvious heat leak areas. Ideally each room scanned, as well as the building as a whole. Anyone had any experience of them – do they really ‘see’ and are able […]

Hello, I’m thinking to fix my residential mortgage for 10 years with Nationwide which is due for renewal. My concern is if my situation changes (a bit likely) and have to move out, will Nationwide be difficult with consent to let? I won’t have the heart to sell given the hefty early repayment charges. Thank […]

Rents in March increased slightly across England, while voids grew by just one day on average, a rental index reveals. The findings from Goodlord show that rents are still high when compared to February’s figures. Tenants in England are now paying £1,090 on average – that’s up 0.14% month-on-month – and is the highest rise […]

London Mayor Sadiq Khan has again called for a rent freeze for tenants to be implemented in the capital. He was responding to a news report that highlighted data from Rightmove that shows the average asking rent in London leapt by 15% over the year to reach £2,480. And the rents for homes in inner […]

A social housing provider has been heavily criticised by the Ombudsman over damp and mould. The Housing Ombudsman identified patterns of ‘exclusion’ and ‘marginalisation’ in Rochdale Boroughwide Housing. The social housing provider supplied accommodation to Awaab Ishak, the toddler who died from exposure to mould in his social housing flat. Housing Ombudsman found unsympathetic, inappropriate […]

Hello, I’m a landlord with 4 flats that turnover less than £5k per annum each. They will never reach an EPC C. I can apply for exemptions once I have spent up to the £10k (more than 2 years turnover, not profit) on each flat. I’m so annoyed with the stupidity of this legislation. It […]