The government has unveiled a consultation for a new Decent Homes Standard for the private rented sector – and it could be the biggest shake-up for landlords in 30 years. This is the first time that a standard has been put forward for the sector and the government wants to hear the views from landlords, […]

Every region in the UK has seen annual and monthly rent growth with the average price now standing at £1,143, one index reveals. According to HomeLet, the average rent in August grew by 8.5% from last year – and rose by 1.4% from July’s figure. However, the highest rents are in London where tenants are […]

Landlords and property investors are being warned by a real estate firm that house prices will ‘flatline’ in 2023 as interest rate rises will cool the market. And it will be low-yielding landlords that will be forced to leave the PRS because of higher mortgage costs and having more legislation to deal with. Aneisha Beveridge, […]

The UK’s annual house price growth slowed to 10% in August – down from July’s 11%, according to the latest Nationwide house price index. The data also reveals that prices rose 0.8% month-on-month after seasonal effects were taken into account. And the average house price is £273,751 – that’s a £50,000 increase in just two […]

It looks like student landlords will have to move to periodic tenancies for their rental properties – according to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities (DLUHC). While the Renters Reform Bill has still to make its way through Parliament, the DLUHC is responding to landlord fears with a letter that states: ‘While we […]

There’s just one month left before landlords – or their agent – must meet the mandatory requirement of fitting smoke and carbon monoxide alarms to their rented properties. The rules state that all rental homes in England – including buy to lets, licensed and unlicensed HMOs – must provide a carbon monoxide alarm in rooms […]

Scotland’s unappreciated landlords are being forced from the PRS, a letting agent says. The warning comes from Riccardo Giovanacci who says that more needs to be done to attract more landlords into the PRS – rather than driving them away. He warns that the role of landlords will only become more important because they provide […]

Hi All, I have a tenant who is subletting (I don’t know any details of their agreement except that the person is living in the room and causing a lot of issues with the other flatmates) and now has stopped paying rent in response to me serving a S21 on him. I have served a […]

If you want to be a successful property investor, it’s really important to keep up to date with changes in the property industry such as finance, legislation and market trends etc. There is a lot happening right now, not to mention the 80% increase in energy costs, Inflation now officially being over 10% (and probably […]

The government has unveiled a consultation to impose a rent cap on social housing next year – at below the rate of inflation. The move is aimed at helping tenants with the cost-of-living crisis. However, with PRS rents rising quickly and tenants’ budgets coming under strain, many landlords will be asking if the private rental […]

Hello everyone, I have just renewed my HMO licence with no conditions. However, the council still demands trivial and unnecessary work which the Inspector ‘discovered’ during his visit, ie removing door draught strips so smoke would set off alarms, replacing airing cupboard door with fireproof one and upgrading fire alarm system……..£2,000+! They have given me […]

Hello everyone, If I were a criminal I would run a protection racket as a source of funds. It produces a steady income stream with little risk of being caught and requires less actual violence than, for example, robbery or drug dealing. Local businesses would agree to pay my ‘insurance premium’ and in return I […]

Hello everyone, I understand that a S21 is invalid if a gas cert is not in date and/or has not been issued to the tenant, but is this the only qualification? What if the gas check has been undertaken and cert issued to the tenant, but the check failed/requires work? A certificate has still been […]

Hi, I have completed a statutory declaration to retrieve a deposit from the DPS. It has to be signed by a solicitor/commissioner of oaths/magistrate. Does anyone know approx how much a solicitor will charge for this? Thank you. Annie

Hello everyone, Does raising the rent either just before or just after issuing a Section 21 notice have any bearing on it? I am about to issue one, and wondered what the effect will be. It has also occurred to me that raising the rent to a rather high level may actually persuade the tenant […]

Institutional and individual investors are moving away from buy to let and into multi-use buildings and because of the punitive tax regime against landlords, according to one firm of estate agents.  That’s the verdict of Winkworth who say that investors are rejecting the buy-to-let residential model. The firm’s head of development and commercial investment, Adam […]

The Association of Independent Inventory Clerks (AIIC) says that the number of deposit disputes can be reduced through better knowledge of what counts as ‘fair wear and tear’. They say that landlords who cannot distinguish between fair wear and tear and damage are likely to raise disputes over negligible wear. But with appropriate knowledge, the […]

Propertymark has revealed that it has warned the Levelling Up, Housing and Communities Committee that England’s private rental sector (PRS) will shrink further if current plans for reform are carried out. The organisation has submitted written evidence to the committee because it has opened an inquiry into the UK Government’s plans to reform the PRS. […]

There is a ‘worrying lack of succession planning’ among older landlords, with half of those aged 45 or above lacking any long-term management plans, a survey reveals. The research also reveals that most professional landlords in the UK with large portfolios (52%) have no succession plan in place, risking the future sustainability of their business […]

The Deposit Protection Service (The DPS) has issued guidance on student property check-ins in anticipation of significant demand for rental properties this autumn. The UK’s largest protector of deposits said that 425,830 students are due to start degree courses this month – that’s the second highest number of university admissions on record. The organisation also […]

What are peoples’ thoughts re a landlord’s requirement to provide heating in an all-electric leasehold flat, please, and what can be used should there be power cuts? There is no open fireplace. For emergency hot drinks, cooking and hot water for washing: will a single burner camping gas canister style unit on the kitchen work […]