Data published by HMRC show that non-seasonally adjusted property sales were up 2% from January, to 76,920 in February – but this is down nearly a fifth from last year (18%). However, the seasonally adjusted figures show that things look even worse as transactions are down 18% in a year and 4% since January. That’s […]

Hello, My landlord’s insurance is up for renewal, and while there’s no problem insuring the properties themselves, this year – for the first time ever – our broker is saying no one will include cover for legal expenses because I’m a non-resident landlord. No problems before and I’ve never made a legal claim. Have any […]

Nearly half of UK landlords are looking to complete EPC improvement-related works over the next 12 months, according to a new survey. The findings from Finbri reveal that 48% of landlords intend to complete energy-performance improvements – and that nearly 80% of tenants were either concerned or strongly concerned about energy costs. This was a […]

Hello, I have a long term commercial tenant who is looking to sell on his business on as a going concern. Putting aside the issue of surrendering the existing lease for the minute, what referencing do you do for an incoming commercial tenant? Not sure if the new tenant will be a newbie starting up […]

Please can Property118 post a request for interested landlords to respond to this consultation. The deadline is 31st March. NC7 (New Clause 7) is Dame Caroline Dinenage’s amendment to the Levelling-up and Regeneration Bill and it will hurt tenants and landlords as the costs will inevitably be passed on. “This new clause is intended to […]

As Spring approaches, one organisation says that the housing market is showing signs of ‘green roots’. The Guild of Property Professionals says that despite the continuing cost-of-living crisis, other economic factors are improving and any possible recession appears to be less severe than was predicted. Also, housing supply is returning to more normal levels and […]

One council has revealed that it’s going to buy 300 homes, worth up to £600,000 each, in a bid to provide emergency accommodation for those being made homeless. Councillors at Lewisham Council have been alarmed by the rapid rise in the number of families who are reporting as being homeless – or say they are […]

The potential scrapping of section 21 worries a third of landlords and is a ‘driving force’ behind growing numbers selling up and leaving the private rented sector (PRS), a survey reveals. The findings from Mortgages for Business highlights that the potential reform of section 21 as part of the Renters Reform Bill could have a […]

Hello, Any suggestions/advice would be much appreciated. I have a property portfolio with low loan to value ( 20% ) and I am in my 70s and bored!!! I don’t want to sell up and pay CGT, then IHT. I think I really would like to increase my wealth. Am I too old to increase […]

Optimistic home sellers are not being deterred by rising mortgage rates and a property market slowdown, Rightmove reports. In its latest house price index, the platform says that average asking prices went up by 0.8%, or £2,906, in February. And the annual rise in prices has eased to 3.0% – new seller asking prices are […]

Hi there, I have recently had a lot of complaints about a tenant of mine who is on an AST. He has breached the contract in that he has disturbed his fellow tenant and neighbours by making noise/playing loud music, having friends at the house for parties at unsocial hours, smoking cannabis in the house, and […]

An industry body has issued caution on converting commercial properties into residential homes. Propertymark has responded to an All-Party Parliamentary Group (APPG) inquiry about converting empty commercial property into affordable housing. The organisation has warned of several obstacles to a wide-scale programme of conversions. Converted properties need to meet high standards Propertymark believes there is […]

To all Property118 and Alphaletz readers! Due to the great feedback we’ve had from our last webinar with over 300 registrations, Alphaletz’ Richard Jackson has decided to hold another educational event featuring Mark Alexander. Title: How can you eliminate Inheritance Tax with the right company structure? Date: Wednesday 5th April 2023 @ 7pm GMT Click […]

Hi everyone, A few months after my tenant signed a 12-month AST (in 2017) I agreed in writing that his adult daughter could become a permitted occupant with the intention of issuing a new AST and her becoming a joint tenant when the original tenancy expired. This, however, I neglected to do. No new agreement […]

If you’re confused by the title of this article; “Tax is triggered by the timing of events”, I will start with a simple example before moving on to explaining how “timing” can be used to your advantage with Landlord Tax Planning via Property118 and Cotswold Barristers. Example One – Capital Gains Tax This tax is […]

This Property118 investigation looks at how much energy performance certificates (EPCs) could cost the PRS and whether EPCs save tenants money or whether they are simply a green tax. A recent report by The Times revealed the staggering inaccuracy of the certificates used to rate the energy efficiency of homes. It highlighted research conducted by […]

Publication of a new ‘How to rent guide’ for landlords and agents has been delayed. It was expected that the Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities (DLUHC) would unveil the new guide today (Friday) but this will not happen. The latest version of the guide is the one that must be issued by landlords […]

The MortgageStrategy recently ran an article examining data from TwentyEA showing the average time it takes to sell a UK home has jumped to 65 days and the average property exchanges have risen to 139 days, making a total of 204 days (almost 7 months) to sell and complete an average house – see Home […]

Hello, After a S21 notice, I now have my Order for Possession from the court. Bailiffs are awaited. The tenants have now stopped paying the rent. They got progressively worse at paying until I got a managed payment to the landlord (MPLT) for Universal Credit. Their claim got interrupted for some reason so I’ve lost […]

Hello, I have an HMO with some fantastic tenants (it will be a travesty if the continued anti-landlord policy campaign continues and I have to sell up and walk away, but I digress). One is leaving and the remaining would like to choose the replacement. I am happy to allow them to do a first […]

Hello, Our tenants’ daughter is autistic and they have requested permission to install a ceiling hook for a sensory swing. We sympathise with their difficult circumstances but would like some help please with a few liability queries as landlords. Do we have to agree to this? If we agree to this what is our liability […]