I need some advice for a property I am buying, please. It is a corner plot house with an extra large garden extended to one side and back. Apparently, it is an ex-council property with a restrictive covenant of single private dwelling 1980 from the city council. The neighbour’s property is still owned by the […]

The government’s changes to the Right to Rent checks will be explained in detail in a free webinar being organised by Propertymark for its members and non-members. Right to Rent checks require landlords and/or letting agents to determine the immigration status of all prospective adult tenants by checking their ID before the start of a […]

Nearly two-thirds of landlords say they would sell their properties in the next five years because of the burden of meeting stricter EPC requirements, research has revealed. The findings from Shawbrook also show that the rising cost of living is driving tenants towards energy-efficient homes in the UK’s private rented sector. Shawbrook says that nearly […]

The government has updated its guidance on how the Energy Bills Support Scheme will hand £400 to tenants who have an all-inclusive rent agreement. They also reveal that legislation will be brought forward to make landlords pass on the energy bill savings. The Energy Price Guarantee started on 1 October to help reduce the unit […]

Exceptionally high RPI in the current cost of living crisis means those existing leaseholders with RPI-linked ground rents face exorbitant increases. The UK Government has stated it plans to do something about this, as it has now created a very unjust and uneven playing field by ensuring all new leases are with peppercorn ground rent […]

Campaigners are warning that unless the government imposes an across-the-board freeze on rents and service charges in England, then private and social housing tenants will be urged to join a rent strike. The warning comes from Social Housing Action Campaign (SHAC) which, along with other campaign groups, has written to the housing secretary Simon Clarke […]

A bid to impose a rent freeze in Wales has been voted down by Labour. The move was made by Plaid Cymru who want to follow the Scottish Government’s legislation that will freeze rents until March next year. However, government ministers say they will see what happens in Scotland, but one warned that there are […]

A coalition of landlord and lettings bodies is seeking legal advice on the Scottish Government’s rent freeze and eviction ban legislation. The coalition has been formed between the Scottish Association of Landlords (SAL), Propertymark, the National Residential Landlords Association (NRLA) and Scottish Land and Estates (SLE). They are seeking a legal opinion on the validity […]

Rising interest rates and uncertainty about the economy have led to buyer interest falling – and fewer people wanting to sell in September, the latest RICS residential market survey reveals. And in the lettings market, rent prices will continue rising as tenant demand picks up alongside a fall in landlord instructions. The organisation also points […]

Shelter’s Polly Neate on BBC news Wednesday 12 Oct 2022 approx 07.20 said well over 1 million privately rented homes are not meeting the required standard. Now if there are 11 million private rented homes, does that not tell us that 10 million homes have no problem? The Government also say they are cracking down […]

Hello, I am currently re-mortgaging three buy to let mortgages. Mortgage offers have been made, but the conveyancing solicitor appointed by the mortgage company has stated, that because the rent is now different to when the Tenancy Agreement were first issued, then the Tenancy Agreements have expired. They are insisting that new Tenancy Agreements showing […]

Private sector landlords will be dismayed to hear that Prime Minister Liz Truss has backtracked on rumoured plans to shelve legislation that would have abolished Section 21 ‘no-fault’ evictions. Ms Truss performed her latest U-turn during Prime Minister’s Questions today (Wednesday). That’s when Labour MP Graham Stringer told the chamber that after increasing the cost […]

Rising costs are a big concern for landlords at the moment. We hear a lot about tenants’ costs, but landlords often get overlooked. So what can you do? You’ve probably seen your margins shrink over the last few years due to all the legislative changes, and now interest rates are going up and you may […]

‘Beyond housing’ operates Social Housing in the Cleveland, Redcar and North Yorkshire areas. Since 2010, they have been charging inaccurate rents and between 2016 and 2020 were not compliant with Rent Standard. This is related to 486 properties with ‘at least £2 Million being overcharged!!! Beyond (belief) have contacted affected customers regarding a refund. Not […]

Hello, I have a flat in a small block which has a wall mounted integral fire alarm system in the communal hallway. My flat also has a ceiling mounted smoke alarm in the kitchen/dining area. When the last tenant left he said it didn’t work, but I suspect he disconnected it as when he burnt […]

Propertymark has opened compliance cases against five letting agent members following the latest HMRC publication of businesses who have failed to comply with anti-money laundering (AML) regulations. The list of businesses who haven’t complied with the Money Laundering, Terrorist Financing and Transfer of Funds (Information on the Payer) Regulations 2017 during the period 1 January […]

Following my divorce, I would like to purchase a new property as my main residence and need to find out if the standard rate of stamp duty applies or if the ‘second home’ 3% surcharge applies to me. I have had various answers, my solicitors have said ask my accountant and my accountant says to […]

Hi, I am in the process of looking into my dad gifting his house to me and wanted some advice on the info below if possible? 1. Would my dad have to pay any capital gains tax if he gifted me the property? 2. Any restrictions for me selling or refinancing the property in the future […]

News that the government is looking to ‘shelve’ its plans to abolish Section 21 ‘no fault’ evictions has led to more organisations making their feelings known. The report in yesterday’s Times saw several organisations expressing an opinion – and more have now joined the fray. Alicia Kennedy, of the campaign group Generation Rent, said: “No-fault […]

It has been revealed that when accounting for inflation, renters are better off today than they were a year ago despite nominal rent increases of up to 14%. The research from Ocasa, the specialist rental platform, found that without adjusting for inflation, the average price of rent in the UK is currently £1,143 per month. […]

There has been a huge rise in the number of rental applications not being approved by letting agents, research reveals. According to data from lettings experts Vouch, recent months have seen a massive spike in agents cancelling tenancy applications. Vouch has been collecting data from the start of the year and they found that between […]