Legislation to help tenants in Scotland has backfired as the number of rural rental properties records a dramatic drop. Scottish Land & Estates (SLE) research reveals a decline in availability of private rental homes was recorded in 14 predominantly rural local authority areas between 2022 and 2025. SLE warns the Scottish government rent controls and […]

2026 could see hundreds more selective licensing schemes introduced as the Renters’ Rights Act comes into force, prop-tech firm Kamma warns. Last year marked a record-breaking period for selective licensing, with 49 schemes announced. Kamma says London has been the worst affected, with 28 of the capital’s 32 boroughs now operating selective licensing schemes. London […]

With the first element of the Renters’ Rights Act already in force, a senior property sector figure is warning letting agents not to wait until May before acting. That’s when most of the Act’s headline reforms are scheduled to begin, though councils are already rolling out expanded investigative and enforcement powers. It’s the move to […]

Fleet Mortgages has rolled out a fresh set of remortgage deals offering cashback, while also cutting rates across much of its buy to let (BTL) range. The lender has launched new two- and five-year remortgage products at 75% loan-to-value for standard, limited company and HMO or MUFB borrowers. Each comes with cashback of between £500 […]

The Renters’ Rights Act runs the risk of rewarding the unscrupulous and penalising responsible landlords, claims a Conservative councillor. Writing in Conservative Home, Surrey County Councillor Jonathan Hulley warned that the Act could disrupt the rental market, with smaller landlords potentially leaving the private rented sector. Mr Hulley argued the Conservatives’ plan to wait until […]

The government has quietly updated its official guidance on what landlords and letting agents can charge during a tenancy, adding new detail on how council tax and TV licence payments should be handled. Changes have been made to the ‘Fees you can charge as part of a tenancy‘ section of the guidance for landlords and […]

Specialist buy to let lenders have rolled out a fresh round of product changes, cutting pricing, widening criteria and lifting loan to value limits as they compete for landlord business. Pepper Money has moved first with rate reductions and a significant tweak to its HMO range by cutting pricing by up to 25bps on two-year […]

The private rented sector ended 2025 with a smaller than expected rise in rents as they grew by 2% year on year. That’s according to the Goodlord rental index which also shows there’s a clear slowdown from the momentum seen earlier in 2025. Even though demand is traditionally weak in winter, the monthly average fall […]

Despite ever-growing stories about landlords in the private rented sector quitting in the face of higher costs and growing legislation, one property sector leader says now is a great time to be a landlord. Allison Thompson, the national lettings managing director at Leaders, says the picture on the ground differs from the gloomy narrative often […]

UK house prices fell for a second consecutive month in December, delivering a softer end to the year for the housing market, Halifax says. Prices dropped by -0.6% during the month, following a -0.1% decline in November, taking the average property value to £297,755. That’s £1,789 lower than a month earlier and the lowest level […]

I have two leasehold flats in a block of 4 converted flats, the freeholder owns the other two. The police attended one of his flats to arrest the tenant, but the police decided to kick the main front door in to gain access. They sent someone out to board it up, and no one could […]

Propertymark has welcomed the government’s decision to widen the scope of tougher Rent Repayment Orders (RRO) to protect tenants on housing support. Ministers have confirmed that a pilot scheme allowing councils to pursue expanded RRO’s will be rolled out to 41 local authorities across England. That follows early signs that the approach is helping recover […]

Hello all readers, I think it might be worth all landlords signing up for the Government’s PRS updates and updates reference Assured Periodic Tenancy agreement templates. Their document is to give tenants already on an AST or Periodic tenancies on or before the 1st of May this year. Get emails from GOV.UK You’ll get emails […]

What does AI really mean for the letting industry, and why are we seeing such a surge of interest in AI tools across the property sector? AI is ultimately about removing friction, improving service, and making the industry more efficient. The technology has moved far enough that we can now run processes that were traditionally […]

Hi, my flat was ransacked by the tenant or a third party introduced by the tenant, and the electric meter was damaged. It will cost £6,000 -£8,000 to make a full repair. The council made an Emergency Prohibition Order under S43 Housing Act 2004. Fair enough. They now want me, the landlord, to pay them […]

Northern Ireland landlords could soon face some of the longest Notice to Quit periods in the UK after Communities Minister Gordon Lyons began a 12-week consultation on new regulations. The proposals would require private landlords to give up to seven months’ notice to tenants with more than 10 years of occupancy. The major policy shift […]

HSBC UK has lowered its buy to let affordability stress rates for domestic borrowers; a move it says will widen access to finance and help stabilise rental supply during a period of persistent cost pressure. The lender said the adjustment would give landlords greater flexibility when refinancing or raising additional borrowing, improving choice across the […]

The UK’s rents slipped in December to leave annual growth muted as landlords tread carefully ahead of May’s implementation of the Renters’ Rights Act. According to the latest HomeLet Rental Index, average rents fell to £1,317 last month, down 1.5% from November. Despite the monthly dip, prices remain 2.6% higher than a year earlier. Excluding […]

Non-HMO landlords are allocating around 25% of their gross rental income to their portfolio running expenses, with HMO operators reporting figures close to 45%, research reveals. According to Pegasus Insight, those proportions mark a big rise in maintenance and repairs, which now represent between 31% and 39% of overall expenditure. Average annual costs have reached […]

The tenant took a 12-month lease from 24/03/2017 and served notice to quit on 10/02/2018, effective 23/03/2018. The deposit, in the sum of £1,920, was registered with The Deposit Protection Service (DPS) on 27/03/2017. The rent due on 23/02/2018 was not paid. The tenant agreed that this amount could be deducted from the deposit, leaving […]

On the surface, two landlords submitted similar applications for commercial finance. Yet one was rejected outright while the other sailed through to approval. What made the difference? This case study highlights the importance of preparation, presentation, and broker expertise in determining outcomes. Case 1 – The Rejected Application A landlord applied directly to a lender […]