One of the most interesting aspects of running Property118 is that we speak to landlords at every stage of their journey. Some are still actively acquiring properties. Others are reducing debt, selling selected assets, planning for retirement or thinking about how to pass wealth to the next generation. What often surprises me, though, is that […]

The government has confirmed it will keep its powers to regulate Houses in Multiple Occupation (HMOs) under review after rejecting a petition calling for tighter controls on HMOs in a London area. During a government debate, Conservative MP Louie French presented a petition from more than 2,300 constituents in Old Bexley and Sidcup, which argued […]

Leaseholders have slammed a “shadowy lobbyist group” for its last-ditch attempt to derail leasehold reform. The National Leasehold Campaign (NLC) has hit out at a freeholder group for challenging the government’s reforms and threatening legal action. The move comes as the government has announced a range of leasehold reforms, including a legal right for leaseholders […]

Shelter says more than 1.3 million households are waiting for a social housing, while just 12,198 were built across England last year by councils, housing associations and private developers. The charity’s research says that means 110 households are waiting for every new social home delivered. At the current rate of building, it would take 119 […]

Landlords are seeing higher annual rent income as longer tenancies and happy renters continue to underpin the private rented sector. Research firm Pegasus Insight found that the average annual landlord income has reached a record £89,000. That’s up £14,000 in a single quarter and £16,000 higher than a year before. Its latest Landlord Trends research […]

Propertymark has backed plans to toughen Northern Ireland’s landlord registration rules, with gas certificates, electrical checks and alarm details among the extra information that could be required. The changes would give councils and enforcement bodies sharper tools to spot unsafe homes. The professional body said proposals to amend The Landlord Registration Scheme Regulations (Northern Ireland) […]

Landlords weighing up where London still pays its way are seeing the strongest gross returns in the east of the capital. Research by Benham and Reeves puts Tower Hamlets at the top of the table with an estimated gross yield at 6.3%, rising from 5.5% over 12 months. The firm said the increase was linked […]

The biggest obstacle preventing landlords from moving forward is rarely the property itself. It is usually the issues surrounding it. Many landlords know the feeling. A tenant issue drags on longer than expected, paperwork has gone missing and a refurbishment project keeps getting postponed. Before long, what was supposed to be a straightforward investment starts […]

Scottish landlords are being warned that fragmented guidance is increasing the risk of accidental rule breaches as regulation across the private rented sector continues to change. A study commissioned by the SafeDeposits Scotland Charitable Trust found that landlords report little or no direct communication from local authorities. And that’s despite being part of Scotland’s landlord […]

Hello, My daughter’s house was a student house where the three students had a 12 month AST. Under the RRA, the AST has now become a periodic tenancy. One of the original tenants is staying on and two new tenants will be moving in the next couple of months. Under the old law, I understand […]

An animal charity has issued guidance to landlords regarding tenants’ requests to keep pets. Under the Renters’ Rights Act,  tenants have the right to reasonably request a pet, and landlords cannot unreasonably refuse permission. Dogs Trust has spoken to the National Residential Landlords Association (NRLA) about what landlords need to consider when assessing requests from […]

Last year, I sold my holiday home in Florida. The property had been part of our lives for over 20 years. We had enjoyed countless holidays there, created wonderful memories and, like many people who buy overseas property, always assumed it would remain part of our long-term plans. So what changed? The reality was that […]

Mortgage searches fell again in May, with 1,590,911 being carried out, down 7% on April’s figure and 15% below May 2025. The data from Twenty7tec reveals that buy to let followed the same direction, with total BTL searches falling 9% to 249,403. BTL purchase searches were 22% lower than the same month last year. Residential […]

Hello, Given the way landlords are often portrayed by government, the media and some campaign groups, is it time for us to think seriously about how we describe ourselves? The word “landlord” now seems to carry a negative image for many people, even though most of us are simply providing homes, taking financial risk, maintaining […]

Hello, The new ban on open bidding for rental properties, and the shortage of available properties, seems to have brought back the old practise of agents or landlords being paid ‘key money’ (cash bribes). This used to be a common practise back in the 60s and 70s. If there are many people all offering asking […]

Hi everyone, I’m looking to install a heat pump for one of my lets, and if I have this right, I cannot claim the costs as day-to-day running costs? Even though the gas boiler is all but dead, I have been told it would not pass another gas inspection due this summer. Also, have I […]

The Mortgage Works and Accord are among the buy to let lenders cutting their mortgage rates, following five lenders who did so late last week. The latest reductions cover individual landlords, limited company borrowers, let-to-buy, houses in multiple occupation and holiday let cases. HSBC and Darlington Building Society are also reducing or highlighting new landlord […]

Tenants are being urged to “resist rent rises” by using an online tool to check whether they should challenge their landlord at a rent tribunal. A group of tenants’ unions, including the London Renters Union, has launched an online tool allowing renters to assess and challenge proposed rent increases. Under the Renters’ Rights Act, landlords […]

Landlords saw rents rise again in May after April’s fall, but annual rent growth remains at its lowest level for 10 months. The Goodlord Rental Index shows average rents in England reached £1,211 in May, up 0.5% from £1,205 in April. However, rents were still only 1.7% higher than in May 2025, when the average […]

Almost six in 10 landlords are still seeing strong demand for homes to rent, the National Residential Landlords Association (NRLA) is warning. And while there’s not a queue outside every landlord’s front door, it says that the figures should give ministers pause before adding fresh costs to the sector. The survey shows that investors in […]

The Scottish Parliament is back in session following the recent election and, while much of what is and will be happening in Holyrood will be of keen interest to Scotland’s private rented sector (PRS), the appointment of a new Cabinet Secretary for Housing is undoubtedly the most significant development for our industry. On behalf of […]