Housing Benefit is paid to tenants to cover their housing costs (sorry for stating the obvious). There would be numerous benefits to landlords, tenants, Gov.uk and local authorities if it were paid directly. So why is this not already official policy or on @RishiSunak’s To Do list? How would it work? A tenant who is […]

Hello, I’ve had BG boiler plumbing and drains homecare contract cover for some 20 years now for a modest portfolio of London properties and the service has been good – things like appointments or 24 hour service so you can book plumbers in the middle of the night (the only spare time I get). I […]

Hello, my question is, I have a buy to let property, and have noticed my tenants’ gas and electric bill is outstanding at £2,600. They are overseas students so when they disappear will I, the landlord, be responsible for paying it? Thank you, Shahin

Hello, I had someone break into my commercial property (let to a tenant). The Police were called as a passer-by was able to apprehend the guy and keep hold of him till they arrived (Well done that man!). The shop tenant was able to give full CCTV footage clearly showing it was the same person […]

Hi, I have provided a job for bathroom renovation. The guy took a huge advance of £3,000 two weeks starting work to order materials. He initially said it will be completed in 5 days. But he started and did not come for 3 days and cited various reasons. In 11 days over 3 week period […]

Hi everyone, In 2010 my mother gave me the family home (transfer of equity) the solicitor at the time suggested adding a covenant to affect that I couldn’t evict my mother when the transfer was complete. This was never my intention. Fast forward to 2017 when I met my girlfriend. I moved into her home […]

Despite a slowing market and a recent drop in prices, it has been revealed that house sellers are racking up more than £100k in profit for the first time. The figures from Hamptons show that for 94% of sellers who sold up last year, they sold for more than they had paid – and they […]

The rents for new tenancies in the UK fell in December for the first time in more than a year, figures reveal. According to HomeLet, the average rent dropped 0.1% – or £1 – since November to £1,174 – though every region continues to see annual rent price growth. Tenants in London saw rents fall […]

The National Residential Landlords Association (NRLA) has launched a new partnership with a leading provider of flexible boiler and emergency cover, YourRepair. As a result, NRLA members will be able to get comprehensive boiler cover enabling them to call on YourRepair should they need urgent assistance. In addition, members will also benefit from a discounted […]

Our Hon. Legal Counsel, Mark Smith, Head of Chambers at Cotswold Barristers, will be presenting in person an overview of several landlord tax strategies at the Progressive Property Network Stratford meeting Tuesday 10th January. Workable, 19th Floor 1 Westfield Avenue, Stratford London E20 1HZ Welcome to PPN Stratford! Our PPN in Stratford is a unique […]

In 2023, many investors will choose to give up, and sell up, before they run through their cash savings entirely, and that’s without mentioning the recession, falling house prices (coming soon), and rising rent prices (happening already). What does this mean for property investors? Beyond the doom and gloom, there’s a lot to get excited […]

As the headline says, landlords who want to explain just how difficult life is right now to their tenants should give them this article. For tenants who believe we should have a rent freeze and all landlords are evil, then be prepared for a shock. It’s a new year and we can expect critics to […]

According to Rightmove, average asking prices for homes were 5.6% higher across Great Britain at the end of 2022 than they were at the same time in 2021 – but one area did exceptionally well. In a list dominated by towns in the South East, it was a small town in Nottinghamshire that picked up […]

Hello, My tenant had a two years AST but she left after 18 months. The council made her liable for council tax and she appealed. I was not involved in the tribunal hearing. She won the appeal saying the landlord agreed to end the tenancy, which I did not. The council then put the council […]

The private rented sector (PRS) will endure a tough 2023 with rising rents and more tenants falling into arrears, the UK Association of Letting Agents (UKALA) warns. A survey of 1,100 members in England, Scotland and Wales is predicting that tenants will find the next 12 months increasingly difficult with 79% of agents predicting that […]

Average house prices in the UK have fallen for the fourth consecutive month with the prospect that an annual price fall is likely, Halifax reports. In December, average house prices fell by -1.5% and the annual rate of growth dropped to +2.0%. According to the data, the average UK property now costs £281,272, that’s down […]

He’s a well-known character among landlords and for anyone interested in leasehold property management, he is the ‘leasehold guru’. And with 40 years of experience in the sector, Bernie has built up lots of experience. He also warns that many leaseholders will need to take note of a new law taking effect that could have […]

Tenant demand is starting to fall across England with some areas seeing demand falling by up to -29%, research reveals. The findings from lettings and agent, Barrows and Forrester, show that renter demand in England is currently sitting at 33.9% – after a quarterly drop of -12% between Q3 and Q4 of 2022. Bristol saw […]

The lack of homes to rent and strong tenant demand has helped the rental market remain steady in December – though rent prices fell slightly, Goodlord reveals. December is usually the quietest month in the year and voids have remained unchanged. In six of the seven regions monitored by Goodlord, there was a small decrease […]

The number of new sellers putting their home on the market on Boxing Day leapt by 46% compared with the year before to set a record, Rightmove says. There was also a big jump in the number of sellers wanting their home valued between Boxing Day and New Year’s Day – the highest recorded in […]

More than half of renters say they would avoid an energy-inefficient property if it had an EPC rating of D or below, a survey reveals. The findings from Shawbrook Bank show that 58% of private tenants would not rent an energy-inefficient home and there is a ‘significant knowledge gap’ about what EPC ratings are and […]