The Regulator of Social Housing (RSH) has revealed that all registered providers of social housing will need to collect and publish information on repairs, safety checks and complaints. The move follows a consultation on tenant satisfaction measures (TSM) that will see tenants being able to scrutinise their social landlord’s performance and give them an insight […]

Nearly two-fifths (39%) of commercial landlords are unaware of new standards on Energy Performance Certificates (EPCs) coming into force in April 2023, new research reveals. The findings from property business experts Handelsbanken highlight the confusion in the market and the need for longer-term planning. The study found just one in 10 (9%) commercial landlords has […]

Landlords will have to pass on a £400 energy rebate to their tenants who are paying rent with their bills included, the government has revealed. The move is part of the government’s help to deal with soaring energy bills and various charities have voiced concerns that for renters who have energy bills included in their […]

As inflation continues to rise at the fastest rate in over 40 years, it’s becoming increasingly difficult to find business and investment opportunities that can withstand the difficult economic landscape. In property, there have certainly been many positives coming out of the last 12 months for landlords, with rents up more than 11% compared to […]

The number of house sales in August was 7.6% higher than in the same month in 2021, HMRC has revealed. The data shows that house sales were also 1.7% higher than in July. The figures are provisional seasonally adjusted estimates of the UK’s residential transactions and in August there were 104,980 properties sold. However, HMRC […]

Hello, The government states that landlord must ensure that smoke and CO2 alarms are tested and are in working order at the start of a new tenancy. It states that a renewed of previous tenancy does not count as a new tenancy. I normally renew with my tenants a new fixed term tenancy agreement when […]

Giving your tenants a welcome pack will set expectations & ground rules early and could save you a lot of time and money during the tenancy period. You can guarantee that not every tenant is going to understand what their responsibilities are straight off the bat. Making this crystal clear from the start will serve […]

Dear All, I currently have 3 HMO’s managed by a letting agent who I have been with for nearly 11 years. The owner of the business has sold the company to another local agent. I was notified in writing this past Saturday (The current owner did call me the week before). The transaction has taken […]

A quarter of borrowers will not be able to afford their mortgage if interest rates hit 5%, a survey has revealed. With interest rates widely predicted to rise tomorrow (Thursday), it will be the seventh rise since December. And now the Anthony Ward Thomas Attitudes to Moving survey has found that successive interest rate rises, […]

Long story short, we had a new landlord who was late sending the march ground rent out and 18 leaseholders did not receive it. We did not know who the new landlord was or any payment details. We made a joint complaint to PDC (property debt collection) who very quickly got involved and even asked […]

Hi all, This situation is causing me real stress and I’m not sure where to turn. I bought a property to completely renovate. I told the council that it would be empty and a valuation officer visited on the 8th of April and confirmed that as there was a kitchen, a bathroom and a boiler […]

The housing crisis in the Scottish Private Rental Sector (PRS) is rapidly worsening, leaving thousands of tenants in a desperate situation as they are unable to find accommodation. That’s the view of the Belvoir Group and the firm’s Andrew Jack, from Belvoir Edinburgh, said: “The current situation is incredibly difficult for tenants, and many of […]

Hello, Can you please advise the best way to transfer my flat back to me now? In 2005 I bought my first one-bedroom flat for £265,00.00 getting a mortgage of £238,075.00 2007 I got married and bought a new 2-bedroom apartment with my husband for £440,000.00. I had to sell my first one-bedroom flat to […]

Rents as a share of income have remained stubbornly high while the average floor space per private renter in England has fallen by 16% over the past 20 years, research reveals. According to Resolution Foundation research, the lost floor space equates to a city the size of Nottingham. The Foundation’s latest Housing Outlook notes that […]

The Department of Levelling Up, Housing and Communities have given the go-ahead for the UK’s biggest Selective Licensing Scheme that will cover up to 50,000 homes. The permission has been given to Birmingham City Council to cover all private rented properties in 25 of the city’s wards. Permission was given under the Housing Act 2004 […]

The UK’s house prices are predicted to fall by 4.5% on average in 2023 – with a peak annual contraction of 6.2% expected in the third quarter. And though house prices will drop – those who are renting currently will not find that property affordability will be something they will enjoy. The forecast is being […]

Hello, We’re thinking of selling a fully tenanted and licensed 5 bed HMO in Aylesbury. Does anyone have any experience of this process and options to sell with tenants in situ? We’re aware of Vesta and are waiting for a call back from them. We are looking for investors interested in a profitable, well established […]

Faced with rising bills, 1 in 3 tenants say they would consider cancelling their energy bill payments, a survey reveals. The findings from online lettings agency Mashroom have surveyed 1,000 renters to find out how the rising cost of energy is affecting them. They found that the energy price cap increase is a major concern […]

Hi, Since 2004, I’ve rented out a property using a national letting agency. They introduced the tenant, who is still there, and since 2004 they have charged me 8% just to collect the rent. I want to continue with the same tenant but end the contract with the agency. But there is a term in […]

Hi, I have inherited a property worth £900k with no mortgage. I am converting the house into two flats, I have planning permission and I plan to rent out both flats after the work. I plan to get a development loan and after the work, I plan to get two individual buy to let mortgages. […]

With most tenants making lifestyle changes to cope with the cost-of-living crisis, it has been revealed that three-quarters of residential landlords (75%) are supporting their tenants. The findings from Shawbrook Bank highlight the steps that landlords are taking with news that 85% of renters have made changes to deal with inflationary pressures and 25% of […]