Low-income tenants across England are facing a ‘housing black hole’ due to soaring rents and the freeze on housing benefit leaving a huge shortfall in genuinely affordable homes, according to a new report. The research reveals that only 12% of rental properties listed in the last year were affordable to those in receipt of housing […]

The effect that the rising cost of living and record rents are having on people searching for a new place to rent has been revealed – with news that ‘bills included’ has jumped into the top position for the users of one property platform. According to Rightmove, users who prioritise their search results by choosing […]

I have a flat I rent. It is 1 of 4 in a block. It is located on the first floor. The other flat on the same floor is also rented. The 2 flats on the ground floor are both privately owned. The flats have an EPC rating of D. This is going to cause […]

Airbnb is working with a council to stop social housing tenants from using the site to illegally sublet their homes. The short-term rental platform will give payment data to the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea who believe that some tenants are renting out their properties on the platform to tourists. And, if this process […]

As the government continues to work on the proposed Renters Reform Bill, we will be urging them to reconsider the impact of proposals in the white paper on multiple occupancy properties.  Although the Bill specifically exempts purpose-built student accommodation, there is no clear mention of excluding professional or student Houses in Multiple Occupation (HMOs). Some […]

Landlords are being warned that their rental property maintenance costs now account for more than a fifth of the average rental income of a property. According to research by property maintenance solution provider, Help me Fix, the average cost of repairs has risen by 4.7% since the start of the year. The firm has analysed […]

Only this week, Citibank predicted that UK inflation would exceed 18% by January next year and that the Bank of England would feel compelled to increase the base rate to 6%. How many of us are prepared for this? Whilst some of our readers will have have vague recollections of high inflation in the 1970’s […]

Government plans to abolish controversial section 21 ‘no fault’ evictions could lead to a quarter of landlords selling their property, research reveals. A poll of more than 700 landlords gauged reactions to the government’s ‘Fairer Private Rented Sector’ white paper, which sets out a range of proposals – from removing ‘no fault’ evictions and the […]

The National Residential Landlords’ Association (NRLA) has hit out at Rent Smart Wales after concerned landlords contacted them to say the helpline service has been closed. As a result, NRLA contacted the organisation to discover why the service had been closed. Rent Smart Wales (RSW) confirmed that the service – which is run for the […]

Hello everyone, All of us as landlords are affected in different ways by the raft of HMRC taxation and government regulation. As a student landlord of 25 years I am struggling to understand how the end of fixed term tenancies will benefit student tenants despite listening to arguments from Shelter and NUS. Their arguments made […]

Good buy-to-let mortgage deals are getting harder to find, with interest rates rising and products being pulled from the market. Landlords looking to buy or remortgage face a much more restricted choice as the Bank of England (BoE) starts to hike interest rates. Data from Moneyfacts shows that the average fixed-rate buy-to-let deal has now […]

There is a lane at the back of one property (well, at the back of the entire terrace). I don’t know how to find out whether it is private, just unadopted or what. I want to find out as I think the Council might be trying to take it over in order to build on […]

Over the last decade, more than 23,000 homes have been sold under the Right to Buy (RTB) scheme to London’s council tenants which equates to 5.6% of the total local authority-owned housing stock. The market value of the homes sold via RTB across the London market is an astonishing £3.415bn in the last 10 years. […]

Haringey Council are the latest to introduce Selective Licensing, but this latest iteration of far too many Council’s preferred money grabbing scheme to swell their coffers includes additional EPC rating conditions that are highly likely to further exacerbate the acute shortage of quality rental properties in their area. Landlords who let their properties in the […]

It has been revealed that 26% of landlords who have issued a Section 21 notice of eviction to their tenants in the last 12 months have done so because they plan to sell their property. The survey was carried out by Landlord Action, a housing law specialist and part of the Hamilton Fraser Group, and […]

A new property licensing scheme has been approved to provide safe and warm housing in Haringey. The council says that for some rental properties in the east of the borough, landlords will be helped to improve the property’s energy efficiency rating. There will be ‘support and education’ available for landlords to improve the property and […]

A lack of homes to rent is causing tenants to remain in their homes, research reveals. In its latest report, Propertymark says that 73% of letting agents say they have seen an increase in renters wanting to renew tenancies rather than move over the past year. They state: “With the recent lack of stock, it […]

Strong rent price growth means that tenants have lost a bedroom when spending the same amount of cash as they did in 2020, research reveals. The findings from Hamptons show that the average two-bed rental property at £1,068 per month today is what renters were spending for the average three-bed rental just 16 months ago. […]

A council has revealed that its plan to restrict the number of residential properties that are turned into houses of multiple occupation (HMOs) is now a step closer. The move has been revealed by Coventry City Council in a report that outlines the council’s intentions. And one councillor says the council is: “Supporting residents and […]

A pilot scheme that helps tenants threatened with eviction to stay in their homes has been extended after more cash was awarded. Cornwall Council will now extend the scheme that sees up to £5,000 being made available to help tenants of privately-owned properties who have fallen behind in their rent and are at risk of […]

Hello everyone, I am keen for readers’ views relating to the fire risk assessments and Fire Risk Appraisal of External Walls (FRAEW). I’m just wondering how other professional landlords are faring with this – the Act is unclear about how we are to progress or what we can to do help the situation – with […]