Birmingham is the rental property repossession capital when it comes to landlords reclaiming their homes from problem tenants and there are fears that things could get worse with the cost-of-living crisis. A market analysis by estate and lettings agent, Barrows and Forrester, has revealed that during the first quarter of this year, there have been […]

I Have been with Nat West since I left School – over 50 years ago now. I have never let them down or had a problem with them. Out of the blue, with no notice or warning, yesterday they shut down all of my accounts. My Direct Debits have started bouncing already. All of my […]

Hi everyone, I have a £100k cash fund in the bank and it is losing 10% ( ?) pa due to inflation. I also have a Buy to Let interest only mortgage in my personal name on a single-let apartment costing 4% on Sonia standard variable rate term and rising. This mortgage is due for […]

HMRC has revealed that it collected a ‘staggering’ £14.3 billion in capital gains tax (CGT) from 323,000 taxpayers in the 2020 to 2021 tax year. The liability was realised on £80 billion of gains. According to the latest data, the CGT on UK property service was used by 129,000 taxpayers who filed 137,000 returns to […]

Holiday-lets now account for as much as 7% of total homes across 15 of the nation’s most popular staycation destinations, with just one seeing a decline in holiday-let property market prominence, research reveals. The findings come from the estate agent comparison site, GetAgent.co.uk, which looked at active holiday rentals in 15 popular tourist towns, including […]

Hello everyone, I am going to respond to the government’s White Paper consultation. Firstly, there appears to be less support for PRS landlords than we had been led to believe the new Bill would offer. As someone with a small portfolio, and experience of Selective Licensing, we will get less support to deliver safe and […]

Responding to concerns about the application of the Government’s Energy Bill Support Scheme in the private rented sector, Ben Beadle, Chief Executive of the National Residential Landlords Association, said: “Payments from the Government’s Energy Bill Support Scheme are not due to begin until October. Given this, it is irresponsible scaremongering on the part of some […]

This time last year we saw landlords across the UK in solution mode: paying off tax bills, going through incorporations, the mindset was that of weathering the storm. But a year on, there’s no denying that we’re likely heading for property market realignment. Recession is looming and, with all the regulation changes over the past […]

The UK’s house prices fell slightly by 0.1% in July compared with June – that’s the first fall seen since June 2021, according to Halifax. The lender says that the average home price in July was £293,221 and they are warning that house prices could fall further after the Bank of England raised interest rates […]

Rental reform should be the focus of any debate about property in the leadership race to find the next Prime Minister, the Association of Independent Inventory Clerks (AIIC) says. The AIIC’s chair, Daniel Evans, said: “The latest chaos to surround Westminster could overshadow and delay the introduction of rental reform, leaving the lettings sector in […]

London Mayor Sadiq Khan is urging the next Prime Minister to bring in ‘tenant relocation payments’ when a renter is being moved through no fault of their own. He made the comments to the London Assembly during a debate on the Fairer Private Rented Sector White Paper that has been published by the government. The […]

The proportion of landlords operating in Outer London who have reported increasing demand from tenants has surged since the previous quarter, Paragon Bank reports. The bank says that it has carried out research that reveals in the first quarter of 2022, 79% of landlords who let homes in Outer London indicated that they had seen […]

The Bank of England Monetary Policy Committee (MPC) voted by a majority of 8 – 1 in favour of the Hawks to increase interest rates by 0.5% this month to a Base Rate of 1.75%. This is justified by a near doubling in wholesale gas prices since May, other global commodity price increases and global […]

When landlords need to claim against their insurance, the reasons can be mundane – or simply bizarre, as one landlord insurance firm has revealed. Total Landlord Insurance has released details of six of its most unusual claims. Melissa Choules, a claims specialist with the firm, said: “Sometimes, real life is stranger than fiction and as […]

The housing charity Shelter is warning that the government’s £400 energy rebate may see tenants missing out if their rent includes energy bills because the cash will be paid to the landlord. They say that tenants are at the ‘mercy of the landlord’ on whether they receive the financial support. Shelter’s chief executive, Polly Neate, […]

Moneyfacts Analyser has been updated so users will now be able to search and filter for ‘green’ residential and buy-to-let (BTL) mortgages. Currently, the system will provide details for 525 residential mortgages and 302 BTL mortgages in the green mortgage market. Green mortgages are gaining popularity with several lenders launching mortgages aimed at lending on […]

Fears have been raised that landlords could be pushed out of the market if tenants cannot afford to pay fast-rising rents with rising living costs. HomeLet has released data that shows that every UK region has seen monthly and annual rent price growth. The highest rent is in the capital where the average rent is […]

We are private landlords by default. For the past 5 years we have had a couple rent our property under an Assured Shorthold Tenancy agreement which includes a usual break clause. We are now looking to renew the tenancy agreement for another two years, but the letting agent suggests that we enter into a two-year […]

Hi, I understand that it’s best to consult a specialist lawyer but I thought I’d ask in case others are in the same position. I have properties in the U.K. in my personal name and am a higher-rate taxpayer. All the properties have mortgages secured against them. I am about to complete on a holiday […]

The UK’s leading student accommodation search engine says the supply of HMO student accommodation (Houses of Multiple Occupation) will be compromised under planned changes to tenancies as part of The Renters Reform Bill. This will, Accommodationforstudents.com says, result in fewer accommodation choices and higher rents for students. Currently, the UK student housing market offers students […]

Hot on the heels of yesterday’s news from Nationwide that house prices had rocketed in value by 11% over the past year, comes news from Zoopla that offers a different figure. The property website says that the UK’s house prices have risen by 8.3% in the last 12 months, bringing the average home price to […]