In the beginning (1980), I thought it was a great idea to invest in property and buy my flat in London and keep it when I moved out to get married to provide someone else with a home to live in. It seemed a more sensible use of the money than to put it in […]

Bolton Council has opened a public consultation on plans to introduce an Additional Licensing Scheme covering Houses in Multiple Occupation across the borough. The move follows the Article 4 Direction introduced last June, which tightened planning controls on converting existing homes into shared accommodation. Under that change, any HMO conversion now requires full planning permission […]

Houses in multiple occupation (HMOs) prove to be most profitable for landlords as economic pressures mount, according to a new survey. Data by Pegasus Insight reveals HMOs continue to outperform, delivering the highest rental yields in the private rented sector at 7.3%. The firm says some landlords are beginning to feel the strain as regulatory […]

The Leasehold Advisory Service (LEASE) has launched the first phase of a major digital refresh by rolling out a redesigned website. It now features a Lease Length Checker which is aimed at giving leaseholders quicker access to clear, practical guidance. The update marks the opening stage of a wider programme of service improvements, with further […]

A council has unveiled a city-wide crackdown on social housing tenancy fraud, beginning with a key amnesty that allows tenants to return properties without penalty if they are renting them out illegally. The amnesty runs until the end of the month and marks the first phase of a wider enforcement campaign targeting fraudulent use of […]

The number of rough sleepers and homelessness in Scotland has doubled, according to new figures. Data by the Scottish government reveals homelessness has gone up nearly 20%, and the number of children in temporary accommodation has gone up 26%, the highest level since numbers began. The Scottish Association of Landlords (SAL) is calling on the […]

Shelter’s new chief executive hints she is willing to work with private landlords to tackle the housing crisis. In an interview with Inside Housing, Sarah Elliott says she has had a constructive meeting with the chief executive of a landlord association. Ms Elliott became the head of Shelter in September last year, after Polly Neate […]

The Green Party leader has claimed “landlords can charge whatever they want” as he calls for rent controls to be introduced. In an interview on the BBC, Zach Polanski claimed Mayors should have the power to cap rents. The Green Party previously passed a motion at their party conference to abolish landlords. If you are […]

UK rents slipped for a second month in a row in January, adding to signs that rapid growth may finally be running out of steam as the Renters’ Rights Act moves closer. The latest HomeLet Rental Index shows the average UK rent eased to £1,302 in January 2026, down 1.1% month-on-month from £1,317 in December. […]

A Welsh Conservative MS has slammed the Welsh government for legislation that has driven landlords out of the market and forced people into temporary accommodation. During a Senedd debate on housing, Plaid Cymru MS Siân Gwenllian warned that Wales is facing a housing crisis, with many people stuck in temporary accommodation. However, Welsh Conservative MS […]

Hi, would like some advice. A small development’s residents pay a rent charge for communal areas (garden, fences, lights, etc.). The company was set up with shareholders, with every resident having one share and voting rights. There have been lots of issues with the company not following proper procedures. I have now found out that […]

Lower-priced parts of the country recorded the strongest rises in property asking prices last year as buyers continued to chase affordability, Rightmove reveals. Its analysis of millions of listings, enquiries and transactions shows that areas with cheaper homes consistently outperformed higher-value markets in 2025. Of the 50 local areas with the fastest growth in asking […]

The energy efficiency of housing stock in England has improved, according to the latest English Housing Survey. Despite an improvement in energy efficiency, the survey claims damp and mould are most prevalent in the private rented sector. Propertymark says the government must provide practical support for landlords, as all private rented properties will need to […]

The Scottish government has laid secondary legislation to exempt build-to-rent and mid-market rent homes from private rented sector rent controls. The move is aimed at unlocking stalled investment and accelerating new housing delivery. The regulations, introduced under the Housing (Scotland) Act, follow almost two years of amendments to the original Bill, which was passed in […]

The government is apparently working on a fix to an anomaly in the Renters’ Rights Act that could see huge numbers of tenants paying stamp duty. According to the Financial Times, under current tax rules, an indefinite or periodic tenancy requires a stamp duty land tax calculation each year. Liability is triggered once cumulative rent […]

I am in the process of evicting an HMO tenant and have been told that even if we get a possession order, it can take a year, and he’s already 5 months behind on his rent. If only the arrears were the worst bit! With that in mind, I have a couple of questions: If […]

The government claims a digitised court system will help landlords, as warnings suggest the Renters’ Rights Act could overwhelm the courts. In answer to a written question, Labour’s Baroness Levitt said a digital service will help landlords file possession claims. However, many industry experts have warned the government has not given clarity on how the […]

Annual house prices grew 1% in January, with values rising 0.3% on a month-on-month basis after seasonal adjustment. According to Nationwide, the modest uplift marks a reversal from December, when yearly growth slowed to 0.6%. The average house price, on a non-adjusted basis, is £270,873, slightly below the £271,068 recorded a month earlier. Robert Gardner, […]

A third of temporary accommodation is deemed inappropriate and poses a risk to tenants, with more than half showing signs of damp and mould, according to new data. Findings by Switch Management reveal that, despite Awaab’s Law coming into force last year for social housing, local authorities are still struggling to deal with damp and […]

Older flatsharers are becoming more prominent in the flatshare market, as younger renters are priced out by high rents, according to new research. Data from SpareRoom reveals under-25s account for just over a quarter (26%) of the flatshare market, down from almost a third (32%) a decade ago. Meanwhile, renters aged 45 and over now […]

Stabilising house prices and falling mortgage rates are beginning to restore confidence among aspiring homeowners, but property tax remains a significant obstacle, Propertymark says. The industry body says forecasts pointing to modest house price growth in 2026, combined with easing borrowing costs, suggest the housing market is moving away from recent volatility. For first-time buyers […]