Page 46 – Property118
Landlord Insurance Blog featured image showing a house, shield, umbrella, policy document, tick and pound coins on a teal background.

Subsidence and ground movement – What landlords need to know

9th December 2025

Subsidence is one of the most disruptive and time-consuming perils a landlord can face. Unlike a burst pipe or storm damage, ground movement claims rarely resolve quickly. Investigations, monitoring and structural works can span many months, sometimes years, with cash flow consequences if the property is uninhabitable. This guide explains causes, warning signs, how insurers […]

Gavel poised above a model house highlighting council enforcement against rogue landlords

Renters’ Rights Act at risk without strong council enforcement – Generation Rent

9th December 2025

A tenant organisation has warned the Renters’ Rights Act could fail if councils do not rigorously enforce the law against criminal landlords. Writing in Inside Housing magazine, Generation Rent chief executive Ben Twomey argues the Act could become “no more than words on paper” without proper enforcement. Under the Renters’ Rights Act, councils will have […]

Rising property values shown through increasing house icons and an upward market trend line

Hamptons forecasts modest 2026 house price growth

9th December 2025

House prices are set to rise modestly next year by 2.5% across Great Britain in Q4 2026, Hamptons says. It is also predicting that inflation will ease, and mortgage rates will be lower. The firm says transactions should hold near 1.15 million as improving affordability counters economic and tax pressures. However, the outlook becomes more […]

Cartoon of a worried landlord holding an expired gas safety certificate while an inspector points at it, with a house and tenants in the background.

The safety certificate oversight that put a landlord at risk

9th December 2025

The landlord had arranged gas safety checks for years without issue. But one year, the reminder email from the engineer was missed, and the annual certificate expired unnoticed. When the council inspected after a tenant complaint, they found the property operating without a valid Gas Safety Record. The landlord faced enforcement action, including a fine, […]

Landlord at rental tax crossroads

Portugal cuts rental tax to 10%: A warning shot for the UK?

8th December 2025

Recent announcements from the Portuguese Government, including a proposed reduction of income tax on residential rental income to 10% or even 0% in some cases, have captured the attention of UK landlords. The move contrasts strongly with UK policy direction and raises two important questions: Is Portugal positioning itself as a more attractive reinvestment destination […]

Hands typing on a laptop with digital privacy and security graphics overlaying the screen

Government promises to address landlord privacy concerns amid PRS database rollout

8th December 2025

The government claim they “will try to balance landlords’ privacy concerns with private tenants’ needs to make informed decisions” for the Private Rented Sector (PRS) database. Many landlords are concerned about what details will be included in the PRS database, which is set to roll out in late 2026. The government claim they are still […]

House and tax blocks balanced on a seesaw illustrating changes to buy-to-let affordability

Buy to let lenders unveil new landlord deals and support

8th December 2025

Nottingham Building Society has moved to counter the impact of the government’s property tax hike by releasing a new set of buy to let products aimed at easing affordability for landlords. The launch follows the Autumn Budget announcement, which confirmed a 2% increase in property income tax from April 2027. The mutual has cut its […]

Energy-efficiency graphic with coins, EPC rating chart and a government official highlighting property upgrade costs

Rachel Reeves faces £7,550 bill to upgrade EPC rating on her rental home

8th December 2025

The Chancellor Rachel Reeves is facing a £7,550 bill to improve the energy performance of her London home under Labour’s tougher EPC rules for private landlords. The Daily Telegraph reports that her four-bedroom property in Dulwich is rated D, falling short of the proposed requirement for all new tenancies to meet EPC C by 2028 […]

Four more tax tribunal wins for taxpayers

8th December 2025

Following the strong engagement with my recent article about the Sehgal SDLT decision, many readers asked a natural question: “How often do taxpayers actually win at the tax tribunals, and is the system fair?” It is easy to assume HMRC always holds the upper hand. They have deep pockets, specialist litigation teams, and the ability […]

Boiler with icons representing gas and electric options for choosing a heating system in new flats

Gas or electric boiler for flats?

8th December 2025

Hello, I’m going through the process of building 2 x 1 bed flats. I’m at the stage of the predicted/design SAP/EPC’s to add to the bundle of info to send off for Build Reg approval and what type of heating source is the question. The question is: should I go for a gas boiler or […]

Children sitting by a window with a painted rainbow, symbolising how housing tax changes may impact families.

Labour’s housing policies will push more kids into poverty

8th December 2025

Chancellor Rachel Reeves says she’s lifting half a million children out of poverty. Hang on a minute, how’s she doing that then? She’s just put an extra 2% on rental income. Where does a landlady get her rent from? Normally, a family, a woman. Oh, I see, does this woman have kids? Yes normally. If […]

Red downward trend arrow with pound symbol pointing toward a house to illustrate the financial impact of selective licensing.

Landlords win concessions on licensing fees but costs will still hit renters

8th December 2025

A landlord organisation has welcomed a council’s decision to reduce a selective licensing fee and scale back inspections, but warns the move will ultimately increase costs for tenants. The Eastern Landlords Association (ELA) had opposed Great Yarmouth Borough Council’s selective licensing scheme, which was set to cover 5,000 properties at an original cost of £784 […]

Construction worker laying mortar on a brick wall during discussion of UK build-to-rent growth

Build to rent completions rise as construction pipeline slows

8th December 2025

The build to rent sector has delivered another strong quarter, adding more than 3,700 new homes across the UK, even as construction activity shows signs of cooling. Fresh analysis from Property Inspect reveals that 139,132 BTR units had been completed by Q3 2025, a quarterly lift of 2.7% and an annual jump of 13.6%. However, […]

Cartoon of a landlord holding an insurance policy while an insurance agent rejects a claim, with a leaking house in the background.

The insurance disclosure failure that voided a claim

8th December 2025

The landlord had buildings insurance in place but failed to notify the insurer that the property was rented out. When a serious leak caused thousands of pounds of damage, they submitted a claim. The insurer investigated and discovered the property was let to tenants, something not disclosed when the policy was taken out. The claim […]

BTL Mortgage Blog featured image showing a house, key, calculator, percentage sign and pound coins on a teal background.

Case study: The landlord who expanded using buy to let gearing

8th December 2025

For landlords, growth often depends on using gearing – borrowing against equity in existing properties to fund further acquisitions. In 2025, with property values stabilising and lenders reintroducing more competitive products, gearing remains one of the most powerful tools for portfolio expansion. This case study illustrates how one landlord used refinancing and sensible leverage to […]

Dear 30-Year-Old Me: The Tightrope Between Wealth and Life

7th December 2025

You already know how to create and multiply wealth, that won’t ever be your problem. While others are chasing stable income and luxuries, you’ll already see the bigger picture: how time and debt can be transformed into equity, how every £1 million borrowed today and sensibly invested into properties with strong capital appreciation prospects becomes […]

Knight-themed Landlord Crusader logo symbolizing landlord advocacy

Tell me again why landlords should persist in a PRS rigged against them

5th December 2025

I think the kids call it doom scrolling, when you can’t stop reading negative news stories and comments on social media. In my case, the landlords on X/Twitter have had a field day after the Budget and its potential impact. I made a crack last week about getting those landlords who don’t engage with what’s […]

Digital padlock symbolising compliance and accountability in the private rented sector

Landlords must stay signed up to Ombudsman as scheme set to become mandatory

5th December 2025

The government has confirmed landlords will need to stay signed up to the Private Rented Sector Ombudsman, even after they’ve left the rental market, as it releases further guidance. However, landlord organisation says the move is “disproportionate and administratively unfair” and claims it amounts to an “exit tax for landlords.” The scheme will be mandatory […]

Halifax logo and digital houses with a graph and a person writing in the background

UK house prices stall as annual growth slows – Halifax

5th December 2025

House prices were flat in November as the market paused after several steady months of gains, the latest Halifax House Price Index reveals. The average home price now stands at £299,892, only £138 higher than October and just enough to set a new record. Yearly growth dropped back to 0.7%, down sharply from October’s 1.9%. […]

Angry landlord tearing paperwork while reacting to selective licensing concerns

Landlords blast selective licensing scheme as anger grows after first year

5th December 2025

Angry landlords have hit out at their town’s selective licensing scheme, a year after it was introduced. They accuse the council of creating higher rents, driving evictions and worsening local housing pressures, Teesside Live reports. The five-year scheme, covering central Stockton, north Thornaby and Newtown, has issued more than 1,400 licences since its launch. Landlord […]