Buy to let lenders are sharpening pricing and criteria as landlords brace for a surge in refinancing activity in 2026. The Mortgage Lender has reduced selected five-year fixed rate standard BTL products by 5bps. The move is timed to coincide with what many expect to be one of the busiest remortgage cycles in recent years. […]

All privately rented homes in one London borough must now be licensed under new rules. The council says the move will expose unregistered landlords to prosecution and heavy financial penalties. A fresh requirement covering smaller Houses in Multiple Occupation has now formally taken effect. That scheme is now sitting alongside existing schemes for larger shared […]

It’s long been a concern of landlords, even before the soon-to-be-overburdening Renters’ Rights Act, that the court system for housing is broken and set to deteriorate rapidly from May this year, when the Act comes into force. In response to this, landlords and letting agents may be interested to know that a government petition calling […]

The Bank of England has kept interest rates at 3.75%, leaving borrowing costs at their lowest point since February 2023. However, experts are predicting that rate reductions will be seen in the Spring. The decision by the Bank’s Monetary Policy Committee was widely anticipated by economists and financial markets. Most forecasts had pointed to a […]

HMRC will write to thousands of landlords in the coming weeks ahead of the rollout of Making Tax Digital (MTD). Under the controversial scheme, from April this year, landlords earning more than £50,000 will be required to keep digital records and submit quarterly updates to HMRC using authorised MTD-compliant software. HMRC will contact landlords with […]

Most landlords remain profitable, but confidence is under strain as the Renters’ Rights Act edges closer, research reveals. The findings from Aldermore show 85% of landlords are currently making a profit from their portfolios, with just 6% reporting losses. Yet the same research highlights widespread anxiety about what lies ahead once the RRA begins rolling […]

A dramatic rise in second homes and Airbnb-style holiday lets has driven families out of their communities as landlords prioritise profitability, according to a new report. Research by Generation Rent found that by 2022, there were more than 330,000 holiday homes in England, accounting for around 7% of the private rented sector. The tenant group […]

Hi, we are in the process of buying a flat with tenants in situ. Their lease expires at the beginning of August. We have met them, and they said they plan to leave on that date. Before we complete the purchase, we plan to meet the tenants again and are considering whether it is better […]

House prices in England and Wales have risen, narrowing the traditional North-South gap, according to new figures. Data from Garrington Property Finders reveals a new set of hotspots in its Best Places to Live index, with average property prices rising 1.4% in England and 1.5% in Wales. The firm says the Bank of England base […]

Four in 10 landlords are planning to refinance their buy to let property over the next year, research from Paragon Bank has found. It says that 39% of landlords expect to remortgage or switch products during 2026. More than half of landlords holding four or more buy to let mortgages, (53%), say they plan to […]

Sky-rocketing rents are pushing millions of renters into poverty, a charity has claimed. A report by the Joseph Rowntree Foundation reveals soaring rents have pushed two million private renters below the poverty line. The charity is urging the government to tackle high housing costs and strengthen support for renters. A third of renters living in […]

Letting agents should start preparing for the Renters’ Rights Act sooner rather than later, claims firm. Property inventory firm No Letting Go, warn rules are already in place for councils under the Renters’ Rights Act to carry out surprise inspections. The firm warns letting agents should treat the current period as a live compliance phase […]

Housing disrepair claims now risk doing more harm than good for tenants, a legal expert has warned. Des Taylor, a legal expert at Landlord Licensing & Defence, says the current system has become driven by financial incentives for solicitors, often rewarding legal process over practical outcomes. Mr Taylor is calling on the government to fix […]

The government claims it is “standing up for tenants” by introducing EPC C targets for landlords, despite concerns over the costs involved. In response to a written question, the Minister for Energy Consumers, Martin McCluskey, said that under the Warm Homes Plan, tenants will save money on their energy bills. The government also said landlords […]

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 […]