A councillor has warned that landlords in Blackpool could sell up as they struggle to pay “massive selective licensing fees.” In Blackpool, the selective licensing fee costs £772 for a five-year licence, although some discounts are available. However, Reform councillor Emma Ellison warned that landlords are struggling to set up a payment plan, as they […]

Background: For HMO’s, the landlord is responsible for paying the Council Tax (CT), and will then add CT to the general costs of managing and maintaining the property, which in turn influences the rent each tenant is asked to pay. The DWP is rolling out Universal Credit (UC) and the rent payment part of UC […]

The Scottish Housing Secretary has written to the UK government, warning that the continued freeze of Local Housing Allowance (LHA) is making it harder for lower-income renters to access the private rented sector. During the Autumn Budget, ministers announced that LHA rates will remain frozen for a second consecutive year in 2026/27. In a letter […]

England’s rental market showed further signs of cooling last month, with slower annual rent growth and longer void periods hinting that intense tenant competition may be easing. The latest Goodlord Rental Index found that rents rose by 2.4% year-on-year in January. That compares with a 4.6% annual increase recorded in January 2025, pointing to a […]

Two councils have launched a campaign to raise awareness of the risks of damp and mould, urging landlords and letting agents to sign up. Hull City Council and East Riding of Yorkshire Council are promoting the Healthy Homes campaign on social media and in GP surgeries across the region. The councils say 26 letting agents […]

Propertymark has urged the government to set out clear plans for future energy efficiency standards in commercial property. It warns that agents are being left to operate without direction as major investment decisions loom. The professional body has written to Martin McCluskey, the minister for energy consumers, calling for immediate guidance on Minimum Energy Efficiency […]

The government has announced it will support landlords transitioning to Making Tax Digital (MTD) by waiving penalty points for late submissions during the first 12 months. 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 […]

Landlords could be forced to install heat pumps to meet EPC C targets, as rumours suggest the government is considering rules that could prevent properties with gas boilers from achieving an EPC C rating. A story in The Telegraph claims that with the government changing the way EPCs are calculated using a new metric system […]

Two-thirds of landlords who are planning to raise rents say looming tax changes are the reason for doing so, a survey reveals. The findings follow the Chancellor’s latest Budget, which set out proposals to lift income tax on rental earnings by two percentage points from 2027. The Office for Budget Responsibility has already cautioned that […]

Many property investors don’t get stuck because there are no deals available. They get stuck because they are unsure how to quickly judge which opportunities are worth their time. When everything looks possible, nothing moves forward. That hesitation leads to endless browsing, overthinking numbers, and waiting for the perfect deal that never quite appears. The […]

I don’t really use Facebook but was surprised to see a post from one of the tenants’ campaign groups come on my feed. If you’ve never had the joy of appreciating how a tenant activist organisation thinks and what landlords are having to deal with, please read on. If you are of a nervous disposition, […]

The average UK house price rose in January, with prices climbing 0.7% after they had dropped by 0.5% in December, Halifax reports. Its latest index puts the average home at £300,077, the first time the figure has surpassed £300,000. Annual growth also strengthened, edging up to 1% from 0.4% in December. Halifax says the market […]

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 […]