A council has received a C3 grading from the Regulator of Social Housing (RSH) for failing to address potential hazards, including more than 3,000 overdue fire remedial actions. Broxtowe Borough Council has claimed its focus is to “deliver safe, high-quality homes”. Manchester City Council also received a C2 grading from the RSH. Committed to learning […]

Nearly nine in 10 landlords say they are worried about Making Tax Digital (MTD), with many unclear about its requirements and now one industry expert says they shouldn’t be punished for mistakes in the early stages of its roll out. MTD is HMRC’s overhaul of the tax system that requires landlords who meet the criteria […]

The strongest landlord yields are concentrated in Scotland, Wales and parts of the North, according to research from Dwelly. Its study examined government house price records and the latest ONS rental figures to highlight where returns remain most resilient. The analysis comes after the OBR confirmed that tax on property income, savings and dividends will […]

Two in five renters who are considering a move say they could be forced to relocate to a cheaper area this year due to rising rents, research reveals. According to CIA Landlords, a poll found that 40% of renters who are thinking about moving say they are likely to so because rents have become unaffordable. […]

Strong presentation increases approval odds and improves terms. Commercial lenders assess the business behind the properties, not just the bricks and mortar. This guide shows landlords exactly what to include, how to package it, and how to avoid the common gaps that slow decisions. The Core Pack Lenders Expect Portfolio schedule with address, unit type, […]

The Renters’ Rights Act is trying to prevent overt discrimination (blanket no DSS policies) when private letting. At the moment, if a tenant approaches you, and they are claiming benefits at an existing address, then this claim is tied to this specific circumstance at this particular time, i.e. at X address and X benefit subsidy […]

A Welsh council has confirmed that second homes will not be affected by its empty homes plan. Pembrokeshire Council has approved its Empty Properties Strategic Plan for 2025–30, which could allow the authority to force the sale of long-term empty properties. During the council meeting, councillors reassured members that the power would be used only […]

I suspect that one of the big differences when the Renters’ Rights Act 2025 comes into force after 1 May 2026 is that there will be more enforcement action from local authorities. Not initially, maybe.  But local authorities, after 1 May, will be under a legal duty, under section 107 of the act,  to enforce […]

Landbay has rolled out new buy to let products and reduced pricing across its Premier range, targeting landlords approaching the end of existing deals or planning new purchases. The lender has introduced two additional two-year fixed rate options at 75% LTV, offering a 5.24% deal with no fee and an alternative priced at 2.74%, carrying […]

Most landlords understand public liability, but fewer appreciate when the law requires employers’ liability (EL). If you directly employ anyone to work on your rental business, you’ll usually need EL by law. Fines for non-compliance are steep, and injury claims from workers can be financially devastating. This article explains when EL is compulsory, the grey […]

Nationwide says that improving affordability last year helped more first-time buyers onto the property ladder. Its latest Housing Affordability Report shows that slower house price growth, rising incomes and lower mortgage costs all played a part. The building society says price rises have remained well below earnings growth while mortgage rates have continued to fall. […]

The property market has rebounded at the start of 2026, with the highest number of homes for sale in eight years, according to new data. Research from property portal Zoopla shows buyer demand has surged, although it remains 10% below levels seen at the start of 2025. However, demand is more than 20% higher than […]

Flats and terraced properties delivered the strongest increases in gross rental yields during 2025, with Wales and the North East leading regional performance. That’s according to lending data from Paragon Bank, which found that gross yields on flats ended the year at 6.33%, up 0.24 percentage points on the same point a year earlier. Terraced […]

The National Residential Landlords Association (NRLA) has warned court capacity could be overwhelmed by the Renters’ Rights Act. In a letter to the Justice Select Committee, NRLA chief executive Ben Beadle pointed out that landlords are having to wait weeks for court hearings to regain possession of their properties. With three months to go until […]

We had planned to sell our 4 BTLs when we retired in 2015, but time seems to have slipped by, and we are still trapped with 3 of them. Two of them have been tenanted by the same people since 2006, and the third is currently vacant. With all the nasty stuff coming down the […]

The average asking price of newly listed homes jumped to £368,031 in January, marking a 2.8% rise from December and the biggest January increase ever recorded. According to Rightmove, the £9,893 monthly increase is also the strongest rise seen in any month since June 2015. National prices are now 0.5% above levels seen a year […]

Coventry for Intermediaries has rolled out a new range of buy to let products aimed at landlords investing in energy-efficient homes, offering lower pricing for properties with stronger EPC scores. The new deals are open to both individual and limited company landlords and apply to homes rated A, B or C. The lender says the […]

Rental yields across England and Wales improved in the final quarter of 2025, extending gains seen earlier in the year, data shows. Fleet Mortgages says its research shows that the strength of the yields reinforces the appeal of buy to let investment. The lender’s Q4 Rental Barometer shows average returns rising on both an annual […]

Rents across Great Britain ended 2025 lower than where they began for the first time on record, as softer demand, easing pressures in London and falling investor activity reshaped the lettings market. The findings from Hamptons found that newly agreed rents dropped by 0.7%, marking the first full calendar year decline since its Lettings Index […]

Mortgage activity cooled sharply in December as the year closed, yet figures suggest the market finished 2025 in a firmer position than earlier in the autumn, according to the latest data from Twenty7tec. Buy to let searches dropped 23.06% month on month to 189,902 as advisers and borrowers stepped back over the festive period. However, […]

Zoopla is forecasting that the average UK house price will rise by 1.5% in 2026. It points to Scotland and Northern England for offering the strongest growth prospects fuelled by affordability and demand. The property portal’s analysis shows Scottish markets dominating the national rankings, taking nine of the top 10 positions. Motherwell leads the table, […]