Making Tax Digital (MTD) is coming. After years of delays, consultation papers, and pilot schemes, HMRC is finally moving ahead with its digital reporting overhaul for landlords and the self-employed. But before you panic about quarterly submissions, it’s worth asking a simpler question: Does MTD even apply to you yet? Click here to join the […]

Houses in Multiple Occupation (HMOs) carry different risks from standard single-lets. Multiple unrelated tenants, higher footfall, more complex fire safety requirements and increased wear all change how insurers underwrite the risk. The short answer is yes – HMOs typically require specific wording or endorsements, and insurers expect tighter compliance. This article outlines what good HMO […]

The UK’s Build to Rent (BTR) market has attracted more than £3 billion in investments in the first nine months of 2025, reflecting robust growth despite economic challenges. According to Knight Frank, the sector’s momentum is holding strong, with a 35% year-on-year increase in investment volumes in the third quarter alone, reaching £850 million. The […]

Freeholders launched a case under human rights law, claiming their rights would be infringed if leaseholders were allowed to benefit from the Leasehold and Freehold Reform Act 2024. However, they lost! This was the summary conclusion: ‘For all these reasons, we conclude that the measures under challenge, the Ground Rent Cap, the Marriage Value Reform […]

A damning report from the Home Affairs Committee has exposed a shambolic asylum seeker accommodation system, costing taxpayers billions due to the Home Office’s ‘incompetent’ mismanagement. The department’s reliance on hotels as the main solution for housing asylum seekers has spiralled into a costly, unpopular and unfit system, MPs say. What began as a temporary […]

The Housing Minister Matthew Pennycook has boasted on passing the Renters’ Rights Bill: “The bill will improve the lives of England’s 11 million private renters. It is a transformational piece of legislation”. I asked AI and it doesn’t exactly agree. AI says this:  There is no exact, up-to-date figure for the total number of rental […]

A landlord organisation warns the Renters’ Rights Bill is “anti-tenant rather than pro-tenant.” iHowz welcomes the immediate enactment of the Act, which has now become law, to end uncertainty for landlords and tenants but warns that the legislation is deeply flawed and could do more harm than good. The association believes the student rental market […]

Shawbrook, Landbay, Gatehouse Bank and Vida have each rolled out changes to their buy to let offerings, catering to a wide range of investors from first-time landlords to seasoned portfolio holders. Shawbrook has revamped its BTL range, introducing greater flexibility for brokers and their clients. The lender has replaced its Digital BTL product with the […]

Legal & General has unveiled a major £2 billion investment package to support regional regeneration, build 10,000 social and affordable homes, and create 24,000 jobs across the UK by 2030. The group’s latest commitment strengthens its focus on combining financial returns with clear social benefits. The cash will target infrastructure, housing and urban development in […]

Financial conversations around renting should begin much earlier in life because a lack of understanding is leaving many first-time renters anxious and unprepared, research reveals. According to rental guarantor service, Housing Hand, just 2% of renters said they received any information at school about managing housing-related finances. And the company’s Understanding Renters in 2025 report […]

Mark Alexander’s recent article about malicious damage made interesting reading, but leaves out one scenario which I`m sure would be of interest to landlords. Take a situation, for example, where a landlord has evicted a tenant, whatever the reason. Often the tenant has been anti-social and upset neighbours, etc, but even when that is not […]

This piece is part of our Unbelievable Letting Agent Fails series. Today’s story was first reported in the United Kingdom. In one of the most avoidable blunders imaginable, a letting agent misplaced the master key set for a multi unit building. Overnight, every tenant was affected and every landlord faced security worries and unexpected costs. […]

Some landlords believe that renting their own properties to their own Limited Company creates a more tax-efficient structure. In reality, it can lead to penalties for under-declaring tax. The reasoning behind the concept sounds simple enough. Individual income tax rates can reach 45 per cent, and for those earning over £100,000, the withdrawal of personal […]

Every landlord knows that mortgage rates make or break portfolio cashflow. With thousands of fixed-rate deals coming to an end in 2025, the big question is simple: where are buy-to-let mortgage rates heading? While no one has a crystal ball, we can look at the economic signals, lender behaviour and regulatory environment to forecast likely […]

A landlord compliance expert warns the Renters’ Rights Bill is being mis-sold to the public as protecting tenants, but instead is protecting council budgets through tougher civil penalties. Des Taylor from Landlord Licensing & Defence says landlords could face waiting 12 to 16 months to gain back possession of their property under the Renters’ Rights […]

London’s second homeowners face a Capital Gains Tax (CGT) bill of thousands of pounds, according to new research. Over the past decade, rising property values have left many London investors facing significantly higher CGT bills when selling a second home. However, the Prime London market has remained largely unscathed, and in some cases has even […]

Uncertainty around the Autumn Budget and Renters’ Rights Bill sees a slowdown in the number of new rental properties coming onto the market, according to a new report. Rightmove’s Rental Trends Tracker reveals that the pace at which fresh rental properties are listed has slowed in recent months, now standing just 1% ahead of this […]

With Awaab’s Law coming into effect today for social housing landlords, private landlords are being urged to prepare ahead of it being introduced to the private rented sector. Under Awaab’s Law, social housing landlords must provide alternative accommodation if they fail to fix emergency hazards within strict timeframes. Serious issues such as damp and mould […]

An association warns extending National Insurance on rental income will have serious unintended consequences for small landlords and create a two-tier system. The Intermediary Mortgage Lenders Association (IMLA) warns the rumoured proposal could cause landlords to leave the market and push landlords’ tax rates “to unsuitable levels.” According to IMLA’s report, The November Budget 2025: […]

Can anyone else get over the stupidity of forcing landlords to keep properties which fail to sell empty for in excess of 12 months? I put 6 rental properties on the market this summer, and between them knocked up over 40 months of voids before one sold, and I re-let the others. The upshot has […]

The government has announced new emergency measures to tackle London housebuilding targets by slashing affordable housing requirements to 20%. After weeks of speculation, the government unveiled the Homes for London plan, offering temporary relief from the Community Infrastructure Levy (CIL). This includes 50% borough CIL relief for qualifying schemes that commit to delivering at least […]