This piece is part of our Unbelievable Letting Agent Fails series. Today’s story was first reported in the United Kingdom. Prospective tenants expect to step inside a property during a viewing. In this case, a letting agent allegedly asked viewers to pay a £50 fee to look at a flat from the pavement, peering through […]

Officials in the Treasury and the Department of Energy Security and Net Zero (DESNZ) are arguing over how much landlords should pay for energy efficiency upgrades to reach EPC C targets, claims The Times. The Times reports that rows between the two departments centre on the Warm Homes Plan, which aims to help homeowners save […]

Housing Minister Matthew Pennycook says introducing rent controls will make life more difficult for renters and landlords. In response to a written question, Mr Pennycook says the government has no plans to introduce rent controls. The news comes after London Mayor Sadiq Khan claimed the “power to cap rents” is top of his list under […]

Average rents continue to outpace Local Housing Allowance rates (LHA), pushing families into homelessness, according to a new report. Data by property consultants SimplyPhi reveal 26,064 properties were available to rent in London, however, only 1% were available to rent at LHA rates. The news comes after the National Residential Landlords Association (NRLA) and Shelter, […]

Letting agents are being warned to follow the rules or face fines, as despite new sanctions checks coming into force, some are still not complying. According to Goodlord, more than a quarter (28%) of large letting agencies (those with 11 or more staff) aren’t currently performing Politically Exposed Person (PEPs) and sanctions checks, even though […]

Arrears in the buy to let sector have dipped, but repossessions are on the rise, according to the latest figures from UK Finance. At the end of the second quarter of 2025, 11,270 BTL mortgages were in arrears of more than 2.5% of the outstanding balance. That’s a drop of 560 cases from the previous […]

Private rents across the UK rose by 5.5% in the year to September, reaching an average of £1,354 per month, the Office for National Statistics reveals. Its latest Price Index of Private Rents shows that while rents rose sharply, the rate of growth has eased from 5.7% recorded in August. England saw average monthly rents […]

A survey has revealed that 68.6% of students have never heard of the Renters’ Rights Bill, despite it being due to reshape the student accommodation landscape as early as next year. The findings from StuRents point to a knowledge gap among student renters, even as the legislation threatens to disrupt long-standing tenancy patterns. The proposed […]

When a tenant pays a deposit, it is a legal requirement that it must be registered with a government-approved tenancy deposit scheme. Failure to do so can result in the tenant reclaiming up to three times the value of the deposit, plus the original amount. For landlords, this is a serious risk if they rely […]

The Renters’ Rights Bill is expected to become law shortly after the Commons approves the final version of the bill. Housing Minister Matthew Pennycook says the government will set out, as soon as possible, a plan for the bill’s implementation, but gave no specific date for when this will happen. Under the bill, Section 21 […]

If you’re a landlord or homeowner looking to sell, you’re probably noticing the market is pretty dire right now. Great if you want to buy – houses are going at a pinch –  but not so great for those looking to sell. Whatever your reasons for selling, you’ve no doubt gone through the same journey […]

The rumoured proposal of introducing National Insurance on rental income could benefit older landlords. Media reports suggest Chancellor Rachel Reeves could announce in the Autumn Budget that millions of landlords may be hit by plans to impose National Insurance contributions on rental income, generating around £2 billion in additional revenue. However, PropTech firm Reapit claims […]

An MP has called for greater eviction protection for tenants from landlords who have received grants to improve a rented property’s energy performance certificate (EPC) rating. In a written question, Democratic Unionist Party (DUP) MP Jim Shannon asked whether the government “has made an assessment of the potential merits of introducing tenants’ protections from eviction, […]

Social housing landlords must not blame tenants’ lifestyles for damp and mould problems, and private rented homes could be used as alternative accommodation if they fail to fix hazards under Awaab’s law. The government has published guidance for social housing landlords ahead of the law coming into effect on Monday, 27 October, where social housing […]

I recently left a court hearing somewhat bemused after a rapid-fire interrogation of the bundle provided. It appears I hadn’t ticked the right box on a form, and with the hearing now adjourned for two months, I’m left in a difficult position with tenants wanting to move in, yet I can’t get rid of the […]

For landlords looking to add value, development finance is a crucial tool. Whether converting a house into an HMO, redeveloping flats, or upgrading a mixed-use property, these projects often require funding beyond the scope of a standard mortgage. Development finance provides the bridge between vision and completion – but it comes with its own rules, […]

Imagine signing a tenancy agreement for a flat you’ve never seen, only to discover that the property doesn’t even exist. That is exactly what happened in this unbelievable letting agent fail. A tenant, desperate to secure accommodation quickly, relied on the agent’s assurances and photos of a “newly refurbished one-bedroom flat”. After paying rent in […]

With rents climbing by nearly £80 a week over the past five years and as more than a third of Brits live in rented homes, the best cities for renters have been revealed. Landlord insurance firm Alan Boswell Group says it has found where tenants have it easiest to find a new home in the […]

A major new selective licensing scheme to cover a fifth of Leeds’ private rented sector has been approved by councillors, despite landlords voicing strong opposition to the plans. The scheme will launch in February next year, with the council saying it will tackle poor housing standards and improve tenants’ quality of life. Covering around 12,500 […]

Right to Rent fines have soared, with landlords and letting agents facing a big rise in enforcement since late 2024. Home Office data shows that fines reached £4.2 million, compared with £596,400 in the previous period. That’s a sevenfold increase that signals a tougher stance on landlords and agents failing to carry out tenant verification, […]

Buy to let lending has taken a sharp fall, with Bank of England figures showing a 12.5% drop in loans agreed between June and August. The slump follows three consecutive quarters of growth and signals a sudden loss of confidence among landlords as speculation mounts over possible tax hikes in the upcoming Autumn Budget. Peter […]