Ten years after the second home stamp duty surcharge was introduced, research from Hamptons suggests the PRS is 2.2 million homes smaller than it might otherwise have been. The surcharge came into force on 1 April 2016 for additional property purchases in England and Scotland, adding an extra 3% tax to landlord transactions. It marked […]

The Scottish government has announced it will provide £9 million in extra funding to tackle the Local Housing Allowance (LHA) freeze. During the Autumn Budget in England, ministers announced that LHA rates will remain frozen for a second consecutive year in 2026/27. The funding from the Scottish government comes as they announce a series of […]

Buy to let mortgage searches by advisors remained robust in February as landlords continued to review borrowing arrangements, even as purchase activity eased slightly. Figures from Twenty7tec’s latest Mortgage Market Snapshot show advisers carried out 291,468 buy to let searches during the month. That was 4% lower than January, although still 2% higher than the […]

An open letter to Shelter Scotland: if you want to work with landlords, let’s start with the evidence In a recent interview, Shelter’s new chief executive suggested the organisation is ready to work more closely with private landlords to address the housing crisis. LINK She said the housing sector would need to “work as a […]

I’m among the many landlords across England who are watching the clock tick down to May 1 with keen interest for when Section 21 ‘no-fault’ evictions end under the Renters’ Rights Act. And no, it’s not so I can gloat when tenant evictions, apparently the ‘main cause of homelessness’ schtick we are constantly bombarded with, […]

Landlords looking to refinance or arrange new buy to let borrowing are facing shrinking mortgage choice and higher rates as lenders respond to market volatility linked to the Iranian conflict. Figures from Moneyfactscompare.co.uk, produced for Property118.com, show the number of buy to let mortgage products fell from 5,660 on 1 March to 5,081 by 12 […]

Landlords planning to sell a property directly to the tenant already living in it could find the process easier after new mortgage criteria were introduced to support discounted sales. Nottingham Building Society has updated its lending rules to allow concessionary purchases from landlords. This will enable a landlord to sell a home to the sitting […]

Propertymark has published housing manifestos for the Scottish and Welsh elections in May, setting out proposals it says are intended to address pressures affecting landlords, renters, buyers and sellers. The organisation says the plans draw on the experience of property professionals working across the market. The plans focus on issues including housing supply, affordability, environmental […]

Landlords preparing for the Renters’ Rights Act may need to rethink how they keep track of property condition once fixed-term tenancies disappear, research reveals. The findings from Inventory Base suggest many landlords plan only limited inspections after the shift to indefinite periodic tenancies. The survey of 800 landlords indicates that 46% expect to inspect their […]

A tenant group has slammed the government over the fees tenants must pay to access rent tribunals. A story in the Mirror claims the Renters’ Reform Coalition has written to Housing Minister Matthew Pennycook, claiming tribunals will be the only way tenants can challenge rent rises and the fees will “undermine security for millions of […]

Sharp rises in room rents across major UK cities are affecting affordability for tenants and shaping demand as a result. Research from flatshare site SpareRoom shows Belfast recorded the steepest increase among the UK’s 20 largest cities over the past five years. Average room rents in the Northern Irish capital climbed 53.2% between Q4 2020 […]

All tenants must have a new tenancy agreement and be given a copy of the ‘Information for tenants ‘ booklet. That’s fine, but my registered rents – Fair rents tenants have completely different rules. >> https://www.gov.uk/guidance/fair-rents I cannot put up the rent yearly. The rent is decided by the fair rent office and has to […]

April 2017 marked the beginning of one of the most consequential fiscal shifts in modern private renting. Section 24, the restriction on mortgage interest relief for individual landlords, was phased in over four years. It was presented as a fairness measure. Nearly a decade on, the deeper question is whether it achieved its wider economic […]

Hello, As an informative. I’m 73 and (hand) wrote a letter (a bit scrawly on unlined paper!) to HMRC. I mentioned my age, that my memory was not so good, I’m a bit doddery on my feet and not au fait with software although I can manage a basic spread sheet. I also said I […]

Landlords hoping to keep tenants in place for longer may need to focus less on rent levels and more on the relationship at the centre of the tenancy, research reveals. According to the Winter 2025/26 Lettings Report by LRG, it highlights that when asked what would most encourage them to stay long term, 68% of […]

The latest RICS survey shows that tenant demand is broadly stable over the three months to February, but landlord instructions are still in decline. The Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors’ survey also shows more members are expecting to rise over the next three months. Its UK Residential Market Survey also reveals that the housing market […]

It’s not due to take effect until 1 May, but one organisation is claiming that the Renters’ Rights Act is already driving a surge in tenant complaints. Figures published by The Property Ombudsman show a big rise in enquiries and complaints from tenants increasingly wanting independent support when disagreements with agents and managers arise. It […]

Average monthly rents moved in different directions across the country in February, with several regions recording increases while others registered short-term declines, Arla Propertymark reveals. Its latest rent and salary tracker shows the East Midlands recorded the strongest monthly rise with increases of 3.4% between January and February to £1,027. The North West followed with […]

Three years ago, landlords flocked to us to sell their properties. Interest rates had squeezed them, and they were desperate to steady the ship. Sound familiar? You might be one of them. We got to work, helping over 4,000 landlords sell their properties or downsize until the ships were indeed steadied. And we got the […]

The government has responded to a consultation to reform the Energy Performance Certificate (EPC) system to announce that planned reforms will not now take place until late next year. It says the move follows ‘engagement with industry’. The changes to the Energy Performance of Buildings regime set out plans to redesign EPCs so certificates show […]

Competition for rented homes has fallen to its lowest level in six years as demand eases and more properties become available to let, Zoopla has revealed. The property platform says renters are now making an average of 4.8 enquiries per property, down from 6.5 a year earlier. The change follows a 14% drop in demand […]