Bristol City Council (BCC) are now doubling the cost of council tax (CT) charged to landlords for the amount due between tenancy end and new tenancy commencement. The bill I received yesterday showed the rateable amount plus a second line with the heading: 100% charge for second home. I rang immediately to query this. I […]

Speculation about new tax grabs on the private rented sector (PRS) could inflict long-term harm on the economy, a leading economist has warned. Paul Johnson, the former head of the Institute for Fiscal Studies, said talk of further taxes on landlords was ‘economically damaging’ and reflected ‘a lack of understanding about investors’. His comments came […]

West London’s Hounslow Council has intensified its enforcement action against landlords, fining them £180,000 in the past six months. ‘Rogue’ landlords who violate their ‘duty of care’ to tenants are the focus of it actions, it claims. Unlicensed Houses in Multiple Occupation (HMOs) were the target of the council’s most recent enforcement effort. The council […]

Buy to let brokers and landlords can access new products, BTL rate reductions and streamlined processes from Dudley Building Society, United Trust Bank and YBS Commercial Mortgages. Dudley Building Society has launched a fresh range of five-year fixed-rate expat BTL products, cutting rates by up to 81 basis points across its expat portfolio. The new […]

An industry body warns that with winter approaching, landlords should increase inspections after one landlord discovered severe black mould caused by tenants failing to ventilate a property. Propertymark has created a list for landlords and letting agents about different types of mould to look out for in a property and tips on what to do. […]

Many investors believe they need large amounts of cash to grow a property portfolio. They use their savings for deposits, maybe recycle some equity, then eventually hit a wall. Their capital is tied up, and they are forced to wait before buying again. This is where most investors get stuck. But the truth is, you […]

Prime rental values have continued to edge upwards in recent months despite the looming Renters’ Rights Bill, Savills says. Its latest figures show prime central London saw its sharpest rise since mid-2023. However, Savills recorded the strongest gains in regional towns and cities, where rents grew by 1.9% during the quarter. The return of international […]

Imagine logging into Airbnb and stumbling across your own property being advertised as a short-term holiday let. This nightmare scenario is exactly what happened to a landlord who discovered their letting agent had secretly listed the property online, pocketing the proceeds from short-term stays. The landlord had agreed a standard long-term tenancy. What they didn’t […]

Despite last-minute attempts to add more amendments to the Renters’ Rights Bill, Peers failed to make any changes to the legislation. Peers rejected an amendment to allow landlords to take a separate pet damage deposit of up to three weeks’ rent on top of the usual deposit cap. The government has not yet confirmed when […]

The Labour government has vowed to “sweep aside the blockers” as it announces amendments to the Planning and Infrastructure Bill. Under the amendments, ministers could gain new powers to prevent local councils from rejecting planning applications. The bill will return to the House of Lords next week for its report stage, where peers are set […]

With the party conference season now over for another year, a property firm says the main political parties are taking different approaches to housing policy. According to Inventory Base, while some parties are setting ambitious housebuilding targets, others are focusing on deregulation in the housing market. Labour repeated its manifesto commitment to build 1.5 million […]

“Government policies designed to protect tenants could end up harming exactly the people they are intended to help”, says Conservative activist and landlord. Writing in Conservative Home, Kimberley Harmer, who owns three rental properties, warns Labour not to attack landlords during the Autumn Budget. This comes as rumours swirl in the media that the Chancellor […]

Spending less than 30% of gross income on rent is no longer an attainable affordability threshold for many under-30s, claims SpareRoom. The flat-sharing website claims average-earning under 30s are now being priced out of cities including London, Cambridge and Bath. SpareRoom says many renters under 30 are more financially reliant on their parents to help […]

As the government prepares to debate the Renters’ Rights Bill again this week, a survey of what type of business Brits want to set up might surprise many established landlords. That’s because despite the restrictions about to be imposed on the PRS with the Bill, one in 10 Brits want to start Airbnb hosting or […]

A spending watchdog has slammed government schemes designed to insulate homes as “a failure”, costing homeowners thousands of pounds. A report by the National Audit Office (NAO) reveals 98% of homes with external wall insulation installed under the government’s energy company obligation (ECO) scheme require work to correct major issues that will cause problems such […]

Landlords rely on letting agents to present their properties accurately. After all, it is their job to market the home clearly and professionally to prospective tenants. Yet sometimes, even the most basic requirements get overlooked – with laughable, and occasionally alarming, results. One such incident made the headlines when a letting agent listed a flat […]

A fire in a rental property is every landlord’s nightmare. Aside from the immediate safety concerns, fires can trigger complex claims that involve buildings, contents, liability, loss of rent, and strict compliance checks. This guide explains what to do in the first 24 hours, how policies typically respond, the evidence insurers look for, and the […]

If you were suddenly unable to manage the portfolio, through illness or death, would your family know what to do tomorrow morning? Who calls the lender, who holds the keys, and how do rent and repairs keep moving? This isn’t about selling or refinancing. It’s about kindness: giving your loved ones a calm first page […]

The Renters’ Rights Bill will place an enforcement burden on councils without more funding, claims an organisation. In evidence to the Housing, Communities and Local Government (HCLG) select committee about housing conditions in England, the Chartered Institute of Environmental Health (CIEH) claims local authorities are under-resourced and struggling to meet existing enforcement burdens. The organisation […]

A prominent think tank warns the Chancellor Rachel Reeves, “simply raising tax rates without reform would do more economic damage than is necessary”. The Institute for Fiscal Studies (IFS) has published a report on options for tax increases ahead of the Autumn Budget. The report urges the Chancellor to reform the property taxation system and […]

Mortgage costs have crept higher for the first time in eight months, with two- and five-year fixed-rate deals increasing by 0.02%, to reach 4.98% and 5.02% respectively. That’s according to the latest Moneyfacts UK Mortgage Trends Treasury Report which says this is the first rise since February. The overall Moneyfacts’ average mortgage rate climbed to […]