Tenant reporting a change in circumstances for Universal Credit on a laptop

Universal Credit refuses emailed paperwork over missing signature?

17th August 2026

Hi, My long-standing tenant has recently applied for Universal Credit and we have run into a problem over the tenancy paperwork. Her fixed-term tenancy ended on 31 March 2026 and it then became a rolling tenancy. She was sent the prescribed Renters’ Rights information sheet by email and her rent was also increased, with notice, […]

Political uncertainty wrecking UK house price growth, shown by a wrecking ball striking a pound symbol house icon.

UK house asking prices fall 2% in August

17th August 2026

Sellers have cut house asking prices by 2% in August, the sharpest fall for the month since 2018, as a 12-year high in homes for sale gives buyers more choice. Rightmove says the average newly listed asking price fell by £7,360 to £364,999, compared with an average August drop of 1.3% over the past decade. […]

Renters' Rights Act symbolises protections as landlords work to reduce rental property void periods

Landlord voids fall after the Renters’ Rights Act introduction

17th August 2026

Average void periods across England fell to 21 days in June, three days below the 24-day figure recorded in May following the introduction of the Renters’ Rights Act. The May figure was the highest in Rushbrook & Rathbone’s comparison, with the legislation having come into force that month. June’s average was still two days more […]

Compliance concept with regulations, policies, and standards icons highlighting Renters' Rights Act responsibilities

Government hints at more regulation for letting agents

17th August 2026

The government has confirmed further regulation for letting agents as it clarifies deposit rules for agents. In a written parliamentary answer, Baroness Taylor of Stevenage warned that deposit protection scheme membership should not be mistaken for accreditation. The news comes as the government will publish a non-statutory Code of Practice for letting agents later this […]

Buy to let mortgage updates with residential properties and BTL lettering in the foreground

Paragon and Coventry sharpen BTL mortgage deals

17th August 2026

Buy to let landlords have been handed more choice as Paragon Bank brings back a feature allowing tracker borrowers to move onto a fixed BTL rate without an early repayment charge. Also, Coventry for intermediaries has cut every fixed mortgage rate in its range, with reductions of up to 20 basis points. Paragon’s Track to […]

For sale sign outside a UK home illustrating falling house prices and increased seller competition

Landlords push for bigger property discounts

17th August 2026

Buy to let investors are making more aggressive offers as the housing market slows, with landlords accounting for 14.1% of all home purchases in Great Britain during July, above the 12.4% year-to-date average. More than half (56%), of investor offers in England and Wales were at least 10% below the first asking price, the highest […]

Refinanced at incorporation? Your adviser may need to notify their PI insurer

16th August 2026

Many landlords were told that replacing their personal or partnership mortgages with new borrowing in their company’s name was the orthodox way to incorporate. The recent Property118 Tribunal judgment has now placed a serious question over whether full Incorporation Relief was available in every one of those cases. The possible consequence is not a technical […]

From landlord to lender: the due diligence behind my 10% loan note

16th August 2026

Commercial disclosure: I have personally invested in the type of loan note described in this article. Property118 may receive a commercial introduction fee if a reader subsequently invests. Property118 does not provide regulated investment advice. Don’t invest unless you’re prepared to lose all the money you invest. This is a high-risk investment and you are […]

Landlord considering options to sell a rental property, with a house for sale among rented homes

Why thousands of landlords could be missing their best-selling option

15th August 2026

Landlords across the country are facing one dilemma after another. From proposed changes to tenancy deposits to HMRC’s tougher penalty regime, it’s no wonder so many of the landlords we speak to feel stuck between a rock and a hard place. Every week, we speak to landlords who believe they have just two choices: wait […]

Knight in crusader armour holding a sword, symbolising landlords battling rising PRS pressures and regulation.

Just as landlords predicted – rents are going up

15th August 2026

You must hand it to Labour, though they went hard on how great the Renters’ Rights Act would be for tenants, at least they didn’t promise that rents wouldn’t go up. Well, here we are, 100 days into the one-sided debacle of the legislation and guess what? Rent trackers are pointing out the obvious. Rents […]

Landlords protest beside a To Let sign amid concerns over negative portrayals of the private rented sector

Hostility towards landlords becomes a growing concern

15th August 2026

Negative portrayals by politicians, tenant campaigners and the media have become the fourth most discussed issue affecting landlord confidence. The National Residential Landlords Association (NRLA) found that comments about the treatment and public portrayal of landlords have doubled as a proportion of all responses since the beginning of 2025. The issue has moved from eighth […]

Could a genuine property bargain fund most of its own deposit?

14th August 2026

A new bridging product from MS Lending Group caught my attention because it tackles a problem many experienced property investors will recognise. You can negotiate a genuine bargain, create equity before completion and still find that the finance calculation leaves a substantial amount of your cash tied up in the purchase. MS Lending Group’s below-market-value […]

Buy to let mortgage sign sinking into cracked ground outside UK rental homes

Buy to let mortgage possessions fall

14th August 2026

The number of buy to let mortgages in arrears and properties taken into possession fell during the second quarter. Data from UK Finance shows 8,390 loans with arrears of at least 2.5% of the outstanding balance, 6% fewer than in the previous three months. These cases represented 0.44% of all BTL mortgages, while the lightest […]

Right to Buy house rising above a housing crisis as council home sales surge in England

Right to Buy sales soar past two million as housing crisis continues

14th August 2026

Homes sold under Right to Buy have soared in the past year, despite government proposal for reforms. Government data reveals 14,275 council homes were sold under the Right to Buy scheme in England during 2025-26, an increase of 90% compared to 2024-25. Under the new reforms, the minimum eligibility period would increase from three to […]

Older renters facing housing insecurity as retirement approaches

Older renters face retirement homelessness fears

14th August 2026

Landlords are housing a rapidly growing number of people approaching retirement who could struggle to cover their rent once their wages stop. An analysis by Sky News shows the number of privately renting households aged 55 to 64 has risen by 82% since 2008. Continuing to rent throughout a 20-year retirement would cost the average […]

Build-to-rent starts fall 79% as construction activity slows on UK residential developments.

Build-to-rent starts plunge 79%

14th August 2026

Starts on new build-to-rent homes fell 79% in the year to June 2026, according to a Savills analysis for Real Estate:UK. That left 2,176 homes entering construction, down from 13,893 a year earlier. Starts outside London fell 84%, while the number of homes under construction nationwide was 21% lower in Q2 2026 than in the […]

Red dragon with a Welsh flag shield smashing a wrecking ball labelled rental reforms, symbolising opposition to Welsh rent controls.

Propertymark challenges Welsh government over proposed rental reforms

14th August 2026

An industry body has urged the First Minister of Wales not to press ahead with plans to introduce rent controls and abolish no-fault evictions. Propertymark has written a letter to First Minister Rhun ap Iorwerth ahead of the proposed Welsh Rental Bill 2027, which is set to reshape the private rented sector in Wales. Under […]

Buy-to-let arrears are down 26%, so why are landlord possession claims rising?

13th August 2026

Two sets of official figures published on the same day appear to point in opposite directions. Fewer landlords are falling behind with their mortgages, yet more landlords are asking the courts to return their properties. The distinction may reveal something more important than a simple arrears story. Two official reports published today tell very different […]

Buy-to-let homes with new fixed mortgage rates starting at 3.55% for landlords

New buy to let mortgage rates from 3.55%

13th August 2026

Landlords buying or refinancing now have new buy to let fixed-rate options, including products at 75% LTV from 3.55%. Paragon Bank has refreshed its range for individual and limited company borrowers across England, Scotland and Wales. Its green mortgage rates for single self-contained properties at 75% LTV start at 3.55% for two years and 4.95% […]

Landlord records flowing into HMRC’s Making Tax Digital system for automatic enrolment

Landlords face automatic Making Tax Digital sign-up

13th August 2026

Landlords who have not signed up for Making Tax Digital (MTD) face being automatically enrolled from September, although late first quarterly updates will not attract penalty points this tax year. HMRC will begin registering those required to use the system in stages over the coming months. It says that more than 436,000 sole traders and […]

Overseas tenant faces UK guarantor requirement as London rental costs continue to rise.

Financially capable renters struggling to meet guarantor requirements

13th August 2026

Overseas tenants are struggling to provide a UK-based guarantor despite being able to afford the rent, according to new data. Findings by Zero Deposit reveal rents in London have soared to more than £2,000 a month, as landlords increasingly demand guarantors from prospective tenants. The news comes as, under the Renters’ Rights Act, landlords and […]