A London council is to extend its two landlord licensing schemes with the threat of £30,000 fines for non-compliance. Wandsworth Council’s current schemes cover all Houses in Multiple Occupation borough-wide, alongside every privately rented home in South Balham, Furzedown, Tooting Bec and Tooting Broadway. From 1 April, the council will extend its scheme to cover […]

Flooding is one of the fastest-growing risks for UK landlords. Climate change, heavier rainfall, and overloaded drainage systems mean more properties are exposed every year. Even landlords who have never experienced a flood may find their properties reclassified as higher risk. This article explains how landlord insurance responds to flood claims, where cover can be […]

The government has urged landlords to begin upgrading their properties before the Decent Homes Standard comes into force. In its Renters’ Rights Act implementation roadmap, the government claims that while the Decent Homes Standard is proposed to come into force in 2035 or 2037, landlords “should commence works earlier”. The government has announced it will […]

Despite the government’s proposed policy push for EPC C targets in rental properties, the pace of improving energy efficiency has slowed, according to new research. Rightmove Greener Homes report reveals that while the rental sector’s overall property stock remains more energy efficient than the resale market, recent legislation and proposals for further regulation have not […]

Rental arrears are at their lowest level since 2022 as rent prices remain largely unchanged, according to a new report. Propertymark’s Housing Insight report reveals that affordability is improving in parts of the rental market as tenant demand has eased. Propertymark member agents also report that, while rental prices are fluctuating in some areas, there […]

The government has pledged to prevent homelessness by the end of this Parliament through its new homelessness strategy. With the launch of the National Plan to End Homelessness, the government has committed to three key pledges: halving the number of long-term rough sleepers, ending the unlawful use of B&Bs for families, and preventing more households […]

The traditional pre-Christmas scramble for rented homes has pushed up the income that tenants typically need to secure a property in several parts of the UK. Propertymark’s latest rent price and salary tracker suggests the annual changes in required salaries remain relatively small in most areas. But some regions have seen big increases in the […]

While the government claims it wants to cool inflation, its recent Autumn Budget has opened the door to higher rents and a landlord sell-off, one analysis reveals. The findings from Knight Frank show that Chancellor Rachel Reeves’ 2 percentage point rise in rental income tax will inevitably push up housing costs. With more landlords facing […]

Getting started in property investment can feel daunting, particularly in today’s mortgage market. First-time landlords face stricter criteria, larger deposit requirements and higher scrutiny from lenders compared with experienced investors. But with preparation and the right guidance, it is still possible to secure competitive finance and start building a rental portfolio in 2025. Who Counts […]

Landlords often describe the current environment as hostile. That feeling is not irrational. The Renters’ Rights Act introduces penalties of £3,000 to £35,000, new banning order pathways, and a national database that can end a landlord’s career overnight. Councils retain the revenue from civil penalties, which changes the financial incentives behind enforcement. What many landlords […]

The morning sun hits the kitchen window just as the kettle starts to boil. You lean against the counter, phone in hand, scrolling through the usual numbers; rents in, payments out, mortgage balances steady. Everything looks fine. Better than fine, actually. The portfolio has reached the point you always dreamed of. It pays for itself, […]

The envelope sits unopened on the kitchen counter. It isn’t from a lender this time, or a solicitor chasing completion. It’s from your daughter, a printed copy of the loan agreement you helped her draft for her first property venture. You smile. Not the polite smile of approval, but the quiet satisfaction that comes when […]

The first time you drive past one of your old HMOs after handing it over to your children, it feels strange. For years, you knew every inch of that building; the creak of the stairs, the sound of the boiler firing up, the phone calls that always seemed to come at the worst possible time. […]

It started as a casual visit. A friend from church mentioned that a local supported housing charity was struggling to raise funds for a new project, a handful of empty flats that needed renovation before they could be offered to families escaping homelessness. You went to see it out of curiosity. What you found was […]

It’s Sunday morning. The sun filters softly through the kitchen blinds, catching the steam from your coffee. The house is quiet, except for the sound of laughter from the garden. The grandchildren are chasing bubbles, your children are chatting by the fence, and for the first time in decades, everything feels settled. Not idle, not finished, […]

Most landlords appreciate the importance of having a Will. Fewer realise that a Will alone only takes effect once they have died. If illness or accident strikes first, even the most carefully written Will offers no help at all. That is where lasting powers of attorney (LPAs) and wider legacy planning come in. For property […]

A Will decides who inherits when you die, but who acts if you are still alive and cannot? Many landlords overlook this question until it is too late. A Lasting Power of Attorney (LPA) provides the missing link between your business responsibilities and your family’s ability to manage them when you can no longer do […]

It is one of the smallest phrases in property law, yet it can transform the outcome of your estate. Whether you hold property as joint tenants or tenants in common decides who inherits your share, how it appears in your Will, and what flexibility your family has after you are gone. Many landlords never check […]

Many landlords draft a Will early in life and rarely revisit it. Years later, their circumstances have changed: new properties, refinancing, business partners, children, and sometimes divorce or remarriage. Yet the Will remains the same. In practice, an outdated Will can create as much difficulty as having none at all. A modern Will reflects not […]

Well, the morons running the Labour government really have shown their hand, and it has done so with numbers so large they make a mockery of criminal sentencing. The new penalties revealed by Property118, highlight that the Renters’ Rights Act is not about ‘levelling up’ the playing field between landlord and tenant. In reality, they […]

Across this series, we have explored dozens of mistakes that landlords often make, from deposit protection errors to licensing oversights and safety documentation failures. Each of these stories highlights one truth that experienced landlords already understand: being a landlord is not passive income. It is a business that demands ongoing effort, knowledge and compliance. The […]