Scotland’s property taxes have reached record highs of £714.9 million, increasing by 18.2% over the 12 months from August 2024 to July 2025. That’s according to DJ Alexander, Scotland’s largest letting and estate agent, almost a third of this total, £221.3m (30.9%), came from the Additional Dwelling Supplement (ADS), which is paid by second homeowners […]

Young tenants are being warned about a sharp rise in rent scams with scammers increasingly targeting them amid a growing housing crisis. Experts at Tiger.co.uk, a home insurance comparison site, are highlighting critical warning signs for those navigating the property hunt. Their advice is aimed at those aged 18 to 29, who made up 48% […]

It’s all hands on deck for landlords looking to sell, as September promises to be the “peak month” to sell property. Just one week away, buyers are already pushing to snap up buy-to-let houses and landlord property portfolios in the rush to complete before Christmas and the Budget. But why? Put simply, the Autumn Budget, […]

The vast majority of landlords won’t recognise the sector from a survey carried out by a law firm which alleges that ‘millions of tenants are living in fear of eviction’. The firm, Duncan Lewis Solicitors, also says that tenants endure unsafe housing conditions and some are being asked for sexual favours or unpaid labour in […]

The Deputy Prime Minister, Angela Rayner, has come under fire after allegedly ‘dodging’ £40,000 in stamp duty on an £800,000 seaside flat in Hove, East Sussex, by declaring it her primary residence. According to The Times, Ms Rayner removed her name from the deeds of her Greater Manchester home weeks before purchasing the Hove property, […]

I have just obtained an EPC C rating for a small (75 sqm) three-bedroom pre-war semi-detached house in a London borough. It scraped a 70C score, and the certificate gives a potential score of 79, which is 2 points below a B rating. The steps I could take “to save energy” are set out below, […]

Chancellor Rachel Reeves reported targeting of ‘unearned income’ from landlords with a controversial plan to impose National Insurance contributions on rental income, has sparked an outcry. Labour wants to raise £2 billion to tackle a £40 billion public finance deficit, according to Treasury sources quoted by The Times. The move will avoid breaching the government’s […]

The UK property market is at its strongest point in three years, claims estate agent. Estate agent comparison website GetAgent.co.uk reveals both mortgage approvals and transactions are at their highest average monthly levels in three years. Using data from HMRC and the Bank of England, GetAgent analysed residential property transactions and mortgage approvals in England, […]

Molo and NatWest have introduced changes to their buy to let (BTL) mortgage offerings, with Molo cutting rates to enhance affordability for UK landlords. Its two-year fixed rates for standard BTL products now start at 2.68%, while five-year fixes begin at 4.34%, available to both individual and limited company borrowers. These reductions apply exclusively to […]

London’s private rented sector is delivering a strong performance, driven by a big rise in available properties and a robust surge in tenant interest. According to Foxtons’ latest data, nearly 50,000 new rental listings flooded the market, marking a 4% rise from June and a 12% jump compared to July 2024. This influx represents the […]

Fleet Mortgages has launched a comprehensive guide called ‘Getting Landlords Renters’ Rights Ready: A Guide for Advisers’. The resource aims to assist advisers in guiding landlords through the upcoming Bill which is expected to gain Royal Assent this Autumn and take effect in early 2026. The guide provides practical checklists to help advisers deliver clear, […]

Ok, so here goes my dilemma, I have housed a family of 4, a couple and their 2 young kids. The kids are from the lady’s first marriage, so the couple is recently married. That’s not an issue, the kids, however, one 15 and the second 9, turning 10 soon. I have a 3-bedroom property, […]

I have a client who eventually may be facing a Compulsory Purchase Order (CPO) on a converted semi-detached house into offices many decades ago. 29% is in a trust where that rent is paid to a third party as a pension, so the building would be without vacant possession due to a 30-year verbal agreement […]

Mystic Mortar’s Landlord Horoscope Edition: Friday 29 August 2025 Welcome, star-gazers and key-holders. The skies hum with moving vans and murmurs of fresh tenancy. Take this as playful guidance, not professional advice. Entertainment only, lovely UK landlords, though the cosmos does enjoy a tidy inventory and a timely rent day. Astrological Snapshot – 29 August […]

Millions of landlords could be hit by a plan to impose National Insurance contributions on rental income to generate around £2 billion in additional revenue. Treasury sources have told The Times that the Chancellor, Rachel Reeves, wants to target ‘unearned income’. The idea is being floated to tackle a £40 billion deficit in public finances, […]

Another council has launched a crackdown against landlords, warning “they will face severe consequences for unsafe housing.” Harlow council has announced its Building Harlow’s Future plan, which claims to protect tenants and support responsible landlords who maintain quality housing. However, the council say they will punish landlords who run unsafe properties. Landlords who do the […]

More than half of the UK’s buy to let landlords are planning to acquire new properties within the next year, Landbay says. Its research points to a surge in confidence among landlords, with 52% expressing intentions to boost their holdings. This marks a big rise from last year’s survey which was carried out after the […]

Labour’s proposal to replace Stamp Duty Land Tax with a new property tax on home sellers could unfairly burden London homeowners, estate agents Benham and Reeves say. It warns that the suggested tax, which would apply to properties valued at more than £500,000, would disproportionately affect the capital, where 60% of homes listed for sale […]

Student lettings experts are warning that the move away from fixed-term tenancies to periodic contracts could unravel the academic letting cycle. Agency software firm Alto says the Renters’ Rights Bill will leave students and landlords grappling with uncertainty just weeks before the new university term begins in September. It has carried out a survey of […]

Some tenancy requests are simple. Others make you reach for the red pen. This one began with a straight-faced email asking whether a “pet rock” could be added to the tenancy as a permitted animal, complete with a name, feeding schedule (“sunlight daily”), and a promise that noise would be minimal. The exchange The letting […]

Landlords looking for the best opportunities in buy to let investment should consider research revealing the UK’s most promising local authorities for rental returns. The study by Archimedia Accounts highlights where affordable properties in the country’s most overlooked towns have robust rental demand. The firm’s co-founder, Chris Demetriou, said: “With the cost-of-living crisis, we’re seeing […]