A look ahead to 2018 for buy-to-let

Will the New Year bring renewed optimism for Britain’s beleaguered landlords? Landlords faced a wave of change during 2017, but despite a number of high and low points, buy-to-let continued to deliver competitive returns. So what does 2018 have in store? 2017 brought about important changes for buy-to-let as a result of two rounds of […]

Evicted tenant treated for depression as tax hikes force landlords to sell up

A mother of five who was forced to endure what has been described as ‘six months of family hell’ is being treated for anxiety and depression after being made unexpectedly homeless because her landlord sold her rental property, as a growing number of private landlords exit the market to avoid recent buy-to-let tax hikes. Rachel […]

Top rental hotspots in 2017 revealed!

Whilst it has been a challenging year for private landlords, the buy-to-let sector continues to offer plenty of investment opportunities, but which cities have had the highest tenant demand and largest number of enquiries in 2017? Taking an in-depth look at tenant enquiries and landlord listings broken down by property type, location, number of bedrooms, […]

Lack of trust leads to breakdown in student-landlord relationship

New research carried out among over 2,000 UK adults by SPCE has revealed the perceptions of both students and landlords towards the current uni student rental market. The report found that 61% of current university students find securing a rental property one of the most stressful parts of their entire uni experience with 66% citing […]

Nearly half of landlords less likely to rent to those without British passports

RLA makes a case for suspending Right to Right pending a full review of its impact. A day after the High Court ruled removal of homeless EU nationals unlawful, new research reveals 42% of landlords are less likely to consider renting to someone without a British passport as a result of the Government’s Right to […]

Government urged to introduce new buy-to-let tax on ‘nightly letting’

Buy-to-let landlords who let out their properties as short-term holiday lets should be hit with fresh taxes to deter them from breaking the government’s clear 90-night limit on short-term letting, it has been suggested. An increasing number of buy-to-let landlords are letting out their homes as short-term holiday lets following the introduction of a raft […]

HMRC may add tax checks to private rental licensing schemes

HM Revenue & Customs has launched a consultation on adding tax checks to private rental sector licensing schemes – in other words, checking up on landlords to ensure they are paying their fair share of tax. The government’s consultation document says the majority of UK taxpayers pay what they owe, but a small minority are […]

Accidental landlords ‘added 80,000 homes to rental market in 2017’

Accidental landlords who had previously tried to sell their properties added an estimated 80,000 homes to Britain’s rental market in 2017, according to analysis from a lettings network. Countrywide said around one in 12 (8.2%) homes that came on to the rental market in 2017 had been up for sale within the previous six months […]