‘Disgraceful’ landlords are exploiting tenants amid rent cap proposals

LANDLORDS have hiked up bills and refused to carry out repairs amid plans to give tenants a fairer deal by capping soaring rents. MSPs on Holyrood’s Local Government and Communities Committee have been warned that the Covid-19 pandemic has exposed the lack of power tenants have over landlords. Click this link to go to […]
Stamp Duty Holiday extension agreed – but is it a new cliff edge?

Chancellor Rishi Sunak will extend the stamp duty holiday deadline until the end of June – a three month extension. The lead story in The Times this morning says the extension – following a fierce campaign by agents, property commentators and economists – will be announced in the Budget on Wednesday of next week. The […]
New law passed giving more protection for tenants in Wales

The Renting Homes (Amendment) (Wales) Bill will also bring greater clarity on landlord and tenant responsibilities, helping to avoid disagreements and difficulties. The changes mean that from spring 2022, rental contracts in Wales will change so that: Click on this link to read the full article.
Landlord drills through wall to discover cannabis factory in house next door

A landlord alerted police after drilling through the wall of a house – to discover a cannabis factory next door. Officers smashed their way into the Middleport three-bedroom terrace to discover 263 cannabis plants, 35 hydroponic light bulbs and 31 electric transformers inside. Click this link to read the full article.
Repossessions ban set to see rent arrears soar in 2021

Newly released research from LSE London and Trust for London has revealed that the number of private tenants in rent arrears in England could treble in 2021, with as many as 700,000 tenants and their landlords in financial difficulty. The pandemic has had a devasting impact on tenants and landlords across the UK, with findings […]
HMRC: Residential property transactions up 24%

Newly released figures this morning from HMRC show that the provisional seasonally adjusted estimate of UK residential transactions in January 2021 is 121,640 – a rise of 24.1% higher when compared to January 2020. The data shows that the number of home purchases completed in January was still very high, likely fuelled by the rush […]
Mortgage choice for first-time landlords increases

The percentage of deals available to first-time landlords in the buy-to-let (BTL) market has increased over the last 12 months, suggesting that, despite the economic uncertainty caused by the pandemic, many mortgage providers are still willing to lend to new property investors. Research from Moneyfacts.co.uk has found that despite the number of BTL deals for […]
Three quarters of tenants have had rental plans disrupted due to pandemic

Research by proptech Spotahome revealed that 76% of tenants have had their plans within the rental market disrupted due to the pandemic. The research also revealed an estimated 77% of tenants feel safe renting in the current climate. Click on this link to go to the original article.
Value of landlord portfolios rises by £38,820 despite difficult year

Typical house prices increased by 8.6% over the course of 2020, meaning landlords saw their portfolios inflate in value by £38,820, research from Barrows and Forrester has found. Government figures show the average house price reached £254,525 in December 2020, up from £234,412 the same month the year before. Click here to read the […]
Advisers predict no decrease in BTL purchases after stamp duty holiday

Mortgage advisers expect no decrease in buy-to-let purchase activity once the stamp duty holiday comes to an end, according to research by Pepper Money. In a recent survey of advisers active in buy-to-let, 65% said they expect no decrease in purchase activity once the SDLT holiday ends, with 61% expecting business levels to remain the […]