Latest Property Market News

Buy-to-let landlords who have adopted a high yielding investment strategy may be interested in new analysis of the BTL market that reveals where the best investment opportunities currently are.
The research, undertaken by Shawbrook Bank, has identified the North West and Scotland as the top UK hotspots to invest for yield......

A buy-to-let landlord in Edinburgh, who faces losing his license after evicting a young family, is appealing to his other tenants for help to avoid being blacklisted by the council.
David Love, who owns a portfolio of 15 buy-to-let properties in and around Edinburgh, hit the headlines earlier this year......

The outlook for renters has improved over the past decade, albeit with considerable regional variations, thanks to improved affordability, new figures show.
Real rents, adjusted for inflation, have fallen by 2.2% in Great Britain since October 2008, which means that the average cost of living has risen more than average......

Tenants typically spend a third of their monthly salary before tax on rent, new figures show, but there are wide regional variations.
They currently pay an average of 33% of their gross salary to their landlord in the UK, when excluding London, according to the latest Landbay Rental Index.
Renters in......

Average rents in Scotland continued their upward trend in the third quarter of the year on the back of strong demand from renters, the latest Citylets report shows.
The Scottish property portal reports that average rents in Scotland ended Q3 2018 at an average of £789 per month, up 2.2%......

A continued shortage in the number of rental properties on the market is placing upward pressure on rents across most parts of the country, a fresh report shows.
Rightmove’s latest rental tracker found that rents are rising across many parts of Britain due to a supply-side squeeze in the rental......

The average rent across England and Wales increased by 2.3% in the 12 months to September, reaching an average of £861 per calendar month (pcm) in September, unchanged from a month earlier, the latest figures from Your Move show.
Rents increased across all regions of England and Wales in the......

The number of people seeking advice over rent arrears has increased by 47% over the past five years due primarily to the roll-out of Universal Credit, according to a new report.
Citizens Advice Scotland (CAS) published a paper yesterday in which it blamed changes to the social security system for......

Rent arrears are a real concern for a number of landlords across the UK, especially as it can have a significant impact on their ability to pay their mortgage.
Rent arrears have soared in some parts of the UK in recent months, owed in part to the roll-out of Universal......

Canopy, the UK property rental market app has teamed up with Rettie & Co. to trial RentPassport and DepositFree insurance at the recently launched Harbour Gateway mid-market Build to Rent (BTR) development in Edinburgh. 
The new scheme enables renters to pay their rent via Canopy’s free to use RentPassport, which......

The average cost of renting a property in the UK rose by 1.7% in the 12 months to September, according to the latest figures from HomeLet.
Its index, which is based on new lets agreed by landlords and agents using its referencing service, shows that the average rent in the......

Two-thirds of Britain is effectively off-limits to many young people who want to rent a property of their own, a new report claims.
The research by the BBC shows that young renters are feeling the financial strain, with average rents for a one-bedroom flat eating up more than 30% of......

Mortgage products offered by Vida Homeloans are now available to buy-to-let landlords in Scotland.
The specialist lender’s offerings, which are available to those purchasing or remortgaging properties in Scotland, include its limited company, houses in multiple occupation and portfolio propositions.
To help support its expansion into Scotland, Vida has appointed Kenny......

All letting agents in Scotland must now be signed up to a new register in order to trade legally.
The Letting Agent Code of Practice was introduced on January 31, but all agencies had until yesterday to register.
It is now a criminal offence for agents in Scotland to carry out......

The average buy-to-let investor in Scotland enjoyed an annual yield of 4.7% in August, which compares favourably to returns found in England and Wales, where the average yield was 4.4% last month, according to the latest Scotland Buy to Let Index from Your Move.
Only landlords with properties located in the......

Buy-to-let landlords in Scotland are being reminded that new rules have been introduced which affect the way letting agencies are able to conduct business on their behalf.
The Letting Agent Code of Practice was introduced on 31 January this year and all agencies are required to sign up to the......

Rental prices continued to rise in August, albeit marginally, new figures show.
The average rent agreed on a new tenancy signed last month was £947 per calendar month (pcm), up from £937 a month earlier, the data from the insurance firm reveals.
Rents increased in August by an average of 0.9%......

The UK rental market is in recession for the first time since the global financial crisis, according to The Deposit Protection Service (The DPS).
The latest figures from The DPS Rent Index reveal that during the second quarter of 2018, average monthly UK rent decreased for a second consecutive quarter......

A high number of private tenants do not know how to claim their deposit back, a new survey has revealed.
Research by SafeDeposits Scotland found that 36.4% of tenants do not know how to claim their deposit back after moving out of privately rented accommodation, with more than half -......

Citylets has adopted blockchain technology to help track and store rental data in Scotland.  
The Scottish property rental portal has teamed up with blockchain technology specialists Wallet.Services to offer what is thought to be the first blockchain-enabled private rented sector (PRS) database.
Letting agents and local authorities north of the......