News

Paragon has expanded its buy-to-let mortgage offering in Scotland to include products for portfolio landlords.
The new mortgage range is designed for landlords with at least four mortgaged properties, as well as those operating in limited companies and limited liability partnerships.
The portfolio range can be used to finance single self-contained units,......

Property investment is not a quick fix, but rather a long-term financial solution to building wealth, as any good buy-to-let landlord will know.
While rental yields are important to some landlords, others are more focused on capital growth in order to build wealth, particularly those investing in property in London and......

It’s been a perfect storm of government changes for buy-to-let investors over the past couples of years, with more coming down the line in Scotland.
The two key legislative changes transforming the residential letting sector north of the border are firstly the replacement of Short Assured Tenancies by Private Residential......

Rents in London grew by 0.1% in the 12 months to June 2018, the first annual rental rise in the city since December 2016, according to the latest Landbay Rental Index.
Much has been made of slow rental growth in the capital dragging down the national average, but rental growth......

A couple who claim they are owed thousands of pounds in unpaid rent have called for a ban on the letting agency accused of withholding the money.
Lindsay Chick and his wife, Lesley, made a 900-mile round trip from their home in Kent to a tribunal in Glasgow last week......

Many buy-to-let landlords may have reacted angrily to government proposals that will give tenants a minimum three year contract, but one prominent residential landlord backs the government’s proposal regarding longer tenancies.
With rents increasing by less than inflation and average rents lower than mortgage payments, many people are opting against......

Tenants who have a personal account with Metro Bank are now able to report their rent through CreditLadder to reference agency Experian.
The UK’s newest high street banking sector entrant, which already has more than a million customers, is the  latest financial institution to enable its clients to benefit from......

There is still plenty of money to be made in buy-to-let, provided you invest in the right areas, according to new research. 
Fresh analysis by Direct Line for Business reveals the UK’s property hotspots for investment landlords, and has identified Burnley as the number one place for buy-to-let in today’s......

Tougher electrical safety standards for rented properties north of the border are needed to protect private tenants, according to a leading campaigning body for electrotechnical trade in Scotland
Recent data revealed that tenants in the private housing sector were at a higher risk of electrical shocks and fires caused by......

Following a slowdown in rental market activity in April, new letting data from the Agency Express Property Activity Index has revealed nationwide increases in both ‘to let’ and ‘let’ properties.
The latest national figures show that new listings ‘to let’ increased to 3.6% while properties ‘let’ hit 2%.
However, over a......

Landlords and letting agents could soon be banned from charging fees to private tenants in Wales under plans for a new law.
The Renting Homes Bill will ban fees charged for viewing properties, receiving an inventory, signing a contract or renewing a tenancy.
Under the new rules, landlords and letting agents......

The number of properties rented as a second home in Great Britain reached 13,680 last year, the highest number on record, according to the latest Hamptons International Lettings Index, formerly the Countrywide Lettings Index.
The data shows that the number of rental properties used as a second home has been......

Buy-to-let landlords north of the border are being urged to demonstrate that they are complying with all of their legal obligations when applying to the landlord register to encourage higher standards in the private rented sector.
The Chartered Institute of Housing Scotland (CIH Scotland) views a government review of landlord......

Rental prices increased by 2% in May compared to the same month last year, the latest HomeLet Rental Index shows.
The average rent agreed on a new tenancy signed in May was £919 per calendar month (pcm), up from £918 a month earlier, the data from the insurance firm reveals.
When......

The Mortgage Lender has extended its buy-to-let offering, ensuring that its products are available to the whole broker market, following a pilot with eleven partner firms
The range on offer by the specialist lender, which entered the buy-to-let market last month, cater for individuals, limited companies and HMOs with two......

Industry experts have joined forces to launch a campaign urging policy makers to create legislation on appliance testing in rental properties.
It is nearly a year since the tragedy at Grenfell in the London borough of Kensington took 72 lives, and electrical testing equipment expert Seaward, backed by Grahame Morris......

Rent hikes are inevitable unless the government reverses tax changes for landlords, it has been claimed. 
Tenants face paying an average of £23 a month more in rent, totalling £414 across a typical 18-month tenancy, according to MakeUrMove.
The online letting agent forecasts that the average monthly rent, which it says currently stands......

Buy-to-let landlords are being urged to prepare for the introduction of the letting fees ban, which will make it illegal to charge tenants for things like references or inventories.
The Tenant Fees Bill, which will also introduce limits on how much deposit landlords can take, as well as a series......

Landlords continue to feel the pinch after the latest phase of the government crackdown on buy-to-let came into effect last month, which means that landlords will only be able to offset 50% of their mortgage expenses against their tax bill in the existing tax year.
The phasing out of mortgage......

There was a decline in the number of properties let last month, as a fall in supply restricted choice for prospective renters, fresh data from the Agency Express Property Activity Index shows.
The percentage of properties ‘let’ dropped to sit at -9.1%, owed in part to a 9.4% fall in......