Mortgage Holiday and Eviction Ban May Run an Extra Three Months
Buy to let mortgage holidays and a ban on tenant evictions may stretch for another three months as the country slowly recovers from the coronavirus pandemic. Chancellor Rishi Sunak is reportedly considering the moves after already extending grants to employers with...
House Price Gloom for Sellers, but Delight for Buyers
Property experts are predicting an immediate future for the housing market shrouded in gloom and doom as the coronavirus lockdown lifts.. Researchers and analysts let loose with data clearly have no idea where prices will end up. The depth of how far the market is...
Should Landlords Take a Buy-to-Let Mortgage Holiday?
Many landlords struggling with their finances are worried that if they take a mortgage holiday, their credit score will worsen. UK Finance, the trade body for home and buy to let mortgage lenders, says the brakes are on 1.6 million loans due to the coronavirus...
Left Wants to Scrap Rents and Cancel Arrears for Tenants
Labour and left-wing lobby groups campaigning for renters claim an avalanche of evictions is on the way when the coronavirus lockdown ends. During the pandemic, Housing Secretary Robert Jenrick has stepped in to ban evicting private tenants for any reason for three...
Coronavirus Lockdown Rules Now Allow Viewings
Coronavirus Lockdown Rules Now Allow Viewings The The Health Protection (Coronavirus, Restrictions) (England) Regulations 2020 which are the lockdown rules have been amended with effect from today. Before today, a person could travel to a place of work (e.g. to a...
Countdown to New Tenant Fee Ban Rules Has Started
Landlords have less than a month to ready for yet another letting law change. On June 1, the Tenants Fees Act extends to cover all existing buy to let and shared house tenancies and licences in England, including student rentals. The law already bans landlords and...
Holiday Let Grants Are Not Tax Avoidance for Wealthy Investors
The rules about second homeowners claiming coronavirus rescue cash for their self-catering businesses seem to be causing some confusion. Councils across England and Wales claim property owners are soaking up millions of pounds in cash designed to prop up small...
Coronavirus Crisis – Property News You May Have Missed
With the coronavirus crisis dominating the headlines, here’s a round up of some property news for landlords that you may have missed. No easing of gas safety rules Housing minister Chris Pincher has made clear that landlords should continue to carry out gas safety...
Billions Tied Up in Suspended Funds as No One Knows Property Values
Property funds have taken a pasting during the coronavirus lockdown with thousands of investors unable to access hundreds of millions of pounds. Some ‘too big to fail’ funds have suspended payments to investors who want to withdraw their cash. The root of the problem...
No COVID-19 Rent Hike Ban or Rent Controls Coming, Says Minister
Housing Secretary Robert Jenrick has confirmed the government has no plans to introduce rent controls or ban rent increases. His response followed a wide-ranging grilling by Parliament’s Housing, Communities and Local Government Committee at an earlier sitting. The...
Renters Choose to Renew Tenancies Rather Than a Lockdown Move
Tenants are choosing to stay in their private rented homes rather than move during the coronavirus crisis. New data shows 70% of tenants are renewing their rental agreements – the highest number since the last financial crisis in 2008. The number of tenants looking to...
The Best 21 Apps We Use Working From Home
So, here we all are in lockdown and wherever possible working from home. The Guild has always been 100% capable of being run remotely so this hasn’t been a major issue for us. As it happens, I had already started an article when was on holiday last year. The...
Right to Rent Does Not Break the Law, Appeal Court Rules
Right to Rent has taken a new twist with the Court of Appeal ruling the measure does not breach human rights or equality laws. The controversial law was introduced with the Immigration Act 2016 and demands landlords police the immigration status of tenants before...
MPs Probe How Coronavirus Has Impacted Landlords and Tenants
MPs have launched an inquiry into how government schemes to help private renters in the coronavirus crisis are working. In a call for evidence, the Housing, Communities and Local Government Committee will scrutinise the impact of banning private tenant evictions for...
No Ban on Coronavirus Rent Increases, Says Minister
Housing Minister Christopher Pincher has confirmed the government is not going to ban rent increases for private tenants during the coronavirus crisis. He also announced tenants should keep paying rent unless they can show they cannot afford to do so. The minister...
Coronavirus: All Ongoing Possession Action Suspended for 90 Days
The government has announced that all ongoing housing possession actions are suspended from today (27 March 2020) for initially 90 days. The 90 days can be extended if necessary. The suspension will affect all possession claims where a court order is required...
HMRC Online CGT Service for Landlords Goes Live
HM Revenue & Customs has switched on an online service for landlords who need to pay capital gains tax under new rules that came into force on April 6. Anyone who makes a profit selling a house in the UK which is not their main home after April 6, 2020 has 30 days...
Taking a Mortgage Holiday Could Be Costly for Landlords
Buy to let landlords seeking mortgage payment holidays don’t really need to save the money, says a leading mortgage broker. The firm says switchboard staff are fielding a flood of calls, but only a handful need financial help from lenders. Most already have enough...
Petition Protests Urge More Financial Help for Landlords and Tenants
Prime Minister Boris Johnson is being urged to do more to safeguard the incomes of landlords and tenants to avoid an eviction crisis once the coronavirus outbreak subsides. Two online petition protests claim current government policy freezing evictions for three...
Landlords Asked to Help Renters With Money Problems in Wales
The Welsh Government is calling on landlords to help tenants who are struggling to find the money to pay their rent and day-to-day bills. Ministers want landlords to signpost where tenants can find help if they cannot make ends meet due to the coronavirus outbreak. In...
Coronavirus Guidance
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