Category: Real Estate

he total return of the average buy-to-let property has reduced by 6% over the last two years, driven by a sharp increase in mortgage costs and agency fees and a reduction in capital appreciation.

This comes despite rental income climbing by 19% on average over the same period.

Octane Capital analysed the cost of being a landlord, looking at the initial investment required when investing in a buy-to-let, as well as the ongoing costs associated with such an investment versus the total return expected in the current market. 

The government is set to tweak its Renters (Reform) Bill in England, aiming to address concerns from landlords while still delivering security for tenants.

Critics say the changes will create ‘a landlords charter’ but ministers are responding to criticism from Conservative MPs who say the Bill is too burdensome for landlords.

The revised proposals include a mandatory six-month tenancy period for renters, replacing the current system where they can leave with two months’ notice.

Landlords in a big Midlands city have been warned that they must apply for a licence for their properties by April 9th or face an additional £200 hike in the £1,090 cost of each three-year licence.

Leicester City Council has issued the alert, saying that non-compliant landlords face fines of up to £30,000, highlighting how landlords in the city have had 18 months to comply.

The council says it has already received applications for thousands of properties within the main ‘cluster’ areas that the new licencing scheme covers.

While the controversial Renters (Reform) Bill is making its way through Parliament, most landlords don’t know what is in it, a survey finds.

The Bill will deliver one of the biggest changes to England’s private rented sector.

Among the issues are the end of fixed term tenancies and the abolition of Section 21 ‘no-fault’ evictions.

Around 40% of UK house hunters are set to accelerate their purchasing plans, with many fearing prices are more likely to climb than fall. This is according to Bloomberg Intelligence’s latest UK homebuying survey,

Bloomberg Intelligence senior real estate analyst Iwona Hovenko said that the easing of mortgage rates from 2023 highs was helping to revive UK housing activity, with the Bloomberg survey suggesting 41.5% of the country’s prospective buyers are accelerating their plans compared to 35% in mid-2023 and 31.2% in October 2022.

Google Trends shows that search queries for “real estate market crash” have skyrocketed in the last month.

House prices lifted by 0.9% in October to a new record average of £371,158 as housing shortages outweighed turmoil in the mortgage market since last month’s mini-budget