It has emerged that Chancellor Rachel Reeves pounded the streets in her own constituency calling for selective licensing – the same kind of licence that she failed to secure for her own home, through a mix-up with the lettings agency.  Reeves was shadow chancellor in 2023 when she joined the Leeds city council leader and other members of the Labour-run authority on a walkabout in the Armley area calling for… Continue Reading Reeves campaigned for selective licensing in her own constituency

An agent says the controversy over licensing and Chancellor Rachel Reeves illustrates how complicated the whole licensing system is. That’s the view of Richard Bryce, co-founder of estate agency House Collective.  On Wednesday it was revealed by the press that Reeves had committed a strict liability crime under section 95 of the Housing Act 2004 when she failed to licence her family home when she let it for £3,200 a… Continue Reading Reeves controversy shows how confusing licensing is, says agent

Prime Minister Sir Kier Starmer says there’s no need for an inquiry into how Chancellor Rachel Reeves unlawfully let her family home without the necessary licence. Last evening the story broke in the Daily Mail that the Reeves family home in south London was let after Labour won the General Election in July 2024 for £3,200 a month. It is in an area where Southwark council requires private landlords to… Continue Reading Chancellor broke rental licensing law – Starmer says ‘matter closed’

A prominent wealth management firm says Labour’s plan to impose new property taxes is ‘the final nail in the coffin’ for property investment. Rathbones is giving the warning in response to recent reports that the Treasury is examining various options for property taxes ahead of the Budget – including a levy on homes sold for more than £500,000, the application of national insurance to rental income and a possible overhaul… Continue Reading Labour tax grab is ‘final nail in property investment coffin’

A high profile market commentator is warning that tenants will ultimately pay the price for new rental taxes proposed by the government. Jonathan Rolande says actual and proposed changes to the private rental sector – the Renters Reform Bill, the 5% stamp duty surcharge, higher mortgage costs and bow possible National Insurance contributions – constitute “the death of an entire sector, by a thousand cuts.” Rolande – writing on our… Continue Reading Tenants to pay for Labour tax rises, says market commentator

Agents are bracing themselves for the already-complicated private rental sector to become still more complex – and some fear the red tape could stifle the industry. The Property Outlook Report 2025 has been written by industry supplier Reapit and reveals that over-regulation tops the list of agents’ concerns.  Nearly 60% of respondents cited new regulations as their primary worry for 2025. These figures reflect growing unease about the implications of reforms set… Continue Reading Red Tape fears as Renters Rights Bill adds to agent overload

Property industry welcomes Nationwide report revealing 9% growth in England’s housing over past decade, scotching claims nation doesn’t have enough homes. England’s housing stock has grown by 9% over the past decade to reach 25.4 million dwellings, according to the Nationwide’s latest figures within its ‘The changing face of housing stock‘ report. The lender’s analysis reveals that dwelling stock increased from 23.2 million in 2013 and 2023, or almost 2.2… Continue Reading REPORT: House building ‘ahead of population growth’ over past decade

Several high profile figures have applauded the Chancellor’s plans to overhaul the property tax system and target wealthier home owners. The shock news that Chancellor Rachel Reeves (main image) is planning to scrap Stamp Duty and replace it with a property tax paid by sellers has garnered much support within the property industry, which has long said the current levy stops people moving home. Following the leak on Monday leading industry figures have… Continue Reading Property industry applauds Chancellor’s Stamp Duty scrapping proposal

The official figures show that although more landlords are evicting using Section 21 ahead of the Renters’ Rights Bill, court bottlenecks remain. Landlords and letting agents are waiting even longer to repossess properties, latest Government evictions data reveals. Published by the Department of Justice, the figures covering April to June this year reveal that the median average time from claim to landlord repossession increased to 27.9 weeks, up from 25.4… Continue Reading Time taken to evict rises to nearly 28 weeks, new court data shows

MPs last night sent the Renters’ Rights Bill back to the House of Lords having disagreed with all the amendments. Peers had introduced changes to the controversial legislation such as having an additional deposit for pets and allowing a landlord to regain their property to house a carer for themselves or a member of their family living with them. But these and most of the others have been rejected by… Continue Reading MPs reject House of Lords amendments to rental reforms

Property experts scheduled to appear at an upcoming National Landlord investment Show have outlined a likely timetable for the progress of the Renters Rights Bill into law. The Bill returns to the House of Commons on Monday September 8 with high expectation that the government wants it passed into law in time for Housing Secretary Angela Rayner to announce it at the Labour conference, beginning on September 28. Property Checklists… Continue Reading Key Dates for Renters Rights Bill – the likely timetable

The official figures show that although more landlords are evicting using Section 21 ahead of the Renters’ Rights Bill, court bottlenecks remain. Landlords and letting agents are waiting even longer to repossess properties, latest Government evictions data reveals. Published by the Department of Justice, the figures covering April to June this year reveal that the median average time from claim to landlord repossession increased to 27.9 weeks, up from 25.4… Continue Reading Time taken to evict rises to nearly 28 weeks, new court data shows

More than one in five private rented homes in England currently fail to meet the Decent Homes Standard (DHS) according to an analysis from a PropTech firm.  Inventory Base suggests that these properties would be illegal to let once the Decent Homes Standard is extended to the private sector under the provisions of the Renters Rights Bill, coming into law this autumn.  The DHS is a government-issued minimum standard of… Continue Reading Renters Rights Bill to trigger vast housing renovation programme

A prominent figure in the redress industry is predicting a bleak private lettings sector when the Renters Rights Bill becomes law this autumn. Sean Hooker, head of redress at Property Redress, is predicting a landscape of “sham licences, illegal subletting, and exploitative rent-to-rent arrangements.” Following a BBC investigation into illegal HMOs over the weekend, Hooker says: “We know that when rules are tightened, the worst offenders simply find new ways… Continue Reading Renters Rights Bill will unleash wave of criminality – shocking claim

The NRLA says there is an increase of nearly 20% in the number of tenants at risk of homelessness as landlords sell up. Accelerating numbers of landlords selling up has been putting more tenants ‘at risk of being made homeless’, the NRLA has warned. Households in the PRS threatened with homelessness due to a landlord exodus has increased by almost a fifth since the end of last year. And NRLA… Continue Reading WARNING: ‘Disastrous exodus’ of landlords accelerating

Figures from the Combined Homelessness and Information Network (CHAIN) show that the number of people “living on the streets” in London from April to June this year is up 26% from the same period of 2024.  And it’s more than double compared to ten years ago.   The data shows:  The number of people deemed to be ‘living on the streets’ is 788, up by 26% on the same period… Continue Reading High rents one cause of rising homelessness, claims charity

There’s growing concern at the paltry level of housebuilding in London. Only 2,158 private housing constructions were started in the capital in the first six months of 2025 – a mere 4.9% of the government’s target. The second quarter of the year mustered just 731 new starts, half the Q1 rate. The new figures – from the consultancy Molior – also showed just 3,950 new homes were sold in London… Continue Reading Growing despair over shocking London house building statistics

The quality of rental properties will dramatically deteriorate if rent controls are introduced. A survey by buy to let lender Lindsay says over a third of landlords will stop investing in their existing properties and more may withdraw from the sector.  And roughly one in six landlords (16%) say they will sell all their rental properties if the Renters Rights Bill goes through – meaning approximately 750,000 properties across England… Continue Reading Landlords will quit in droves if Renters Rights Bill goes through – survey