THE RENT A ROOM EXPERTS
With the long-awaited Autumn Budget now just days away, uncertainty is running rife and the rumour mill seems to be spinning faster than ever. Political U-turns, government mixed messaging and a number of jittery market reactions have left most people – including many so-called ‘experts’ – wondering what the Chancellor…
For the last several months – even years – the story of the buy-to-let market in the UK has been painted as one of decline, with landlords exiting in their droves due to squeezed margins, changing regulation, and ever-rising taxes. But if we dig into things a little deeper, another…
In response to “Fan of true crime? Then this column is for you” by John Harris, The Guardian, 24 October 2025. I don’t know if you read the John Harris article in The Guardian on Friday 24 October. I did, and I felt sick to my core. It was not…
When you rent a property, you might assume you’re covered if something goes wrong, but that’s not quite how it works. Your landlord’s insurance will take care of the building, if something were to happen, but it does not cover your belongings. If pipes burst and the downstairs floods, that’s…
Property fraud is not something that most landlords think about day to day… but it is on the rise, with far too many properties still exposed – and not only that, HMO landlords might be particularly at risk… According to new research conducted by compliance platform Thirdfort, only around 3%…
Hitting the headlines this week (28/09/2025) is news that Chancellor Rachel Reeves may be considering a radical new approach to raising government revenue: extending National Insurance (NI) to cover rental income from landlords. While no official policy has yet been announced, reports in The Times, The Guardian and other media…
When it comes to the private rental sector, there’s a common assumption: the public is desperate for tougher rules and more oversight of letting agents. Politicians repeat it, campaigners claim it, and the media often runs with it. But perhaps we’ve just been offered a reality check. Last week, a petition by…
As we find ourselves in the mist of summer of 2025, the housing market feels a little… well, disjointed, really. Owner-occupier sales are slowing down – normal for the summer, but what isn’t so normal is the fall in property prices – a 1.2% drop in July, according to Rightmove’s…
Wow! Just, wow… It has been a month today since attending the HMO Summit & Awards 2025 – and frankly it has taken a month to come down from the high I was on (in fact, maybe I am still on it!). It really was an awesome day for the…
As you know, I like to write regular blog articles to provide you some weekend reading and keep you up to speed about the world of HMO lettings and management, especially where it affects the market here in Ipswich. Sometimes it’s plain sailing, sometimes it’s choppy waters – but it…