Buy-to-let Property News, Market
OBR cuts house price forecast as landlord tax hikes bite
The OBR cuts 2026 house price growth to 2.1 percent and warns Budget rental tax rises will push rents higher as supply shrinks.
The OBR cuts 2026 house price growth to 2.1 percent and warns Budget rental tax rises will push rents higher as supply shrinks.
Goodlord finds 57% of landlords say ending fixed terms hurt them, with 27% cutting holdings as tenant selection tightens.
Birmingham Council fines Avamore £240,000 over Solihull Heights fire detection failure, with 26 more blocks under enforcement.
HM Treasury has confirmed its High Value Council Tax Surcharge will apply to England homes worth £2 million or more from April 2028, with annual bills of £2,500 to £7,500 set out in its 28 October consultation response.
Tesco Insurance has launched private landlord and holiday-home cover through an expanded tie-up with Prestige Underwriting’s Open and Direct brand, with Prestige handling sales, servicing and claims.
HM Land Registry has published Practice Guide 84 requiring contractual control rights to be disclosed from 6 April 2027, with public data from April 2028 affecting landlords using options and conditional contracts.
LRG has revealed 38.2 percent of tenants do not know they can challenge deposit deductions, with Tenancy Deposit Scheme data showing only 1 percent of deposits need adjudication and cleaning behind 54 percent of cases.
Chancellor John Healey has confirmed a second two percentage point rise in tax on property income from April 2027, taking landlord rates to 24, 44 and 49 percent. Search Acumen and Elite Realty Invest warn the move will squeeze supply and push up rents.
Landbay survey of 2,000 landlords finds almost 80 percent fear further tax rises in today’s Budget, with 22 percent delaying purchases and 16 percent pausing remortgages, though 34 percent still plan to buy more property.
Bowmore Wealth Group analysis of HMRC data shows buy-to-let investors crystallised £1.15 billion of losses on residential property sales in the latest tax year, up 32 percent from £870 million, as flat prices and higher finance costs bite.
Housing minister Matthew Pennycook has confirmed the Housing Ombudsman Service will set up and operate the new PRS landlord redress scheme, with regulations in force since 17 September 2026 and membership duties to follow.
The Scottish government has told all 32 councils how to assess rent conditions for possible rent control areas, with first reports due by 31 May 2027 and caps of CPI plus 1 percent, up to 6 percent, where zones are designated.
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