The journal
Property research, written from the deals desk.
Market analysis, policy changes and buyer guides, published four times a week. Built from the stock and transactions we see, with the data shown so you can check the working.
The journal
Every analysis we publish
68 articles · updated 30 Sep 2026
What the New Help to Buy Scheme Means for House Prices
The new Help to Buy is expected to allow 2.5% deposits on new builds. The last one left prices about 2% higher where an official study measured.Read the analysisProperty Investment
How Long It Takes to Sell a House, and How to Beat the Average
Selling a house takes around seven months: Rightmove says 64 days to find a buyer and 150 more to complete. Where the time goes and how to cut it.Read Property InvestmentHow Much Your House Is Worth, and Four Ways to Check It
Your house is worth what buyers paid for homes like it, not what sellers are asking. Four checks using official sold prices, and what they miss.Read Investment StrategiesSelling Your House Now or Waiting Until 2027: What the Forecasts Show
Whether to sell your house now or wait until 2027: the OBR expects a 2.9% rise in 2027, set against July 2026 prices, Bank Rate and the cost of waiting.Read Investment StrategiesWhat Devalues a House in the UK, and What Protects Its Value
What devalues a house: flood risk, a short lease, knotweed and six more problems buyers price in, with sources, and which you can fix before you sell.Read Investment StrategiesSelling Your House at Auction: What You Keep and What It Costs
A traditional auction gives speed and a binding sale, but entry fees, commission and a published guide price shape what you keep. How both types work.Read Investment StrategiesWhat House Buying Companies Offer, and What You Keep
House buying companies typically pay 75% to 90% of market value, on the Office of Fair Trading's 2013 study. Why offers fall, and what to check first.Read Property InvestmentHouse Prices Are Forecast to Go Up in 2027: The Forecasts Compared
The OBR forecast 2.9% house price growth for 2027. Savills says 2.5%, Knight Frank 3%, and the OBR updates its view with the Budget on 28 October.Read Investment StrategiesWhen to Sell an Inherited House and When to Rent It Out
Whether to sell or rent an inherited house turns on its value at death, capital gains tax, the 2027 rental tax rates and the cost of leaving it empty.Read Investment StrategiesWhy Your House Is Not Selling and What Buyers Pay For
A house that is not selling is often priced against asking prices, not sold ones, or failing a buyer's checks. What buyers check, and when to wait.Read Property InvestmentCheapest Places to Buy Property in England
Burnley is the cheapest council area in England to buy in, at £135,012 in July 2026. The 15 cheapest areas and what a low average price hides.Read Property InvestmentHMO Yields in the UK: What Is Left After the Real Costs
Paragon's lending data put HMO gross yields at 8.90% in Q2 2026. Bills, council tax, licensing and voids decide if an HMO beats a single let.Read Investment StrategiesWhen to Sell Your Buy to Let and When to Keep It
On our worked example, selling a £250,000 buy to let releases £96,920 after tax, and keeping it wins above about 0.6% price growth a year.Read Investment FinancingHow Much You Can Borrow for a Buy to Let, and Why Rent Decides It
Buy to let borrowing is set mainly by rent, a stressed rate and a loan to value cap, not salary. The test, worked examples and the sum to run yourself.Read Investment FinancingBuying a House Before the Autumn Budget: What the Data Shows
Mortgage approvals are down 16% on a year ago and asking prices are 0.8% lower, as the Autumn Budget nears. What the data says about buying a house before it.Read Investment StrategiesWhere the New Build Premium Is Worth Paying
New builds cost 80% more in the North East and less than resale in London. What the premium buys, and the numbers to run before you offer.Read Investment FinancingBuying Property Through a Limited Company: When It Pays
Around three quarters of new buy to let purchases use a limited company, says Hamptons. The 2026 tax maths, and when owning personally wins.Read Property InvestmentWhere House Prices Are Going Down, and Where They Are Still Rising
Lloyds says UK house prices fell 0.4% in the year to August, but two other indices still show growth. The South East and London fell furthest.Read Property InvestmentHow a Property Portfolio Sells: Whole, in Lots, or as the Company
Three ways to sell a property portfolio: as one lot, split into lots, or as the company. What each fetches, who buys, and where the tax lands.Read Property InvestmentSelling a House With Tenants: Who Buys and What They Pay
You can sell a house with tenants in it. Who buys it, how they price it from the rent, and when waiting for vacant possession earns more than selling now.Read Property InvestmentWhy Your HMO Will Not Sell: The Six Checks Buyers Run
Why an HMO will not sell is usually one of six things an investor pays for. Here they are in the order a buyer checks them, plus an honest view on yours.Read Investment Financing6.5x Income Mortgages: What They Mean for Landlords
A first time buyer with a 5% deposit can now borrow 6.5 times income at one lender. What the new ceiling means for who buys your ex-rental.Read Investment FinancingBuying Power Down 9% as Home Searches Rise 7%
Buyer searches are up 7% but borrowing power has fallen 9% since January. What the gap between interest and funding means for property investors.Read Property InvestmentLandlord Costs Rose Twice as Fast as Income in Five Years
HMRC data shows landlord expenses up 56 per cent since 2020 to 2021, while declared property income rose 26 per cent. What HMRC actually counted.Read Property InvestmentWhat Your Rental Is Worth Depends on Who Is Buying It
An owner-occupier prices against what similar houses sold for, an investor against the rent. From 6% to 8%, the same rent prices £72,950 apart.Read Property InvestmentHMO Council Tax: One Band, Except Converted Flats
An HMO in England is now valued as one dwelling and the owner pays the council tax. What changed, and the exception investors still miss.Read Property InvestmentHMO Planning and Licensing: Councils Tighten Limits
Stoke, Bolton and Burnley all moved on HMOs in August 2026. HMO planning permission is being set up to fail on arithmetic, rather than on merit.Read Investment FinancingMaking Tax Digital for Landlords: The Penalties Now
Making Tax Digital: the first deadline has passed and the penalty rules are narrower than they look. What late payment costs, and the falling thresholds.Read Property InvestmentLeasehold Flats Are Taking Longer to Sell
Zoopla data shows 80.5% of leasehold flats listed in England were unsold after six months, 87% in London. What that does to entry pricing and exits.Read Investment FinancingThe buy to let stress test decides your remortgage, not the rate
The buy to let stress test, not the headline rate, decides your remortgage. The 5.5% floor, the 125% ratio, and why applications fail on rent.Read Property InvestmentAwaab’s Law for Private Landlords: What Is Set So Far
Awaab's Law has applied to social landlords since 27 October 2025. No date is set for private landlords, but its damp and mould timescales are a guide.Read Property InvestmentWhat the 2027 landlord tax changes mean for your rental profit
From 6 April 2027 landlords pay 22, 42 and 47 per cent on rental profit. What the new rates cost, who is excluded, and whether a company helps.Read Property InvestmentRenters’ Rights Act Information Sheet: Landlord Duties
Landlords must give tenants the official Renters' Rights Act information sheet. What it is, when to serve it, and the cost of getting it wrong.Read Market InsightsRenters’ Rights Act: What Rents Have Done Since May
Goodlord's June index put new-let rent inflation in England at 6.5%, against 3.4% on the ONS measure. One month of data, and why the gap matters.Read Investment StrategiesUK Property Investment by Region in 2026: Prices and Rents
No single best place to invest in UK property in 2026: regional prices and rents point in different directions. What a high gross yield is pricing.Read Investment FinancingUnmortgageable Homes: What Cash Buyers Should Know
A lender puts 1.5m UK homes outside mainstream mortgage criteria. What makes a property unmortgageable, and how cash buyers price the discount.Read Property InvestmentUK House Prices Rose 1.6% in the Year to August 2026
Nationwide put UK house price growth at 1.6% in the year to August 2026, after a revised 1.4% in July. What a flat market means for investors.Read Property InvestmentLandlords Selling Up: What the Survey and 2026 Data Show
Tax, rates and compliance are all pushing the same way. Why landlords are selling up in 2026, and what it means for buyers and sellers.Read Property InvestmentProposed Mansion Tax: Owners Would Pay the Surcharge, Not Tenants
The proposed mansion tax is a council tax surcharge of £2,500 to £7,500 a year on homes in England worth £2m or more, paid by owners, not tenants.Read Investment FinancingUK Interest Rates Are 3.75%, With the Next Decision on 5 November
UK interest rates are 3.75%, held 6 to 3 on 17 September. The next decision is 5 November, after new inflation figures and the 28 October Budget.Read Investment StrategiesBuy to Let in 2026 Still Works for Some Buyers: The Numbers
Record landlord exits and record rents are both true. The conflicting data, the arithmetic at 3.75% money, and who buy to let still works for in 2026.Read Investment FinancingCapital Gains Tax on Property: Today’s Rates and What Could Rise
No capital gains tax rise is announced for the 28 October Budget. What sellers pay at 18% and 24%, and what aligning it with income tax could cost.Read Property InvestmentRent Controls in England Have Been Discussed, Not Proposed
Rent controls in England have been discussed, not proposed: what Burnham's government has said, Scotland's rent cap data and how buyers price it.Read Property InvestmentPossession After Section 21: Selling Runs Through Ground 1A
Section 21 is gone and the last claims are in. Ground 1A's four month notice, the 12 month shield and re-let ban, and why tenanted stock got cheaper.Read Investment StrategiesTrading Property Valuations Start With the Accounts
Hotels, care homes and serviced blocks are valued on maintainable profit, not revenue. How the trading method works and the accounts to demand.Read Property InvestmentHMO Licence Transfer Is Barred by the Housing Act 2004
An HMO licence dies at completion. Section 68, the day one application defence, the £40,000 penalty regime and the checks to run before you offer.Read Investment FinancingHMO Valuation: When Income Beats Bricks and Mortar
The same HMO can carry two valuations six figures apart. What moves a property to the commercial basis, and why BRRR refinances fail without it.Read Investment FinancingBuying a Property SPV: Share Sale Against Asset Sale
A share sale buys the SPV at 0.5% stamp duty. An asset sale buys the buildings with SDLT. The six dwelling rule, latent gains and warranty cover.Read Property InvestmentBuying Tenanted Property: The Handover Checklist
Tenanted purchases transfer the tenancy's whole history. Deposits, certificates, notices, the post section 21 exit and the PRS database duty, in order.Read Investment StrategiesJudge High Yield Property on Net Yield, Not the Gross Number
Gross yield vs net yield on high yield property: the costs the listing leaves out, and an illustrative five-minute check taking 9.4% gross to 6.2% net.Read Investment StrategiesShort Lease Flats and the 80 Year Cliff
Short lease discounts are arithmetic, not sentiment. The 80 year cliff, extension premiums, the two year rule change and what reform has not done yet.Read Property InvestmentBuilding Safety Act Liabilities Block Buyers Must Check
The Building Safety Act draws money lines at 11 metres, and qualifying status froze in 2022. The checks to run before buying a block of flats.Read Property InvestmentSupported Accommodation and the Schedule 14 Exemption
Schedule 14 of the Housing Act 2004 takes many supported housing buildings outside HMO licensing. The legal test, its limits and the proof to ask for.Read Property InvestmentSupported Living: the Lease Is the Asset You Are Buying
The lease is the asset in a supported living deal. How to read the term and breaks, check the provider at Companies House and CQC, and price the covenant.Read Property InvestmentShort-Term Lets: The Planned Register and Use Class
England is introducing a register for short-term lets and a new planning use class. Councils could require permission. What it means for holiday lets.Read Property InvestmentRecord Asking Rents in the Rental Market: What to Underwrite in 2026
Asking rents hit records in Q2 2026 as supply fell 1% year on year, yet enquiries per home have halved since 2022. Plan for 2% to 3% rent growth.Read Property InvestmentThe Decent Homes Standard and Its 2035 Target for Rentals
The Decent Homes Standard will apply to private rentals for the first time, targeted for 2035. It is a policy statement, not law yet. What it will require.Read Investment FinancingSection 24 and Why Landlords Buy Through Companies
Individual landlords get mortgage interest relief only at the basic rate. Companies deduct it in full. Why that gap drives how portfolios are structured.Read Property InvestmentThe Draft Commonhold and Leasehold Reform Bill Is Not Yet Law
Not yet law: the draft Commonhold and Leasehold Reform Bill would cap ground rents at £250 and ban most new leasehold flats. How to price a freehold.Read Property InvestmentPRS Database Registration: £65 Fee, Deadlines, Penalties
The PRS Database opens on 15 December 2026 in the West Midlands. What landlords must register, the £65 annual fee, and the penalties to come.Read Property InvestmentEPC C by 2030 Is Confirmed Policy and Not Yet Law
Government has confirmed EPC C for landlords by 1 October 2030, capped at £10,000 a property. It is not law yet. What it means for investors.Read Property InvestmentHouse Price Growth Stays Subdued: Why Yield Leads
Nationwide put house price growth at 1.6% in August 2026, after a revised 1.4% in July. With interest above 5.5%, yield has to carry the return.Read Investment FinancingMortgage Rates Are Still Rising While Bank Rate Holds at 3.75%
Mortgage rates are still rising: two-year fixes average about 5.9% and market pricing points to a higher Bank Rate. What it means for buy to let.Read Property InvestmentLandlord Licensing Fees Are Reaching £1,000 per Property
Landlord licensing fees are reaching £1,000 per property, and the High Court dismissed a challenge to Thurrock's scheme. What it means for investors.Read Property InvestmentSection 21 Deadline: What It Means for Buyers
The Section 21 transition ended on 31 July 2026. What the Renters' Rights Act means for investors buying tenanted property, and what it does to value.Read Investment FinancingArticle 4 Directions and HMO Investing: 2026 Buyer’s Guide
Article 4 directions decide whether you can create a small HMO at all. Not the licence, the planning. Buy a […]Read Investment StrategiesOff-Market Property in England: A 2026 Investor Guide
Alongside the homes listed on Rightmove and Zoopla, a share of property changes hands privately, without ever being openly marketed. […]Read Investment FinancingStamp Duty on Investment Property: What You Will Actually Pay
Stamp duty on a buy to let in 2026 is standard SDLT plus a 5% surcharge on every band, so […]ReadNothing published on that topic yet.
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