Latest News

Halifax, Lloyds and Bank of Scotland will be using properties' EPC ratings when they calculate mortgage affordability, it has been announced. 

The PDPLA is a trade association – you may not think of it that way, but it is a group owned and run by its members for the benefit of its members. With that, come some challenges and responsibilities – we hope we are always doing what is best for most members but that does mean that at times some individual members may be worse off as a result. A couple of examples..  

The buy to let market witnessed significant developments throughout 2024, marked by fluctuating mortgage rates and upcoming regulatory changes.

As we start 2025, the landscape continues evolving, presenting both challenges and opportunities for property investors. Here, we look back at last year and share some thoughts on what we can expect from the buy to let market this year. 

PDPLA Vice Chair, Alwin Oliver, made a deputation at the December 2024 Full Council meeting to express our dismay at the Portsmouth Independence Party motion to publicise the addresses of the 40+ PCC owned HMOs in the city.  We need not have bothered as every other councillor was equally aghast and the motion was defeated.   That said, we are always keen to get our members perspective across and challenge anti HMO (and anti landlord) rhetoric where we find it.

Given the surprise Stamp Duty announcement in November's budget, we're looking at how you can mitigate the new higher charge and how your landlord peers have reacted.  

Following Portsmouth City Councils decision to become an inclusive recovery city, we wrote the following letter of support which was published in The News.

(An inclusive recovery city is a community that aims to create a supportive environment for people affected by addiction.These cities work to:

• Remove barriers: Create spaces where people can access help and advice without facing barriers
• Raise awareness: Promote understanding and challenge the stigma and shame associated with addiction
• Celebrate recovery: Recognize the strength and resilience of people in recovery
• Champion multiple pathways: Support a variety of paths to addiction recovery
• Benefit the whole city: Believe that the city will grow and benefit from these efforts)

Carianne Wells of Applecore PMD, has 2 observations relevant to landlords who may be considering selling their HMOs in the future or developing or enlarging them.  She says, "As the Local Plan moves towards implementation, which is looking at potentially being towards the latter part of next year. It could be sooner, but knowing planning,  nothing moves very quickly. I wanted to make you aware of the 2 biggest changes that I foresee with HMO Conversions"

We had a smaller turnout than usual at our Christmas celebration this year but a good night was had by all who attended. It was billed as 'quiz-less' (which obviously meant 'less quiz than usual' rather than 'no quiz') and this years mini-quiz certainly revealed what landlords are interested in. Plus we had awards and fund raising which this year, was for Helping Hands.  

A high-profile licensing enforcement case relating to a property in Manners Road, Portsmouth, has garnered significant local and national attention. The case involved a £7,500 fine issued by Portsmouth City Council to a landlord under the mandatory HMO licensing scheme. The landlord appealed to the First-tier Tribunal, whose detailed findings offer crucial lessons for landlords, particularly those engaging in rent-to-rent agreements.

This article breaks down the case, key tribunal findings, and takeaways for landlords to help avoid similar pitfalls.

Members have increasingly been asking about alternatives to tenancies, ie licences and holiday letting agreements. Demands for double council tax (i.e. on second homes) are also raising questions. There are a few simple rules which will help you define  which category your property falls into.

PDPLA friend and legal advisor, David Smith, says, "Earlier this month the Commons Bill Committee began its line by line scrutiny of the Renters' Reform Bill including amendments to each section. As anticipated, most of these amendments are being rejected....

Fire Risk Assessments (FRA) are essential safety evaluations required for certain rental properties in the UK, including Houses in Multiple Occupation (HMO). The aim is to identify fire hazards, assess risks, and outline actions needed to minimize these risks, ensuring tenants' safety. This is especially critical in HMOs, where multiple tenants may live independently within a single property, increasing the complexity and potential fire risk.  We had a question about the high cost of a professional FRA and this article is based on a discussion of that issue between 2 landlord members and a letting agent. 

Electric wallpaper will be trialled in 12 Glasgow tenements to evaluate its efficiency as a clean heat source and Nationwide are offering 0% loans for retrofit projects. Additionally, the boiler upgrade scheme hit record levels in September.

Gavin Richardson, Managing Director at Mortgage Finance Brokers (MFB), runs through the key announcements from the Budget and discusses how they will impact your property investments.

On Wednesday, 30^th, October 30th, Rachel Reeves delivered her first Budget Statement, the biggest tax-raising budget since 1993.

The key change that property investors will be talking about is the surprise increase to the Stamp Duty Land Tax surcharge. 

Starting in April 2025, HM Government's Warm Homes: Local Grant (WH:LG) scheme, overseen by the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero (DESNZ), will offer low-carbon, energy-efficient retrofits to private-rented properties of all fuel types, including both off- and on-gas properties. Under this scheme, landlords can have one rental property fully funded, while subsequent properties will require a 50% contribution, with no cap on the number of properties that may be upgraded.