Last month Portsmouth City Council's (PCC) Cabinet reviewed and agreed a document which summarised the effectiveness of the Additional Licensing scheme after criticism from us. Although it was independently created and funded by central government, we argued that the document and its presentation in the press was grossly misleading and failed to recognise the failings of the scheme. Read on to see why.

We have seen multiple queries from landlords being charged for anti-money laundering (AML) checks by letting agents and we know others do not realise that every landlord MUST now perform an anti-money laundering check on every tenant. Where is the line between something you MUST do and something where someone is just using it as an excuse to bill you for something?We try to explain.  

As mentioned last month (see it here) there is a new, much updated database of HMOs in Portsmouth.  We would really like to help the Council get it as accurate as possible so do check any of your properties against the list and any HMOs that you know of (or properties that were but are not anymore). 

AdvoCATS officially relaunched its Heads for Tails! campaign on Monday 11th August, with the aim of sending an open letter & briefing paper to The Secretary of State for Housing and the Housing Minister on 1st September asking for tenants rights to have pets and for landlords to be able to charge for insurance - exactly 4 years since the original campaign went live, and 1 week before the "ping-pong" process between the House of Commons and House of Lords begins.

Have you heard the one about the Chancellor strapped for cash, who thought private landlords would be good for it? 

If it were a joke, I would be looking forward to the punchline but sadly, it would appear that someone in the treasury thinks a few words in the coming Autumn statement  announcing charging National Insurance on rental income would plug a big hole….

The Base Rate has been cut for the 3rd time this year. What does this mean for mortgage rates, and why do we not expect further Base Rate reductions this year?

Last month our local MP's, Stephen Morgan and Amanda Martin, hosted a forum focussed on issues with HMOs and PCC's perceived inability to enforce against them (we think 'enforcement' is completely the wrong term here but ..).  As one member who attended described it, "it was a NIMBY fest full of false info and misinformation ".  Not the fault of the MPs but anyway, read on for our summary...

Portsmouth City Council's long-standing estimate of 6,000 Houses in Multiple Occupation (HMOs) in the city has been turned on its head by the council's own licensing records. Latest figures show less than half the 4,309 HMOs recorded five years ago and far fewer than the oft-quoted figure of 6,000. Personally, I had 4 small student HMOs in the south of the city 3 years ago, now I have none. I am not alone, every landlord I meet tells a similar tale – yet until today, this anecdotal evidence was completely at odds with the rhetoric of councillors, coverage in the press and figures from the council. What has happened, why and what does it say about supply, demand and the future shape of shared housing in Portsmouth?

PCC's own data shows: Since 2018, the net number of large HMOs has increased by about 80 (from ~1200) that is an average of just +1% per year. At the same time, more than 10 times that number of small HMOs have been taken out of HMO use.

This has implications – all flexibility to support the student market has been removed from the south of the city which will seriously impact the University and the councils own policies and regulations are causing the PO2 area particularly to feel as though it is being cluster bombed with large HMOs occupied by dubious tenants.

Is there a maximum age limit for getting a buy to let mortgage? Below, we discuss your options and how easily you can find the right rate as an older landlord.

 Southampton City Council has approved the designation of an Additional HMO licensing scheme to take effect from September 2025 for five years in 8 council wards.

If you missed it - we had our 40th birthday celebration this month, a garden party at the Queens Hotel in Southsea, we were joined by many members including 3 former chair persons and a couple of founder members plus the Lord Mayor, several councillors and many friends from both the council and some of the many organisations we have worked with over recent years.

And apart from having a very pleasant evening, we managed to raise £1,000 for the Lord Mayors charity, so thank you to everyone for their support. 

Another excellent thought leadership piece on the role of the PRS copied from LinkedIn and written by legal expert, David Smith asking what is the role of the PRS / where does it fit / is the law appropriate to manage it followed by my own thoughts on how to answer some of these questions. 

Portsmouth has long faced challenges in balancing housing affordability, community cohesion, and regulatory oversight. Houses in Multiple Occupation (HMOs)—where multiple, unrelated individuals share living spaces—have emerged as a significant part of the city's housing landscape. While their presence has sparked debate among councillors, planning officials, and residents, their value as an accessible housing solution remains undeniable.

Incorporation has become a hot topic among landlords in recent years, particularly as tax changes and regulatory pressures continue to reshape the buy to let landscape. But is transferring your property portfolio into a Limited Company the right move for you?

As with most things in property investment, the answer is: it depends.

 With Parliament's summer break looming, pressure is mounting to pass the Renters' Rights Bill—a sweeping reform that will reshape the lettings landscape. Whether you're a landlord or a policymaker, now is the time to understand what's at stake.