Five-Year Fixed Hits 6%: What BTL Investors Must Do Now
The average five-year fixed mortgage rate crossed 6% on 5 October 2026 for the first time since September 2023. The average two-year fix is at 5.98%.
Read articleFleet Q3 2026: BTL Portfolios Hit 18 Properties, Yields 7.9%
Fleet Mortgages published their Q3 2026 Rental Barometer this week and one number stopped me. The average landlord portfolio in England and Wales has grown to 18 properties. Up from 16 in Q2.
Read articleBuy-to-Let Inheritance Tax 2026: What Landlords Must Know
The nil-rate band has been frozen at £325,000 per person since 2009. The Chancellor confirmed in October 2025 that it stays frozen until April 2031.
Read articleBurnham's Your First Home: What 2.5% Deposits Mean for BTL
Andy Burnham announced the Your First Home scheme at Labour Party conference on 26 September. Two and a half percent deposit. A government equity loan of up to 20% of the property value, interest-free initially.
Read articleNationwide Sep 2026: Price Growth Below Inflation, Income Wins
Nationwide published its September house price index this morning, and the headline number is 1.6% annual growth. The building society described it as steady. I would use a different word.
Read articleStamp Duty Blocks 100,000 Moves a Year. The Tax System Is Broken.
The Resolution Foundation published a housing tax report this week with a number I keep coming back to: stamp duty prevents around 100,000 home purchases every year. Not slows. Not discourages. Prevents.
Read article79% of UK Landlords Now on Rolling Tenancies: The Hidden Risk
New Lendlord data published this week shows 79% of UK landlords are now running rolling tenancies exclusively, four months on from the Renters' Rights Act abolishing fixed terms.
Read articleRightmove Sep 2026: 12-Year Supply High Opens BTL Buying Window
Rightmove published its September 2026 House Price Index on Monday, and the headline grabbed attention: asking prices up 0.7%, the first monthly rise since May. But I would not lead with the price move.
Read articleUK House Prices Near Zero Growth by Christmas 2026
In early September 2026, Tom Bill, head of UK residential research at Knight Frank, said he expects house price growth to fall close to zero by Christmas.
Read articleThe BTL Mortgage Turns 30: Three Decades of Lessons for UK Investors
The UK's first dedicated buy-to-let mortgage went on sale on September 24, 1996.
Read articleBTL Fix Window Closing: Swap Rates Hit 3-Year High
Five-year swap rates climbed to 4.52% in the first week of September 2026, their highest level in roughly three years. Some lenders are still cutting. Paragon trimmed 15 basis points in the past fortnight.
Read articleAutumn Budget 2026: 7 Weeks to Act on Confirmed Tax Changes
The Autumn Budget is confirmed for 28 October 2026. Seven weeks. Some of what it will contain is already in statute. Some of it is newspaper speculation.
Read articleLloyds HPI August 2026: Flat Prices, Nervous Market, BTL Window
The Lloyds House Price Index, renamed from Halifax HPI in July 2026, landed this week with numbers that look quiet on the surface but carry a clear signal for buy-to-let investors who know how to read a soft market.
Read article73% of Letting Agents Swamped by Renters Rights Act
Three in four lettings professionals report more admin since 1 May 2026. That is the finding from Propoly's September 2026 survey of 300 letting agency staff across England.
Read articleInflation 2.9%, September 17 BoE: What Landlords Must Do Now
UK CPI rose to 2.9% in July 2026, up from 2.6% in June. The ONS published that on 20 August. It was a four-month high and the first upward move after three months of slowing inflation.
Read articleNationwide August 2026: House Prices Dip. Rents Keep Rising.
The Nationwide Building Society published its August 2026 house price index on Friday 29 August. UK house prices fell 0.2% in August on a monthly basis, the first monthly decline since April 2026.
Read article45% of UK Buy-to-Let Is Now Company-Owned (Q3 2026)
Lendlord published its Q3 2026 landlord data this week. One figure stands out: 45.1% of UK buy-to-let property is now held through limited companies, against 54.9% held privately.
Read articleTMW at 3.44%, Paragon Green at 3.55%: The August BTL Rate Roundup
The NRLA August 2026 buy-to-let market update is out, and the headline is not what most landlords will expect.
Read articleVAT on Electricity Falls to 0% in October. What HMO Landlords Need to Know.
On 21 July 2026, the Andy Burnham government announced that VAT on domestic electricity would fall from 5% to 0% from 1 October 2026. The reduction runs to 31 March 2027, making it a six-month measure for now.
Read articleBTL Mortgage Possessions Fell 22% in Q2. Arrears Down for the Eighth Quarter Running.
UK Finance published its Q2 2026 Mortgage Arrears and Possessions Update on August 13.
Read articleMortgage Rates Are Back Up. Here's the Budget Window to Watch.
The two-year fixed mortgage rate climbed from 5.52% to 5.63% in August. That is the first monthly rise since April, and it erases every gain made since the February trough of 4.85%.
Read articleUK Banks Cut BTL Lending to Small Investors 14% in 5 Years
Karis Capital published research in early July 2026 showing regulated UK bank lending to small and medium-sized property investors fell 14% between March 2021 and March 2026.
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