Property & Landlords

Energy Drinks Ban 2027: What Parents and Retailers Should Know

The government confirmed on 16 July 2026 a ban on selling high-caffeine energy drinks to under-16s from April 2027. Here is what it means for parents, what retailers must do, and how it fits with other child health measures.

17 Jul 2026 · 5 min read

Does Newborn Genetic Screening Affect Your Child's Future Insurance? What UK Parents Need to Know

NHS newborn screening now tests for Spinal Muscular Atrophy. Here is exactly what the UK Code on Genetic Testing and Insurance says insurers can and cannot use, sourced directly from the Government and ABI agreement.

16 Jul 2026 · 7 min read

HM Land Registry's 2025-26 Report: Faster Completions, Digital Signatures and £63m Fraud Stopped

HM Land Registry's 2025-26 Annual Report shows faster processing, the first mortgage completed with a Qualified Electronic Signature, and £63 million in fraudulent applications prevented.

15 Jul 2026 · 7 min read

Council Tax 2026-27: Average Bill Rise and the New High-Value Surcharge Explained

Average Band D council tax in England rises to £2,392 for 2026-27, up 4.9%. New High Value Council Tax Surcharge on £2m+ homes under consultation, expected from April 2028.

14 Jul 2026 · 4 min read

Catalyst Property Finance Launches Ground-Up Development Loan

Catalyst Property Finance has launched a ground-up development finance product for residential and mixed-use schemes up to 20 units, rates from 5.25% plus base rate. What developers and brokers need to know.

12 Jul 2026 · 3 min read

NatWest Launches New Life Insurance and Critical Illness Cover

NatWest has overhauled its protection insurance range for retail and mortgage customers, expanding critical illness cover to 52 conditions and building life insurance into its digital mortgage journey. Underwritten by Aviva.

12 Jul 2026 · 3 min read

UAE Golden Visa for UK Citizens 2026: AED 2 Million Property Route

The UAE's Golden Visa grants a renewable 10-year residence permit for a AED 2 million property investment, with no minimum stay requirement. It does not, and never has, offered any path to UAE citizenship.

11 Jul 2026 · 6 min read

Turkey Citizenship by Investment for UK Citizens 2026: $400,000 Property Route and the E-2 Angle

Turkey grants full citizenship directly for a $400,000 property investment, unlike Portugal, Greece or the UAE, which grant residence only. Turkish citizenship also opens the US E-2 investor visa, a route British citizenship does not.

11 Jul 2026 · 6 min read

Greece Golden Visa for UK Citizens 2026: Property Tiers and What's Changed

Greece's golden visa now runs on three property tiers, €250,000, €400,000 and €800,000, depending on location. It grants residence, not citizenship, and its own path to citizenship requires far more than the visa itself does.

11 Jul 2026 · 6 min read

Second Passport for UK Citizens 2026: Concurrent Passport vs Second Citizenship

UK citizens use the term second passport to mean two different things: a concurrent British passport from HMPO, or citizenship of a second country. This guide separates the two, with current official fees and routes for each.

10 Jul 2026 · 6 min read

National Housing Bank Backs Salford, Bromley, Ludlow Homes

The National Housing Bank has agreed £35 million in loans across Salford, Bromley and Ludlow, unlocking around 2,500 new homes as part of its plan to invest up to £16 billion in housing and regeneration finance over the next decade.

10 Jul 2026 · 8 min read

Andy Burnham and Land Value Tax: What's Being Proposed

No land value tax has been formally proposed, but the idea has returned to the spotlight following Keir Starmer's resignation. Here's what's actually on the table and what it could mean.

9 Jul 2026 · 7 min read

Social Housing Fraud: Airbnb Data-Sharing Deal Explained

Airbnb is sharing data with councils to catch social housing subletting fraud. 470 cases already found, costs put at £78,300 per case and penalties up to 2 years in prison.

8 Jul 2026 · 8 min read

Mortgage Fraud UK: What It Is, Real Figures, and How to Report It

The FCA opened just 1 mortgage fraud investigation in 2025, down from 18 total since 2018, even as UK Finance reports £1.17bn lost to fraud and Cifas finds 1 in 6 adults know someone who misled a lender.

7 Jul 2026 · 4 min read

5 Million UK Homeowners Face Higher Mortgage Costs: What the Bank of England Report Means Across the UK

The Bank of England now expects over 5 million UK homeowners to face higher mortgage costs by 2028, up from 3.9 million forecast in December, with regional variation across the UK.

7 Jul 2026 · 6 min read

New Landlord Ombudsman: £25,000 Compensation Cap and Mandatory Membership Explained

The government has confirmed the framework for a new mandatory Landlord Ombudsman under the Renters' Rights Act 2025, with compensation of up to £25,000 per complaint.

7 Jul 2026 · 3 min read

Buy-to-Let Mortgage Range Streamlined by Lender

A UK lender has streamlined its buy-to-let mortgage range, a move reported this week in trade press.

7 Jul 2026 · 1 min read

Landlord Professionalisation: Why 43% of UK Buy-to-Let Purchases Are Now Through Limited Companies

New lender data shows incorporated buy-to-let ownership has risen from under 8% of purchases in 2018 to 43% in 2025, with portfolio sizes growing alongside it.

7 Jul 2026 · 4 min read

Andy Burnham's Tax and Property Proposals: What Homeowners and Taxpayers Should Know

Keir Starmer remains Prime Minister but is standing down once a successor is chosen. Andy Burnham, the only declared candidate, has floated a land value tax and other property reforms. None of it is enacted policy yet, but here is what is on the table.

7 Jul 2026 · 6 min read

Fixed-Rate Mortgages in 2026: What the Base Rate Hold Means for Remortgaging Costs

The Bank of England held the base rate at 3.75% for a seventh straight month. Average five-year fixed mortgage rates remain near 5.5%, more than double 2021 levels, leaving borrowers who fixed cheaply facing a steep jump when they remortgage in 2026.

7 Jul 2026 · 7 min read

Do You Need Different Home Insurance During a House Extension

Why standard UK home insurance can exclude cover during significant building work, when you need to notify your insurer, and how specialist renovation cover works.

5 Jul 2026 · 6 min read

Mortgage Affordability: How Lenders Actually Decide How Much You Can Borrow

How UK mortgage lenders calculate affordability beyond a simple income multiple, including stress testing, committed expenditure and self-employed income assessment.

5 Jul 2026 · 6 min read

How Mortgage Interest Is Actually Calculated Day by Day

How UK mortgage lenders calculate daily interest, why the day-count convention used (365 vs 365.25) can make your own maths not quite match your statement.

5 Jul 2026 · 6 min read

Guarantor Mortgages Explained: How They Actually Work in the UK

How a UK guarantor mortgage works, the difference from a joint borrower sole proprietor mortgage, and what the risk actually means for the guarantor.

5 Jul 2026 · 6 min read

Does a CCJ Stop You Renting a Property in the UK?

How a County Court Judgment affects renting in the UK: what letting agents actually check, how landlords tend to respond, and what genuinely improves your chances.

5 Jul 2026 · 6 min read

LISA, SIPP or Mortgage Overpayment: Where Extra Money Works Hardest

Comparing a Lifetime ISA, a SIPP and mortgage overpayments as homes for spare cash in the UK: government top-ups, access rules, tax treatment and the real trade-offs.

5 Jul 2026 · 6 min read

Getting a Mortgage With a CCJ: What Actually Affects Your Chances

How a County Court Judgment affects a UK mortgage application: satisfied vs unsatisfied CCJs, how long they stay on file, and what lenders actually look at.

5 Jul 2026 · 6 min read

Probate Valuation Costs: Property, Contents and Shares (2026)

Probate requires an estate to be valued for inheritance tax purposes before you can apply. Here is what must be valued, the official disbursement fees involved, and HMRC's role.

5 Jul 2026 · 5 min read

Andy Burnham's Property Tax Plan Would Replace Council Tax and Stamp Duty

Andy Burnham is reported to be examining a proposal to scrap council tax and stamp duty in favour of an annual property tax based on home value.

5 Jul 2026 · 2 min read

Abri and Curo Merger Talks: What a 73,000-Home Landlord Would Mean

Abri and Curo have entered merger talks that would create a 73,000-home housing association serving 142,000 customers across southern England. The financial gap between the two organisations, and what happens next.

3 Jul 2026 · 3 min read