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The government has claimed tenants on Universal Credit remain responsible for rent payments. In a written parliamentary answer, the government confirmed that if tenants get into arrears, rent payments may be sent directly to their landlord. Universal Credit is typically paid once a month directly to the claimant, who is then responsible for paying the landlord. However, the landlord can request a Managed Payment to Landlord (MPTL) as part of an Alternative Payment Arrangement (APA).

Sellers cut their asking house prices by an average of £3,832 in July as political uncertainty, higher mortgage costs and an unusually distracting summer weighed on England’s housing market, Rightmove reveals. The 1% monthly drop took the average price of a newly listed home to £372,359. July usually brings a seasonal decline, but the latest drop was five times the 10-year average of 0.2%.

Landlords could face longer possession delays and tougher council enforcement during the second half of 2026. That’s the view of Allison Thompson, the chief lettings officer at Leaders, who adds that the sector has continued to operate successfully despite repeated economic shocks and regulatory changes. She adds that the Renters’ Rights Act, weaker economic growth and renewed inflation pressures are likely to shape the property market over the coming months.

The PRS Database stopped being an abstraction this summer. The government has been beta-testing its “Register your rental property” service with real landlords, who registered actual properties and were issued a Landlord Registration Number and a Property Registration Number. The shape of the live system is now reasonably clear, and the rollout is planned to begin regionally from late 2026.

Six tenants have been ordered to pay a landlord £3,240 after a tribunal found four examples of unreasonable conduct in a withdrawn rent repayment order (RRO) claim worth about £60,000. The case unravelled over a licensing period that did not exist. The First-tier Tribunal found the east London HMO had been licensed throughout the tenants’ occupation, despite a claim for repayment of 12 months’ rent.

Despite cutting affordable housing targets in the capital, London is still falling far short of its housing delivery goals, according to new findings. The London Assembly’s annual Housing Monitor report reveals housing targets have been missed and housing waiting lists continue to soar. Last year, the government announced new emergency measures to tackle London’s housebuilding shortfall by cutting affordable housing requirements to 20%.

Dear HMRC, On 1 July 2026, HMRC amended several pages of its Business Income Manual dealing with interest deductions, the replacement of capital with borrowing and withdrawals from unincorporated businesses. The pages affected include BIM45690, “Funding the business”, and BIM45700, “Withdrawal of capital from a business”.

Two stories this week caught my landlord eye, and they deserve to sit side by side for a closer analysis, because nobody in the housing debate seems willing to put them there. For years, landlords (especially me) have warned that punishing the private rented sector (PRS) would backfire on the very people policymakers claim to protect. Now, the data is trickling in, and the damage appears to be done, leaving the hypocrisy for everyone to see.

England’s councils are collecting only a fraction of fines issued for landlord offences, even as local authority inspection numbers grow. The National Residential Landlords Association (NRLA) says councils are carrying out more checks under the Housing, Health and Safety Rating System. However, the collection of financial penalties continues to lag.

The government has claimed there is “no one-size-fits-all” approach for landlords when determining whether a tenancy is suitable, despite measures being introduced to tackle discrimination in the PRS. In a written parliamentary answer, Labour peer Baroness Taylor of Stevenage claimed the government have taken action to stop rental discrimination.