Guides

Plain-English guides for landlords and investors.

Everything here is written from experience running our own portfolio and checked against current rules. It is also the knowledge base our AI assistant answers from, so you can read it yourself or ask.

Tax

Stamp duty for landlords: the bands, the 5% surcharge and how to plan around it

How Stamp Duty Land Tax works on buy-to-let, HMO and company purchases in England and Northern Ireland, with worked examples, the additional-dwelling surcharge, refunds, multiple dwellings and mixed-use.

3 min read

Should you own rental property through a limited company?

Personal versus limited company ownership for UK landlords: tax on profits, mortgage interest, extracting money, stamp duty and capital gains tax on incorporating, mortgage rates, and the situations where each structure wins.

3 min read

Section 24 and the 2027 property income tax rise: what landlords actually pay

How the mortgage interest restriction works, why it pushes basic-rate taxpayers into higher rates, and what the two percentage point rise in property income tax from April 2027 means for a typical portfolio.

3 min read

Making Tax Digital for landlords: who is in, when, and what you have to do

MTD for Income Tax started for landlords with over £50,000 of gross income in April 2026, drops to £30,000 in April 2027 and £20,000 in April 2028. What counts as qualifying income, the quarterly updates, penalties and how to get ready.

3 min read

Capital gains tax when you sell a rental property

The 18% and 24% rates, the £3,000 allowance, what you can deduct, the 60-day reporting deadline, private residence relief and the planning that reduces the bill legally.

3 min read

Serviced accommodation

Serviced accommodation: how it works, what changed in 2025 and when it beats a standard let

What serviced accommodation is, the planning, business rates and tax position after the furnished holiday lettings regime ended, what it costs to run, and how to decide whether it will out-earn a normal tenancy.

3 min read

Legislation

The Renters' Rights Act: what changed on 1 May 2026 and what landlords must do now

Section 21 is gone, every tenancy is periodic, rent rises follow a formal process and more is coming. A landlord's guide to the Renters' Rights Act 2025 and the dates that matter.

3 min read

Investing

Rental yield and return on investment, explained properly

Gross yield, net yield, cash-on-cash return and interest cover: what each number tells you, what a good figure looks like for standard lets, HMOs and serviced accommodation, and the mistakes that make deals look better than they are.

3 min read

HMOs

HMO licensing in England: what counts, what you need and what it costs to get wrong

A plain-English guide to houses in multiple occupation: when a property is an HMO, mandatory, additional and selective licensing, room sizes, Article 4 areas and the penalties for getting it wrong.

4 min read

Finance

Financing HMOs and serviced accommodation: how lenders think

Why HMO and short-let mortgages differ from standard buy-to-let, how properties are valued, stress tests and interest cover, limited company borrowing, bridging to refinance, and the mistakes that get applications declined.

3 min read

Compliance

EPC C by 2030: what landlords need to do and when

Private rented homes in England and Wales will need an EPC rating of C by 1 October 2030. The cost cap, the exemptions, the new EPC metrics on the way, and a sensible order of works for older properties and HMOs.

3 min read

AI

AI for landlords and letting agents: ten things that work today, and three that do not

Practical uses of AI in a property business, from bookkeeping and guest messaging to compliance calendars and deal analysis, with the guardrails that keep client data safe. Based on what AIRPROP runs in its own operations.

3 min read

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