- Details
- Hits: 30
The Chancellor's March Budget could include announcements affecting property owners, from stamp duty adjustments to capital gains tax modifications. While specific measures remain unknown until Budget Day, understanding potential changes and preparing strategically now helps you respond effectively.
Potential stamp duty considerations
Stamp duty thresholds and rates periodically face adjustment through Budget announcements. Current thresholds have remained stable, but potential modifications could affect transaction costs for buyers and timing considerations for sellers.
If completing purchases soon after the Budget, obtaining agreements in principle and progressing transactions quickly protects you from potential threshold reductions or rate increases. Conversely, rumours of threshold increases or reliefs might make delaying completions advantageous.
- Details
- Hits: 26
Every seller knows spring can usually represents the property market’s peak season. What fewer understand is that February, positioned just before this rush, offers strategic advantages that often deliver better results than waiting for the traditional March-to-May surge.
Understanding why February works so effectively helps you capitalise on timing that serious, experienced sellers increasingly favour.
Serious buyers emerge early
Buyers who begin their property search in February typically aren’t casual browsers. They have spent January researching areas, understanding prices, arranging finances, and clarifying exactly what they need. When they start viewing properties in February, they arrive prepared and motivated to move quickly when they find the right home.
These buyers often have clear timescales driving their searches. Job relocations, family changes, or rental tenancy endings create genuine urgency, making them more decisive than buyers casually exploring the market without immediate reasons to commit.
- Details
- Hits: 28
February represents a strategic month for landlords to address essential tasks before the new tax year begins in April and before the March Budget potentially introduces policy changes. Systematic attention to tax preparation, tenancy management, property maintenance, and strategic planning positions your portfolio for success throughout 2026.
Tax preparation for year-end
With the tax year ending 5 April, February provides final opportunities to optimise your tax position. Review your rental income and expenses for the current tax year, ensuring all allowable costs are claimed, including maintenance, insurance, letting fees, professional services, and travel expenses for property management.
Gather receipts and documentation for all claimed expenses. Missing paperwork discovered during tax return completion creates stress and may result in unclaimed expenses increasing your tax liability. Organise records systematically while the year remains fresh in memory.
Consider whether any planned maintenance or improvement work should complete before 5 April to claim expenses in the current tax year, or defer until after if bringing forward provides no advantage. Strategic timing of expenditure optimises tax positions across years.
If you haven't already, consult with property tax specialists about whether your portfolio structure remains optimal given property income tax rate changes taking effect from April 2027. Understanding implications now allows considered decisions rather than rushed reactions later.
- Details
- Hits: 59
The excitement of viewing properties often tempts first-time buyers to start house hunting before completing essential preparation. However, viewing homes without proper groundwork wastes time on unsuitable properties, weakens your negotiating position, and risks losing homes to better-prepared buyers.
Completing these five steps before booking viewings transforms you from a hopeful browser into a serious buyer that sellers and agents take seriously.
One: Obtain an agreement in principle
An agreement in principle from a mortgage lender confirms how much you can borrow and shows sellers that you are financially prepared. It reassures agents and vendors that you can proceed, rather than simply exploring options.
You can apply through a mortgage broker or directly with lenders by providing proof of income, identification, and basic financial details. This usually takes only a few days and results in a certificate valid for several months.
Knowing your borrowing limit prevents wasted viewings on properties outside your reach and avoids disappointment later in the process. Remember, the maximum amount offered isn’t always what you should borrow.
- Details
- Hits: 16
The first months of 2026 are revealing clear patterns in where landlords choose to invest, with data pointing towards three distinct priorities shaping purchasing decisions. Energy efficiency requirements, location characteristics, and rental demand dynamics are creating a new framework for property investment decisions.
Energy ratings driving purchase choices
Properties with higher energy performance certificates are commanding increased attention from landlords at the start of 2026. The focus extends beyond regulatory compliance, with investors recognising that energy-efficient properties offer lower void periods and attract quality tenants willing to pay premium rents.
Properties rated EPC C and above are particularly sought after, as they provide a buffer against potential future regulation changes whilst offering immediate advantages in tenant retention.
The investment calculation has shifted to incorporate long-term energy performance rather than purely acquisition cost. Landlords are increasingly factoring in the expense of retrofitting versus purchasing properties that already meet higher standards. This is especially relevant for older housing stock, where improving energy efficiency can represent a significant additional investment beyond the purchase price.
