News

Block owner news

Leasehold reform, blocks of flats and the landlord angle, every week in five minutes. What happened, why it matters if you own a block, and a link to the original report.

This week

9 November 2026

A quieter few days, but the costs of letting keep stacking up: a yearly fee per flat, bigger energy fines on the way, and a softer sales market. Here is what matters, in three minutes.

The week in 30 seconds

The landlord register will cost £65 a year for every rented property, and the government stands by it.
A new energy bill would let councils fine landlords up to £30,000 for missing energy rules.
Rents are up 5% on the year, but empty spells between tenants have stretched to 28 days.
House prices fell 1.2% over the year, the biggest drop since October 2023.

Lettings

Landlord register: £65 a year, per property

The government has defended the £65 yearly fee for the new private landlord register, charged for each rented property. A minister admitted in Parliament it is higher than first estimated, but called it fair, and said the money pays for council enforcement. Bulk discounts for bigger landlords were floated but not promised.

Why it matters for block ownersIn a block, every let flat is a property, so a ten flat block means ten fees each year. You will also need to upload each flat's gas, electrical and energy certificates. This sits under England's Renters' Rights Act; no start date for paying was given.

Source: Property118 (9 November 2026)

Lettings

Energy fines could rise to £30,000

The Energy Independence Bill, put before Parliament on 4 November, would give councils stronger powers to enforce energy rules on rented homes, with a new maximum fine of £30,000. It could also pull HMOs (shared houses let by the room) into the rules. It is not law yet.

Why it matters for block ownersRented homes must reach an EPC rating of C from 1 October 2030, with spending capped at £10,000 per property, according to the government. With fines this size, an EPC survey of every flat belongs in your checks before you buy a block. Covers England and Wales.

Source: GOV.UK (4 November 2026) · Landlord Today (9 November 2026)

Market

Rents up 5%, but flats sit empty longer

Goodlord's October rent index puts the average rent at £1,592 a month, up 5% on a year ago. But the average gap between tenancies jumped to 28 days, from 20 in September. Wales had the longest gaps at 34 days.

Why it matters for block ownersLonger empty spells eat into a block's income, and Goodlord expects a cooler winter. When you appraise a block, allow for a month empty per flat each year rather than assuming it stays full.

Source: Property118 (9 November 2026)

Market

House prices post their biggest yearly fall in three years

The Lloyds index (formerly Halifax) shows prices down 0.6% in October and 1.2% on the year, the biggest yearly fall since October 2023. The average price is £296,285. Lloyds blames high borrowing costs and stretched household budgets, but does not expect a long slide.

Why it matters for block ownersIf you plan to split a block and sell the flats, softer prices squeeze the gap between buying the block and selling the flats. Use today's sold prices for flats nearby, not last year's, and leave room in the numbers.

Source: Landlord Today (9 November 2026)

Earlier editions

7 November 2026: 6 stories

Rates went up, the leasehold clock started ticking, and a new bill puts freeholders of taller blocks on the hook for cladding. Here is the week, in five minutes.

The week in 30 seconds

Base rate up to 4%, and buy-to-let fixes have been climbing since February.
Service charge reform has formally started. The real duties land in April and November 2027.
The big leasehold bill, with its £250 ground rent cap, is promised before the end of 2026.
A new cladding bill would make whoever repairs the walls of an 11 metre block legally responsible for fixing it.
Landlords who own in their own name face a higher tax rate on rent from April 2027.
Two lenders sharpened their block mortgages.

Finance

Base rate rises to 4%

The Bank of England lifted the base rate from 3.75% to 4% on 5 November. Eight of the nine rate setters voted for it, and one wanted 4.25%. September inflation at 3.5% and energy costs were the reasons given.

Why it matters for block ownersMoneyfacts figures show average three-year buy-to-let fixes up from 4.16% to 5.54% since late February, and lenders quoted said there is no reason to expect costs to stop rising now. If a block is on a tracker or due to refinance, run the numbers at today's rates, not last year's.

Source: Mortgage Solutions (5 November 2026) · Mortgage Solutions (5 November 2026)

Leasehold

Service charge reform: the clock has started

The first slice of the service charge shake-up came into force on 6 November. It only gives the government the power to write the detailed rules, so nothing changes on your demands yet, and at least five more sets of regulations are still to come.

Why it matters for block ownersFrom 1 April 2027, advance notice of some future costs must be given in a set format, and legal costs in new cases mostly cannot go through the service charge without a tribunal or court agreeing. From 1 November 2027 come standard demand forms, separate yearly accounts and a yearly report, and limits on insurance commission. If your block has long leases, check your managing agent can produce all that.

Source: Prince Surveyors (6 November 2026)

Leasehold

The big leasehold bill is due before Christmas

The government confirmed on 2 November that the Commonhold and Leasehold Reform Bill will go before Parliament before the end of this year. January's draft would cap ground rent on existing flat leases at £250 a year, falling to nothing after 40 years. MPs on the Housing Committee want the cap to start in 2027 and the wind-down to take 20 years, not 40.

Why it matters for block ownersIf you title split and sell flats on long leases, treat ground rent as worth little or nothing and value the deal on the flats alone. Separately, the consultation on the rates used to price lease extensions closed on 21 October with no result yet.

Source: GOV.UK (2 November 2026) · Charles Russell Speechlys · Prince Surveyors (1 November 2026)

Building safety

New cladding bill puts freeholders on the hook

The Building Safety (Remediation of Unsafe Cladding etc) Bill, debated in the Commons on 27 October, would create a legal duty to fix unsafe cladding on residential blocks of 11 metres or five storeys and up. The duty falls on whoever has to repair the outside walls, which is often the freeholder.

Why it matters for block ownersOwners would have to assess the walls, publish a plan within 15 months of the bill becoming law, and fix problems as soon as reasonably practicable. Penalties run up to £500,000 or prosecution, with a defence for owners acting in good faith. Most small blocks sit below 11 metres, but measure yours, and measure before you buy.

Source: Walker Morris (15 October 2026) · Hansard (27 October 2026)

Tax

Higher tax on rent if you own in your own name

The 28 October Budget added two more percentage points to income tax on property income from April 2027, on top of last year's rise. Reported rates are 24%, 44% and 49%, though full details were still to be confirmed. It covers England, Wales and Northern Ireland.

Why it matters for block ownersLender Landbay says the rise applies to property held personally, not through a limited company. If you hold blocks in your own name, it is worth a conversation with your accountant about whether your set-up still works for you.

Source: Property118 (28 October 2026)

Lending

Two lenders sharpen their block mortgages

Fleet Mortgages launched five-year fixes with a 5% fee at up to 75% of the value, priced at 5.49% for HMOs and blocks with £1,000 cashback. LendInvest launched trackers with a 4% fee for small blocks, among other types, at up to 75% with no early repayment charges.

Why it matters for block ownersA tracker with no exit penalty leaves you free to refinance or sell after a title split without paying to get out. A big fee buys a lower rate, so compare the total cost over the years you will hold, not the headline rate.

Source: The Intermediary (3 November 2026) · The Intermediary (2 November 2026)

Summaries are our own short write-ups of reports published elsewhere; follow the source link for the full story. Information, not advice: rules, rates and lender criteria change, and most of this applies to England unless it says otherwise. Take independent legal, tax and mortgage advice on your own building. Spotted something wrong? Email [email protected] and we will put it right.

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