Accountants are warning that many taxpayers, including landlords, misunderstand the new Making Tax Digital for Income Tax requirements ahead of the first quarterly submission deadline on 7 August. The scheme now requires qualifying taxpayers to keep digital records and file quarterly updates using compatible software, with wider rollout thresholds set to bring more landlords into scope over time.
An industry coalition has criticised the Land Registry’s implementation of Qualified Electronic Signatures (QES), arguing that current guidance contains fundamental flaws and is slowing adoption in conveyancing. The letter says the inability to mix signature types is limiting use, while HM Land Registry says it expects uptake to rise and is open to exploring temporary options to accelerate adoption.
Landlords in Scotland are reportedly facing long delays of eight to 12 months to obtain possession orders through the housing tribunal, with legal costs potentially reaching around £10,000 before cases are resolved. The article says these delays, alongside rising costs and regulation, are contributing to some landlords selling up and reducing rental supply.
The Property Ombudsman upheld a complaint against an estate agent for failing to disclose a competing buyer and the existence of a contract race. The buyers were awarded £790, matching the cost of a mortgage valuation survey they incurred without being properly informed of the risk.
A London landlord and his property management company have been fined and ordered to pay court costs totalling £63,000 after being prosecuted over unsafe conditions at an unlicensed 22-room HMO in Kensington and Chelsea. The case involved serious fire and health and safety failings, including damaged fire doors, inadequate fire separation, covered alarms and electrical defects, with the court finding the operators failed to act on opportunities to remedy the issues.
Hamptons reports that landlord sales have slowed after the Renters’ Rights Act, with more landlord purchases than sales recorded in June for the first time since 2019. The research suggests the new 12-month re-letting ban after serving notice to sell may be making landlords more cautious, particularly where sales are slower and failed sales are more common, such as in flats and in London and the South.
The article reports criticism from the Conservatives of Andy Burnham’s proposed property tax reforms, including a land value tax and a flat annual levy to replace Council Tax and Stamp Duty. Shadow Chancellor Mel Stride argues the proposals would amount to a significant tax rise for family homes and would require regular valuation of millions of properties, creating uncertainty and disputes.
A Freedom of Information request indicates the FCA opened only one mortgage fraud enforcement investigation in 2025, down from three to four cases a year in previous periods. The article argues this low level of activity may not reflect the true scale of mortgage fraud, which is described as becoming more sophisticated and harder to detect, particularly with the use of AI and digital tools.
