What Changed This Month for Landlords - Template

Below is a reusable structure you can drop new content into every month. Think "one-page briefing", not essay.

What Changed This Month for Landlords - [Month Year]

1. Regulatory changes

Headline: [One-sentence summary of the biggest legal/regulatory shift this month.]

Key changes this month

New Acts / commencement dates

• [Law / regulation], [effective date], [1-2 bullets on how it hits landlords].

New regulations / statutory instruments

• [Licensing / safety / Renters' Rights update].

New official guidance

• [GOV.UK or regulator guidance title] - [what you actually need to change in practice].

2. Tax changes

Headline: [Main tax change or "no tax changes this month, but watch X".]

This month's tax updates

Rates and thresholds

• Income tax, CGT, IHT, SDLT/LBTT/LTT changes; new allowances.

HMRC guidance and practice

• New HMRC manuals / briefs affecting landlords, MTD updates, Let Property Campaign notes.

Consultations / future changes signalled

• Budget / Fiscal Statement announcements relevant to landlords.

3. Interest rates and finance

Headline: [Bank Rate movement or "base rate unchanged, lenders still tightening".]

Bank of England and mortgage market

Base rate

• Current Bank of England base rate and any change this month; date of MPC decision.

BTL mortgage trends

• Typical 2- and 5-year fixed BTL rates; headline stress tests / ICR trends.

Lender behaviour

• Any big lender product withdrawals, LTV changes, or criteria shifts.

4. Court and tribunal decisions

Headline: [Most important case and what it means in one sentence.]

Key rulings this month

Higher courts (Court of Appeal / Supreme Court)

• Case name, issue (eg deposit rules, s8 ground, RRO), practical impact.

Upper Tribunal / FTT (Property Chamber)

• Significant FTT/UT decisions on RROs, licensing, HMO standards, rent increases.

Pattern watch

• Any trend: courts tougher on RRO amounts, more scrutiny of s8, etc.

5. Market data snapshot

Headline: [Rent and price direction in one line: "Rents up, prices flat", etc.]

Key numbers

Rents

• Latest rent indices (eg national + regional YoY %).

Prices

• House price indices (Land Registry, Nationwide, Halifax).

Voids and demand

• Average void length, enquiry volumes, regional variations.

6. Upcoming deadlines (next 30-60 days)

Headline: [Most important deadline: "31 January Self Assessment", "7 May MTD Q4", etc.]

Key dates

Tax

• Self Assessment filing/payment, payments on account, MTD quarterly updates, 60-day CGT windows to be aware of.

Regulatory / licensing

• Introduction/expiry of licensing schemes, key Renters' Rights dates, EPC milestones.

Company / admin

• ATED deadline, common CT year-ends, Companies House filing hotspots.

7. New on PropertyKiln

Headline: [1-2 lines on the most useful new resource.]

This month's new content

New guides

• [Title] - [problem it solves in one line].

New tools / calculators

• [Tool name] - [what it helps you decide].

Updated content

• [Guide/tool] updated for [new law / new rates / new case].

8. One-minute action list

End every issue with 3-5 clear actions a landlord should take this month, for example:

• "Check whether your local HMO scheme has changed."
• "Update your rent and void assumptions after the latest indices."
• "Set calendar reminders for the next MTD or SA deadline."

This keeps the update practical and stops it being just information.