- 13 minutes 27 secondsMarket Update - August 2026
August is always a strange month for property. This one is stranger than usual...
There’s been good and bad news in equal measure, and often it looks like the headlines are pointing in opposite directions.
In our latest market update, Rob & Rob go through every number that moved: prices, rents, lending and what landlords are doing with their money. Sentiment is grim, the returns on offer are the strongest in years, and the space between those two things is the whole story.
- (00:45) A new Prime Minister, a returning Housing Secretary, and two property policies ruled out inside a week
- (02:17) Rates held at 3.75%, and the biggest August drop in asking prices since 2018
- (05:07) Four of the biggest lenders have repriced. Is this the start of a proper run of cuts?
- (06:13) The average UK rent is now £1,369, and one city is running far hotter than that
- (08:12) Landlords bought more homes than they sold for the first time since 2019
- (09:15) Residential construction starts are down 46% year on year, and building cannot be switched back on quickly
Links mentioned:
Politics:
Macro backdrop:
House prices:
- Rightmove House Price Index
- Nationwide's House Price Index
- Lloyds' House Price Index (formerly Halifax)
Mortgages and lending:
Rents:
Landlord behaviour:
Planning and supply:
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20 August 2026, 5:00 am - 9 minutes 2 secondsASK537: Is this ground rent clause a deal-killer? PLUS: Can my tenant stay after giving their notice?
Could a doubling ground rent clause be a hidden opportunity, or a deal-breaker you can’t afford to ignore? And what happens when your tenant gives notice but then refuses to leave?
Your questions answered on today’s Ask Rob & Rob.
- (00:45) Charlie’s got properties with ground rent clauses that double every 25 years. Will lenders play ball? Rob B explains why leverage is everything here, and why the upcoming Leasehold Reform Bill could change the game of ground rents.
- (03:47) Ryan’s tenant gave two months’ notice but their onward move fell through, and his incoming tenant moved elsewhere - putting him back at square one. How can landlords best protect themselves in situations like this? Rob D breaks down where landlords legally stand.
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18 August 2026, 5:00 am - 32 minutes 21 secondsOur 700th episode special!
Here’s episode 700 of The Property Podcast, and Rob & Rob are marking the milestone by distilling everything they’ve learned across every single episode into 7 non-negotiable laws of property investment.
Miss even one, and your portfolio will suffer. Follow all 7, and the odds are stacked heavily in your favour.
- (01:15) News story of the week
- (04:47) Law 1: Why property without leverage isn’t worth your time
- (11:15) Law 2: The long game (plus why your first year will be your worst)
- (15:22) Law 3: Every property must pay you to hold it
- (17:40) Law 4: Fundamentals drive everything
- (20:47) Law 5: Follow the data and ignore the noise
- (23:13) Law 6: Goals first, strategy second
- (25:01) Law 7: Act like the CEO
- (28:41) Hub Extra
Links mentioned:
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13 August 2026, 5:00 am - 9 minutes 28 secondsASK536: Would you buy a property with arrears? PLUS: Will this help me save faster?
Should you buy a property when the tenant already has rent arrears? And is there a smarter place to park your cash than a business bank account?
Your questions answered on today’s Ask Rob & Rob.
- (00:44) James has found a property that ticks every box. The only exception is the tenant has rent arrears. Should he still go ahead with the investment? Rob B shares how to assess whether the discount you’d get makes the risk worthwhile.
- (05:51) Matt’s trying to build a deposit for his next investment as efficiently as possible. Are money market funds a better option than a business bank account for saving towards his next deposit? Rob D warns not to expect a game changer.
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11 August 2026, 5:00 am - 23 minutes 44 secondsThe half-time predictions report
Six months ago, Rob & Rob made their property predictions for the year. So did the big-name forecasters. Now it's time to check the scoreboard.
Prices are grinding upward, rents are re-accelerating, and the base rate story has taken a turn nobody had in their January script. Rob & Rob break down what they got right, what they got wrong, and what this tells us about the rest of the year ahead.
- (00:58) News story of the week
- (03:50) Who's closest on house prices and who needs a miracle in the second half
- (07:13) Every single city pick is beating the national average
- (09:47) Why rents are re-accelerating despite the Renters' Rights Act
- (12:17) The forecast everyone got spectacularly wrong in the same direction
- (18:45) The one prediction we can already score (no pun intended)
- (19:45) Hub Extra
Links mentioned:
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6 August 2026, 5:00 am - 8 minutes 23 secondsASK535: Will tokenisation change UK property? PLUS: Can you use a buy-to-let mortgage for short lets?
Could tokenising property on the blockchain actually revolutionise how we buy and sell in the UK? And if you’re planning to do short-term lets, could the wrong mortgage choice put your entire investment at risk?
Your questions answered on Ask Rob & Rob.
- (00:46) Robert’s wondering whether the tokenisation of real estate assets could soon become a reality in the UK. Could there be any opportunities there? Rob B explains why, despite the technology being raring to go, the centuries-old UK conveyancing system and Land Registry mean it may take a while.
- (03:53) Sara is buying a one-bed flat in Leeds under a limited company. Should she go for a standard buy-to-let mortgage or a short-let mortgage? Rob D warns against using a regular mortgage, even if brokers suggest it’s fine.
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4 August 2026, 5:00 am - 17 minutes 1 secondHub Extra's that have stood the test of time
You’ve heard hundreds of Hub Extra recommendations over the years. But which ones actually stuck? Rob & Rob have gone back through a decade of picks to find the ones they’d still recommend today.
- (00:53) News story of the week
- (02:50) The books Rob & Rob still recommend to everyone
- (08:01) YouTube channels worth subscribing to
- (10:22) The timeless TV shows that are still worth your time
- (11:12) Podcasts that Rob & Rob strongly rate
- (12:27) The tech recommendation that’s replaced all the others
Links mentioned:
Books:
- Bad Blood
- American Kingpin
- Die With Zero
- Total Recall
- Greenlights
- Outlive
- Rockefeller Habits
- Zero To One
YouTube channels:
- Anna Cramling
- GothamChess
- IM Alex Banzea
- Padelactico
- EverythingPadel
- Precision Padel
- The Next New Thing
- Nate Herk
- Futurepedia
- Coffeezilla
TV shows:
Podcasts:
Tech:
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30 July 2026, 5:00 am - 8 minutes 17 secondsASK534: What happens when a good tenant fails referencing? PLUS: How to align your mortgage expiry dates?
Has your tenant been paying perfectly for years, only to suddenly fail their rent referencing renewal? Plus, how do you unlock the equity you need when you’ve got multiple mortgages expiring at different times?
Rob & Rob answer two tricky listener questions on this episode.
- (00:41) Peter’s tenant has been reliable for years, but has just failed a re-referencing check, meaning the rental insurance won’t renew. What should he do? Rob D weighs up whether it’s worth proceeding without cover, and what he can do to get the tenant over the line.
- (03:19) Philip has three properties, and all the mortgage fixes expire at different times. How does he align them to get the most equity for his next purchase? Rob B explains how further advances work and why speaking to your broker about your strategy upfront can save a lot of headaches.
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28 July 2026, 5:00 am - 24 minutes 35 secondsWe'd sell every property we own if this happened
Every property investor says they'd never sell up. Rob & Rob aren't every investor - and they've got a surprisingly specific list of things that would make them walk away for good.
From rent controls to deflation, they lay out the exact scenarios that would make them walk away from property investing, plus the things that plenty of people worry about but don't bother them at all.
- (00:56) News story of the week
- (04:31) The things that wouldn’t stop Rob & Rob investing
- (09:00) Why a genuine shift in supply and demand is the thing that could end it all
- (11:45) No leverage, no party - why cash-only property investing isn’t worth the effort
- (14:25) How sustained deflation would turn property’s greatest advantage into its biggest killer
- (17:44) Why rent controls would mean no more buying
- (22:08) Hub Extra
Links mentioned:
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23 July 2026, 5:00 am - 7 minutes 19 secondsASK533: Could your lender pull the rug on your mortgage? PLUS: Should deposits rise with rent?
Could a lender ever pull the rug and demand your mortgage back early? And should you be topping up your tenants’ deposits every time the rent goes up?
Your questions are tackled on this week’s Ask Rob & Rob.
- (00:44) Josh wants to know, due to economic uncertainty, whether a lender could ever demand full repayment before the end of the term - even if he’s never missed a payment. Rob B draws on experience from the last market crash to explain what lenders do when property values drop.
- (04:35) Luke rents in Hong Kong where deposit top-ups are standard practice. Should he be doing the same with his portfolio in the UK? Rob D explains the logic behind it, and what you need to get right if you do.
Enjoy the show?
- Leave us a review on Apple Podcasts - it really helps others find us!
- Sign up for our free weekly newsletter, Property Pulse
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21 July 2026, 5:00 am - 24 minutes 6 secondsMarket Update - July 2026
A record amount of money is flooding into UK property, yields have hit levels we haven't seen in years, and stamp duty reform is back on the agenda. Rob & Rob explain what it all means for investors right now.
So, if you’re wondering what’s really going on with house prices or trying to figure out if now’s the time to act, this one’s packed with signals you won’t want to miss.
- (00:44) Why the UK’s borrowing position makes the next move so tricky
- (03:42) House prices are up 2.2% but asking prices just had their biggest June drop in 14 years - what's really going on beneath the surface?
- (06:18) What do falling swap rates mean for your borrowing power?
- (10:00) Why individual landlords are leaving while institutions pour in billions
- (13:01) What the build-to-rent record investment levels mean for amateur landlords
- (15:36) What stamp duty reform and a home-buying process shake-up would mean for you
- (19:29) Hub Extra
Links mentioned:
- The Bank of England Interest rates remain at 3.75%
- Our latest podcast episode on the silent property crash
- The professionalisation of landlords YouTube video
- Subscribe to Property Hub’s YouTube channel
House prices:
Mortgages and lending:
Rents:
Landlords and the professionalisation of buy-to-let:
Regulation:
Enjoy the show?
- Leave us a review on Apple Podcasts - it really helps others find us!
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16 July 2026, 5:00 am - More Episodes? Get the App