Andrew Overman

Andrew Overman Helping buyers, sellers, landlords and tenants since 1993.

Co-Founder of Location Location East - Best Overall Sales Agency 2026 (EA Masters / Best Estate Agent Guide)

Volunteer Mentor at Agents Together

Property Or Pension? What Owners Should Weigh UpIt is UK Savings Week, which makes this a reasonable moment to talk abou...
23/09/2026

Property Or Pension? What Owners Should Weigh Up

It is UK Savings Week, which makes this a reasonable moment to talk about the conversation we have more than almost any other.

Somebody has a bit of money, or is about to. They are weighing up putting it into a pension or buying a property to let out. And they want to know which one is better.

We cannot tell you that, and we would be wrong to try. What we can do is explain honestly how the two actually differ, because most people making this decision are comparing them as if they were the same kind of thing. They are not.

Why is "which is better" the wrong question?

Because a pension and a rental property are not two versions of the same product. One is a tax wrapper you cannot open for years. The other is a business you can touch, that comes with a tenant, a boiler and a legal duty of care. Asking which is better is a bit like asking whether a van is better than a savings account.

The useful question is narrower. Given your age, your tax position, whether you want a job attached to it, and when you need the money, which suits you? That is for a regulated adviser who can see your actual numbers. But you will have a better conversation with them if you understand the differences first, so here they are.

When can you actually get your money?

This is the difference people underestimate most.

A pension is locked until you reach the normal minimum pension age. That is currently 55, and it rises to 57 from 6 April 2028. Before then, you generally cannot get at it without a tax charge, other than in limited circumstances such as ill health.

Property looks more flexible, and in one sense it is. But you cannot sell a bedroom. It is all or nothing; it takes months, it costs money to sell, and you may be selling into a market you did not choose. If you need £20,000 in a hurry, a house is a poor place to have kept it.

So neither is genuinely liquid. They are illiquid in different ways.

What does the tax do on the way in?

This is where the two diverge sharply, and it is the part most often left out of the pub version of the argument.

Pension contributions attract tax relief, within allowances. Money going in has not been taxed in the same way as money going into a property purchase.

Buying an additional property does the opposite. It costs you tax at the start. In England and Northern Ireland, an additional property attracts a stamp duty surcharge of 5%, which has applied since 31 October 2024, and it applies to the whole purchase price rather than just the top slice. On top of that, you have legal fees, survey fees, mortgage arrangement costs and usually some work before anybody can move in.

That is not an argument against property. It is a reminder that a rental investment starts some way behind, and the rent has to make that back before you are level.

And what about tax on the way out?

Rental income is taxable income, and the way finance costs are treated for individual landlords is not the same as for a trading business. Worth understanding properly before you buy.

Selling a property that is not your main home can bring a capital gains tax charge on the gain.

With a pension, part of it can usually be taken tax-free, with the remainder taxed as income when you draw it.

The inheritance position for pensions and for property is different again, and it changes with fiscal policy.

None of that is a reason to pick one. It is a reason to get the numbers run by somebody qualified, because the tax treatment is often the single biggest variable and it is the one people guess at.

What can property do that a pension cannot?

Two genuine things, and they are why property keeps winning this argument for some people.

You can borrow to buy it. Nobody will lend you money to put into a pension, but a lender will fund most of a rental property. That magnifies your return on the money you actually put in, and it magnifies the downside too, because a rate change lands straight on your income.

And you can see it, touch it and improve it. If you would rather fix a bathroom than read a fund factsheet, that is not trivial. People stick with an investment they understand.

What does property ask of you that a pension does not?

Work. Real, ongoing, occasionally inconvenient work.

A rental property comes with tenants, repairs, safety certificates, insurance, void periods and a steadily growing body of regulation, currently including the Renters' Rights Act changes, EPC C for rented homes by October 2030, and the landlord database from late 2026. You can pay an agent to carry most of it, but the responsibility stays with you.

There is concentration too. One rental property is one asset, one street, one tenant. If the roof goes or the tenant stops paying, there is nothing else in the pot to absorb it.

So how should you decide?

Work out when you actually need the money. If the answer is before 57, that shapes everything.

Get your tax position looked at by an accountant or a regulated financial adviser. Not a forum, not a friend who did well out of a flat in 2004.

If you are leaning towards property, cost it properly. Purchase costs including the surcharge, realistic voids, maintenance, insurance, management, and what happens if rates move.

Be honest about whether you want a second job. Some people enjoy it. Some discover they do not, two years in, with a tenant on the phone.

Remember it is not either or. Plenty of people do some of both, in a sequence that suits their life.

Thinking about a rental property locally?

If you get as far as looking at property, talk to us before you buy rather than after. We can tell you what actually lets in your area, what it realistically achieves, and what tends to sit empty. That is the part we genuinely know.

This article is for general information only and does not constitute financial or legal advice. Always consult a qualified adviser about your own circumstances.

Frequently asked questions

Is property a better investment than a pension?

There is no general answer, because they are structurally different rather than two versions of the same thing. The right choice depends on your age, tax position, how soon you need access to the money and whether you want the work that comes with property. It is a question for a regulated adviser looking at your circumstances.

When can I access my pension?

At the normal minimum pension age, which is currently 55 and rises to 57 from 6 April 2028. Earlier access generally triggers a tax charge, other than in limited circumstances such as ill health.

What extra stamp duty do you pay on a buy to let?

In England and Northern Ireland, an additional property attracts a 5% stamp duty surcharge, in place since 31 October 2024, applied to the whole purchase price rather than only the portion above the threshold. Check the current rates and your own position before committing.

What are the hidden costs of a rental property?

Purchase costs include the surcharge and legal fees, void periods, maintenance and repairs, insurance, management fees, safety certification, and the cost of meeting upcoming standards such as EPC C for rented homes by October 2030.

Can you borrow money to invest in a pension?

No. The ability to use borrowing is one of the genuine structural differences with property, and it increases both the potential return on your own money and the risk if rates or rents move against you.

If you know someone who would find this useful, please share it with them.

Why we are proud to be an Ethical Agent

We belong to the Ethical Agent Network (EAN), a national group of independent agents who have passed an independent assessment on honesty, service and community care. Membership is earned, never bought. When you see the EAN logo, you know that the agent has chosen to be held to a higher standard and to be accountable for it. If you would like to know more about the Ethical Agent Network, please get in touch or visit www.ethicalagentnetwork.co.uk.

Sources: GOV.UK, increasing the normal minimum pension age (rise from 55 to 57 from 6 April 2028). GOV.UK stamp duty land tax guidance (5% higher rate for additional dwellings, in place since 31 October 2024). GOV.UK, "Improving the energy performance of privately rented homes: government response", 21 January 2026 (EPC C by 1 October 2030). GOV.UK Renters' Rights Act implementation roadmap (landlord database from late 2026). Checked July 2026.

Landlords: The New Private Rented Database Is ComingThere is a change coming for landlords that has had far less attenti...
21/09/2026

Landlords: The New Private Rented Database Is Coming

There is a change coming for landlords that has had far less attention than it deserves, largely because it does not have a date yet.

Every private landlord in England will have to register themselves and each property they let on a new national database. It is not optional; there is an annual fee, and registration is tied to your ability to market a property and to seek possession.

Here is what is actually confirmed, what is not, and what you can usefully do now.

What is the private rented sector database?

It is a central register created by the Renters' Rights Act 2025. Landlords record themselves, their properties and compliance information on it, and tenants can see that information before they rent.

The government's own implementation roadmap describes it as part of the second phase of the reforms, the phase that follows the tenancy changes that came in on 1 May 2026.

Alongside it comes a new Private Rented Sector Landlord Ombudsman, a free independent service for tenants with complaints their landlord has not resolved. That arrives after the database.

When does it start?

From late 2026. And that is genuinely as precise as anybody can honestly be at the moment.

The roadmap confirms the rollout happens in two stages, staggered by area across England, rather than switching on everywhere at once. What it does not give is a start date, a fee, or the order in which areas will go live. That detail sits in secondary regulations that are still being finalised.

You will see confident dates quoted elsewhere. Be careful with them. If a specific launch day has been announced since we wrote this, it will have come from the government rather than from an agency newsletter, and it is worth checking the source.

Why does registration matter more than it sounds?

Because it is not simply an administrative list you join and forget.

Registration acts as a gateway. It is tied to marketing a property and to using possession grounds, which means an unregistered landlord has a practical problem rather than a paperwork one. They may find themselves unable to do the two things a landlord most needs to be able to do.

There are financial penalties for non-compliance as well. The practical read is straightforward. This is not a rule to deal with when somebody chases you.

What will you need to provide?

The detail is still being set, but the shape of it is clear enough from the roadmap and the Act. Expect to need your own contact details, details of each property you let, and the compliance information for each one.

Gas safety records, where there are gas appliances.

The Electrical Installation Condition Report for the property.

The Energy Performance Certificate.

Your landlord and property details, kept up to date rather than filed once.

If that list made you slightly uneasy about one particular property, that is the useful part of reading this early.

What should you do now, before the date is announced?

Audit your certificates, property by property. One folder or file per property, with the gas record, the EICR and the EPC in it, and the expiry date noted. Most landlords have most of this. Very few have all of it in one place.

Find the gaps and fix them now. An expired EICR discovered at your leisure is a job. The same gap discovered during a registration deadline, when every electrician locally is busy, is a problem.

Check that your own details are current. Correspondence address, phone, email, and how you are named on documents. If you hold property through a company or jointly, make sure you know exactly how it is held.

Get your EPCs looked at while you are in there. You need them for registration anyway, and the EPC C standard for rented homes lands on 1 October 2030, so knowing where each property sits is useful twice over.

If you use an agent, ask them what they will handle and what stays with you. Do not assume. Ask now, in writing, while there is no deadline pressing.

Is any of this actually bad for landlords?

Less than it might feel, and it is worth saying so.

A register that shows which landlords are compliant makes it considerably harder for the minority who let unsafe property cheaply to undercut everybody who does it properly. If you already keep your certificates in order and look after your tenants, this mostly formalises what you already do.

The landlords who will find it painful are the ones who have been letting on a hope and a handshake. That is not most people, and it is not a group the rest of the market benefits from competing with.

Want a hand getting your paperwork straight?

If you would rather somebody went through your properties and told you what is missing before there is a deadline attached, that is exactly the sort of thing to ask us about. It is a much calmer job in September than it will be later.

Frequently asked questions

What is the private rented sector database?

A new national register created by the Renters' Rights Act 2025 on which private landlords in England must record themselves, their properties and compliance information, so that tenants can see it before they rent. A new PRS Landlord Ombudsman follows it.

When does landlord registration start?

From late 2026, rolled out in two stages, staggered by area across England. No exact start date, fee or regional order has been confirmed, because that detail sits in secondary regulations still being finalised. Treat any specific date you see with caution unless it comes from the government.

Is registering on the database compulsory?

Yes, for private landlords in England, and there is an annual fee. Registration is also tied to marketing a property and to using possession grounds, so it is not simply an administrative formality.

What information will landlords need to register?

Landlord and property details plus compliance information, expected to include gas safety records where applicable, the Electrical Installation Condition Report and the Energy Performance Certificate.

What can I do before the start date?

Build one file per property containing the gas record, EICR and EPC with expiry dates, fix any gaps now while there is no deadline, confirm how each property is legally held, and ask your agent in writing what they will and will not handle.

If you know a landlord who would find this useful, please pass it on.

About the Ethical Agent Network

We are proud members of the Ethical Agent Network (EAN), a national group of independent agents who have been independently assessed against strict standards of honesty, service and community care. It is not something you can pay to join. It has to be earned. When you see the EAN logo, you are looking at an agent who has been checked and trusted to do right by you. If you would like to know more about the Ethical Agent Network, please get in touch or visit www.ethicalagentnetwork.co.uk.

Source: GOV.UK, "Implementing the Renters' Rights Act 2025: our roadmap for reforming the Private Rented Sector" (PRS Database and PRS Landlord Ombudsman in Phase 2 from late 2026, mandatory registration with an annual fee, rollout in two stages staggered by area). Details, fees and the precise sequence remain subject to secondary regulations. Checked July 2026.

How To Judge A Neighbourhood Before You CommitPeople agonise over the house and take the street on trust.It is understan...
18/09/2026

How To Judge A Neighbourhood Before You Commit

People agonise over the house and take the street on trust.

It is understandable. The house is what you look at, photograph, measure and lie awake thinking about. The street is just the thing around it, and it usually gets about ten minutes of attention on a sunny Saturday afternoon.

Then you move in, and discover that the pleasant road you viewed at eleven on a Saturday is a cut through at half past eight on a Wednesday.

You cannot change the street later. You can change almost everything about the house. So it is worth giving the area more than one visit and rather more than ten minutes.

What can you check before you even leave the house?

A surprising amount, all of it free, and all of it worth doing before you fall in love with anything.

Broadband and mobile signal. Check the actual address rather than the postcode area, because the two can differ sharply. If anybody in the household works from home, this is not a detail.

Flood risk. The government publishes a long-term flood risk service for England where you can look up an address. Worth doing even well away from a river, because surface water flooding catches people out.

Planning applications. Your local council's planning portal will show you what has been applied for nearby. That empty plot, that pub, that field at the end of the road. This is the single most overlooked check and the one people most regret skipping.

Crime data. The police publish street-level crime maps. Read them for patterns rather than for panic, and compare a few areas rather than looking at one in isolation.

Parking. Look at whether the street is permit-controlled, how many cars are on it in the evening, and whether the house actually has the parking the listing suggests.

What can only be checked in person?

The things that do not show up on any website, which tend to be the ones that decide whether you like living somewhere.

Go back at a different time. If you viewed on a weekend morning, return on a weekday evening. If you viewed in the evening, go at eight in the morning. The difference is often the whole story.

Drive or walk the commute in real time. Not the map estimate. The actual journey, on an actual weekday, at the hour you would really be doing it.

Stand still outside for five minutes and listen. Traffic, a school bell, a railway, a flight path, extraction fans from a takeaway, a dog. Five minutes of standing still tells you more than an hour of walking about.

Walk to the things you say you want. If proximity to a shop, a station or a park is part of why you like it, walk it once, carrying something.

Look at the small signals of how a street is cared for. Bins, hedges, streetlights, whether the verges are churned up. It is not snobbery; it is information about how people treat the place.

Should you talk to the neighbours?

If you get the chance, yes, and most people are surprisingly happy to be asked.

You do not need to interrogate anybody. "We are thinking of moving in a few doors down, what is it like living here?" is enough. People will tell you about the parking, the neighbours, the noise and the bin collections without being prompted, and they will tell you things no survey will.

One caution. What you hear is one household's view, and there are two sides to most street stories. Weigh it; do not treat it as a verdict.

What is different if you are renting rather than buying?

The stakes look lower because you are not tied in for twenty years. In practice, the day-to-day experience is identical, so the checks are the same.

A few things matter more when renting. Look carefully at how the property is heated and how well it holds warmth, because you will be paying to run it. Ask about parking in writing rather than taking a listing's word for it. And check what is included, what is not, and who to contact when something goes wrong, before you sign anything.

Also visit in daylight. It sounds obvious. A remarkable number of rental viewings happen after work in winter, and people take a whole flat on faith in the dark.

What about schools, if that is driving the move?

Check the current admissions position rather than reputation, and check the specific year group you need. A school with a good name and no places is not available to you.

Be careful about assuming that living close by guarantees anything. Catchment areas move year to year depending on how many families apply, so a road that got in last year is not a promise. The council's admissions team is the place to ask, and they will tell you straight.

Is there such a thing as too much checking?

There is. No street is perfect; every area has something, and at some point the research becomes a way of avoiding a decision. The point is not to find a flawless location. It is to make sure that when you move in, nothing about the place is news to you. Knowing about the school bell at half past three is entirely different from discovering it.

Looking at an area you do not know well?

Ask us. Whether you are buying or renting, we would far rather spend twenty minutes telling you honestly what a road is like than sell you something you regret. Local knowledge is most of what we actually do.

Frequently asked questions

What should you check about an area before buying a house?

Broadband and mobile signal at the exact address, flood risk using the government's long-term flood risk service, planning applications on the council's portal, street-level crime data, and parking. Then visit at a different time of day and walk the real commute.

How do I find out about planning applications near a property?

Search your local council's planning portal by address or postcode. It will show recent and pending applications nearby, which is the most commonly skipped check and the one people most often regret.

Should I visit a property more than once?

Yes, and at a different time of day. A street that is quiet on a Saturday morning can be very different on a weekday at half past eight, and that difference is often the whole story.

Do the same checks apply when renting?

Yes. You experience the street the same way whether you own or rent. When renting, pay extra attention to heating and how well the property holds warmth, get any parking arrangement confirmed in writing, and try to view in daylight.

Does living near a good school guarantee a place?

No. Catchment areas shift year to year depending on how many families apply, so last year's outcome is not a promise. Check the current position and the specific year group with the council's admissions team.

If you know someone who would find this useful, please share it with them.

About the Ethical Agent Network

The Ethical Agent Network (EAN) is a national group of independent agents held to strict, independently assessed standards on honesty, service and community. It is not a badge you buy. It is one you earn, and have to keep earning. We are proud members, and the logo is there so you can spot an agent who has already been vetted to look after you properly. If you would like to know more about the Ethical Agent Network, please get in touch or visit www.ethicalagentnetwork.co.uk.

Sellers: What Happens Once Your Home Is ListedYour home goes live on a Thursday afternoon. By the following Tuesday, the...
16/09/2026

Sellers: What Happens Once Your Home Is Listed

Your home goes live on a Thursday afternoon. By the following Tuesday, there are three letters on the mat, two of them handwritten, and somebody has knocked on the door to say they were just valuing a property round the corner.

If nobody warned you this was coming, it is unsettling. It can feel like the market knows something you do not. It does not, and once you understand what has actually happened, none of it will throw you.

Why does this happen the moment you list?

Because listing your home makes you visible to every agent in the area on the same afternoon.

Before you listed, nobody knew you were thinking about moving. The day the portals publish, you become the most valuable thing in local estate agencies. Not a maybe. A proven seller, at a known address.

Finding people who want to sell is the hardest part of our industry. A live listing removes all of that guesswork for anybody willing to put a letter through your door. That is the whole explanation.

What should you expect to receive?

Broadly, four things, and they are all normal.

Letters, often designed to look personal or handwritten, saying an agent has a buyer looking in your street.

A knock at the door, usually framed as a coincidence. They were just nearby, just valued something similar, just thought they would say hello.

Phone calls, sometimes from agents you have never contacted, occasionally from companies offering to buy the property outright.

Leaflets and cards suggesting your home is worth more than you have it on for.

None of this means your agent is failing. It arrives whether your marketing is going brilliantly or not, and it arrives in week one, before anybody could know how it is going.

How do you read the letter that says they have a buyer?

With one question. Who?

A genuine buyer can be named to your agent, has usually seen the details, and is in a position to proceed. If somebody really does have a motivated buyer for a house like yours, the straightforward thing to do is ring the agent who is marketing it and arrange a viewing. That happens, and it is welcome.

Much more common is a general enquiry dressed up as a specific one. There may well be somebody on a mailing list who once said they liked the area. That is not the same as a buyer for your house.

So ask. Pass it to us, and we will ask on your behalf. A real buyer survives that question comfortably. The other sort tends to evaporate.

What about the one saying it is worth more?

This is the one that unsettles sellers most, so it is worth being blunt about.

Nobody can pay you a valuation. A figure on a leaflet is an opinion offered by somebody who has not been inside your home, has not seen the condition of the kitchen, and has no obligation to find anybody willing to pay it.

The market decides what your home is worth, and it does that through offers. A higher suggested price with no buyer attached is not more money. It is a longer wait, and often a lower final figure once the reductions start.

That is not a reason to distrust everyone who contacts you. It is a reason to compare like with like. Ask what they have actually sold nearby, at what price, and how long it took.

Is switching agents ever the right call?

Yes, sometimes, and we would rather say so plainly than pretend otherwise.

If weeks have gone by with no viewings and nobody has explained why, if you cannot get hold of anyone, if feedback never arrives, if the photographs are poor and nothing has been done about it, those are real problems. An agent who is not communicating will not sell your house.

But be honest about what the actual problem is. Very often the issue is not who is marketing the property. It is the price, and a new agent starting again at the same price will get the same result, six weeks later, with a fresh set of fees.

Before you move, check the tie-in period and the notice period in your agreement. Also ask whether you could end up owing a fee to two agents if a buyer introduced by the first one eventually buys it. That one catches people out.

So what should you actually do with it all?

Keep it in one place. A drawer or a folder. Do not respond in the moment, and do not bin it either.

Send anything that claims to have a buyer straight to us. We will chase it, because if it is real, we want that viewing.

Ignore price suggestions from anyone who has not been inside the property.

Do not let anybody in on the doorstep to look round. You are under no obligation, and a valuation is not something that needs doing on the spot.

If you are genuinely unhappy with how it is going, tell us before you tell anybody else. Most of what goes wrong in a marketing campaign is fixable, and quickly.

Thinking of selling this autumn?

We would rather tell you about the letters before they arrive than explain them afterwards. If you are planning to come to the market, get in touch and we will talk you through what the first month actually looks like, the awkward parts included.

Frequently asked questions

Why do other estate agents contact you when your house is on the market?

Because a live listing identifies you as a genuine seller at a known address, which is the hardest thing in estate agency to find. It happens to almost every seller, in the first week, regardless of how well the marketing is going.

Should I trust a letter saying an agent has a buyer for my home?

Ask who. A genuine buyer can be named, has usually seen the details and is in a position to proceed, and the natural next step is simply to book a viewing through the agent already marketing the property. A general enquiry presented as a specific buyer does not survive that question.

Another agent says my house is worth more. Should I switch?

A valuation is not an offer, and nobody can pay you one. Compare what each agent has actually sold nearby, at what price and in what timeframe, rather than comparing suggested figures.

When is it right to change estate agents?

When there is a service problem rather than a price problem. No viewings with no explanation, no feedback, poor marketing that does not get fixed, or an agent you cannot reach. If the real issue is the asking price, changing agent rarely changes the outcome.

What should I check before instructing a new agent?

Your existing tie-in period and notice period, and whether you could become liable for fees to two agents if a buyer introduced by the first one goes on to purchase. Ask that question explicitly before signing.

If you know someone who would find this useful, please share it with them.

About the Ethical Agent Network

We are members of the Ethical Agent Network (EAN). Membership cannot be bought. Every agent has to pass an independent assessment on honesty, service and the way they treat people. So when you see the EAN logo on an agent's window or website, it is a signal you can trust before you have even walked through the door. To find out more, please get in touch or visit www.ethicalagentnetwork.co.uk.

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