

Questions have been raised about whether Trump’s tariffs will be a help or a hindrance to landlords.
The measures by the US President could see the Bank of England cut interest rates in response to a forecast slump in the economy.
These interest rate cuts would historically feed through to lower mortgage rates, including on buy-to-let deals.
Jonathan Bone, of mortgage brokers Better.co.uk, explained: “Over the past few years, the UK has experienced a lot of economic uncertainty, which we’ve seen impact mortgage holders, but now Trump’s tariffs have heightened that global economic uncertainty even further.
“This means we could see reactions such as accelerated interest rate cuts by the Bank of England.”
Such a move could be made in response to the growing uncertainty imposed by the tariffs, which has created fears of a potential global recession.
Bone added: “If this happens, the Bank of England may respond by lowering interest rates to make borrowing cheaper for businesses and consumers.”
However, he went on to suggest that the broader impact of the tariffs could lead to a dilemma for the Bank of England about whether to keep rates high to help combat inflation or lower them to support economic growth.
Tariffs lead to higher prices for consumers. This is because tariffs are a tax on imports and importers pass on at least some of those higher costs to consumers.
Bone said: "The new Trump tariffs may mean that we may see even further reductions in the Bank Rate this year, compared to what was originally predicted.
“However, this will depend on other economic factors and inflation over the coming months.
“Unfortunately, the tariffs pose a more complex situation for private renters.
While falling interest rates may ease mortgage costs for landlords, rising costs, regulatory charges, and inflationary pressures - which are likely to be exacerbated by the tariffs - have already driven many landlords out of the market.
“This, in turn, has reduced the availability of rental properties, intensifying competition for tenants and pushing rental prices up.
“As a result, private renters are essentially navigating a ‘perfect storm’ of rising rents and limited housing supply.”
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