If you are considering taking in a lodger there's some key things you may wish to consider beforehand, especially as not everyone is cut out to be a live-in landlord. Annie Plaskett, from insurance brokers Towergate, lays out what you need to know.

More landlords could set up companies to manage their buy-to-let portfolios amid fears that their profits will be hit by tax relief changes, but is that worth doing? We speak to an expert to get the lowdown on what you need to consider.

Rents are rising at a rapid pace once more across the UK, a pair of market studies have revealed - with one showing the biggest monthly rise since its index began. A regional breakdown of the figures reveals that four of the 10 regions of England and Wales saw record rent peaks in July

For many buy-to-let looks an attractive income investment in a time of low rates and stock market volatility. Climbing house prices, rising rents and improving mortgage deals are tempting investors - although they will need a big deposit. Read This is Money's top ten buy-to-let tips

Data from lender Halifax shows that in June this year the average monthly cost of a three-bedroom home for first-time buyers was around £666 compared with £722 for renting the same type of property - a monthly difference of about £56. By June 2014, monthly costs for first-time buyers were £1,018 cheaper per year - or £85 a month - than for those renting.

Nearly 40 per cent of council flats sold off at a discount in the last 35 years are now being rented out privately to tenants, a Freedom of Information request has shown. Responses by 91 councils shows they have sold a combined 127,762 council flats and maisonettes since Right to Buy was introduced in 1980, the request by magazine Inside Housing shows.

The Kauffmans face losing their home and are part of the collateral damage of a the boom year's mortgage mania and lax lending standards by banks and building societies.

London was closely followed by Birmingham and Bristol in the top 20 areas where buy-to-let properties have been bought in the last year, according to data from Barclays Mortgages. Nottingham, Manchester and Leeds also saw a big jump in demand.

New tax rules were meant to cool the buy-to-let boom but that hasn't stopped this fast-talking saleswoman giving her get rich quick tips to investors. Maria's website describes her as a sales presenter, public speaker and accredited coach, who was trained in the U.S. by a famous sales school. She was an Avon lady, presented on children's TV and is now, she will say, a highly successful property investor.

Bricks and mortar have provided stellar returns for many people over the past couple of decades, prompting many to rely on property as their pension. We set the stock market against the property market.

Most new landlords look to buy their first property in a town they know, but there may be better locations for returns out there.We reveal the towns and cities that generally produce the best income for landlords.

The essential dos and don'ts of buying and renting out a home, how you could build a buy-to-let empire and how to keep good tenants - and avoid the bad ones.

Astonishing claims of a 1,400% return over the past two decades are built on borrowed money but there's another important point to consider - property was unloved and cheap in 1996. That made buy-to-let a turbocharged value investment. Investors could still do well today, but they shouldn't expect a repeat of the past.