Brother's drinking

You are older than him, but so dominated and controlled by his goings on. ,You need help to become more confident. You need to stop engaging with him and concentrate on your own life.
No one can quarrel with someone who just doesn’t engage. But at the same time you need to somehow become happier with yourself.
Get out more, volunteer, go on a singles holiday, sing in a Choir etc ? Make your own life more interesting and full. It will give you less time to think about him and his problems. They are not yours.
Don’t cut yourself off from him, but try not react to anything he says. Concentrate on yourself and your happiness.
I suggest taking a Councselling course. Even Level one would help you.

I feel very sad when I read this. I think you are trying your best to be a loyal, loving sister but the harsh reality is that your brother does not treat you well. His behaviour towards you is abusive and bullying. None of this behaviour is your fault and I feel fairly certain that he is not going to change.
You must ask yourself what, if anything, positive do you get from this relationship? I suspect if he wasn’t your brother - a blood relative - you would have walked away from this relationship a long time ago. Be strong and brave and withdraw. You don’t need to have any confrontation or provide an explanation. You just deserve better.

GP agrees with you, that he is a bully and shifting his unsecurities onto me.

I will not go into what he discussed, but he, suggested like my niece, that I am not the only one receiving my brother's aggression and threats. Also, he said that although my brother says he is bullied at work, that he (my GP) would not be surprised if my brother is the workplace bully. Mum has confirmed she knows full well what is going on and has told my brother about his drinking and attitude towards me, but does not know what else to do. I am distancing myself at the moment. My GP feels too, that his wife probably knows what hevis like and may well have had words with him about his attitude towards me.

why don't you get managing agents to deal with the rented out house.
there is no need for you be so hands-on, and therefore having to keep on the right side of him in order to get his contribution.
see a solicitor about arranging things in a more advantageous and convenient way for you.
why do you let him dominate you.
have you always done this.
yet you are older than he is.
wish we could help.
it's actually quite frustrating reading all this.

I am actually younger than him.

welbeck Managing Agents cost money so I suspect the brother would be unlikely to agree with using them and they would both have to sign the contract. You can lead a horse to water, you can't make them drink.

The house is let out easily, with not much work at all. It is just that I get grief when he owes me money, although he does eventually pay.

but why does he owe you money.
can't you have a joint a/c into which a % of the rent goes, for the maintenance.
you should not put yourself in a position where you are beholden to him.
somebody else said you were the elder, so i assumed that was correct.
makes more sense, growing up, if he was the big brother.
but should be irrelevant now.
you must throw off these shackles.

You poor thing, no one needs a bully in their lives and you deserve better. I too would not see him anymore. He gives nothing to you but hurt and heartbreak.

My brother is getting very materialistic.

He is increasingly emailing and texting me, out of the blue, very late at night, with his very, very pricey purchases, plus details of items he sees on Ebay, which he says are worth thousands of pounds each, but the sellers are letting them go too cheaply and I would be daft not to buy.

Recentky, one text said how he'd spent a further £12,000 on accessories for his already pricey hifi separates, saying the sound is increadible and I should spend my money to save it from the tax man when I die.

Also, for the same reason, how I need to get this home improvement, that home improvement and a very flashy car, as if I don't spend it, someone else will.

I have tried ignoring things, without success, plus made the mistake once of telling him of a purchase I was considering after he tried to persuade me to buy something else!

His reply 'For the same price, I know a hundred alternatives which could wipe the floor with it'.

He seems so keen for me to spend my money and he always says what he has is superb!

Does it stem from him being jealous of my financial situation?