A safety training service is warning of “alarming statistics” showing an increase in the number of fires and fatalities and a significant number of failed fire door inspections. Pat Jefferies, commercial director at Abloy UK, says: “Abloy is a big Fire Door Safety Week supporter and we promote the crucial importance of fire door inspections in saving lives and protecting property – not just during the initiative but all year… Continue Reading Fire Door Inspections Mark Fire Door Safety Week

With the private rental sector stressed at the prospect of stricter energy efficiency rules in the coming years, the body representing mortgage lenders has called for a dramatic overhaul. UK Finance has issued a new energy efficiency rules report calling for: Amended Stamp Duty Land Tax to incorporate the property’s energy demand and carbon emissions. Stamp Duty rebates should become available if energy efficiency improvements are completed within two years… Continue Reading Change Energy Efficiency Rules To Make Homes Greener

Net Zero Homes – Stamp duty rebates should become available if energy efficiency improvements are completed within two years of property purchase. Stamp Duty rebates should become available if energy efficiency improvements are completed within two years of property purchase, says UK Finance. The radical plans are put forward in its latest report by the lender trade group to achieve a Net Zero Homes stock. The report, Net Zero Homes:… Continue Reading Stamp Duty Refund For Net Zero Homes

Labour’s Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan, held a rental summit yesterday about the capital’s private sector – but he did not invite agents or landlords. The rental summit, unpublicised until very shortly before it started, apparently involved renters, charities and so-called ‘advocacy groups’ according to a statement from Khan’s office. He said that the average advertised London rent has hit £2,343 a month, more than double some other parts of… Continue Reading Rental Summit Excludes Agents And Landlords

Propertymark’s head of policy and campaigns, Timothy Douglas, will explain how investment in the private rented sector can be better incentivised when he speaks at the Westminster Social Policy Forum next week. The forum will bring together MPs and senior government officials with property sector stakeholders to discuss the way forward following the publication of the government’s ‘A Fairer Private Rented Sector’ White Paper at the start of the summer.… Continue Reading Investment In The Private Rented Sector Can Be Better

The Government has introduced legislation that requires landlords to pass-on the benefits of energy support schemes brought in to help with energy costs to tenants, in response to rising prices. Landlords who do receive the benefit of energy support schemes must contact their tenants by November 30, or within 30 days of receiving the benefit and inform them about the requirements, the amount to be passed on and other key… Continue Reading Pass-Through Regulations On Energy Support Schemes – Originally Posted by NRLA

Green mortgages discounts could be a key tool in helping landlords make the energy efficiency upgrades necessary to achieve an EPC rating of C or above, according to new research from Shawbrook. Four in 10 landlords would like to see the lending industry introduce green mortgages discount for properties with better EPC ratings.  Under current government proposals, buy to let properties will need to have an EPC rating of C… Continue Reading Green Mortgages Key To Improving Rental Sector EPCs

Increasing demand for city living was the driving force behind the rapid house price inflation witnessed earlier this year, with property prices in urban centres growing at a faster rate than their surrounding areas, according to new analysis from Halifax.  The impact of the pandemic on people’s lifestyles had driven much stronger house price growth in suburban and rural areas over the previous couple of years, as buyers sought larger… Continue Reading City Living Drives Capital Appreciation

Governments across the UK must do more to understand the scale of short lets and the threat they may pose to private housing markets. That’s the view of letting agents’ trade body Propertymark, which has conducted a survey of members to assess the problem. The rise in short term lets impacts both the sales and lettings market in different ways but lettings agents overwhelmingly agree that in the long run… Continue Reading Does Airbnb Threaten Private Housing Markets

Labour’s new housing spokesperson, Matthew Pennycook, says his party would go further than the government on the subject of private rent sector reform. Speaking in a Commons debate at the end of last week Pennycook urged the government to implement all 12 reforms set out in its recent Fairer Private Rent Sector Reform White Paper – all of which Labour backed – but he added: “Labour would go further in… Continue Reading Labour Pledge More In Private Rent Sector Reform

Newly appointed housing minister Felicity Buchan MP shared NRLA calls on Commons rental reform in a parliamentary debate in the House yesterday. The minister said she shared the NRLA’s view that landlords’ right to repossess must be protected – and pledged that any ‘unnecessary restrictions’ on this would be removed. The Minister, who will be addressing the NRLA’s inaugural conference in Coventry this month, said: “It is only right that… Continue Reading Commons Rental Reform Shared By Housing Minister – Blog Post Originally from NRLA

The Lettings Industry Council, a group of rental industry chiefs, has joined with other property professionals to reveal what they see as the risks presented to the industry by climate change. A report coordinated by the Landmark Information Group and including Birmingham Law School, The Lettings Industry Council and JBA Risk Management, highlights the challenges professionals are facing in meeting energy efficiency requirements for homes, as well as environmental damage… Continue Reading Lettings Industry Council Reveal Climate Change Risks

New research shows that there’s little to choose between the costs of renting and owning – a change from previous research which showed renting as more expensive. Revolution Brokers looked at the current cost of buying on a repayment mortgage repayment and an interest-only alternative, and how these compare with rents.   The research shows that the average costs of renting for tenants across the UK is currently £1,143 per… Continue Reading Little Between Costs Of Renting And Owning

The agents’ trade body Propertymark says the government must “get realistic” over the difficulties involved in reaching Net Zero targets when dealing with older properties in the private rental sector. The trade body says it’s supportive of the government’s Net Zero targets aim, but in evidence given to a formal consultation progress is says there will be huge impacts on landlords and the sales and lettings sectors, especially given the… Continue Reading Get Realistic Over Net Zero Targets

Proposals to freeze rents in Wales have been voted down by members of the Senedd, after the NRLA warned the move could backfire, forcing landlords to sell up. The vote followed an emergency debate tabled by Plaid Cymru on the question of whether Wales should put a rent freeze into effect in the Welsh private rented sector, in light of the Scottish Government’s move to freeze most rents until March… Continue Reading Plaid Cymru Proposals To Freeze Rents Voted Down – Originally Published by NRLA

The Bank of England is warning that many households will struggle to meet their rent or mortgage commitments if interest rates rise as much as expected. It says that currently around 1.7 per cent of households – or 475,000 – are likely to experience repayment difficulties.  It defines that as spending over 70 per cent of take-home pay on rent or mortgage commitments and essentials. And it warns that number… Continue Reading Arrears Likely On Rent Or Mortgage Commitments

A group wanting renters with pets to be allowed in private rental properties says its research shows the issue is not opposition from landlords, but an absence of protection. The National Office of Animal Health says it has conducted three-month surveys with landlords and tenants. In both cases it asked a range of questions to understand how renters with pets in lets could be achieved, and to learn of previous… Continue Reading Renters With Pets – Landlords Protection

A growing number of rental Tenancy Applications are being rejected by agents, it’s been claimed. PropTech firm Vouch says that between January and April of this year, there were an average of 509 tenancies being cancelled by agents each month.  Vouch says as many as 19 per cent of all tenancy applications across England were cancelled during August, compared to just four per cent during January.  Tenancies can be cancelled… Continue Reading Tenancy Applications Turned Down By Agents

Simon Clarke at DLUHC has taken the first step in legal action against Grey GR, as the cladding scandal continues. The Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities (DLUHC) has taken the first step in legal action against Grey GR, an organisation ultimately owned by RailPen, as the cladding scandal continues. Grey GR Limited Partnership, the freeholder of Vista Tower, a 15-storey tower block in Stevenage, has been given 21 days… Continue Reading Government Legal Action On The Cladding Scandal

A trade company is reminding landlords of how important it is to carry out a gas safety check and to make sure their tenants agree to allow them access to carry out the necessary checks. However a recent poll discovered that just under a half of landlords have not been allowed access to their properties for a mandatory annual gas safety check, and providing tenants with a copy of the… Continue Reading Landlords Stopped From Carrying Out Gas Safety Check