Manchester-based chartered surveyors and auctioneers – Landwood Group – has seen a 300 per cent increase in instructions to sell residential buy-to-let properties in the past five months alone. It comes amid increasingly challenging conditions for residential buy-to-let properties investors who are contending with punitive tax changes, high mortgage interest rates, increasing red-tape and uncertainty around regulations which have seen costs skyrocket. Mark Bailey, partner at Landwood Group comments: “The… Continue Reading Residential Buy-To-Let Properties Sales Skyrocket

Almost two in five UK owners – landlords and homeowners – now consider improving energy efficiency of their property an important priority, following energy costs rising earlier this year.  Despite this 40 per cent of owners admit they have ‘no idea’ how energy efficient their property is, making it difficult improving energy efficiency. The figures come from the Halifax which says the UK is home to some of the oldest… Continue Reading Improving Energy Efficiency – owners all at sea over where to start

New housing minister Lee Rowley has spoken out in favour of Build To Rent developments. At the inaugural Build To Rent Innovators conference – organisation by the National House Building Council and the British Property Federation – Rowley told an audience of some 100 developers, investors and operators that he recognised the crucial role Build To Rent developments are playing in helping relieve housing shortages.  He also touched upon the… Continue Reading Build To Rent Developments Favoured By Housing Minister

Scores of councils that enforce rental licensing regimes on the private rental sector claim they are on the verge of bankruptcy. Almost one in five rental licensing council leaders and chief executives in England surveyed by the Local Government Association think it is very or fairly likely that their chief finance officer will need to issue a Section 114 notice this year or next due to a lack of funding… Continue Reading Rental Licensing Councils On Brink Of Bankruptcy

Government plans to abolish assured shorthold tenancies and replace them with periodic tenancies could put landlords’ properties at risk, according to inspection specialists NoLettingGo. Under the current system, it’s easy for landlords and agents to organise check-in, mid-term and check-out inspections. But if all rentals revert to periodic tenancies, landlords will have to keep track of the tenancy duration and decide how often they want to check on their properties… Continue Reading Periodic Tenancies Pose Risks For Landlords

NRLA chief executive Ben Beadle has called for pragmatism and unity in response to Shelter’s new anti-landlord campaign. The charity warns that Michael Gove risks passing a weak Renters Reform Bill because of a landlord lobby and is urging members to email the Housing Secretary telling him not to listen to those in the sector. Shelter’s chief executive Polly Neate says: “The anti-landlord campaign will help us stop landlords, MPs… Continue Reading Anti-Landlord Campaign As Chiefs Lock Horns

The Short Term Accommodation Association says it’s analysed local authority data which shows the potential for almost two million homes – properties which have not been acted upon because of a lack of government funding for social housing. The Short Term Accommodation Association analysed 294 Strategic Housing Land Availability Assessments, Housing and Economic Land Availability Assessments, or their equivalents.  The supply of new homes they identify include those with and… Continue Reading Short Term Accommodation Association Slams Government

The Leasehold and Freehold Reform Bill has taken a step towards becoming legislation after it was introduced to Parliament, promising leaseholders a fairer deal, along with greater rights and protections. New rules should make it easier and cheaper for leaseholders to buy their freehold, increase standard lease extension terms to 990 years for houses and flats (up from 50 years in houses and 90 years in flats), and provide greater… Continue Reading Leasehold and Freehold Reform Bill Shake-Up

UK Finance, the trade association for the UK banking and financial services sector, claims that in Q3 there were 11,540 BTL mortgages in payment arrears which is 0.57 per cent of all BTL mortgages in England and Wales. The company attributed the increase in BTL mortgage arrears was due to higher interest rates and the continual cost of living pressures which many landlords are unable to pass onto tenants. During… Continue Reading BTL Mortgages Arrears Soared By 29%

The Q3 2023 BVA BDRC Landlord Panel research report for a specialist mortgage lender was the first held since the government’s decisions of delaying Section 21’s abolition because of much needed court reforms, and the stricter EPC timescale mandate will not be introduced for the foreseeable future. According to the survey’s results 12 per cent of landlord respondents stated that because of the EPC timescale mandate U-turn they are now… Continue Reading EPC Timescale Mandate Confidence Booster

The Royal Society for the Prevention of Accidents is issuing a stark warning to be aware of the dangers of carbon monoxide poisoning, which causes over 4,000 A&E visits and 440 hospital admissions a year in England alone. According to RoSPA, carbon monoxide poisoning is an under-diagnosed problem in the UK, with the signs and symptoms of low-level carbon monoxide toxicity confused for other ailments like headache, nausea, flushing, the… Continue Reading Carbon Monoxide Poisoning Warning

A prominent housing expert has told MPs that letting agents could be used to police the standards of homes made available to rent. Dr Julie Rugg is the senior research fellow at the Centre for Housing Policy at the University of York, and has authored a series of significant reports on the private rental sector homes made available to rent in recent years. Towards the end of last week she… Continue Reading Homes Made Available To Rent Policed By Agents

A survey of over 2,400 tenants has found that 55 per cent would prefer to have all-inclusive charges within the price of their rent. What’s more, 44 per cent say they would be more likely to rent a property if all-inclusive charges were included versus a property that didn’t. In addition 41 per cent claim to find the task of organising and paying their utility bills stressful. However an analysis… Continue Reading Most Tenants Want All-Inclusive Charges

Senior Labour MP Clive Betts says the party’s official house building policy won’t actually solve the shortage of homes. Labour deputy leader Angela Rayner, who is also responsible for housing policy, recently set out her views on new builds, insisting that a Labour government would require private developers to build more affordable housing as a price of planning consent. However Betts – who chairs the all party Levelling Up, Housing… Continue Reading Rayner’s Policy Won’t Solve Shortage Of Homes

British Gas is calling for a Green Upgrade Relief which would allow landlords to deduct green improvements from their annual income as well as government-kitemarked zero or low interest loans to help them make improvements. The energy supplier also wants an amendment to the Renters (Reform) Bill so landlords cannot reasonably refuse smart meter installation. They also wants to start the data-gathering process to implement Building Passports for individual properties… Continue Reading Green Upgrade Relief To Help Landlords

The government has vowed to ensure that the court system for landlord repossession cases with valid reasons to evict tenants, will be speeded up under the Renters Bill. The highly contentious bill which will scrap Section 21 ‘no-fault’ evictions, was included in Housing Minister Rachel Maclean’s discussions in a fringe event at the Conservative Party conference. The event was sponsored by a trade body was hosted by a liberal conservative… Continue Reading Landlord Repossession Cases To Speed Up

The Renters Reform Bill could force landlords into insolvency warns a housing law specialist. The housing law specialist Des Taylor says the Bill which has finally passed through its Second Reading will make common mistakes and errors made by agents and landlords illegal and hand over powers to councils to impose massive fines of up to £30,000 for each misdemeanour. Taylor said: “The Bill will not only end the use… Continue Reading Housing Law Specialist Warns Of Renters Reform Bill

A property association says landlords and tenants warned that they must join forces with to “proactively” tackle the growing bed bug crisis. Landlords and tenants warned by the association with stark warning following reports of some landlords and agents telling tenants the best way to deal with the bed bugs is put their duvets in the freezer. Figures from Rentokil highlights the surge in bedbug infections with a 65 per… Continue Reading Landlords And Tenants Warned Of Bed Bugs

The boss of Winkworth has warned Chancellor Jeremy Hunt against making any tax cuts that could ultimately send interest rates soaring while calling for a return of mortgage interest relief for landlords when he makes his Autumn Statement next week. Chancellor Jeremy Hunt is preparing for his Autumn Statement but Winkworth boss Dominic Agace worries some tax and VAT cuts would be self-defeating. Hunt will deliver his fiscal plans to… Continue Reading Mortgage Interest Relief For Landlords

Property experts support the housing select committee in calling out ministers over delays to court reform and trying to ‘shift the blame’. Property leaders joined MPs in calling out the Government for failing to say when the slow courts system for evictions will be speeded up. Ministers decided to postpone abolition of Section 21 ‘no fault’ evictions until reforms to the court system made processes quicker. The measure was taken… Continue Reading Property Experts And MPs Slam Ministers