Private rents have continued to soar in Scotland according to DJ Alexander, the largest lettings agency in the country.  It says rental prices increased 5.7 per cent year on year to July 2023 – the highest figure since at least January 2012 and up from 3.9 per cent a year ago. It was in September 2022 that the controversial Cost of Loving (Tenant Protection) Bill became law. This capped mid-tenancy…

New directives issued by the government put the emphasis firmly on private landlords and their letting agents to take responsibility for issues of damp and mould in their rental properties. The guidance puts private landlords and agents on a par with housing associations and councils in facing unlimited penalties if they ignore damp and mould problems.  Housing Secretary Michael Gove says: “Damp and mould in the home are not the…

Propertymark is backing a call for financial help for landlords who improve the energy efficiency of their properties. The think tank E3G has written to the Treasury saying that one in four households in the private rental market is estimated to be in fuel poverty, and that there is a need for policies to incentivise landlords to improve energy efficiency. The letter – signed by Coventry Building Society, Citizens Advice,…

Propertymark is pressing Housing Secretary Michael Gove to adopt a housing court system to solve the problem of abandoned tenancies. The agents trade body has released a statement this week saying that it’s written to Gove – in a joint approach with other property organisations – highlighting serious concerns over “the lack of clear legislation, support and resolution for when landlords find themselves dealing with an abandoned property.” The letter…

Financial support from family members – not just parents – is expected to help fund 318,400 housing transactions in 2023, according to Legal & General. In joint research with the Centre for Economics and Business Research (Cebr), the figure is the highest number of property purchases family gifting has ever supported since Legal & General began tracking family lending in 2016. In previous years Legal & General has logged this…

Law firm Brevis Law is shedding light on the difficulties agents and landlords have in meeting Right To Rent requirements in the light of new fines introduced by the government. The government is set to triple fines for employers and agents and landlords who are seen as contributing to the factors attracting migrants to enter and stay in the country illegally.  This major shift in civil penalties is being hailed…

The Select Committee that shadows the work of Michael Gove’s Department of Levelling Up, Housing and Communities is complaining that its report into rental sector reform appears to have been ignored.  The Levelling Up, Housing and Communities says that it is a well-established convention that government departments should respond to select committee reports within two months. Although a longer delay may be permissible in some circumstances, the committee claims “it…

A property investment group has released its latest research on the top five most searched for property features that UK renters look for. Redmayne Smith says these were firstly Parking; secondly Fully Furnished accommodation; thirdly a Balcony; fourthly Proximity to a Good School; and finally Bills included. Rental flats with parking included came out as the number one priority for prospective tenants in the UK, with searches in the past…

Propertymark, together with Gas Safe Register, has produced top tips to be passed by agents to landlords and tenants as part of this week’s Gas Safety Week initiative.    This year, Gas Safety Week focuses on celebrating the breadth and diversity of gas engineers and the essential role they play in keeping the nation gas safe. As well as reminding the public, about gas safety and tips to ensure they…

A new report on the state of the lettings industry suggests figures are growing fearful of the impact of the Renters Reform Bill.   Some 43 per cent of agents feel either somewhat or very pessimistic about the Bill. However 29 per cent are feeling optimistic about the changes.  But 55 per cent of agents cited the Bill as a factor driving landlords out (a statistic which is 15 per…

A body largely consisting of councils wants more controls over Airbnbs and other short lets – and it wants local authorities to have the ultimate say. The Devon Housing Commission has written to Housing Secretary Michael Gove demanding two key legislative changes. First, the requirement for registration of short-term lettings, in order to establish the facts. Second, the requirement for a change of use planning consent for any new short-term…

Section 21 evictions are set to soar even higher, a property association leader forecasts – because of the threat to abolish them. Data released last week revealed court proceedings for Section 21s in England  reached their highest level in six years, ahead of the renters Reform Bill.  Jonathan Rolande of the National Association of Property Buyers, says worse is to come.  “This will be driven by the fact many landlords…

First-time buyers make up a record 30 per cent of those leaving London this year, new data from Hamptons has found High mortgage rates are pushing Londoners —particularly first-time buyers— out of the capital, as buyers look to reduce their borrowing costs by choosing more affordable properties. New data from Hamptons shows that Londoners bought 32,600 homes outside the M25 so far this year, which represents 7.7 per cent of all property sales outside the…

Londoners who survived the rates pain of the 1980s and 1990s faced different challenges to today’s buyers but their stories will resonate Priced out of buying a property in London, freezing in her tiny flat as she couldn’t pay the heating bill, and living hand to mouth. Fiona Maclean’s experience of buying her first home should chime with the challenges facing many new and would-be buyers. But when Fiona took…

A legal expert says there is too little practical help available to transform the energy efficiency reputation of the private rental sector. Gina Peters, Head of Landlord and Tenant at Dutton Gregory Solicitors, says helpful initiatives such as The Green Deal and The Green Homes Grant ended in 2015 and 2021 respectively – and without those, the private rental sector has little incentive to improve. She says that the introduction…

The trade association says 12% of landlords sold properties in a three month period this year. Private landlords are more than twice as likely to sell properties than make a purchase, according to new research from NRLA. More than one in 10 (12%) of landlords in England and Wales sold properties in Q2 this year while only 5 per cent purchased properties during this same period, the findings reveal. Researchers also…

Police are encouraging letting agents and landlords to regularly check properties following the discovery on a cannabis factory. Police attended the address in Nottinghamshire at the end of last week after receiving a call from a landlordd who checked on the property only to find a cannabis grow in the rear upstairs bedroom. More than 70 plants were discovered. No one was at the address and officers are now conducting…

Average rents in Scotland for new tenancies in the private rented sector have risen by double digits for the third time in a row since the introduction of rent controls. The new figures from lettings portal Citylets underline what many in the industry feared from the outset that the new legislation – formally called the Cost of Living (Tenant Protection) (Scotland) Act 2022 – would acerbate the supply demand imbalance.…