A new report on the state of the lettings and management 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 lettings and management industry agents cited the Bill as a factor driving landlords out (a… Continue Reading Lettings And Management Industry Fears Grow

A body largely consisting of councils wants more controls over Airbnbs and short term lettings – 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… Continue Reading Clampdown On Airbnb And Short Term Lettings

Section 21s eviction rate is 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… Continue Reading Section 21s Eviction Rate Set To Soar

First time homebuyers 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 homebuyers — 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… Continue Reading First Time Homebuyers Priced Out Of The Capital

Londoners who survived the rates pain of the 1980s and 1990s faced different challenges to today’s house 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 house buyers. But when… Continue Reading House Buyers In The 80s And 90s Survived 15% Interest Rates

A legal expert says there is too little practical help available to transform the private rental sector EPC efficiency reputation. 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 EPC has little incentive to improve. She says that the introduction of… Continue Reading Private Rental Sector EPC Won’t Improve Without Grants

The trade association says 12% of private rent landlords sold properties in a three month period this year. Private rent 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… Continue Reading Private Rent Landlords Downsize In Record Numbers

Police are encouraging property agents and landlords to regularly check properties following the discovery of a cannabis factory. Police attended the address in Nottinghamshire at the end of last week after receiving a call from a landlord 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… Continue Reading Property Agents And Landlords To Check For Cannabis Factories

Average rental charges 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 average rental charges 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… Continue Reading Average Rental Charges Go UP In Scotland

Propertymark has set out a five point plan to improve the status and usefulness of the Energy Performance Certificate and to get the issue of energy efficiency in the rental sector taken more seriously. Avoid a ‘one size fits all’ approach – The industry body believes that policymakers must move away from a one-size fits all policy and develop energy efficiency in the rental sector that work with the different… Continue Reading Energy Efficiency In The Rental Sector 5 Point Plan

An MP says owner occupiers are “scared, unable to sleep at night, worried about their safety and even concerned about whether they will be able to sell their properties” because of the glut of nearby HMOs. Labour MP Emma Lewell-Buck, who represents South Shields, writes in the Shields Gazette that well-managed HMOs offer support to tenants but that during the cost of living crisis many have become too crowded or… Continue Reading HMOs “Scare” Home Owners – MP’s Claim

Housing Secretary Michael Gove is being lobbied to take urgent action over the growing problem of abandoned tenancies. Propertymark chief executive Nathan Emerson has written to Gove on behalf of a housing sector coalition including agents and landlords. The first reading of the Renters Reform Bill in May left many property professionals concerned about the issue of abandoned tenancies. An abandoned property can increase landlord overheads such as insurance costs… Continue Reading Abandoned Tenancies – Gove Lobbied To Take Urgent Action

Millions of UK landlords will be adversely affected by the Renters Reform Bill, a solicitor warns – the latest law expert to identify the dangers of the legislation for buy to let investors. The Bill, currently going through Parliament and expected to become law next year, will include a number of measures but is chiefly to satisfy activists’ demand to abolish the Section 21 notice. Kristy Ainge – solicitor-advocate in… Continue Reading Legislation For Buy To Let Investors Attacked

London Labour Mayor Sadiq Khan is calling on the government to allow him to levy effectively uncapped council tax bills on the owners of long-term empty properties. The Mirror newspaper, in what it describes as an exclusive, says that while councils are currently allowed to charge a premium on long-term empty properties, but only after they’ve been unoccupied and unfurnished for more than two years, this increase is limited to… Continue Reading Long-Term Empty Properties Unlimited Council Tax

Citizens Advice is calling on the government to provide an unspecified amount of assistance to renters during the current cost of living crisis. As more mortgage holders seek support following successive interest rate rises, so Citizens Advice claims to be giving assistance to renters in record numbers with what the charity calls “homelessness and with Section 21 ’no fault’ evictions.” It concedes this trend suggests landlords may be selling their… Continue Reading Assistance To Renters During Crisis

A law firm says the Renters Reform Bill is driving buy to let investors to quit because of their fears over Section 21 abolition. Bishop & Sewell LLP says it’s seen a significant rise in enquiries from landlords seeking to sell. Charlie Davidson, senior associate with Bishop & Sewell’s Residential Property team, says: “The proposed Bill promises to be the biggest shake up to the private rental sector for a… Continue Reading Section 21 Abolition Will Reduce Housing Supply

Home buying company the Open Property Group (OPG) has reported a 56% jump in PRS property purchases during the past year, with landlords blaming red tape for their decision to sell up. It bought nearly £6 million worth of property from homeowners and landlords looking for a fast and hassle-free sale in the first half of 2023 and saw a 21% rise in sales between Q1 and Q2. Nearly 90%… Continue Reading PRS Property Purchases Rise

Landlords in Birmingham have slammed the new Midlands selective licencing scheme which some claim is unfairly targeting ethnic communities. The Midlands selective licencing scheme, which took effect at the beginning of June, affects all landlords in 25 of the city’s wards which have more than 20% of rented properties and high levels of deprivation. The council will begin enforcement work at more than 40,000 properties from September. Liz Murphy, who… Continue Reading Midlands Selective Licencing Scheme Outcry

Brent Council is paying a landlord to house the tenant he was trying to evict after failing to come up with any alternative accommodation. The authority paid the legal fees and took over responsibility for paying the rent as long as the landlord continued to house the tenant in the property. LegalforLandlords made the Section 21 application in February and possession was granted in April. Two months’ later, the letting… Continue Reading Council’s Desperate Measures To House The Tenant

More than half of all homes in the private rented sector need upgrading to achieve an EPC band C by 2028, with landlords facing a total estimated bill of £30 billion at a time when many are struggling to cover their costs. About 2.9 million homes in the private rented sector are affected, with costs for upgrades ranging from £8,807 per property (EPC D) to £27,366 (EPC G), according to… Continue Reading Homes In The Private Rented Sector £30 billion cost