A lettings trade body says the sector – and local councils – should do more to cater for the older and less able bodied renters now increasing in number. The National Residential Landlords Association wants more co-operation with local authorities to help people with disabilities who live in the private rented sector. NRLA research shows 79 per cent of landlords have no knowledge of grants available from local authorities, but would be…

In an exclusive, the Daily Telegraph says emergency courtrooms will be used after their funding runs out over the comning summer as the number of unheard cases continues to mount. Many of those include possession cases from landlords whose claims have been held up in backlogs over the past 12 months. These so-called Nightingale Courts were introduced last summer to hear civil, family and tribunals work as well as non-custodial…

The government has admitted that “hundreds of thousands” of people will use the new Breathing Space system, during which they cannot be chased for outstanding debt. John Glen, Economic Secretary to the Treasury, says: “We’re determined to tackle problem debt, but it is incredibly hard to get your finances back on track when your debts are piling up and you’ve got creditors at the door. “This scheme will give people a…

There’s been a spectacular surge in demand for lettings properties as vendors take advantage of the stamp duty holiday by selling up and renting ahead of their next purchase. Rightmove says 21 per cent of the available properties it lists for sale are now chain-free, a jump from around 15 per cent this time last year. This new trend is most acute in London, where 12 per cent of listed…

Home working and a fall in international migration due to Covid-19 and Brexit were key factors Experts have questioned a series of reports warning of an exodus from London, despite the fact many people have seen the pandemic as a reason to move away. Accountancy firm PwC published a report in January saying London ’s population would fall by more than 300,000 in 2021, the first such decline in more than 30 years. Increased…

There’s been an urgent change to the arrears process over the weekend (04/05/21) to dovetail with the government’s new Breathing Space initiative. From today agents, landlords and their solicitors must include details of the Breathing Space scheme within documentation when seeking to gain possession, or risk the eviction being rejected. The initiative – formally called the Breathing Space Moratorium and Mental Health Crisis Moratorium) (England and Wales) Regulations 2020 –…

Life in our world today has a lot of advantages due to the advancements that have been made in the society. People take up various professions, get trained to function in those professions, and contribute to the society. All these professions are necessary for the society to function properly. One of the fields that are crucial in any given society is the healthcare service whose primary duty is to attend…

Renting your first apartment is an exciting prospect, but it can also feel overwhelming once you begin to navigate the rental process. Finding a rental in your desired location can be challenging—and finding one that suits your budget is no less daunting! But if you stay informed and organized, you can manage the apartment hunting and rental agreement process with ease. Here, we’ve outlined everything you need to know before…

London rents are down by 2.3% compared to March 2016 The East Midlands has seen rents rise by 19.3% in the same period The time it takes to let a property is at its fastest pace ever in seven regions In the South West it is taking just 14 days to agree a tenancy on average London is the only UK region where rents are lower today than they were…

Major estate agents are upgrading their house price forecasts for 2021 in the wake of the surprise pandemic property boom. Savills previously expected house price growth to remain flat this year as the economy struggled to bounce back from successive coronavirus lockdowns and the end of furlough. However, thanks to government intervention including the stamp duty holiday, now extended until September, and the prolongation of the furlough scheme, the estate agent expects house prices to grow…

The average cost of a London rose to £501,320 in January, make for a 5.3 per cent annual increase rate London house prices hit a new all-time high in January as buyers continued to flock to take advantage of the stamp duty holiday. The average cost of a home on the capital rose 0.1 per cent in the month to reach £501,320, an annual rate of increase of 5.3 per cent. Prices have…

The government’s much-vaunted ‘tax day’ produced few challenges to the status quo – but holiday lets are under scrutiny. Currently the holiday let tax status is, as most people know, more favourable to investors than buy to let. This is because HMRC classes a ‘furnished holiday let’ as a business, with consequently lower taxes. Owners must meet certain criteria, chiefly that the home is available to let for 201 days a…

New modular homes built to rent have been delivered to Northstowe, a new town in Cambridgeshire. Each Town House home has been created by House by Urban Splash, a company backed by a £90m deal between Homes England, developer Urban Splash, and Japan-based building firm Sekisui House. They are the first of 406 modular homes homes which will form the new community on Homes England land at Northstowe. Housing minister…

An influential group of MPs has called for the replacement of “outdated” Energy Performance Certificates with new ‘Building Renovation Passports’. Currently EPCs have to be shown to prospective tenants and each rental property must have a rating of E or above; the government wants to raise the minimum energy efficiency rating from E to C for new tenancies from 2025 and for all existing tenancies from 2028. However, now the all-party…

Almost one year to the day since the first national lockdown began, Rightmove has analysed millions of data points to confirm the major trends showing how the pandemic has changed renters’ demands. A year ago the most sought after property type for tenants was a two bed flat, and this has been replaced by a two bed semi-detached house, due to the desire for more space and a garden. Asking…

Labour’s shadow housing secretary claims that private renters have been “barely considered” during the past year of the pandemic. Thangam Debbonaire made the comment in support of a Shelter statement which claimed over six million people in England were actively worried about becoming homeless. The Shelter report also claims that private renters are almost twice as likely to feel depressed and anxious about their housing situation compared with the general…

Ministry of Justice data shows that there are approximately 21,000 landlords who have permission from the courts to evict tenants after serving Section 21 ‘no fault’ notices, but who are now stuck in limbo due to Covid. These landlords, who have been ‘forgotten’ during the multiple extensions to the eviction ban over the past year since the pandemic started, are unable to sell properties, move back onto them or evict…

The government has hardened its position on the hurdles that tenants will have to clear before a landlord needs to allow pets into their property. Answering a written question from MP Rachael Maskell (pictured) about what constitutes a good reason for landlords to decline a pet ownership request from a tenant, Housing Minister Christopher Pincher (pictured training a police dog, main pic) provided a more detailed explanation using the revised…

Up to 750,000 landlords could be affected by the cladding scandal, a much larger figure than previously claimed, according to new research. About 1.5 million flats are thought to have flammable building cladding or other fire safety-related issues and face huge repair bills or difficulties moving their mortgage to a different lender. Credit ratings firm DBRS Morningstar’s study of 64 UK mortgage portfolios found that of 670,000 mortgages, 106,000 loans were on…

The pandemic has had a major impact on the student rental market with landlords suffering significant losses of income. A new analysis from PropTech firm Goodlord shows that during 2020, revenues from student lets dropped by 30 per cent compared to figures from 2018 and 2019. Goodlord analysed 255,000 tenancies from January 2018 through to December 2020. This research found that, between 2018 and 2019, 12p in every £1 spent…