Propertymark has warned Labour’s Deputy Prime Minister against scrapping Section 21 eviction powers without an adequate replacement. If Angela Rayner does fulfil a pledge of scrapping Section 21 eviction powers at short notice, Propertymark warns “the court system in England and Wales will be overwhelmed.” The industry body has said not only will this cause lengthy and costly delays for everyone involved, but with the raft of regulatory and financial… Continue Reading No Scrapping Section 21 Eviction Powers Without Replacement

Propertymark has struck a lukewarm tone in its response to Labour’s housing reforms. The trade body says that to meet its manifesto pledge of 1.5 million new homes within this parliamentary term, Labour must deliver just over 1,150 new homes consistently every single working day for the next five years without defaulting. “This is roughly equivalent to delivering at least five large scale housing estates every single week to achieve… Continue Reading Propertymark Lukewarm On Labour Housing Reforms

Some 8,000 privately renting people were forced to sleep rough for the first time in London last year, an increase of 25% on the previous year.  And a charity says more than one in five of them were previously privately renting before becoming homeless. Figures from the Combined Homelessness and Information Network (CHAIN) show that the number of people sleeping rough for the first time in London rose to 7,974… Continue Reading Privately Renting People Make Up 1-in-5 Homeless

A huge survey involving analysis of over 14,000 properties suggests an urgent need for the next government to help private sector rental EPCs become greener. Rightmove, which conducted the research, says at least 18m homes have an EPC rating of D or below. This takes into account both homes that have an EPC, and those that have never had one because they haven’t been sold or rented out since EPCs… Continue Reading Rental EPCs Improved With Government Help

One of the most common questions landlords ask is how to give notice to ending a tenancy. To address this, I’ve crafted this article to explore the various scenarios under which a standard Assured Shorthold Tenancy (AST) may be terminated and to outline the correct processes for each situation. Throughout this article, we will assume the tenancy is a standard Assured Shorthold Tenancy (AST). 1. Tenant Leaving at the End… Continue Reading Ending a Tenancy – How to Give Notice Correctly

The next Government should create a separate Ministry of Housing and encourage MPs of all parties to work together to solve the country’s property crisis.  That’s the verdict of one property industry commentator who says the next Prime Minister needs to make housing a priority from day one, with a ministry that is not – as now – part of a wider department covering Levelling Up and Communities. Jonathan Rolande… Continue Reading Call for a new Ministry of Housing with long-term minister

The Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors says it welcomes the new Labour government’s ambitious housing plans – but it also casts doubt on some proposals. In its response to this week’s speech by Chancellor Rachel Reeves, RICS says: On planning reform: “We welcome reform to the National Planning Policy Framework to help meet our future housing plans and energy needs. This includes 300 new planners, which is very welcome but… Continue Reading RICS Urges Labour To Do More On Housing Plans

Outstanding council tax arrears have soared according to new government figures. Data from he Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities shows arrears at £6 billion as of March 31 this year, a 9% year-on-year rise and an 71% increase since before the pandemic – the total outstanding arrears stood at £3.5 billion in 2019 to 2020. The StepChange Debt Charity has raised concerns around some collection practices employed by… Continue Reading Council Tax Arrears Prompts Call For New Rules

The Property Energy Professionals Association – a trade group representing accreditation schemes for energy assessors – is complaining that it’s not been consulted about a recent report slamming Energy performance Certificates. Consumer champions Which? this week hit out at EPCs and the assessors who write them, saying EPCs are riddled with inaccuracies and gave numerous examples of tests it gave specific certificates, inspe3ctions and assessors to prove the point.  However,… Continue Reading Property Energy Professionals Association Slam Criticism

The Deposit Protection Service’s charitable foundation claims that a significant proportion of tenants who have recently moved are cutting back on food and heating to meet new, higher rents. Some 32% of the 2,210 tenants who responded to The DPS’ survey in March said they’d moved during the previous 12 months, with 72% of movers saying they are paying higher rents at their new homes. A significant proportion of tenants… Continue Reading Significant Proportion Of Tenants Skip Food And Heat

The latest data released by the Ministry of Justice pinpoints a very significant rise in landlord possession claims across the UK as landlords are being hit hard by the rising interest rates. In the first three months 2024 landlord possession claims increased by 6 per cent higher than the same period in 2023 with 24,874 cases. At the same time possession orders increased compared to the previous year by 3… Continue Reading Noticeable Increase In Landlord Possession Claims

Cash deposits increasingly don’t cover landlords’ claims for rent arrears or damage, according to a new study. Deposit alternative product Reposit examined data from UK tenancy agreements that ended this year and found that landlords needed to reclaim more than five weeks’ of rent to cover costs in 17% of tenancies – up from 13% in 2023. Meanwhile, 49% of agreements ended without any costs incurred by the tenant. CEO… Continue Reading Deposits Don’t Cover Rent Arrears Or Damage

It is claimed that a massive increase in Right To Rent checks have surged in the last twelve months by a gargantuan 577 per cent. Civil fines for failing to carry out the scheme’s required Right to Rent checks have been sizeably increased with landlords and lettings agents’ penalties as high as £20,000. Agents and landlords in England have for some time been made responsible for outlawing prospective renters without… Continue Reading Massive Increase In Right To Rent Checks

Letting agents trade body Propertymark has backed a call by consumer group Which? for radical reforms to Energy Performance Certificates. Yesterday we reported that Which? slammed current EPCs for alleged inaccuracies and for being unhelpful to consumers. Now Timothy Douglas, head of policy and campaigns at letting agents trade body Propertymark, says: “Propertymark has long said that Energy Performance Certificates (EPCs) could be better utilised through the introduction of a… Continue Reading Letting Agents Trade Body Propertymark Calls For Reform

Energy Performance Certificates can be riddled with inaccuracies and give unhelpful advice to property owners. That’s the view of consumer service Which? Which? selected 12 members of the consumer group who were homeowners across England, Wales and Scotland and booked EPC assessments on their behalf during February to March 2024 to find out how accurate EPCs are.  Their properties were built between 1650 and 1999 and ranged from a one-bedroom… Continue Reading Energy Performance Certificates slammed as “inaccurate”

A small survey by a bank suggests that almost 100% of buy to let investors surveyed have received requests from tenants for some form of sustainable eco-improvements in the past 12 months. Handelsbanken commissioned research in March 2024 through independent research company Pure Profile among a panel of 200 property investors across the UK. According to the findings, 92% of investors reported tenants asking for sustainable eco-improvements such as heat… Continue Reading Eco-Improvements Demanded By Tenants

The number of tenancies ending in a claim for more than five weeks’ rent has risen to 17%, a deposit alternative service claims. Reposit, a deposit alternative service, examined its own data from tenancy agreements from across the UK that have come to an end during 2024.  It found that in 17% of tenancies, landlords needed to reclaim more than five weeks of rent to cover costs such as rent… Continue Reading Deposit Alternative Service Says Tenancy Check Outs Rise

Young people in London are taking on second jobs to get onto the property ladder, it’s claimed. Of the first-time buyers in London surveyed, half of the 18 to 24 year olds (48%) said they are planning to take on extra work to save the amount needed for a house deposit on the property ladder. However the survey is small – just 500 people. This comes as the research finds… Continue Reading Second Jobs To Get Onto The Property Ladder

Mandatory smoke, heat and carbon monoxide alarms will be introduced to private rented sector properties in Northern Ireland. Under the Smoke, Heat and Carbon Monoxide Alarms for Private Tenancies Regulations (Northern Ireland) 2024, there are three key changes for rented property. The first is for a smoke alarm to be installed in the main living room, and in every circulation space on each storey (hall, landing area); the second is… Continue Reading Smoke Heat and Carbon Monoxide Alarms Guidance

In an unusually outspoken intervention into the election campaign, Rightmove has criticised the absence of debate over the growing housing crisis. The issue has not so far featured prominently in any major party statement and had only fleeting references in the TV debate between Rishi Sunak and Sir Kier Starmer earlier this week. Now Rightmove’s property expert Tim Bannister has issued a statement saying:”At a time when house prices and… Continue Reading Major Parties Slammed For Ignoring Growing Housing Crisis