Rent rises on the way, warn landlords
Almost all landlords are considering increasing rents to pay for the higher taxes they now face, according to a survey by the Residential Landlords Association (RLA). It found 84% of private sector landlords are likely to consider increasing rents following the Chancellor’s recent tax assault on the buy-to-let sector. The survey found that 78% of […]
Fresh fears of housing price crash as buy-to-let purchases plunge
PROSPECTIVE buy-to-let owners have fallen by more than a quarter amid a punishing new tax on landlord buyers, fuelling fears of a price crash in parts of the country. Sales interest from property investors plunged by 27 per cent in March from the same month last year, showed data from Rightmove. The new tax was […]
UK landlords should be prepared to offer longer tenancies, says inventory organisation
UK landlords and property managers should consider offering long term tenancies as there is increasing demand but it means a different approach, according to the Association of Independent Inventory Clerks (AIIC). The organisation said that heightened preparation must include thorough administration and more thought about the choice of furniture and interior design themes. The AIIC […]
Bad landlords are biggest bugbear for private tenants
More than half of all tenants in London and the South-East say they have experienced problems with their landlords such as failing to carry out repairs on their homes. Having to deal with “bad landlords” is the biggest bugbear of tenants, beating exorbitant agent fees and rent increases, according to a survey. It also found […]
Buy-to-let suffers sharp March slowdown
March saw a sharp drop in buy-to-let valuations activity as landlords ran out of time to beat the stamp duty surcharge on 1 April. Valuation activity dropped 27% compared to February and 36% on March last year, according to new figures from Connells Survey & Valuation. Yet March still saw healthy year-on-year growth of 8% […]
New consumer rights laws – further bad news for landlords?
by Johanne Spittle, director, Lupton Fawcett Denison Till In October 2015 the new Consumer Rights Act came into force. The focus of the Act is on the provision of goods and services to consumers but it is likely to also have an impact on landlord and tenant law. Landlords and their agents and advisors should […]
Landlords Beware: Check your contracts – over half may not be legally binding
According to the latest research by landlord insurance provider Direct Line for Business, 10% of landlords have no formal tenancy agreement in place with their tenants. The research exposes that where contracts are in place, landlords may unwittingly be asking tenants to sign documents that are not legally compliant. Of the landlords who don’t use […]
Rogue letting agent escapes jail
A Staffordshire letting agent who stole £123,000 from landlords and tenants has been given a suspended prison sentence which has been criticised by his victims. David Whitefield ran Whitefield Properties which had branches in Milton, Leek and Crewe. Over a four-year period he pocketed the rent and deposits paid by tenants rather than passing on […]
Landlords clamp down on the rise of subletting without approval
‘Everyone does it’, but leaseholders and tenants must tread carefully if they want to avoid repercussions. Growing numbers of landlords are launching possession proceedings against tenants who have sublet their property via sites such as Airbnb without permission, it was claimed this week. Tenants who do this without consent risk eviction for a breach of […]
Tenants right to request energy improvements comes into force today
From today (1 April 2016), tenants have the right to request consent from their landlords to make energy-saving improvements for the properties they rent. Landlords will not be able to refuse their consent without good reason, but tenants will need to ensure that they have a way of funding improvements at no cost to the […]