The rise of the professional landlord?
The government recently published its English Private Landlord Survey, a study carried out last year looking in depth at the make-up of the nation’s landlords for the first time since 2010. The results of the survey perhaps start to indicate the degree to which the government’s attempts to ‘professionalise’ the sector have started to work, […]
The average time it takes to sell a property revealed
Some buy-to-let landlords are being driven out of the market by the government’s tax crackdown as growing numbers struggle to make money from rentals, but how long does it actually take to sell a property? From property type to regional variations, there are naturally a range of different factors at play when buying and selling […]
Housing market stalemate means it falls to landlords to ‘pick up the pieces’
The latest UK Finance household lending and deposits data reveals that gross mortgage lending across the residential market dropped in January, suggesting that more prospective buyers are currently choosing to rent, amid Brexit uncertainty and the fact that there are fewer properties for sale. The figures show that there was £21.6bn worth of lending last […]
What’s the typical discount for making a cash offer on a property?
Vendors will often accept an all-cash purchase offer over a higher-priced offer with a mortgage, highlighting the importance of cash in powering the market for property. With stretched affordability and historically low mortgage borrowing rates, it is unsurprising that mortgage sales volumes across the nation are 138% higher than cash sales volumes. But fresh research […]
National warning on bogus landlords stealing tenants’ deposits
A national alert has been issued by Action Fraud, warning prospective tenants that fraudsters are claiming to be the owners of rental properties advertised online. Before a viewing, individuals are asked to pay a deposit upfront, claiming that this money will be put into the tenant deposit scheme and will therefore be protected under government […]
More tenants experiencing rent rises
The number of tenants experiencing rent rises increased in January, with 26% of agents witnessing landlords increasing them compared to 18% in December, ARLA Propertymark has found. This is the highest figure recorded since September, when 31% of tenants were experiencing rises and year-on-year the figure is up 7% from January last year. David Cox, […]
Landlords need support to ‘keep up-to-date’ with regulation changes
Landlords are being urged to seek guidance to ensure that they are clear on the ‘bombardment’ of regulatory changes that could affect their buy-to-let investments. With a range of new rules ranging from The Homes (Fitness for Human Habitation) Bill to The Tenant Fees Bill, landlords need to be up to speed with the changes […]
Quarter of landlords consider short lets but only 3% have done it
Some 24 per cent of landlords have considered letting out their properties on a short let Airbnb-style basis – but only three per cent have actually done so. Research by the National Landlords Association – based on a relatively small sample of 494 respondents in the final quarter of last year – suggests that 76 […]
A landlord’s guide to tenancy deposits
Although deposits have become an accepted part of the landlord-and-tenant relationship, some newer landlords still neglect to ask for them. We strongly advise that you make deposits part of your tenancy agreement. A deposit acts as your financial safety net if any problems arise at the end of the tenancy, and can be used to […]
Three years to the day after deaths of children in rental home, agents reminded of law
Three years to the day after two small children died in a rental property where the agent had not fitted smoke alarms, the fire service yesterday issued a video urging agents and landlords to observe their legal responsibilities. On February 20, 2016, three-year-old Logan Taylor and his brother Jake Casey, aged two, died in a […]