PRS at the crossroads based on Housing Committee report
The Housing, Communities and Local Government Committee in the UK Parliament has released its second report scrutinising the UK Government’s actions to help rough sleepers, homelessness, private renters, and landlords during the COVID-19 pandemic. Click on this link to read the full article.
Number of prospective tenants continue to rise
New prospective tenants registered per branch continued to rise up to 82, from January’s figure of 81. Year-on-year this remains the same as February 2020 but is a huge leap from the previous February figure of 65 in 2019. Regionally, the West Midlands had the highest number of new tenants registered per branch with an […]
‘Lettings agency sector will consolidate into a handful of players in ten years’
Lettings agency business acquisitions expert Adam Walker has predicted that the sector will eventually go the way of supermarkets during the 1970s and consolidate into a handful of major players. Speaking with The Negotiator for a feature in the April issue of our magazine, Walker (pictured, below) said the current wave of mergers and acquisitions […]
Concerns mount at just how County Courts will cope with the looming ‘eviction avalanche’
Whilst necessary to protect tenants during the pandemic, the eviction ban will not have removed some 20,000 landlords’ desire to reclaim their properties. Cases are building up every day and come May 31st when the ban ends, an ‘eviction avalanche’ is predicted to overwhelm the legal system. Click this link to read the full […]
Ministers urged to help tenants and landlords with rent arrears
The government should provide financial help to tenants and landlords in England dealing with rent arrears built up as a result of Covid, MPs have said. The housing committee warned that ministers are in danger of breaking their pledge that nobody should lose their home as a result of the pandemic. Click this link […]
BTL mortgage deals at highest level since March 2020
The number of buy-to-let (BTL) mortgage deals available is at its highest level since the pandemic began impacting the UK economy in March 2020, but at the same time rates have risen to a two-year high. Research carried out by Moneyfacts.co.uk found that there are now 2,333 BTL mortgage deals available to landlords, which is […]
Rent-to-Rent – will it become the norm for 2021 investors?
Rent-to-Rent is now talked about more and more in property circles. It’s been around for a long time, but as property prices rise investors need bigger and bigger savings to purchase property and Rent-to-Rent offers a much lower financial entry point. This isn’t the only reason Rent-to-Rent is becoming a ‘go-to’ strategy for property investors. […]
Pro-Pet campaigners want damage insurance as option for tenants
Momentum is building to have the Tenant Fees Act amended, allowing agents to charge tenants for damage insurance which would then encourage more landlords to allow pets. Campaign group AdvoCATS has prepared a paper – Heads for Tails – outlining how it believes pet damage insurance could address the worries of landlords and letting agents […]
Confidence grows in BTL as landlords take out larger loans
Despite having a rough ride over the last few years in terms of tax measures imposed on them, it seems that confidence among UK landlords is growing, with the latest data revealing that they’re putting their money where their mouth is. Mortgage products designed to offer exclusive rates for higher loan amounts are now the […]
Landlords urged to fully understand safety laws as new research finds worrying discrepancies
Discrepancies in how social housing and private landlords deliver resident safety have become apparent following a new tenant survey from Plentific. The property management software specialists found that 46% of tenants living in privately rented accommodation in the UK do not believe their gas appliances have been checked in the last 12 months, compared to […]