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1083 articles
Buy-to-let investors remain buoyant
About two in three buy-to-let investors are confident about the future of the sector in 2018, despite increasing tax burdens, stamp duty on second properties and uncertainty over Brexit. According to Shawbrook Bank research, 65% of investors are confident about their property portfolio for this year. In this year’s buy-to-let barometer, just 14% of landlords […]
Fire safety review after Grenfell tragedy ‘misses opportunities’
The government review into fire safety and building regulations has been criticised for missing the chance to look into regulations in all types of accommodation. The Residential Landlords Association, which represents landlords, has raised concerns that the review could have been much broader. It raises its concerns in its response to the interim report into […]
Landlords remortgaging to invest in property revamps
Landlords are remortgaging their buy-to-let properties in record numbers in order to make home improvements. According to figures by lettings network, Countrywide, which used its own data, 9,523 landlords who remortgaged their properties used the money for home improvements in the past 12 months. On average, they withdrew £22,850. This is the highest figure that […]
Private tenants live in shoddy homes for fear of being evicted
More than one in four tenants living in private rental accommodation in England who have had problems with their housing did not complain in case they were evicted. Citizens Advice found that 28% of tenants had not spoken out because they were fearful of ‘revenge evictions’. Citizens Advice staff also found that 43% worried about […]
Many millennials will be ‘lifelong’ renters
As many as half of the millennial generation are likely to still be living in rental accommodation in their 40s, while one in three people could be renters when they retire. A new report from the think tank, The Resolution Foundation, shows that this is the likely scenario if the homeownership growth in the UK […]
Scotland favours the landlord
More than four times as many English landlords are investing in Scottish buy-to-lets than six years ago. In 2012, just 260 new landlords from England registered deposits with SafeDeposits Scotland for rental properties. In 2017, this had increased to 1,388 new registrations. Already this year, the trend is continuing with an increase of 226% compared […]
Councils should have powers to seize homes from criminal landlords
Local authorities should have the power to seize homes from rogue or criminal landlords who are letting their tenants live in dangerous, damp or freezing conditions, a powerful parliamentary committee has proposed. The MPs said that better protection should be given to vulnerable tenants. They said these tenants are too scared to speak out about […]
New type of landlord is emerging
Landlords are getting younger, more professional and feeling optimistic, according to a new survey. New legislation, tax changes and stamp duty increases have brought a lot of changes to the private rental sector. This includes the type of landlord who has responded to these changes – and seen opportunities. A survey by Simple Landlords Insurance […]
Britain needs a thriving rental sector
Britain should shift its focus away from property ownership and look at ways to boost the rental sector instead, many housing experts argue. For many years, the UK has guided its housing policy towards home ownership. It was almost like a rite of passage that you grew up, found work and took out a mortgage. […]
Does bigger mean better in the buy-to-let sector?
The landscape of the rental sector in the UK is slowly shifting, with big investors and developers finding the market of interest here. Many people rent from small private landlords or the so-called accidental landlords, who are letting property as they don’t want to sell up. Now, corporations and landlords with impressive portfolios are providing […]
Meet the new rental kids on the block
Developers are reaching for the skies as they build purpose-built apartment blocks to meet the demands of tenants. The most impressive to date is the newly-built apartment block by Canadian company, UNCLE, which has 279 chic one and two-bedroom apartments in the 45-storey tower – officially the UK’s tallest apartment block for rentals. The aim […]
Can blockchain unblock property searches?
Proptech continues to redefine the way that properties are searched for, bought, sold and rented out. People can search for properties online, visit them virtually or via video, negotiate prices, draw up contracts and seal deals using their computers or smartphone apps. Trends in the past couple of years have included apps to organise your […]
Right to rent policy comes under fire
The government’s controversial Right to Rent policy, which has meant landlords acting as immigration officers, has systematically failed to achieve its objectives, according to David Bolt, who is the independent Chief Inspector of Borders and Immigration. Landlords and associations connected to the rental industry slammed the policy as soon as it was announced, and now […]
New energy standards will cost landlords £420 million
Buy-to-let property investors could face a bill of £420 million between them to meet new energy standards, according to new research by the UK Green Building Council. With around 300,000 rental properties expected to be below the new standards, that works out at an average cost of £1,400 per property for works to bring it […]
Top spots to invest in buy-to-lets
While some commuter towns are faring poorly as buy-to-let investments, Colchester is top of the list of best places to invest in buy-to-lets. Its ranking is based on growth in capital value, volume of sales, and rental price, as well as rental yield. According to the latest LendInvest index, Colchester showed a 9.98% capital gain, […]
Council given new powers to fine landlords
Local authorities are being given even more powers to oversee licensed multiple occupancy homes, with fines of up to £30,000 for landlords found flouting the rules. From October, the new legislation will mean councils can set minimum bedroom sizes and introduce limits on the number of people who can occupy each bedroom in licensed HMOs. […]
Tenants prefer freedom of renting to home ownership
Home ownership is losing its appeal for many people in the UK, who prefer the freedom that renting offers. Whilst it’s true that many households cannot afford to buy because high property prices mean getting a mortgage is nigh-on impossible, others are making the lifestyle choice to rent. These are some of the findings from […]
Britain should be more like Germany in its rental sector
Britain’s attitude towards rental properties is very different to some of its European neighbours – and not in a positive way. Whilst many Britons have the mindset that buying your own property is a laudable ambition, it is not shared by their counterparts in Germany, for example. Now that the dream of home ownership is […]
Landlords taking the long-term view on buy-to-let investments
Tax hikes and changes in stamp duty, as well as increased rules and regulations, have meant that landlords, particularly those on tight profit margins, are seeking alternative investments. While some are selling up, others are taking a more long-term view of the situation. Many landlords are not unduly affected by many of the tax changes […]
Landlords need to be aware of buy-to-let mortgage changes
Around one in three buy-to-let investors is not aware of the regulatory changes which will affect buy-to-let mortgages if they are planning to borrow to invest in more properties or refinance existing ones. These changes to buy-to-let mortgages were brought in last September and make it harder for investors with four or more properties which […]
More housing to be built for tenants
More purpose-built homes are to be provided for tenants following the government agency Homes England’s announcement that it is putting further funds into the Real Estate Investment Trust to invest in much-needed new builds in the private rental sector. The PRS Real Estate Investment Trust raised £250 million when it was floated in May 2017 […]
Get ready for changes to energy-efficiency regulations
Many landlords are seemingly still unaware of the new minimum energy efficiency standards (MEES) which come into force on April 1 in England and Wales. Landlords who have older properties on their portfolios are more likely to be caught out, as newer homes are generally more energy efficient. Basically, any property with an Energy Performance […]
Tenants find it tough to raise money for rental deposits
Tenants apparently do not have enough money in savings to even pay for their rental deposit. New figures from Dlighted, which offers deposit-free renting, show landlords and letting agents across Britain are asking for £1,507 on average for a deposit in the larger cities. However, one in four families only has an average of £95 […]
New gas safety rules give landlords more flexibility
Similar to a car MOT, landlords will now be able to conduct gas checks up to two months ahead of time, while retaining the current renewal date. The aim of this change is to prevent landlords and letting agents falling foul of the law when they experience difficulties in arranging access to properties and the […]
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