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1083 articlesShould landlords be given tax breaks?
Buy-to-let landlords should be given tax breaks on the profits they make from their properties, argues Conservative MP and co-founder of Hunters estate agents Kevin Hollinrake. Chancellor George Osborne omitted them from the business sectors which would benefit from capital gains tax cuts which he announced in his Budget statement. He excluded residential properties from […]
More families with children living in rented homes
The rental market is changing, with families likely to become the most common type of household in this sector. Until relatively recently, single professionals working away from home or students were the dominant demographic, either living alone or in shared accommodation. But more landlords are now letting to parents with children than any other household […]
Best seaside towns for buy-to-let investments
Many landlords feel that major cities are the best places in which to invest because they attract a large number of students and young professionals looking for rental properties. However, there are alternative towns to consider. Seaside towns are attractive propositions too with the additional bonus that properties could be cheaper than in major cities. […]
Supreme Court confirms landlords’ right to get their properties back
A Supreme Court ruling has confirmed that the right to a private and family life cannot stand in the way of landlords or rental agents from reclaiming possession of a property. Although these rights are enshrined in European Convention on Human Rights, they apply to ‘no fault’ possession claims. The ruling came to light following […]
HouseSimple attracts multi-million pound investment
Property technology companies continue to excite investors with Carphone Warehouse founder Sir Charles Dunstone leading a £13 million investment into online estate agent HouseSimple. The firm’s name sums up its philosophy, with the objective of providing an easy way for property buyers, sellers, landlords and tenants to find homes. Dunstone led the funding along with […]
How to make your property stand out online
Setting up your own website to showcase your rental properties or using one of the major online platforms such as Rightmove or Zoopla are great ways to get your property noticed by many potential tenants. But with thousands of properties online, how do you make your portfolio stand out from the crowd? Content is king, […]
Changes afoot in the world of estate agents
More changes are expected in the estate agency world with a difference in services between traditional high street companies and those who work exclusively online. At this year’s FUTURE: PropTech conference in London the focus was on traditional, online and hybrid estate agencies. Rightmove director Miles Shipside led the debate and warned online agencies that […]
Cashing in on houses of multiple occupation
Landlords are looking at houses of multiple occupation (HMO) for investment as they often deliver higher yields. Mortgages for Business research shows that 28 per cent of landlords who took part in the survey are thinking about buying a HMO, which is a 10 per cent rise on six months ago. Conversely, investment in conventional […]
Buy-to-let money goes further outside of London
Although fears that fewer landlords would invest in buy-to-let properties appear to be unfounded, there have been changes as to where they are putting their money. Following the hike in stamp duty which came into effect in April, investors are looking to buy cheaper properties and therefore pay less tax. Buying cheaper may mean investing […]
One in five landlords are not protected by CMP
Hundreds of thousands of pounds of money held as deposits for tenants is not being protected by client money protection (CMP): Approximately 20 per cent of landlords and tenants are not protected by CMP, according to YouGov research. The money has been collected by the letting agents but not put in the scheme, which means […]
More people making money from rental properties
Rental properties as means by which to earn an additional income are becoming increasingly popular, with the number of landlords in the UK rising to 1.75 million. Figures from HM Revenue & Customs show that there was a seven per cent increase in the number of landlords in the tax year 2013/14. The figure expected […]
Buy-to-let investors purchasing cheaper properties
The hike in stamp duty which came into effect at the start of the tax year in April is already having an effect on the type of properties in which buy-to-let landlords are investing. They are now looking to buy cheaper homes as a way of off-setting the three per cent increase in costs associated […]
Landlords invest in the future with student accommodation
More landlords are investing in student accommodation, which reached a record high of £5.1 billion in 2015. This was more than double the level of investment seen in the previous year. Student digs have come a long way from the days of living in dingy bedsits or purpose-built accommodation blocks with shared bathrooms and kitchens. […]
Ignorance over gas checks could prove costly
Landlords and buy-to-let investors are putting tenants’ lives at risk by failing to implement gas safety checks, according to a British Gas survey. Of those questioned, one in five part-time landlords has either failed to have a gas check carried out or has used a contractor who was not Gas Safe-registered. British Gas has stressed […]
How best to settle tenant disputes
In the UK there has been a sharp rise in tenancy deposit disputes, with about one in three agents putting in a claim. The most significant problems concern cleaning, accounting for about 60 per cent of the 36,000 disputes referred for adjudication annually. Cleaning disputes are also becoming more commonplace in addition to being the […]
Announcing InventoryBase Transcription – Convert dictations from 35p per minute
This week we announced a new feature launch exclusively for InventoryBase customers: A personalised concierge service for you busy inventory clerks and property inspectors to convert your audio dictations and existing documents into typed InventoryBase reports. InventoryBase Audio Transcription transcodes and transcribes your audio files uploaded to the website or recorded on the InventoryBase App. Starting from 35p per minute of converted audio with same […]
Private renters living in shoddy conditions
Six out of 10 people living in privately-rented accommodation in London are living with hazards which can be detrimental to their health and lower their quality of life, according to a new survey. The most common problem of landlord is damp or mould, with the research showing 39 per cent of tenants who responded to […]
Generation Rent seek shared experiences and sociable housing
Landlords and buy-to-rent investors will need to research property carefully if they are to meet the needs of Generation Rent or the Millennials. This generation rent is more interested in shared experiences than possessions and wants the living space to match their aspirations and personalities. Historically, people wanted to lock themselves away behind closed doors […]
Fewer rental properties on the market
The number of rental properties on letting agents’ books has fallen to the lowest level for more than a year. Surprisingly demand is also down. Stock fell sharply in March to its lowest level since the beginning of 2015, according to the Association of Residential Letting Agents (ARLA). Demand also dropped with ARLA agents reporting […]
InventoryBase launches Property Inspect in South Africa
We’re excited to announce that we’re about to land in South Africa’s growing property industry. This month, the system that began life on the south coast of England as InventoryBase and last year launched across North America and Canada, is extending its service to Cape Town, Johannesburg and major cities across South Africa. After being approached […]
Build to rent market set to improve tenants’ experiences
Developers are claiming that the build to rent market could really shake up the industry. Atlas Residential, which is a US build to rent company, has bought a 145,500 square foot plot in central Southampton on which it intends to build 211 rental units. Indeed, the company intends to design, fund, build and manage the […]
How to tackle the rise in rent arrears
Private rental arrears are rising which is bad news for landlords and letting agents. The level now stands at a worrying 9.1 per cent of the total of private sector rent due in England and Wales, according to data by letting agents Your Move and Reeds Rains. This compares to 8.8 per cent a month […]
Should problem tenants be blacklisted?
Calls are being made to eradicate the problem of tenants who trash property, run up large debts or refuse to pay their rent. The suggestion is that the scope of the Housing and Planning Bill, which is going through Parliament at the moment, should be widened in order to address the issue of difficulties with […]
Illegal sub-letting soaring
In the past 12 months, the number of incidents in which tenants have been found to be sub-letting property without the landlord’s knowledge have increased threefold. Landlord Action says that in addition to being a breach of the tenancy agreement, the landlord may find that the terms of any mortgage and household insurance render them […]
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