NEWS
Rental Supply
Demand for homes in the UK rental sector is continuing to rise as home buyer activity drops off, according to surveyors. This is contributing to an upward pressure on rental prices, at a time when house prices have been falling month-on-month, the findings from the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors indicate. A net balance of […]
If you already have a membership, please login first via the log in page.
Leasehold reform in England and Wales: What’s happening and when?
The House of Commons Library has just published a short report on leasehold reform. It can be seen here, and says: On 21 December 2017 the Government announced plans to tackle the growing problem of newly built houses sold as leasehold rather than freehold, and to limit ground rents on new lease agreements. Leasehold reform […]
If you already have a membership, please login first via the log in page.
Where the property boom is bursting the fastest
Under the sub heading ‘The demand of many popular post-pandemic locations is rapidly evaporating’ the Telegraph has published an article outlining where the property demand is diminishing quickest. The article can be seen here, and states that areas in the Cotswolds were the scene of ‘one of the most in-demand areas once the property market […]
If you already have a membership, please login first via the log in page.
Why I am one of the many landlords thinking of leaving the business
Sky News has published some articles on the number of landlords leaving the PRS. This one can be seen here, and says: Sean Gillespie, who manages around 50 properties, tells Sky News an “unpredictable and volatile” market has created a situation that is “unsustainable” for landlords. The rental market is stretched to breaking point, with […]
If you already have a membership, please login first via the log in page.
Crawley named one of the cheapest towns to commute into London from as a renter
With the cost-of-living crisis and government changes adding further strain to agents, landlords, and tenants alike across the rental sector, rent prices – especially in the capital – have soared in recent months. In fact, Goodlord’s database of over 1,000 letting agencies revealed that rent in Greater London recently hit a record high of £2,055 […]
If you already have a membership, please login first via the log in page.
Landlords fury over ‘de-facto ban’ of short-term lets in Edinburgh
Edinburgh’s ‘Airbnb crackdown’ is set to get even tougher thanks to planned new policies which would introduce a “de-facto ban” on short-term lets. A suite of policies designed to strip the Capital of controversial holiday lets and return thousands of properties to residential use are already taking effect. And the crackdown will get even tougher […]
If you already have a membership, please login first via the log in page.
John Lewis Partnership to deliver 1,000 houses with abrdn
DEPARTMENT store group and Waitrose supermarket chain owner John Lewis Partnership has agreed a £500 million, “multi-decade” joint venture with Edinburgh-based fund management company abrdn to deliver around 1,000 new homes across three communities. John Lewis Partnership hailed the deal as a “milestone” in its plans to use its “significant” property assets to build “much-needed […]
If you already have a membership, please login first via the log in page.
Number of landlords selling up rises by nearly 13% in four months
Sky News has published some articles on the number of landlords leaving the PRS. This one can be seen here, and says: Nathan Emerson, CEO of the estate agents trade body Propertymark, has said the private rented sector has been “invisibly buckling” under increasing pressure. He added if the sector doesn’t work for a landlord […]
If you already have a membership, please login first via the log in page.
Local Government Ombudsman: man forced to live in car because of council errors
The Local Government and Social Care Ombudsman has reported that it had found that a Shropshire man was homeless for too long because the council did not understand its responsibilities towards him. The man approached the council when he became homeless in the autumn of 2021, and he was provided with interim accommodation. However, the […]
If you already have a membership, please login first via the log in page.
Council urge landlords and tenants to improve EPC’s
A local authority is urging landlords and tenants to “have a chat” and work together to improve the EPC rating of rented properties. Wrexham Council in Wales has issued a statement saying: “If you rent your home – or you’re considering renting – ask the landlord to show you the Energy Performance Certificate for the […]
If you already have a membership, please login first via the log in page.
Holiday Home tax loophole to be ended
Second-home owners who ‘pretend’ to let their properties out to holidaymakers face a tax crackdown from Levelling Up Secretary Michael Gove. It has been reported that Mr Gove is threatening to hit them with new bills which could run to over £1,000 a year, to stop them abusing a tax loophole. His officials say the crackdown […]
If you already have a membership, please login first via the log in page.
Significant number of part-time landlords eyeing exit from market
Property Eye are reporting on a report from mortgage lender OSB Group claiming many smaller landlords are leaving the industry. The article can be seen here, and says: Over a quarter (26%) of part-time landlords are worried about the future and considering leaving the rented sector, according to a new report from mortgage lender OSB […]
If you already have a membership, please login first via the log in page.
Regulator of Social Housing writes to social housing landlords on the issue of damp and mould
On 22 November 2022 the Regulator of Social Housing wrote to registered providers of social housing to highlight landlords’ responsibility to take action to protect tenants from hazardous damp and mould. Housing association and local authority landlords will need to submit evidence to the regulator to demonstrate that they have systems in place to identify […]
If you already have a membership, please login first via the log in page.
Failing’ social housing providers to be blocked from new housing funding
On 25 November 2022 the Housing Secretary Michael Gove announced that Rochdale Boroughwide Housing, the housing association that failed to treat hazardous mould leading to the death of Awaab Ishak, will not receive its expected £1m funding from the Affordable Homes Programme (AHP 2021-26), or receive any new AHP contracts for new homes, until the […]
If you already have a membership, please login first via the log in page.
Housing supply: net additional dwellings – England
On 24 November 2022 the DLUHC published statistics on net additional dwellings in England up to 2021/22. The release shows: Annual housing supply in England amounted to 232,820 net additional dwellings in 2021-22, a 10 per cent increase on 2020-21. This resulted from: 210,070 new build homes, 22,770 gains from change of use between non-domestic […]
If you already have a membership, please login first via the log in page.
Statutory homelessness in England: April to June 2022
On 24 November 2022 the DLUHC published statistics on statutory homelessness applications, duties, and outcomes for local authorities in England. Between April to June 2022: 72,210 households were initially assessed as homeless or threatened with homelessness and owed a statutory homelessness duty, up 1.3 per cent from April to June 2021. 33,570 households were assessed […]
If you already have a membership, please login first via the log in page.
Deaths of homeless people in England and Wales: 2021 registrations
On 23 November 2022 the Office for National Statistics published figures for the number of deaths of homeless people in England and Wales registered in the years 2013 to 2021. In 2021: There were an estimated 741 registered deaths of homeless people in England and Wales (with a 95 per cent confidence interval of 658 […]
If you already have a membership, please login first via the log in page.
Energy efficiency in homes: ECO+ scheme and expansion of the Help for Households
On 28 November 2022 Business and Energy Secretary Grant Shapps announced a new ECO+ scheme which will extend support to those who do not currently benefit from any other government support to upgrade their homes to improve energy efficiency. Joining the existing £6.6 billion ‘Help to Heat’ energy schemes, this new £1 billion funding is […]
If you already have a membership, please login first via the log in page.
More tenancies require a guarantor
The cost of living crisis combined with a logjam in the courts means landlords are now “very unlikely” to rent properties without guarantors being in place, according to an outspoken industry figure. Jonathan Rolande of the National Association of Property Buyers says the rental market currently remains “so hot” that any tenant not willing to […]
If you already have a membership, please login first via the log in page.
Clarification on MEES and EPC’s sought
We have written (again) to the Government to seek clarification on what landlords should be doing to improve the energy efficiency of their properties. The latest letter can be seen here, for previous letters see here .
If you already have a membership, please login first via the log in page.
SEARCH
LATEST NEWS
Billion pounds pledged for home insulation
The government has allocated an extra £1bn of funding to help households with poor-energy-performing homes to install insulation. The new Eco+ scheme is targeted at “middle income” households that may have missed out on previous funding. The Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy said that the support would extend help to people “who do […]
If you already have a membership, please login first via the log in page.
Renters Reform Bill will be published in 2023
Three and a half years after the Renters Reform Bill was first pledged by Theresa May’s government (April 2019) which at the time was described as a “step change” in protections for renters, ending Section 21 evictions and giving landlords and tenants more rights, the industry is still waiting for the legislation to be introduced. […]
If you already have a membership, please login first via the log in page.
Most landlords want hard-core rental reform – agent’s amazing claim
Landlord Today is reporting on an agency who think the potential changes to the PRS are good. The article can be seen here, and says: The large majority of players in the lettings industry wants the rental reform programme outlined by the government, an agent claims.Laura Walker, head of property management at the nine-branch Bradley […]
If you already have a membership, please login first via the log in page.
PRS becomes more professional
The PRS is fundamentally changing and becoming more tenant-focussed with the vast majority of landlords operating within it saying that they are confident about the future, according to a new report released by OSB Group. The report finds that 92% of professional landlords are confident about the future, with 64% agreeing, or acknowledging, that the […]
If you already have a membership, please login first via the log in page.
Landlord fined £7.5K after illegal HMO scam
A landlord has been fined more than £7,500 after running an illegal bedsit. Frank Otuo, 51, raked in £4,240 per month in rent from more than five tenants in the property in Leigham Court Road, Streatham. But Otuo didn’t have a licence to let out the property to so many people. A Lambeth council investigation […]
If you already have a membership, please login first via the log in page.