Landlords of the draughtiest homes in England and Wales will be required to upgrade their properties ahead of new rules requiring the installation of energy efficiency measures. Since April 2018, new rules have been in place across England and Wales, setting out minimum energy efficiency standards (MEES). These regulations made… Read More »Landlords urged to prepare for new MEES regulations in April
The government’s decision to invest an additional £4m in funding for local councils to tackle criminal landlords and letting agents has been warmly welcomed by The Guild of Property Professionals. The housing secretary, Robert Jenrick, announced on Friday that he has pledged new funding to be used to clamp down… Read More »The Guild supports clampdown on rogue landlords
Greater confidence and more certainty in the housing market following last month’s Tory election victory looks set to boost the housing market and unleash pent-up buyer demand from property buyers, including buy-to-let investors, in the early part of 2020, analysts predict. But Anton Frost, a partner at Carter Jonas letting… Read More »A fall in available rental stock would see ‘increased competition and higher rents’
Under-resourced county courts are struggling to cope with the number of possession claims being put forward, ‘causing misery for landlords’ not to mention costly delays, according to Landlord Action. The vast majority of residential possession claims are dealt with in the county courts and enforced by county court bailiffs. But… Read More »Court delays causing ‘extreme stress’ for landlords
A new landlord organisation, which is the largest ever trade body in the letting sector, has been officially launched. The National Residential Landlords Association, which came into force yesterday, has a membership of more than 80,000 landlords. The new organisation has come about after the National Landlords Association (NLA) and… Read More »New trade body launches for BTL landlords
Letting agents are being urged to do more to protect buy-to-let landlords by preparing now for the government’s plans to scrap Section 21 of the Housing Act, as part of a new Renters’ Reform Bill. PayProp is advising agents to adapt to upcoming changes to the eviction system by updating key… Read More »Section 21 changes: time to prepare for reforms to the eviction system
A man who rented hundreds of properties that he sub-let to criminal gangs running brothels and cannabis farms has been jailed for seven years and four months. Chinese national Feng Xu used several fake identities to secure accommodation, according to the National Crime Agency (NCA). Feng was arrested in Birmingham… Read More »Man who sublet hundreds of properties to criminal gangs jailed
With savers receiving poor returns from banks and building societies, thousands of people unsurprisingly continue to turn to residential property as a means of supplementing their income, supported by record-low mortgage borrowing rates, growing demand from renters and stable yields, as buy-to-let consolidates itself as the investment of choice for… Read More »Despite tax and regulatory changes ‘there is still money to be made in the PRS’
The Christmas season is upon us and there is a good chance that your tenants may be going away, leaving your property empty and therefore vulnerable. To help ensure that your property remains protected, there are a number of measures that you and your tenants could take to keep your… Read More »You and your tenants need to be vigilant over the Christmas period
Rents in the PRS continued to grow at a modest pace in November, the latest figures from HomeLet show. The data reveals that the average rent in the UK hit £947 per calendar month (pcm) in November, up 3.2% year-on-year. When London is excluded, the average rent in the UK… Read More »Average rents increase 3.2% year-on-year – HomeLet
