NEW: Official ‘How to Rent’ guide out next Monday, confirms Government
LandlordZONE
by Nigel Lewis
1y ago
The government has confirmed that the latest How to Rent guide will go live on Monday, 2nd October, including details on the new Housing Loss Prevention Service. The guide – for tenants and private landlords to help them understand their rights and responsibilities – was last updated in March and forms part of the prescribed information that landlords in England must issue at the start of any new tenancy or renewal, and if they don’t, they lose the right to repossess using Section 21. It was last refreshed to reflect legal changes including the requirement for carbon monoxide alarms to be ..read more
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Homeowners snapping up homes sold by landlords ‘key reason for higher rents’
LandlordZONE
by Nigel Lewis
1y ago
Homeowners are buying the vast majority of rental properties being offloaded by landlords, reducing local rented supply. A survey of more than 500 big valuers and surveyors reveals that 90% reported that these properties were typically being sold to buyers who planned to make them their primary residence. e.surv’s research also shows 79% of surveyors witnessed a drop in landlords planning to buy new investment properties during the last 12 months, while half saw a rise in landlords planning to rationalise their portfolio or exit entirely. Half of the surveyors also saw an increase in the numbe ..read more
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Prime Mininster has ‘betrayed landlords’ by ditching EPC upgrade scheme rules
LandlordZONE
by Nigel Lewis
1y ago
Many landlords have spent thousands of pounds on energy efficient upgrades in readiness to meet regulations that have now been ditched by Rishi Sunak. lettingaproperty.com reports that while some increased loft insulation and upgraded eclectics in their rental properties, others went further by replacing gas boilers, installing air source heat pumps, and even adding solar panels. The government had planned to introduce energy efficiency targets of an EPC band C for private landlords in England and Wales, by 2028. The rental platform’s founder and CEO, Jonathan Daines (main picture), says that ..read more
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Landlords offered higher rents by new ground-breaking ‘rent to buy’ service
LandlordZONE
by Nigel Lewis
1y ago
A ground-breaking ‘rent to buy’ service that helps tenants get on the property ladder has been expanded to include private landlords. Keyzy rents out properties to tenants and then helps them get on the property ladder by holding their hand to save up a deposit and get a mortgage usually after a three-to-four-year long tenancy. But co-founder Simon Groll says it is now looking for landlords keen to add their properties to the new scheme, called Keyzy for Landlords. “Landlords get 30% to 60% higher net income because there is no maintenance, no fees to pay to agents or property management firms ..read more
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Eviction courts to close this week as strike action by security guards goes ahead
LandlordZONE
by Nigel Lewis
1y ago
More evidence of trouble within the courts system and in particular for landlords seeking to evict tenants via possessin hearings has emerged, LandlordZONE can report. Some 30 civil courts and tribunals saw agency staff walk out on Friday (22nd September) out during industrial action, with court officials warning that some hearings may be moved to alternative locations or conducted remotely to minimise disruption. Further action is scheduled for today (25th) and also the 26th and 27th September. The industrial action is by security staff provided by supplier OCS over pay which is likely to “se ..read more
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New landlords: are you properly prepared for letting a property for the first time?
LandlordZONE
by Tom Entwistle
1y ago
Are you new to letting letting a property? Do you want to rent-out your own home for a time, or have you bought a buy-to-let and you’ve never let one before? Here, Tom Entwistle spells out the key points you need to be aware of. If you are really nervous about doing this, and it is perhaps advisable, at least for the first time, you should seriously consider using a good professional letting agent, one that’s qualified and a member of one of the key professional associations: RICS, ARLA UKALA, NALS and NAEA etc. Do your research first and if possible seek recommendations. This article applies ..read more
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UPDATED: The importance of the residential property Inventory
LandlordZONE
by Tom Entwistle
1y ago
Why Use a Professional Inventory? With the introduction of the Deposit Protection Schemes (DPS) inventories are now more important than ever. If you take a deposit from your tenants (most landlords and agents do) then by law you are obliged to protect it in one of the approved schemes. If there is a claim against the deposit for damage, then without a good inventory the landlord (or agent) does not stand a chance of securing a claim when it goes to a scheme adjudicator. Deposit disputes need to be resolved quickly and cheaply so must disputes are handled by the deposit scheme’s adjudicator bas ..read more
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80% of landlords ‘were ready for EPC changes’ scrapped by Rishi Sunak this week
LandlordZONE
by Nigel Lewis
1y ago
Rishi Sunak’s decision to scrap tougher EPC rules for rented properties may spark anger among some landlords following new research that four in five of them had already made preparations to meet the former minimum ‘Band C’ requirement. Lender Shawbrook spoke to over 1,000 landlords and found that 80% said they were already prepared for the 2025 EPC regulation deadline and of these,  30% said their properties already have an EPC rating of A-C, while half said they had plans in place to improve their EPC rating before 2025 when all new tenancies were due to be included in the new regulatio ..read more
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Short-let landlords in London ‘must be regulated and taxed more’ says Westminster
LandlordZONE
by Nigel Lewis
1y ago
Westminster City Council has repeated its calls for a compulsory registration scheme for short-term lets, a tax on overnight stays and powers to issue penalties to unregistered hosts, saying Airbnb is now causing an ‘enforcement nightmare’. It points to an inherent unfairness in the system which saw one block of flats renting out almost as many bedrooms to visitors as the Ritz but contributing £92,000 in council tax compared to the £2.27m paid by the hotel on Piccadilly, reports The Caterer. The authority says 11,800 properties were let on a short-term basis between January and July but that t ..read more
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Offering sex for rent via classified ads should be ‘specific offence’ say campaigners
LandlordZONE
by Nigel Lewis
1y ago
The government is being urged to bring in a dedicated ‘sex for rent’ law to protect tenants after it promised to clamp down on predatory adverts. The recently passed Online Safety Bill will target the adverts and hold online platforms such as Gumtree and Craigslist responsible for preventing them from being posted. Illegal content, including the adverts, will have to be removed, while the platforms must enforce promises they make to users who sign up through terms and conditions and offer them the option to filter out harmful content. If the platforms don’t comply with these rules, Ofcom could ..read more
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