Letting Agent Talk
How to use your personal income to top up a buy to let mortgage
We have talked a lot recently about lenders tightening their buy to let mortgage criteria especially with regard to rental income requirements – this is set to continue under the Prudential Regulatory Authority (PRA) recommendations which are expected to be implemented later this year. For a quick recap – lenders a few years ago would…
Enness Private
Free eBook ‘Landlords Advice with Regional Relevance’ from Homelet:
“The rental property market can be notoriously difficult to predict. Fortunately, help is at hand. This eBook, which is a collaboration of property market experts, contains useful advice, key data snippets relevant to your local area and is packed with insights and analysis on important developments that are currently impacting on the sector. From new buy-to-let lending rules…
Christopher Walkey
WHAT MAKES A PROPERTY HAVE RENTAL APPEAL?
Before buying a property abroad with the idea of renting it out, it is a good idea to think about the appeal it will have and to think of your target market. This is particularly true if you intend to use the property for part of the year yourself. In the UK we often refer…
Keith Pintointernational
Will buy-to-let investors now need a 60 percent deposit?
As the buy-to-let market becomes more tightly regulated, it could see lenders offering 40% mortgages. Stress testing will have to be introduced by banks according to the Bank of England as a result of the new tax changes that will be coming in to effect next year. The idea behind the test is to ensure…
Mark Burns
New rules for buy to let rental stress testing
You may, or may not, be aware that the Prudential Regulation Authority (PRA) has been considering changes to buy to let rental stress testing recently, affecting buy to let mortgages across the UK. Responsible for the prudential regulation and supervision of lenders, the PRA have now proposed that banks should be operating a standard stress for…
Enness Private
Not sure about lettings? Vote remain and gain!
Partnerships do come to an end, it’s only natural. Britain and the EU. Roy Hodgson and England. Taylor Swift and Calvin Harris (anyone?). But if you are thinking of ‘consciously uncoupling’ from lettings, think again. Many agents mulling over the idea of selling or closing their lettings division have gone on to reverse the thought…
ARPM
A Guide To The Changes In Buy To Let Mortgages
Last year, Chancellor of the Exchequer George Osborne announced a raft of new tax measures for the buy to let market, some of which specifically affecting buy to let mortgages. However, as the changes won’t actually start coming into effect until April 2017, you have time to adapt to them. Whether you currently have or…
Enness Private
TO BUY OR NOT TO BUY (APOLOGIES TO SHAKESPEARE)
Ask why when you tell yourself “I am going to buy a holiday home abroad” you hold back. Here are some of the reasons we have been told in the past with maybe a different angle on how these can be addressed. Prices may fall some more: Yes they may fall or they may go higher….
Keith Pintointernational
Enter the third annual Rental Repairs Survey with #Fixflo:
Your chance to win a £50 Amazon Voucher! 1. NO PURCHASE NECESSARY TO ENTER OR TO WIN. 2. Eligibility. Win a £50 Amazon Voucher prize draw is open to all UK (including Northern Ireland) residents – individuals, not businesses – who are aged 18 or over and who manage or whose company manages property. Tactile…
Alex Evans
Why use a designer on your rental refurbishment project?
I’m sometimes asked by landlords ‘what’s the benefit of using a designer? isn’t it going to take my project over budget? what’s wrong with managing the builders and sourcing myself?’ Recently a client who has a portfolio of properties was very busy and asked me to take over the refurbishment of one of their flats….
Alex Evans
How Landlords can slash their buy-to-let costs
The buy-to-let sector has been targeted by the chancellor through the 3% stamp duty increase as well as the wear and tear allowance. This has left landlords looking at other ways in which they can save money on their portfolio. The following tips will help to save money without having to hand it all over…
Mark Burns
No more ‘7 day evictions’
Changes to the process of accelerated possession, through applying to use High Court Enforcement Officers (HCEOs) to evict a tenant, has brought an end the so called ‘7-day eviction’ which were misleading for landlords as well as increased costs, according to legal experts, Landlord Action. The majority of residential possession claims are dealt with in…
Christopher Walkey
Summer survival guide for letting agents & property managers
Ah summer. The sound of ice cream vans and the waft of slightly burnt burgers filling the air. Across the lettings market however, the air just might be filled with expletives. The warmer months can often be the most challenging for letting agents and property managers for all sorts of reasons. Here is ARPM Outsourced…
ARPM
Don’t just reform rental deposits, abolish them altogether
A leading property expert has welcomed government plans to reform rental deposits – and is calling on policy makers to abolish them altogether. Chancellor George Osborne recently revealed the government’s intention to reform rental deposits, while standing in for David Cameron at Prime Minister’s Questions. Southampton MP Alan Whitehead Labour MP told the House of…
Alex Evans
Is the cost of rent rising?
2015 saw the cost of rent continue to rise, but could things be set to change for the better? At the end of April, the Office of National Statistics reported that the cost of rent in the UK had risen by 2.6% over the last year. In the same period, average weekly earnings grew by…
Alex Evans