Letting Agent Talk
Private Rental Business in doldrums due to supply shortfall
The UK private rental business is apparently in serious stress on account of a severe supply shortfall. One of the reasons why this has happened is the fact that a large number of young people prefer to rent rather than buy homes. Nearly 50% of 20-year-olds to 39-year-olds fall in this category. This is a…
EAN Content
Will buy-to-let investment be hit by the 2016 budget?
There is no doubt that the 2016 budget would have had a negative impact on buy-to-let investors. There will still be a tax rate of 28% for all capital gains on buy-to-let as well as a 3% increase in stamp duty on additional properties. So why are buy-to-let investors being hit so hard? As part…
Mark Burns
4 Tips to get your student lets sorted this summer
Student lets can be a trial Lettings agents face a number of labors in the course of their work, and dealing with students brings along a set of pain points that are even more acute. Speaking with friends who have let to students over the years, I’ve learned about quite a few of these problems,…
Alex Evans
What does Residential Block Management entail?
Block Management is one of those things that sound simple, it should be simple but for many reasons it isn’t. Cities in the Sky The UK has seen its skylines change dramatically since the Second World War as the country began to rebuild itself. This ‘quick-fix’ solution began in Essex where the first residential block…
Alex Evans
Over 96,000 sales lost due to conveyancing delays
According to a recent study carried out by LV Legal Services, 27% of sales have fallen through in the past five years — and of these, in nearly half (48%) of cases, the reason given was the conveyancers for taking too long to exchange contracts. This equates to more than 96,000 sales not going ahead…
Alex Evans
Call Handling Solutions for Letting Agents
Phone answering service awareness The reason for the sponsorship? To raise awareness of how our phone answering service, can provide an outsourced reception solution to their incoming phone calls. Recently, a client of ours (To Let Wigan) commented on how ‘invaluable’ our service has proved and how he doesn’t know how he ‘survived without us’!…
Alex Evans
Comparing the 9 to 5 Working Life Vs Investing in Property
Analysing where we are likely to end up if we work the 9 to 5 and pay into the average pension rather than taking control and investing in the property market for income. Traditionally we are told to pay into our pensions and buy our own home and then live a happy life, but what…
Alex Evans
NLA CHALLENGES NEW MAYOR TO ‘PUT YOUR MONEY WHERE YOUR MOUTH IS’
The National Landlords Association (NLA) would like to welcome Sadiq Khan to the office of Mayor of London with a challenge: To use just a fraction of his £17bn budget to help support London’s PRS. More than 1 in 4 households in the Capital rent from a private landlord. Private landlords provide more than 860,000[i]…
Christopher Walkey
“Breathtaking” £400,000 letting agent theft proves urgency renting reform
The case of a Tyneside letting agent jailed after stealing almost half-a-million pounds from her employers proves the need for urgent change in the rental industry – that’s the verdict of one leading property boss. Rental manager Angela Clift was this week jailed for two years after pocketing £400,000 she was supposed to be collecting…
Alex Evans
How can I save my rental deposit?
Moving into your first rented property is an exciting adventure. You’ve made it. You’ve got your own home. It’s time to explore the local area, buy decorative items and invest in homely goods (some of which you may never use!). However there is a sting at the end of your tenancy. The dreaded questions you…
Alex Evans
What do you look for when finding a house to rent?
Many people assume that most aspects of the rented property will be taken care of by the landlord, but that isn’t always the case. Often this can leave you with a large cost if you haven’t done your research properly before signing on the dotted line. There are many things that people don’t always consider…
Alex Evans
The future of buy to let mortgages
The future of buy to let has been a hot topic this week. In the wake of the Bank of England’s recent clampdown, prospective investors have been anxiously consulting brokers up and down the country. Lenders and borrowers alike have barely had time to draw breath since a host of tax changes were announced and, inevitably, the…
Enness Private
Top tips for sharing costs when renting with housemates
Renting with other people is a great idea where you can not only make new friends or take on a new adventure with old ones, but you can also share home costs. They can make the financial burden of home rental a lot easier to bear. But remember – it is important to sit down…
Alex Evans
Simple Landlords Insurance reveals top reasons for buy-to-let insurance claims
Storm damage, burst pipes and damage from break-ins were the top reasons that buy-to-let property investors made an insurance claim, new figures released today by Simple Landlords Insurance reveal. These findings highlight why landlords should take insurance seriously to protect their investments Simple analysed data from over 100,000 policies to compile the data on the…
Alex Evans
Don’t plan a buy-to-let funeral – Build to Rent could actually herald a rebirth
Is buy-to-let an endangered species? Is it already extinct? Property investment activity has been gathering pace for some years but fears persist that we have passed the peak. Figures from Paragon issued in 2014 showed that the private rental market in 1994 contained ‘tens of thousands’ of landlords. Fast forward to today and there are…
ARPM