Letting Agent Talk
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
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