Letting Agent Talk
Repair Tips For Landlords from @Fixflo:
Investing in property may be seen as a safe way to make money, but it can be an expensive one too! If you’re new to buy to let you’ll quickly find out that the costs don’t stop once you’ve purchased the property. While ensuring that rent covers your fixed outgoings (mortgage, insurance, service charge etc) is…
Alex Evans
What to look for in a buy to let.
One of the most frequent questions I get asked from would be Landlords, what is the best type of property to buy? It is also the most sensible question to ask yourself. Purchasing a property to most people is the biggest item they will have ever bought in their life. If you’re buying it to…
Alex Evans
Is this the answer to self-regulatory controls in the private rental sector?
“There is an increasing call for more controls over the private rental sector and greater protection of tenants, while at the same time agencies are operating in an economy where tenants are under increasing financial pressure and the risk of rental default is very real,” says Shawn Brown, Director at PayProp. “The need to achieve…
Our tips for landlords: Make your rental property stand out.
As mortgages are becoming harder to obtain; this especially applies to first time buyers. It is not surprising that people are deciding to rent instead of buying a home. This might seem like an ideal situation for landlords but in fact it starts a fierce competition between landlords and rental prices. So if you are…
Alex Evans
Property maintenance: weathering winter storms.
Abigail, Barney, Clodagh and Desmond – what the first four severe storms were called following the Met Office’s decision to give bad weather names. It’s another reminder of how our little island gets battered and bruised by Mother Nature. Inclement weather shouldn’t take us by surprise but as we enter the season of gales, snow, sub…
ARPM
Swapping tenants mid tenancy ~ Importance of tenants attending check out.
Check Outs: In a recent survey in September 2015 the DPS (Deposit Protection Service) reported that nearly 50% of tenants do not bother to attend check outs. The survey was of 8035 tenants and those that had not attended are a reported huge 48%, nearly half of which said they had not been invited to…
Alex Evans
Smoke alarms, EPC’s and floor plans.
Smoke alarm and CO2 detectors With the recent new legislation for landlords to provide such working alarms at the outset of new tenancies we have come across a handful of properties at check in since 1st October where landlords/agents have not fully complied with the new laws. Considering this leaves the inventory clerk, agent and…
Alex Evans
Agency Essentials that every busy letting agent needs…
If you’re a letting agency business owner, you have limited time to spend on many tasks. You have to ensure that the business is gaining new ground and winning business, and this can only be achieved when you streamline your operations. Technology is playing an ever more critical role in helping property professionals stay competitive…
Retaliation Eviction – Can the Councils Cope?
Press release from Landlord Action: Today [Thursday 1st October], as part of The Deregulation Act 2015, a whole range of changes come into force which affect whether or not a landlord can serve a Section 21 notice on an assured shorthold tenancy (in England) as well as changes to the form itself. However, following lengthy…
Christopher Walkey
Smoke and Carbon Monoxide Alarms – do you have the right checks in place?
It’s been widely reported that landlords will be required by law to install working smoke and carbon monoxide alarms in their properties, under measures announced by the then Housing Minister Brandon Lewis back in March 2015. The Government’s aim is to create a safer private rented sector, and a key part of that is to…
Alex Evans
Legionella risk assessments: I can hear the landlords across the country groan…
The letting industry is awash with rules, regs and requirements ranging from deposit schemes to referencing to immigration checks through to inventories, smoke alarms, gas safety checks and now legionella (legionnaires’ disease) risk assessments. I can hear the landlords across the country groan….. yet another hoop to jump through, yet another cost to bare and surely its all…
Alex Evans
Seeking new landlords? Look at both ends of the spectrum.
You’ll all be familiar with the phrase ‘generation rent’ but a new report from economists at accountancy firm PwC suggests that the rental market is set to thrive and actually grow over the next 25 years. The research even goes as far as suggesting that over half of under 40s will be living in properties…
ARPM
Legionella and HSE Guidance – Why ignorance is not always bliss…
The HSE recently published its guidance document on Legionella risk assessment and control and more specifically the required response from landlords and managing agents (known affectionally as ‘ the duty holder ‘). Wonder if that title comes with an Oscar styled trophy? Love a bit of bling….. 🙂 Anyway; there are many, many, many discussions…
Landlord Action appeals to Ministry of Justice to transfer more evictions to the High Court.
The length of time it is taking to get a County Court bailiff appointment once a possession order has been granted, in some cases up to three months, is having considerable financial impact on landlords. As a result, Landlord Action is campaigning to enable more eviction cases to be transferred up to the High Court…
Christopher Walkey
Important Information For Letting Agents: The Fixflo Report 2015
The 2015 Fixflo Report has shown a marked improvement in repair management by letting agencies across the UK but it highlights that they are still losing clients due to poor repair management processes. This year the Fixflo Report was supported by the Association of Residential Letting Agents (‘ARLA’) and combined results from a survey of…
Alex Evans