London Mayor’s scheme for private landlords

A scheme which was originally  launched by Boris Johnson in late May of last year has not progressed as expected,  in fact Labour’s London Assembly Housing Spokesperson is quoted as saying it will take 103 years to complete. The London Mayor’s plan was to get 100,000 private landlords to sign up to a minimum standards…

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Boost for buy-to-let option for retirees.

New figures confirm that retired homeowners are typically earning more than £7,000 each from their homes over the  past six months, this is excellent news for retirees considering to use the Buy-to-Let option when choosing where to invest their savings that would otherwise have to have gone into an annuity. This news is well timed…

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Energy improvement concerns for Landlords

Energy and landlord organisations had called upon the Chancellor to extend the Landlord’s Energy Savings Allowance and were hoping for it to be addressed in the budget, as it turned out there was nothing in the budget that dealt with the allowance. The allowance will therefore now come to an end in April, the allowance…

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Landlord mortages increasing – opposite for first time buyers

Landlord purchasing appears to be the strongest sector of the property sales market at present, this is very much evident in the buy-to-let where demand seems to outstrip supply, landlords were granted nearly as many mortgages as first-time buyers in January, according to figures from the Council of Mortgage Lenders. Loans for first-time buyers tumbled…

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George Osborne to give pensioners more freedom to choose.

George Osborne gave a hint of what can be expected in this weeks budget on the Andrew Marr show yesterday , he is looking to extend the number of pensioners benefiting from the relaxed pension rules announced earlier this year, from April 6 this year people will be able to cash in their pension savings…

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Are mid-term inspections more important than tenant references?

If you are a lettings agent or property manager, you’ll be forgiven for feeling like a referee. Disputes between tenants and landlords are normally time consuming and complex, with a fall out that can sour relationships with everyone involved. The situation is not helped by a piece of new research by online letting agent PropertyLetByUs,…

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Everybody’s talking: separating the speculation from the fact.

Ah December 2014. The end of the calendar year and a time for property experts, journalists and agents to gaze into their crystal ball and predict just what might happen in 2015. There’s so much hyperbole out there that it’s hard to separate the fiction from the fact, especially when you’re looking for some key…

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Is subletting the biggest issue in lettings today?

Time to think again if you assumed subletting was a social housing problem.  The private rental sector is far from immune to unscrupulous or misguided tenants, with subletting fast turning into a silent industry epidemic. There is a shortage of affordable rental property, especially in cities where recent graduates, young professionals and migrant workers are…

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Are you providing a truly tailored lettings service?

what is happening to house prices

Smart office? Check. Deposits protected? Check. Adherence to over 500 regulations and pieces of legislation? Check. All the ingredients of a sophisticated, trustworthy and transparent lettings business, surely? While all of the above are essential in today’s marketplace, this attention to detail is all-consuming. Has the quest for accountability and professionalism overtaken ground-level customer service?…

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Checklist for renting a property.

When you decide to rent a property, a considerable amount of time and money is spent in selecting something that suits your respective needs and unique preferences. Moreover, the property that you rent could be your home, office, storage area or workshop for the foreseeable future. Therefore, it always helps to ensure that you are…

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Are you a property manager or a flunkey?

There was a brilliant article recently that stemmed from revelations of letting agent Benham & Reeves.  It covered the bizarre and often ridiculous questions posed by some tenants – including the request to put a bouncy castle on a roof terrace.  The agent agreed that, while they strive to help in any situation, a line…

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