Agents to hear about ‘Call Before You Serve Notice’ service

Agents and landlords are invited to what a council calls “an invaluable local conference where they can get free advice from experts.”

The two-hour event is in Derby from 6pm on Wednesday October 9, and is being held in tandem with the East Midlands Property Owners (EMPO), a non-profit organisation founded…

Landlord Law Newsround #354

Landlord Law Newsround #354

Landlord Law Blog NewsroundHere is our last Newsround for August, let’s see what has caught our eye this week.

Gap widens for tenants’ budgets v annual rents

SpareRoom claim in a new survey that tenants now need an extra £312 a year to cover rent that is in excess of their budget. Their research was carried out taking in over 216 towns and cities in the UK and found that 71% of renters are paying more than what they actually budgeted for.

Out of the 216 towns only 63 areas have rent that is within a tenants actual budget and 153 areas exceed tenants budgets on a monthly basis.

Matt Hutchinson, director of SpareRoom said

This data reveals that in a staggering 71% of towns and cities around the UK, rent has increased to the extent that prices are higher than renters’ budgets. We need renting to be genuinely affordable, otherwise people end up trapped and unwilling to move.

You can read more here.

County wide PRS scheme launches in North Yorkshire

North Yorkshire council has launched a housing enforcement policy that applies to all private rented properties within its county, this one scheme replaces seven individual previous housing schemes. It is aimed at maintaining high standards within the sector and cracking down on substandard housing.

Fines are now up to £30,000 for any landlord, letting agent and property manager that is not compliant. The PRS makes up 18.6% of housing within the county and Councillor Simons Myers says

A new policy will give us a balanced approach to housing enforcement work and ensure that privately rented homes are well managed, properly maintained, safe and habitable.

New EPC rating of ‘C’ is unobtainable claim landlords

A new survey out by chartered surveyors and auctioneers, Landwood Group claim that 95% of landlords say that it will be impossible to meet the governments new requirement to meet the EPC standard of a ‘C’ rating by 2030.

This is having a knock of effect with an increase in landlords putting their rental properties, both single properties and large portfolio’s up for auction. Mark Bailey of Landwood Group says

The focus on improving modern social housing, overlooks the vast majority of Britain’s private rental properties which are ageing and would require significant, costly upgrades to meet the EPC C standard.

For many, achieving this rating is not just challenging; it’s nearly impossible without substantial financial investment.

This means that there will be less stock in the PRS for renting thus impacting renters more. Mark Bailey says that ‘the government must address the housing crisis first’ before imposing these new EPC targets.

PRS demand continues to remain high

The demand for rental properties in London has increased according to Chestertons Letting Agency who has seen a 22% month on month increase in tenants taking on properties in July, with a 7% increase in inquiries.

Adam Jennings of Chestertons’ says

This year, we are seeing additional demand from aspiring homebuyers who, despite mortgage rates starting to fall, continue to rent.

He claims that they have had an increase of 14% in new lettings instructions, but there are still many prospective tenants vying for one property.

Snippets

E-Bikes in Rental Properties – Key considerations for landlords
Eco-upgrade schemes worth £20m for landlords now live across England
EPCs to be replaced by a new Home Energy Model this year
Council slaps £250 surcharge on ‘late’ landlord licence applications
Solicitor convicted of harassing tenants given suspended jail term
Report paints a grim picture of homeless excluded from private rented sector

See also our Quick News Updates on Landlord Law

Newsround will be back again next week.

The post Landlord Law Newsround #354 appeared first on The Landlord Law Blog.

New lettings deal is part of LSL Franchising growth plans

LSL Estate Agency Franchising says it’s got “ambitious growth plans” for expanding franchisee patches across the country.

In spring 2023 the company announced that long-term franchise agreements had been reached or were in the pipeline for over 180 branches. 

Now it says that “as it moves forward [LSL Estate Agency Franchising] remains…

Government puts squeeze on key area to encourage more homes

Housing Minister Matthew Pennycook has written to one of the key areas he believes vital for achieving Labour’s house-building targets, calling for it to do all it can to help growth and development.

He has written to the Mayor and key figures in the local authority in Cambridge, calling for a…

TV property guru is host of major awards ceremony

Property professionals gearing up for the 2024 Variety North West Property Awards can look forward to a star-studded evening as TV presenter and property expert Martin Roberts takes the helm as host. 

Known for his work on BBC’s Homes Under the Hammer, Roberts will bring his industry expertise and charisma to…

Rightmove beefs up marketing campaign as portal competition hots up

Rightmove, still very much the Number One portal despite growing competition, is launching a new national marketing campaign this coming weekend.

The campaign continues to focus on Rightmove’s vision to give everyone the belief that they can make their move, in the lettings or sales market, driving people to agents’ brands…

Rent up to £25,000 a week splashed out by super-rich tenants

Some of the richest people on the world, who use London as one of their bases, are choosing to rent rather than buy, claims a veteran estate agent.

Gary Hersham of Beauchamp Estates says: “The super-prime lettings market in Prime Central London has been extremely buoyant during the first six months…

Disastrous Rent Controls – leading portal hits out at politicians

One of the largest lettings portals in Scotland is warning that plans by the government north of the border to introduce rent controls would be disastrous. 

The Housing Bill currently being considered by the Scottish Government shows no sign of back-tracking from rent controls, despite the fall from power of the Green…

eXp UK claims to be over double size of next self-employed brand

eXp UK has passed the 600 agent milestone and now declares itself to be the leading platform for self employed agency.

It claims to have recruited over 100 agents since the start of 2024, taking its total above 600.

A bullish statement from the firm says: “This latest achievement indisputably cements eXp…

Lettings boss backs Labour to add billions to housing market total value

Labour’s target of delivering an average 370,000 new homes a year could bring about a remarkable £161 billion boost in value to the housing market across England, a lettings agency says.

Benham and Reeves looked at the increase in housing delivery proposed by Labour via reforms to the National Planning and…

GET IN TOUCH

IT'S TIME TO DISCOVER

PROPERTY MANAGEMENT

BUILDING LOCATION

Real estate cannot be lost or stolen, nor can it be carried away. Purchased with common sense, paid for in full, and managed with reasonable care, it is about the safest investment in the world.

CONTACT

contact us

ENQUIRE

    © Vitur Limited. All rights reserved.