February 29th, 2012
Residential Landlords Association looking for landlords to be treated not as investors but rather as the business they are trying to run when it comes to tax rules.
Chancellor George Osborne should give buy to let owners a new tax deal to stimulate more investment in private rented homes, claims a landlord lobby group.
February 28th, 2012
Agents in student cities and towns where it is commonplace for agreements to be signed up to ten months in advance, with deposits, holding fees, referencing fees and, commonly, the first month’s rent taken, have been warned that they could be breaking the law.
This is because the 2004 Housing Act says that all and any money paid in advance of a tenancy and which could or should be returned to the tenant is defined as a deposit. Continue reading »
February 27th, 2012
Long term renting becoming more the norm for a variety of reasons
Millions of Britons are resigning themselves to the possibility of never owning their own home as they become more comfortable with the prospect of long term renting, according to new research. Continue reading »
February 24th, 2012
RentPro, like many other applications used regularly for both business and personal purposes, is a cloud-based software package, and we like to convey this as one of its key strengths over more traditional desktop software solutions. But what on earth is all this “cloud” jargon all about in the first place, and why should you care?!
February 24th, 2012
Landlords and property investors who cheat on their tax are under scrutiny from special HM Revenue & Customs task forces.
The teams in London and the North West have been so successful that HMRC has set up a third team of investigators in Scotland. Continue reading »
February 23rd, 2012
Will be interesting to see Sir Adrian Montague’s report when it comes out in June, to see what recommendations he has.
Developers are to be encouraged to build new housing estates where all the properties will be for rent, not sale.
The idea, currently being explored by the Government, could mean the introduction of a separate planning class for new-build residential property that will be rented out, and would mark a fundamental shift in the structure of the UK housing market. Continue reading »
February 22nd, 2012
Getting a professional inventory done can save both time and money in the long run, especially if tenants are staying longer in their properties.
New figures from the Association of Residential Lettings Agent (ARLA) show that tenants are staying put in the same property for record durations in the UK.
In 2009, ARLA members recorded the average length of a tenancy across the UKas 16.5 months but this number has increased by 17% as the latest research shows renters are now spending on average 19.3 months in their homes. Continue reading »
February 21st, 2012
Both amateur and professional landlords are keen to grow their portfolios and are taking a longer-term view in regards to yields rather than buying property for capital appreciation. With this trend it is expected that the buy to let market will continue to grow this year.
Despite the Bank of England base rate remaining at a historic low for the past three years, the remortgage market was up last year compared with the previous two years. But it looks unlikely the same will be true this year. Continue reading »
February 20th, 2012
Rental yields may be at their lowest level but landlords remain positive about the market
Rents may have risen in the private rented property sector in the UK over the last year, but professional landlords are feeling the pinch, it is claimed.
The latest findings from the BDRC Continental quarterly Landlords Panel research reveals the biggest rise in the number of portfolio landlords making a loss since the Landlords Panel began in 2006. Continue reading »
February 17th, 2012
Rents may have rose, but rental arrears also remained high, and with the forecast of more sever job losses this year more landlords could be see arrears
In January, the average rent in England and Wales increased by 0.1% to £712 per month, the first time since LSL began compiling the index that rents have risen on a monthly basis in January, and the first monthly rise in three months. As a result, annual rental inflation increased to 4.3% from 4% in December, representing £30 rise in the average monthly rent by in the past year. Continue reading »