Page 364 – Property118

Selling some properties to reduce our exposure to risk

30th August 2022

My wife and I only found Property118 a few months ago and we’ve since become huge fans. We have read dozens of your articles, mainly about the economic prospects for the rental property market, mortgages, strategies and tax. Approximately half of our properties are on good fixed rates and the rest are on tracker mortgages […]

Generation Rent rent freeze tenants landlords property118.com

Generation Rent calls for rent freeze to fight rising bills

30th August 2022

Campaign group Generation Rent is calling for the government to impose a rent freeze to fight the cost-of-living crisis. They have carried out a survey which shows that nearly half of private renters have faced a rent increase in the last year. And these rent increases are squeezing tenants’ finances even further as the energy […]

A street of houses in london in the evening

London’s rental supply hit as landlords exit

30th August 2022

Growing demand for somewhere to rent in London, and a lack of supply, are pushing up rent prices, one estate agent has revealed. Research from Foxtons shows that rents in the capital have rocketed by 23% in the past 12 months – which is down to growing pressure from tenants chasing fewer homes as landlords […]

Guarantors legal liability throughout periodic?

30th August 2022

I am still uncertain whether a guarantor can be held liable for various debts throughout a periodic tenancy. Referencing a previous posting one member said “The key point is stating they`re responsible for the life of the tenancy whether that be fixed term or periodic.” Even with such specific wording can a guarantor still LEGALLY […]

Electric blue lightning spelling out the word “ENERGY” to highlight issues around EPC accuracy

£400 energy rebate for 4 studio units when tenants are on the edge?

30th August 2022

How do my tenants get the £400 energy rebate when they pay their gas bills as part of their rent? I have a house in 4 studio units, the water and gas are included in the rent payment while electricity is paid for with a £1 coin meter in each unit which I collect and […]

Tenancies 'Bills included' landlord tenant property118.com

Tenancies that have ‘Bills included’ plummet by 90%

30th August 2022

Escalating energy bills has seen a collapse in the number of landlords offering a tenancy that has the ‘bills included’. That’s according to new research from lettings tech specialists Vouch who say that there has been a steady decline this year in the number of properties offering fixed costs for rent plus bills. Vouch processes […]

The Landlord Exodus – opportunity of the decade?

30th August 2022

Simon Zutshi, founder of the property investors network, hasn’t exactly been quiet lately about what he thinks is the buying opportunity of the decade. It’s a new opportunity, a direct consequence of the current (crazy) market conditions. Specifically, there’s a moment RIGHT NOW to take advantage of the huge trend of landlords leaving the property […]

landlord advice allocation of residential service charges tenants property118.com

Advice needed on the allocation of residential service charges

26th August 2022

Hello everyone, I am a leaseholder in a small block of 6 flats that is self-managed through a limited company in which each leaseholder has an equal share (the Management Company). The flats were created in 1989 by converting a 5-storey Victorian house. The leases for each flat, drawn up in 1989, specify a fixed […]

Landlord leaseholders ground rents property118.com

Landlord leaseholders to get refunds from rip-off ground rents

26th August 2022

Action by the Competition Markets Authority (CMA) will see landlords who are leaseholders paying a doubled ground rent receiving a refund from the rip-off practice. And nine more companies will remove these costly terms from their leasehold contracts. Sarah Cardell, the interim chief executive of the CMA, said: “For years leaseholders have been plagued by […]

Landlord insurance claims malicious tenant damage property118.com

Landlord claims for malicious tenant damage rocket by 50%

26th August 2022

While the number of landlord insurance claims increased by 13% during the pandemic, those for malicious tenant damage were among the fastest growing causes of a claim, research reveals. And the firm’s lead claims specialist says the huge rise for malicious tenant damage could be that ‘Some tenants might have grown to feel resentment towards […]

London HMOs landlords tenants property118.com

London is home to a quarter of the nation’s HMOs

26th August 2022

Almost a quarter of all HMOs in England are located in London (24%), however, it is the South East and East Midlands that currently offer the most opportunities for investors. That’s according to the latest market analysis by Revolution Brokers, who looked at how HMO levels are distributed across the nation. They also looked at […]

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Call for government action on gap between housing benefits and rent paid

26th August 2022

Low-income tenants across England are facing a ‘housing black hole’ due to soaring rents and the freeze on housing benefit leaving a huge shortfall in genuinely affordable homes, according to a new report. The research reveals that only 12% of rental properties listed in the last year were affordable to those in receipt of housing […]

Tenant search terms 'Bills included' rightmove landlord tenant property118.com

Tenant search terms put ‘Bills included’ in first place

26th August 2022

The effect that the rising cost of living and record rents are having on people searching for a new place to rent has been revealed – with news that ‘bills included’ has jumped into the top position for the users of one property platform. According to Rightmove, users who prioritise their search results by choosing […]

Cavity wall insulation to get block down to EPC rating C?

25th August 2022

I have a flat I rent. It is 1 of 4 in a block. It is located on the first floor. The other flat on the same floor is also rented. The 2 flats on the ground floor are both privately owned. The flats have an EPC rating of D. This is going to cause […]

Airbnb council social housing sub-letters property118.com

Airbnb helps council to catch social housing sub-letters

25th August 2022

Airbnb is working with a council to stop social housing tenants from using the site to illegally sublet their homes. The short-term rental platform will give payment data to the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea who believe that some tenants are renting out their properties on the platform to tourists. And, if this process […]

Aerial view of the UK Parliament and surrounding Westminster area supporting discussion on the Renters Rights Bill

Renter’s Reform Bill not fit-for-purpose when it comes to HMOs

25th August 2022

As the government continues to work on the proposed Renters Reform Bill, we will be urging them to reconsider the impact of proposals in the white paper on multiple occupancy properties.  Although the Bill specifically exempts purpose-built student accommodation, there is no clear mention of excluding professional or student Houses in Multiple Occupation (HMOs). Some […]

Property maintenance landlord agent costs property118.com

Property maintenance costs account for a fifth of rental income

25th August 2022

Landlords are being warned that their rental property maintenance costs now account for more than a fifth of the average rental income of a property. According to research by property maintenance solution provider, Help me Fix, the average cost of repairs has risen by 4.7% since the start of the year. The firm has analysed […]

19% inflation and 6% Bank Base Rate

24th August 2022

Only this week, Citibank predicted that UK inflation would exceed 18% by January next year and that the Bank of England would feel compelled to increase the base rate to 6%. How many of us are prepared for this? Whilst some of our readers will have have vague recollections of high inflation in the 1970’s […]

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One in four landlords will sell-up if ‘no fault’ evictions are abolished

24th August 2022

Government plans to abolish controversial section 21 ‘no fault’ evictions could lead to a quarter of landlords selling their property, research reveals. A poll of more than 700 landlords gauged reactions to the government’s ‘Fairer Private Rented Sector’ white paper, which sets out a range of proposals – from removing ‘no fault’ evictions and the […]

Rent Smart Wales landlords service property118.com

Rent Smart Wales is ‘failing its users by closing phone lines’

24th August 2022

The National Residential Landlords’ Association (NRLA) has hit out at Rent Smart Wales after concerned landlords contacted them to say the helpline service has been closed. As a result, NRLA contacted the organisation to discover why the service had been closed. Rent Smart Wales (RSW) confirmed that the service – which is run for the […]