I would be delighted to learn from Shelter just what their intentions are for accommodating elderly people. Do they propose Retirement Villages and if so where does the land come from? Who funds these Retirement Villages? Not Private Sector landlords (PSLs) I fear. The position in the real world is the PSL has just one […]

Given that the Government appears to be rushing to scrap Section 21s possibly before the end of this year (and notwithstanding any change Boris Johnson might make to this if he becomes and stays as Prime Minister for any length of time), how are you as a landlord responding? “Section 21 could be outlawed within […]

More than 4 million people live in the private rented sector, yet when moving home, some tenants can find it a struggle to provide a second deposit to their new landlord, risking falling into debt or becoming trapped in their current home. Ministers want to understand the scale of this problem. Ministers are inviting proposals to make […]

All new-build houses will be sold as freehold in a move to tackle unfair leasehold practices and prevent future home-owners from being trapped in exploitative arrangements, the Communities Secretary said. In a wide-ranging speech to the Chartered Institute of Housing conference in Manchester, the Rt Hon James Brokenshire MP confirmed plans to abolish the selling […]

With the law changing to only allow 5 weeks rent equivalent for a deposit, can this be contested with Local Councils’s? One Local Council (LC) I deal with has a Deposit Bond system whereby the deposit is essentially guaranteed by them from day 1 of the tenancy. The deposit is paid back to Council by […]

An extra 19 garden villages will be created across the country, with the potential to deliver 73,554 homes, it has been announced today. The government is providing £2.85 million to support the development of plans for housing from County Durham in the North to Truro in the South West. Each of the projects will be given £150,000 to […]

I have (at last) managed to secure a surgery appointment with my MP in regard to the proposals to scrap Section 21. I’m going in armed with as much info as possible and clearly will be talking from personal experience to date. Can anyone tell me if there are any specific consultation groups that I […]

Paragon’s latest quarterly survey, which tracks the experience of more than 200 seasoned landlords shows that landlords now have an average of 13.1 properties in their portfolio, up from 12.8 properties three months ago. Larger scale landlords are continuing to make targeted investments to optimise their position according to Paragon’s PRS Trends Report for Q2 […]

Does anyone use prompt rental payment discounts? In light of no longer being able to charge for late rental payments, could a landlord advertise a property at a slightly higher rate than the property would be advertised for normally, but offer the tenant a discount for each month the rent is paid on time? For […]

Land that is! Left Wing Organisations such as Shelter are very destructive in their comments and policies but need to understand they really must be Constructive not Destructive! The added numbers of young families needing to be housed is greater than the on-stream supply of houses. So where does Shelter suggest these houses come from? […]

The Tenant Fees Act 2019, which came into force on June 1st, is causing concern amongst landlords and agents. ARLA Propertymark, which represents residential letting agents and has over 9,000 members, appears to be panicking and giving out wrong advice. ARLA has advised its members that they may be in breach of the Act if […]

PIP is delighted to offer another opportunity within this elegant, high specification refurbishment, located within the sought after L25 postcode of Gateacre. We have been able to secure a discounted price exclusively for our investors on a stunning, spacious 2-bed, 2-bath apartment for only £165,000. According to local letting agents, this outstanding property should achieve a gross rental yield of up to […]

Citizens Advice has conducted a survey into the PRS and concluded renters do not receive the same level of protection as in other essential consumer markets. Click Here to view the full survey. Therefore they are calling for a ‘National Housing Body’ to set consistent standards, providing more protection for tenants and make it easier […]

A well known London letting agent found us a tenant, but subcontracted the referencing to a Referencing Agency. The reference report recommended that we accept the tenant and was a glowing report. After 6 months she stopped paying the rent, but the agent failed to inform us and we only discovered this when our Bank […]

I am currently a private tenant, renting via a lettings agency, with my partner. We’re coming to the end of our contract (13th July) and have a couple of questions on our ‘rights’ and what’s acceptable. Over the last few weeks there have been lots of viewings arranged by the agent. Monday to Saturday, often […]

David Cox, Chief Executive, ARLA Propertymark responds to the Government’s Selective licensing review commenting: “It’s disappointing that the long-awaited review on Selective Licensing recommends the continuation of the schemes. Licensing schemes do not work, and never will. They are not an effective way of promoting higher quality accommodation and introducing landlord registration will not be […]

The Selective Licensing Review report demonstrates the Government’s unwillingness to listen to landlords, the National Landlords Association (NLA) says. The report, which was released today, ignores the NLA’s suggestion of requiring local authorities to conduct an annual assessment to demonstrate the effectiveness of the schemes against the rationale for their introduction. Currently, although it is […]

HM’s Treasury this week made a potentially life changing announcement to those who suffer from debt/negative equity issues. From 2021, people struggling with serious debts are too benefit from a new two month “breathing space” scheme during which they cannot be hassled by debt collectors and bailiffs. The scheme will cover a variety of debts, […]

The Government’s Selective Licensing review, updated today, recommends a proposed National register of Landlords. Click here to download the document: ‘An independent review of the use and effectiveness of selective licensing.’ Point 6 of the recommendations summary states: “Government should consider introducing a national registration scheme for landlords to support and complement selective licensing.” This […]

Recognising the professional, efficient and calm way the company responded to a catastrophic fire, Tenancy Deposit Scheme (TDS) has been awarded ‘Most Effective Recovery’ at the CIR Business Continuity Awards in London. Now in its 21st year, the awards celebrate achievements in ‘business continuity, security and resilience’. Despite its entire headquarters in Hemel Hempstead being […]

Studies suggest that you should only be spending 30% or less of your monthly income on rent in order to maintain a good standard of living. Those spending more than this amount are said to be ‘cost burdened’. Comparethemarket.com have looked into the cost of rent across The UK. This study reveals that many don’t […]