A survey of over 2,000 tenants by a specialist buy to let lender shows that contrary to the popular belief, most tenants like renting and appreciate the property they call home. Paragon Bank’s UK Tenant Report 2020 shows that contrary to the perception of reluctant renters, over half (54 per cent)...
A cluster of owner occupiers living near a city centre are demanding that landlords win planning consent before operating HMOs. The Gloucestershire Live news website reports that there are about 140 signatures of residents near central Gloucester, on a petition calling on the local council to introduce restrictions on landlords. They want...
A landlord has been fined £2,500 for failing to licence a property that she had been renting out for several years without the necessary licence. The property in Ilford is in an area subject to Selective Licensing, which requires properties occupied by a single family to be licensed. Selective Licensing Scheme 1...
A London landlord must pay over £280,000 in three months after housing eight people in a flat deems illegal for even one resident. Shafait Ali, of Deptford, had converted offices in London’s Old Kent Road into five flats without planning consent. The homes were in a dangerous condition with no fire detectors...
A lettings expert claims that many agents are failing to comply with appropriate legislation, rendering their landlord clients liable for legal and other consequences. David Alexander of the Apropos lettings management firm says he has found cases across the country where properties are let or managed without appropriate compliance, and some...
A new app claims to make it easier for agents to create virtual tours and instantly embed them in property portal and website listings. Holofy Spaces was launched after the spring lockdown when its founders noticed a gap in the market for an app which allows agents to film virtual tours...
A chartered surveying company has acquired a long established lettings agency in the same town in Greater Manchester. Altrincham based firm Oakwood Valuation Surveyors Ltd has purchased Morrison Property Services. Morrisons’ Jonathan Morrison retains a consultancy role with Oakwood to oversee the handover of clients. Morrisons was set up in Altrincham in 1875...
One person had to be rescued from a fire after their landlord failed to ensure they had a working fire alarm system in the property. Now West Sussex Fire & Rescue Service is reminding landlords of the importance of maintaining good fire safety standards, following a prosecution for fire safety breaches. At...
Manchester has topped the list of the best areas for landlords to invest in, according to Aldermore’s 'Buy to Let City Tracker'. The tracker assessed five key indicators that impact desirability – average total rent, short-term returns through yield, long-term return over 10 years, the lowest number of vacancies as a proportion...
You may have heard people say that as the coronavirus continues and a possible recession approaches, this spells the end of the road for HMOs (Houses of Multiple Occupancy, also known as house shares). However, I don’t believe that’s the case. Instead I suggest that there is good evidence for the opposite...