To furnish or not to furnish
I am often asked by landlords and prospective landlords about whether it is best to furnish a rental property or to leave it unfurnished and it is an interesting question. Over the past 12 months there has been an increase in those looking for furnished properties with ‘furnished’ rental searches rising by 19%, compared to […]
Is no Section 21 such a bad thing?
There has been quite a bit of scaremongering in some media coverage on the Government’s plans to remove Section 21 notices, as part of the wider Renters Reform Bill currently being debated. Phrases such as ‘abolishing section 21’ uses pretty emotive language and I can understand why it is causing concern with private landlords. My […]
Moving away from short term lets
Just a year ago I was writing about concern in the industry that very short-term lets, such as those with Airbnb, had potential to draw private landlords away from the rented sector with the potential of quick profits, following the increase in staycation breaks. Now I am seeing more and more pieces about the move […]
Landlord organisation hits back at rent increase criticism
The National Residential Landlords Association (NRLA) has responded to recent criticism aimed at private landlords, with praise for their part in providing this much needed and relied upon housing. It comes after private landlords have taken another bashing from the homelessness charity Shelter who claim that tenants are facing such rent increases that it means […]
Regulation Changes Coming In On 1st October
From 1st October all rented properties in England must provide a carbon monoxide alarm in rooms where there is any type of fixed combustion application. All alarms must be in proper working order at the start of a new tenancy. The new regulations form part of the Smoke and Carbon Monoxide Alarm (Amendment) Regulations 2022 […]
The importance of inventories in deposit dispute
It is encouraging to note that the number of deposit disputes has dropped, but with the average tenancy deposit now at over £1,000 this still means that around £27m of deposits is being held in disputes. I thought it would be useful to take a look at how important inventories are in managing deposit disputes. […]
Warning to landlords to ensure money protection
Mandatory money protection is in place to protect landlords and tenants, so it is saddening to see another local case going through the courts where an agent closed their business, with £80,000 owing to their clients As reported in this paper, the owner of Smart Residential Letting Agents in Newmarket recently pleaded guilty to two […]
Renters’ Reform Bill in focus
Despite the initial negative focus, the Renters’ Reform Bill received in some media, where some put landlords under the spotlight, there are proposals that bring good news too. It had been uncertain how the removal of Section 21 would be dealt with, but proposals to ease the process of tenants in repeated arrears and further […]
More landlord support needed with pets in rental property
As a nation of animal lovers, the subject of pets in rental properties is always one that gets attention but results from a recent survey have meant calls are being made on the government to give landlords greater protection when it comes to any damage that may be caused. The survey was carried out jointly […]
Firms boost their investment in PRS
Many large institutional investors in property have seen a downturn since the pandemic in their commercial property portfolios and some have refocused their sights on investment in the private rented sector (PRS). In the last month some of these plans seem to have accelerated significantly, but is this the boost that the PRS needs to […]