Entries by Joanna Plane

Rise In Malicious Damage To Rental Property

Being a landlord in the UK is a very desirable financial position that many people would like to be in. Some tenants even think that landlords are made of money, not realising that Buy To Let is a business. The landlord is a businessman and the property is his income source. However, most landlords will […]

UK Buy To Let Sector Still Growing

Financial experts have suggested the UK Private Rented Sector (PRS), will keep expanding over the next few years. The Council of Mortgage Lenders’ (CML), has noted that UK Landlords, Property Management Companies, Lettings and Estate Agents are currently seeing strong rental returns within the UK PRS, and this income improvement is likely to continue for […]

The Clock Is Ticking…

1st January 2012 will see further changes to Local Housing Allowance (LHA) under the Government’s welfare reform. The age limit for shared accommodation room rate is set to rise from 25 to 35 This means that anyone under 35 and living by themselves or renting a room will be restricted to the shared room accommodation […]

Increase in Landlord Numbers

Being a Private Rented Sector Landlord is the ideal job for an increasing number of people and the occupation is certainly in demand right now following a surge in the number of searches for buy to let mortgage advice, during October, according to new figures released this week. October has seen a surge in people […]

Is Your Rental Property Energy Efficient?

According to research conducted by the Association of Residential Letting Agents (ARLA), 17% of UK landlords reckon their rental properties would fail Energy Performance Certification (EPC). Under the Government’s Green Deal proposals Landlords who own rental properties that fall into the lowest two categories of energy efficiency could be banned from the private rental market. […]

Landlords Positive Outlook

Landlords are increasingly positive about the buy-to-let market in the UK, according to an annual Private Rented Sector (PRS) Survey. The data makes interesting reading for any pundit who has cast doubt on the future of Buy-To-Let in the UK, but it does show that landlords are prepared to shop around in order to keep […]

Welfare Reform Is Bad News For Landlords And Tenants

UK landlords could soon be forced out of the Local Housing Allowance (LHA) market by the Government cap on housing benefit payments. 77% of UK landlords who currently accept tenants claiming benefits are already planning to, or are actively taking steps to reduce their involvement with DSS/LHA tenancies because they are physically unable to afford […]

Buy To Let Stronger Than Ever!

With sales of UK residential property stuttering again, the UK Buy To Let market is the strongest it has ever been! A recent report highlighted that the Private Rented Sector (PRS) has risen by 1.4 Million additional rental properties since 2001. The PRS properties currently accounts for about 3.4 Million rental properties in the UK […]

Landlords Be Prepared For Severe Weather!

The UK weather is set to turn and a cold harsh winter could be on the cards with weather forecasters predicting falling temperatures and heavy snowfalls likely for late November and December. It is vital for landlords and homeowners to ensure their rental properties and homes are properly weatherproofed and ready to take on the […]

Landlords Hope Tenant Demand Continues

The unprecedented demand for UK rental property has increased the average property rental price throughout the UK and some private sector landlords have been quick to increase the rental price for their properties to almost record levels. Since the start of the recession the private rented sector has experienced a surge in demand with 20,000 […]

Are your properties energy efficient?

RECENT news hit the headlines that more than one in three landlords do not know how energy efficient their rental properties are. The news shows there is still a lack of awareness that all properties need an Energy Performance Certificate (EPC). If, as a landlord, you don’t provide a new tenant with an Energy Performance […]

Should bad tenants repair their damage?

Bad tenants come in all shapes and sizes. There are those struggling to make ends meet who fall into rental arrears time and time again and there are those who are quite different, who have no respect for your property and their rental ‘home’ and as well as not paying the rent, they completely trash […]

What if my tenant challenges their eviction at court?

Evictions, once again are hitting the headlines as the Dale Farm scenario comes to a head with violent showdowns taking place between residents and the police in Essex. This leads me to wonder what will be the next step for the travellers left to find pastures new? It recently came out in the press that […]

Support for calls to criminalise squatting

New moves could make squatting illegal in England, making around 20,000 people criminals. Most of us are familiar with the term ‘squatter’s rights’ which in many cases means that people who have taken over a property, do not have to leave. Squatters cannot be legally evicted from premises without a court possession order. This is […]

Property: A good home for your money?

With bank and building society interest rates remaining at rock bottom, many savers are looking for a better home for their money. It’s never an easy task, but the problem has been thrown into even sharper perspective by the prolonged economic downturn. The performance of the stock markets continues to be erratic and uncertain. Pension […]

Are you a landlord forced to evict tenants?

A rising number of landlords are having to evict their tenants and for many of them, the reason is that tenants are falling behind on their rent. New research from the Money Advice Trust shows the number of people calling about rent arrears has risen by 84 per cent in recent years. A spokesman for […]

Do your research when choosing insurance

As a new landlord, there are lots of things to think about before your property is let – from painting and decorating ready for let, to buying furniture, to organising Energy Performance Certificates to having tenant checks carried out. Often, one of the last things to be considered is landlords insurance. Many landlords leave it […]

Are your tenants turning homes into drugs factories?

A pair of council tenants, convicted of growing cannabis have been spared eviction from their homes. Richard Weldon, aged 45 was convicted of producing cannabis and sentenced to 30 weeks imprisonment after police raided his home in Sheffield. A hole had been made in the ceiling to accommodate the ventilation system for the plants. Although […]