Entries by Joanna Plane

Council Planning Departments Deter Landlords

Latest Landlord News by: Madalena Penny Eric Pickle’s recent confirmation surrounding last month’s budget announcement, in which, unused offices and commercial premises can be converted into homes without planning permission, has met with confusion by some landlords, especially those that are already restricted from gaining planning permission on houses for landlord expansion. The Department of […]

Rental Voids Fall for 3 Consecutive Quarters

Latest Landlord News by: Madalena Penny Further evidence this month indicates that tenant-demand is picking up momentum for landlords and letting agents. Paragon’s data captured through their recent landlord survey reveals rental voids have fallen yet again.  Making Q1 of 2011 the lowest point for empty properties in the private rented sector since the 1st […]

Avoiding Eviction

Latest Landlord News by: Madalena Penny No doubt, this week landlords have received notification from their local housing benefit office concerning the caps to be enforced on new tenancies as from the beginning of this month. While some existing private sector tenants have received sketchy (at best) information from local authority branches that they may […]

Squatting For Dummies

Latest landlord News by: Madalena Penny In the late 1970,s and early 80’s squatting was far more prevalent than today.  In fact in 1979 alone there was estimated to be 50,000 squatters throughout the UK, 30,000 of these could be found in London.  Today there is an estimated 20,000 property hijackers living rent-free in England […]

Landlords Chased by Bailiffs for Tenant Debts

Latest Landlord News by: Madalena Penny For landlords, the devil is indeed in the detail, wasting landlords time and money.  Caught up in the ongoing government drama of benefit cuts, caps and reform currently affecting the private rented sector, another recession driven trend is emerging enraging landlords across the UK. Bailiffs and debt recovery companies’ […]

New BTL Lenders Enter the Sector

Latest Landlord News by: Madalena Penny The Chancellor’s announcement last week reducing the amount of stamp duty levied on multiple buy to let properties has prompted some increase from lenders. Metro Bank will be following Santander and Yorkshire Building Society into the Buy-to-Let lending route with Skipton Building Society returning to the market after their […]

Shared Room Rates & Changes will be Enforced Earlier

Latest landlord News by: Madalena Penny New rules were announced this week affecting the shared room rate.  The increased threshold for single room occupancy rising from 25-35 year-olds was to be introduced in April 2012 but will now come into effect 3 months earlier in January 2012.  It is understood that the earlier introduction is […]

Changes to Tenancy Deposit Scheme

Latest Landlord News by: Madalena Penny Changes to the Tenancy Deposit Scheme will come into effect as from April 6th 2011, giving less time for landlords to lodge a claim for dispute. The TDS, which was introduced in England & Wales in April 2007, will now only allow 3 months for landlords to lodge a […]

The Buy-to-Let Budget 2011

Latest Landlord News by: Madalena Penny The Chancellor yesterday showed his commitment to the private rented sector through new plans to remove restrictions and barriers from private investment and directing it towards similar tenures as seen in Europe. What appears to be the coalition’s drive to address the housing crisis in the UK has come […]

High and Low Points Affecting Landlords

Latest Landlord News by: Madalena Penny. Landlords are a resilient breed.  Faced with CGT rises, housing benefit caps, interest rate rises and generally a higher cost of living, the great British landlord tackles adversity with quiet confidence and of course with a bit of help from ongoing demand for rental properties. LSL Property Services latest […]

Cannabis Farms Claims Reach Highest Levels for Landlords

Latest Landlord News by: Madalena Penny A recent report by insurers, Aviva has revealed that landlords are still falling prey to cannabis farms and cultivators.  Statistics now claim that properties being used as drug farms have reached an all time high. The insurers claim that a growing increase in claims due to damage is now […]

Who is the Perfect Tenant?

Latest Landlord News by: Madalena Penny. Landlords may well ask themselves where they can find the perfect tenant.  If there is a factory creating clones of the perfect tenant – tenants who always pay the rent, sort out building, electrical and plumbing problems themselves, never ask for anything, are respectful, in gainful employment and treat their homes […]

30th Percentile Estimates for April 2011

Below are the estimates based on the new weekly rates of housing benefit by each local authority.  Named by the government as the 30th Shadow percentile they are a benchmark for the new lower rate of LHA to be introduced this April for new tenancies.  The 30th percentile rule will affect existing tenancies in January […]

Rent Reviews, Increases and Disputes

Latest landlord News by: Madalena Penny. Landlords raising rents without taking due care of legislation are not working within the bounds of the Housing Act 1988, warned letting specialists, ‘Legal 4 Landlords’. With the current surge in tenant-demand and rental market values rising phenomenally, landlords are increasing rents and in some cases in an unethical […]

Proposal for New Feedback Website on Landlords

Latest landlord News by: Madalena Penny. The private rented sector has been cited as the industry, which generates the most complaints, according to a report published last week by a consumer watchdog. Consumer Focus conducted online research involving a sample of 2,000 people in January 2011, revealing that just over a quarter of renters had […]

Housing Benefit could Affect Poverty Threshold

Latest landlord News by: Madalena Penny. CPAG, the Child Property Action Group has attacked housing benefit caps introduced by the welfare reform bill.  Stating that the cuts will result in thousands of families and 20,000 children being driven out of the capital once welfare legislation is applied. Classed by the group as an exercise in […]

March 2011 Buy-to-Let Finance and Update

Latest Landlord News by: Madalena Penny. Research surrounding this year’s Buy-to-Let industry is painting a positive picture of late.  With a further ten lenders entering the sector since the beginning of 2010, there seems to be a progressive movement indicative of the increase of the private rented sector in general. Results from research conducted by […]

Sex, Lies and Tenancy Rights

Latest Landlord News by: Madalena Penny.   Eviction and Tenancy Rights teams at Legal for Landlords have received some larger than usual enquiries of late pertaining to rented houses used for brothels and massage parlours.  Thankfully not from landlords looking to set-up their own in-house businesses but rather suspicions that their properties are indeed being […]

Landlord Confidence Dips in February – Exert Some Control

Latest Landlord News by: Madalena Penny Tenants thinking they can lower the rent as they wish has been cited as one of the reasons landlords gave for feeling less confident in the rental market, according to UPAD’s monthly Confidence Survey. The prospect of interest rate rises has also sparked concerns as landlords have expressed that […]

Internet Fraudsters Target Tenants with New Scam

Latest Landlord News by: Madalena Penny It was only a matter of time until Internet fraudsters jumped on tenant-demand to relieve the public from their money.  In a new spate of specific online scams, fraudsters are cloning and establishing property and letting sites offering prime property to tenants then stealing deposits. The new scam, which […]