Letting platform launches unusual incentive for tenants – a week’s rent to film a virtual tour

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Landlords using a new online property listing site can give tenants a ‘golden goodbye’ when they move out to reward them for finding new tenants.

In a first for the UK lettings market, landlords using Mashroom.com can gift tenants one week’s rent once they’ve organised a successful viewing and a new tenant has moved in.

Once they list their property, it goes on Zoopla and Rightmove, potential tenants will register an interest, the landlord does the necessary checks – then leaves it all to the tenants to set and conduct viewings when it suits them.

If physical meetings are impractical, tenants can either record a video to email or take people on a virtual tour using a phone or tablet with live commentary and Q&A.

According to the start-up, this means that properties will hopefully rent more quickly so landlords avoid void periods, and should work out cheaper than paying upwards of £300 for a lettings agent tenant search.

It’s also a win-win for both sets of tenants, CEO Stepan Dobrovolskiy tells LandlordZONE.

“Outgoing tenants aren’t usually thinking about new tenants coming in, so properties often look messy when it comes to property photos and viewings,” he says.

“By using our free tenant team-up we incentivise outgoing tenants to present a clean and tidy property. They’re also the best people to speak to, to get an honest opinion about the property, which new tenants appreciate.”

It’s still early days for the UK-wide platform, which has big plans to grow the concept, but it’s buoyed by the positive feedback so far.

Dobrovolskiy adds that landlords have also had the added bonus that while their tenants showcase a property and build a relationship with incoming tenants, they’re also leaving the house in a much better state than they otherwise might.

Visit Mashroom.

©1999 – Present | Parkmatic Publications Ltd. All rights reserved | LandlordZONE® – Letting platform launches unusual incentive for tenants – a week’s rent to film a virtual tour | LandlordZONE.

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BREAKING: Rent guarantor market consolidates as leading player gobbles up key rival

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Leading rental guarantor firm Housing Hand has completed the takeover of its largest rival ukguarantor.com, it has been revealed.

Housing Hand says Student Marketing Agency Ltd, which until now operated ukguarantor.com, will no longer process applications but will continue to manage existing guarantor commitments and support Housing Hand in the smooth transition of new applicants.

The deal means that Housing Hand is now by far the largest operator in the rent guarantor market, having processed 87,764 applicants since 2013. It works working with more than 3,500 accommodation providers.

Unprecedented times

“We’re living in unprecedented times and the need for guarantor services has never been more acute,” says Nick Emms of UK Guarantor. “We will be working closely with Housing Hand to ensure a smooth transition for new applicants.

“Housing Hand provide an invaluable resource for many of those who are already facing additional pressures in their lives.”

Housing Hand has  taken over the relevant assets including the brand, website and new/renewal clients but the company Student Marketing Agency Limited is still under original ownership and responsible for all activities for existing and historic clients.

Housing Hand acts as a guarantor for renters who otherwise would not have one and liaises with the potential landlord or letting agent to make the necessary arrangements.

Renters who would otherwise be asked to stump up six to 12 months’ rent in advance are thus spared the difficulty of having to do so. The service costs tenants from £295.

Read our guide to rent guarantors.

©1999 – Present | Parkmatic Publications Ltd. All rights reserved | LandlordZONE® – BREAKING: Rent guarantor market consolidates as leading player gobbles up key rival | LandlordZONE.

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NRLA welcomes government Green Homes grant scheme

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The NRLA are welcoming the news that the Government has accepted many of their recommendations about how the new Green Homes Grant scheme should work.

Announced in the Chancellor’s Summer Statement, the scheme will see the Government provide at least two-thirds of the cost of improvement work for homeowners and landlords to make their properties more energy-efficient.

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RESEARCH LATEST: Has Covid weakened demand for furnished rental properties?

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To furnish or not to furnish? That’s the question many landlords renting out new properties ponder, but to which a new survey claims to have found the answer.

Most tenants now want unfurnished properties – possibly due to fears around used furniture in the current climate, according to lettings management platform Howsy.

Its research shows that in 19 of 23 major cities, demand for unfurnished homes was higher than for part-furnished or furnished, hitting 41% on average.

Tenants in Plymouth (62%), Portsmouth (62%) and Bristol (60%) were the keenest to put their own stamp on a property or have worries over wear-and-tear charges after the tenancy.

Howsy compared the level of stock already snapped up by tenants as a proportion of all stock listed to see which was most in-demand when it came to furnishings and whether it’s worthwhile for landlords to kit out their property before putting it on the market. 

Tenants preferred a partly furnished home in just four cities, with demand at an average of 35%, but at its highest in Bournemouth (59%), Bristol (57%) and Plymouth (55%).

Furnished homes saw demand fall to just 21% overall, with Bristol (37%), Nottingham (33%), Oxford and Newport (30%) tenants particularly favouring homes ready to move in.

Howsy founder and CEO Calum Brannan reckons that as the initial costs surrounding a buy-to-let investment can quickly pile up, it’s important to decide how you’re going to furnish your home, if at all.

“It can be a laborious process and one that comes back around if any items are missing or damaged come the end of the tenancy, and our research shows that it may not even be necessary,” he says.

“Some people may not want to run the risk of using furniture from a previous tenant while others will want to work with a blank canvas.”

©1999 – Present | Parkmatic Publications Ltd. All rights reserved | LandlordZONE® – RESEARCH LATEST: Has Covid weakened demand for furnished rental properties? | LandlordZONE.

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The government’s promised roll-out of Gigabit broadband is underway…

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The lack of a good internet service today – a good copper wire service, or preferably fibre and right up to gigabit fibre connectivity – means that the value of a property or a location is negatively affected.

Last year, the government said that at the present rate of roll-out around 10% of UK premises, largely in rural and remote areas, would be unlikely to receive gigabit-capable connections commercially by 2033.

To tackle this problem and as part of its election promises the government said it will make sure that rural areas are not disadvantaged in the race for full fibre broadband. The “Rural Gigabit Connectivity” programme is designed to tackle this problem and the first steps of this approach are already starting.

By deploying ultra-fast fibre broadband at scale, local businesses will be able to optimise their outputs and remain competitive amongst their counterparts in today’s digital landscape, as well as maintaining business continuity and resilience.

One company that’s heavily involved in the broadband connectivity roll-out is Glide, specialists in delivering super-fast and reliable solutions for students, residential developers and businesses, three sectors were the need is greatest.

Where companies are in need of enhanced internet service provision, Glide will apply for government funding to offset the cost of installation. One example is Glide’s announcement last week that it is providing gigabit fibre connectivity to two business parks in Rainham, Essex. The work will be conducted as part of the new project under the Rural Gigabit Connectivity (RGC) Programme.

Glide has already been active in Essex, providing both copper and fibre services. The company says its philosophy of “bringing ultrafast, reliable broadband to underserved markets makes this the perfect opportunity to connect local businesses with multi-site infrastructure and high capacity circuits with the Glide National Network.”

By deploying ultra-fast fibre broadband at scale businesses are enabled to remain competitive in today’s digital landscape. It means that rural businesses can move faster and deliver services through channels that were previously inaccessible, ultimately boosting local economies.

Glide forecast that the dependency on fast, reliable, pervasive and high-speed Wi-Fi will only increase as businesses require higher bandwidth. Forecasts indicate that 8K streaming will become mainstream by 2023 and with more and more applications moving to the cloud, bandwidth requirements for companies, particularly in creative and media industries, are set to increase significantly.

Glide’s CTO, Richard Jeffares, commented:

“Implemented correctly, this level of fibre connectivity has the ability to help rural businesses eliminate previously unreliable broadband networks, with increased productivity, security and resilience at the very heart of these efforts. Companies that have previously struggled to remain connected due to their geo-location have the power to assess their current approach to connectivity and utilise modern fibre networks to keep operating effectively, both now and in the future.“

Glide says its national network has grown significantly over the last few years as the company continues to “do the complex things that the giants cannot, operating in areas that are difficult to access and difficult to service while enabling devices, buildings and cities to become smarter.” The network is expanding as the company invests heavily, tripling the size and delivering a 10x speed boost to key exchanges, which means more connectivity in more locations.

©1999 – Present | Parkmatic Publications Ltd. All rights reserved | LandlordZONE® – The government’s promised roll-out of Gigabit broadband is underway… | LandlordZONE.

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NRLA signs historic deal with Scots landlords’ association

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Landlords with properties in England, Wales and Scotland can now get cheaper joint membership of associations both north and south of the border.

The National Residential Landlords Association (NRLA) and Scottish Association of Landlords (SAL) are partnering up to let these landlords pay a small top-up fee to become members of both organisations.

NRLA chief executive Ben Beadle says that while the housing framework is very different across the UK, all landlords face increasing challenges as they get to grips with mounting regulation – no matter where they operate.

“We are very much better together to ensure the needs of landlords are properly taken into account,” says Beadle.

“The NRLA represents and advises landlords in England and Wales, but it’s clear that with such different legislative landscapes, landlords with properties in Scotland need specialist support.”

SAL chief executive John Blackwood adds: “In these difficult times, now more than ever before, landlords throughout the United Kingdom need to work together to ensure that our voice is heard.

“Our partnership with the NRLA is great news for every landlord operating across Scotland, England and Wales looking for support in their letting business.”

Landlords who become a joint member of SAL and NRLA will be able to access a wider range of specialist services for a lower membership fee. For full details of the scheme and fees visit: www.nrla.org.uk/join/sal or scottishlandlords.com/join-us/

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Tenant demand is highest for homes that come unfurnished

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The latest research by Howsy, has revealed that across the UK’s major cities, tenant demand is highest for homes that come unfurnished.

Howsy compared the level of stock already snapped up by tenants as a proportion of all stock listed to see which was most in-demand when it came to furnishings and whether it’s worthwhile for landlords to kit out their property before putting it on the market.

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CEO of ROSICNA Mortgages?

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Has anyone details of the CEO of ROSICNA Mortgages ( bought MX mortgage book).

I have checked companies House no listing for this role.

Many thanks James

Editors note from Rosinca about us page >>

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More details of Green Homes Grant scheme revealed

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The government has finally revealed more details of its Green Homes Grant scheme, which will give landlords and home owners significant public funds to improve their properties.

Announced on 9^th July by Chancellor Rishi Sunak, the £2 billion scheme will fund up to two-thirds of the cost of home improvements for some 600,000 properties with a cap of £5,000.

The Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government has now revealed how the scheme will work, and what sort of improvements are included within it.

It says tradespeople must register for TrustMark accreditation to take part in the scheme, which will cover green home improvements ranging from insulation of walls, floors and roofs, to the installation of low-carbon heating, like heat pumps or solar thermal.

MHCLG says these measures could help landlords save up to £600 a year on their energy bills.

Households on low income will receive vouchers covering 100% of the cost of the improvements, up to a maximum of £10,000.

“Green home improvements will save people money on their energy bills, help to cut carbon emissions, and create new work for many thousands of builders, plumbers and other tradespeople,” says Business and Energy Secretary Rt Hon Alok Sharma.

“Our TrustMark scheme will guarantee that building work is completed to a high standard by accredited tradespeople, ensuring consumers are fully protected.”

The scheme has its critics. Generation Rent says: “Landlords have been allowed to get away with letting out poorly insulated homes and as a result too many private renters cannot afford to heat their homes properly.

“The Green Homes Grant is a huge opportunity to rectify this, but nothing will happen unless the government makes it easy for renters to benefit and tells them about it.

“If renters are shut out of the process we’ll miss this chance to improve the quality of rented homes and reduce renters’ bills.”

The MHCLG announcement was made today within details of a new £1.3 billion infrastructure scheme to build 45,000 homes and create up to 85,000 jobs including for ‘shovel ready’ schemes and new homes on brownfield sites.

©1999 – Present | Parkmatic Publications Ltd. All rights reserved | LandlordZONE® – More details of Green Homes Grant scheme revealed | LandlordZONE.

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Student landlords: Don’t write off this year yet… as market enjoys last minute surge

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The student accommodation market is still a mixed picture following dire warnings earlier this summer that students might not sign tenancy agreements next term.

Many landlords feared youngsters would spurn their accommodation due to coronavirus, but student accommodation search engine accommodationforstudents.com reports a late surge of those looking for homes, with 25% more online searches in June versus the same month last year, and searches up 12% in July compared with the previous year.

It also reports that 24% of its searches have been made by international students so far this year, compared with 28% last year.

Director Simon Thompson says there’s been a rush of activity in the last six weeks. “Students are now eagerly making plans to return to university,” he says.

“Although it’s likely that more lectures will be carried out virtually, students still want to maintain that freedom and sense of independence they get from living away from home and would prefer to be living with friends as opposed to their parents and siblings.”

However, Owen Cosslett, lettings manager at Oak Student Letts in Nottingham, tells LandlordZONE that some sectors of the market are struggling, particularly the high-end studios favoured by international students.

“They rely on these students who don’t want a shared experience – but many are vacant and will need to drop their prices quickly,” he says.

His office expects to see increased movement through clearing when universities look set to accept more domestic students, to make up for any downturn in international admissions.

Adds Cosslett: “A lot of people have written off this year but I’m hopeful that it’s just a blip and that next year we’ll be back to near normal. As purpose-built providers are being hit harder it’s possible that they might decide to reduce rents next year, then everybody else will have to adjust theirs – but it’s unlikely.”

Read more about student accommodation.

©1999 – Present | Parkmatic Publications Ltd. All rights reserved | LandlordZONE® – Student landlords: Don’t write off this year yet… as market enjoys last minute surge | LandlordZONE.

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