NEW: Petition launched urging residents to ‘rise up against HMOs’

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A Rugby councillor is trying to drum up opposition to HMOs with an online petition calling for an Article 4 direction in the town.

John Slinger (main picture) believes too many family homes are being turned into HMOs by landlords who often don’t have the community’s best interests at heart, causing problems with rubbish, crime, and noise.

He wants the Conservative-run council to limit their number and has encouraged 413 locals to sign his petition on Change.org.

Petitions

Another petition on the site, Rugby Borough Residents – Rise Up Against More HMOs! has garnered 324 signatures. It blames Rugby Council’s lack of policy on converting HMOs and says that in one street alone a developer is in the process of buying four homes in a row – turning each one into a seven or eight-bed HMO. This petition calls on the council to consider licensing all HMOs.

It explains: “HMOs are needed, we agree, but there needs to be some constraints put in place, some parameters set, a policy laid down that ensures that the whole town isn’t lost to this transient market that continues to take away affordable town centre family homes.”

Slinger’s fellow Labour councillor, Maggie O’Rourke, tells Warwickshire World she is not against HMOs being part of the housing offer in Rugby but that the growing concentration in certain areas is a concern: “Benn Ward has become a commercial property area.

“Every time a property comes up for sale developers can sense a commercial prospect and these are first-time buyer homes that are being taken away.”

Read more about petitions.

Pic credit: Rugby council.

View Full Article: NEW: Petition launched urging residents to ‘rise up against HMOs’

Build-to-rent growth falters as economic downturn and labour shortages bite

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Economic headwinds facing the construction industry put the brakes on the build-to-rent sector last year.

Build cost inflation and labour shortages meant that it only grew by 14% in 2022 – adding up to 242,548 homes in planning, under construction or completed – compared to a long-term annual average growth of 28%.

According to the British Property Federation, a slowdown in BTR construction was pronounced in Q4, while the wider economic uncertainty meant construction starts of 15,600 homes was 24% lower than the same period in 2021.

However, it reports that despite these challenges, the BTR pipeline remains robust; expansion of the sector is further evidenced by the fact 180 local authorities have now completed BTR homes, or have units in the pipeline, up 29% on Q4 2021.

Doubled

Investment in the BTR sector almost doubled during 2022, helping to fill the gap left by exiting residential landlords, according to research which showed that £1.17 billion was invested in Q3, up from the £600 million in the same period in 2021. Legal & General and John Lewis are just two of the big names who have signed deals on developments.

Ian Fletcher (pictured), the federation’s director of policy, says inflation and an uncertain economic backdrop makes it more difficult to deliver properties, and warns that government must be careful not to stymie the sector’s progress.

“The watering down of national housebuilding targets may mean there is less urgency around allocating land for residential development, and there is already evidence that the rent cap introduced in Scotland, and being debated in Bristol, is deterring investment,” says Fletcher.

“The BTR sector has a major role to play in urban regeneration and levelling up and we cannot take its success for granted.”

Pic credit: Mast Quay BTR development in Woolwich, London.

View Full Article: Build-to-rent growth falters as economic downturn and labour shortages bite

How to Get a 12 Week Deposit

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We’ve heard it all too often, you come to the end of the tenancy and the rent arrears and dilapidations exceed the deposit held.  You’ve now got to claim the full deposit through the ADR procedure and you are either left out of pocket or have to pursue the tenant through the courts for the balance.

View Full Article: How to Get a 12 Week Deposit

Is it time to ditch the spreadsheet?

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Spreadsheets. They’ve been around since 1979 and have served the property industry well since their inception.

However, with legislation like Making Tax Digital coming into play in 2026, we’re seeing Landlords slowly transition from using outdated equipment to more modern and purpose built solutions like Property Management Software.

So let’s talk about your spreadsheet and the reasons why you should probably consider leaving it in the past.

1 – They can be overwritten, lost or even corrupted

When managing spreadsheets, you can easily become mixed up with versions which leaves you vulnerable to accidentally overwriting critical information.

Spreadsheets have also been known to randomly corrupt, meaning vital data can be wiped out in a matter of minutes leaving you at square one.

Spreadsheets offer limited or no failsafes should your files fall victim to corruption or overwriting, prospectively costing you thousands of pounds worth of time and missing rental income.

2 – Feature limitations

Due to the standalone nature and feature limitations of apps like Microsoft Excel or Google Sheets, some Landlords may find that they have to invest in other products or software just to get the job done.

You could be spending more and more money on apps which don’t communicate with one another, for example, we recently spoke to Tom Holliday (TWH Homes) who was using a collaboration of around 5 or 6 products for:

• Task Management
• Rental Tracking
• Accounting/Finance
• Record Keeping
• Document Storage

The problem Tom faced was that his bills were slowly racking up thanks to expensive subscriptions, as well as having to duplicate data input across different apps too.

Tom was able to consolidate multiple products into a single product called Alphaletz.

To learn more about Tom’s story, click here.

3 – Lack of portability

Another major flaw of spreadsheet software is that it often means you have to open it on a desktop or laptop to achieve full functionality.

This could be a problem of course for Landlords who find themselves on the move quite often.

Portfolio visibility is crucial more so now than ever before, due to the rising costs that Landlords have to face.

Most Landlord Apps have mobile applications by default, allowing you to keep up to date no matter where you are.

4 – They’re not easy to hand over

Most spreadsheets are built by the user in a way that only they understand and can become quite complex when more and more data is added.

A fair portion of Landlords hope to hand over their investment to their children or family members when they’re no longer around.

Not only that, some Landlords find themselves bogged down with the amount of work involved in property management, however, the idea of introducing and walking them through a spreadsheet you’ve built can be quite overwhelming.

Creating a system that can be easily shared is beneficial as it makes it easier to share access with those who might need it.

5 – They aren’t secure

Unless your spreadsheet is password protected and/or encrypted, anyone who has unauthorised access to your desktop, laptop or tablet can just waltz into a sea of confidential records, which is far from ideal.

Most property management apps are cloud-based and are held under a high level of data protection scrutiny, so they’re forced to ensure that your data is held in accordance with security standards.

Meaning that not only does moving away from a spreadsheet afford you extra time, but extra piece of mind as well!

6 – Making Tax Digital 2026

HMRC has confirmed that spreadsheets will be compliant with Making Tax Digital 2026 guidelines, however, spreadsheets will not (as a standalone product) integrate with HMRC systems and make the process any easier.

Making Tax Digital 2026 is rapidly approaching, and for those who seek to make life easier when the regulations tighten, you might want to go with a product that streamlines your tax processes.

LandlordZONE’s Exclusive Property Management Software Partner

If you’re looking for a property management solution, let us introduce you to Alphaletz.

Alphaletz is an all in one modern solution for Landlords and is the perfect platform to help manage your properties effectively.

With Alphaletz, you can efficiently manage compliance, track rental income & arrears, easily reconcile income & expenses and ultimately simplify the way your properties are managed.

Try Alphaletz free today or book a free product demo to see how it works.

View Full Article: Is it time to ditch the spreadsheet?

Property118 confirmed as the Official Media Partner for the Property Investors Awards 2023

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The Property Investors Awards, organised by the Property Investors Bureau , returned to hosting a physical ceremony for its 10th year anniversary. The illustrious event took place at the spectacular Marriott Grosvenor Square Hotel in Mayfair consisting of a wonderful evening of fine dining and entertainment to announce the 2022 Winners.

View Full Article: Property118 confirmed as the Official Media Partner for the Property Investors Awards 2023

Majority of landlords do not plan to sell properties

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Seven out of 10 buy-to-let landlords do not intend to sell any of their properties in the next 12 months, according to a new survey.

The lender Landbay has revealed that landlords with smaller property portfolios of between one and three (78%) and four and 10 rentals (76%) are least likely to sell their properties.

View Full Article: Majority of landlords do not plan to sell properties

Hefty increase in Maintenance Charges

admin    Uncategorized     agents

Hi, I wonder if someone could advise me on the very hefty increase in maintenance charges with very little discussion on affordability for the residents.
I own a purpose built flat in a seafront block and towards the end of last year the residents were notified that the maintenance charges would increase from the already high rate of £3800/annum ( it does include hot water and heating for part of the year) by another £1800/annum which is part of their 10 year plan!

View Full Article: Hefty increase in Maintenance Charges

Ending garage rental?

admin    Uncategorized     agents

Hello, I let a stand-alone garage to an individual and am trying to end the agreement and get the garage back but have been unable to contact him. I gave him notice via email but he did not reply.

Then I phoned the number I have for him but it sounded like it was ringing abroad.

View Full Article: Ending garage rental?