I’m selling my rental property – but tenants are struggling to find a home

admin    Uncategorized     agents

Hello everyone, We’ve had a great tenant for over a decade – single mum with 2 boys.

She has an IVA (Individual Voluntary Arrangement) but has never missed a rent payment and is no trouble at all.

We are having to sell this property in Sussex and she simply cannot find a new rental.

View Full Article: I’m selling my rental property – but tenants are struggling to find a home

Acorn campaign group reveals 44% of local HMOs not licensed by council

admin    Uncategorized     agents

Renters’ union Acorn has inadvertently highlighted the unfairness of landlords paying for licence fees when poor enforcement means many rogue landlords simply refuse to do so, happily dodging the high fees and paperwork.

Its Cambridge outpost says the problem of unlicenced HMOs leaves renters vulnerable and is now campaigning for the authority to take action on the issue of unlicensed HMOs, which it has discovered was well known within the council.

Acorn has started a petition and is demanding that the council commits to having at least two full-time staff to work on the issue of HMOs, publishes a timeline to achieve full licensing, and works to get all HMOs in Cambridge licensed.

A spokesman told CambridgeshireLive: “When we found out that the council was aware that there were more than 600 unlicensed HMOs in Cambridge city, we wondered why that number was so high.

“We believe that everyone deserves a safe home to live in and it’s local authorities’ responsibility to ensure that everyone’s got that safe home.”

Inspections

The council says the total number of licensed HMOs in the city now stands at 808. A spokesman explains: “We estimate there may be a further 640 licensable properties and will continue our work, including proactive inspection, to confirm that those properties are safe and suitable and whether they need to be licensed as an HMO.”

The Mandatory scheme began in 2018.

He adds: “We eagerly await the introduction of the government’s proposed rental property portal, which will enable us to more easily identify licensable HMOs and crackdown further on criminal landlords.”

Cambridge’s figure does not seem particularly high when compared to other areas of the UK; Birmingham Council recently revealed that the city could have 8,000 HMOs without a licence.

Read more about Cambridge HMOs.

View Full Article: Acorn campaign group reveals 44% of local HMOs not licensed by council

Build to Rent is the REAL key to rental reform says portal boss

admin    Uncategorized     agents

A summer of government chaos has led to several questions being left unanswered, particularly for the property industry.

When Michael Gove unveiled the Levelling Up White Paper, setting out a plan to transform the UK by “spreading opportunity and prosperity” to all parts of it, it was made clear that the rental market must reform. 

Experts believe that had Gove remained, his focus would have turned to the Build to Rent (BTR) sector and the benefits that it offered.

This would have included a spotlight on the role of institutional investment or professionally managed renting, and how this could form central pillars of the rental reform White Paper and the need for more high-quality rental homes. 

Dedicated Minister

Love to Rent, the first and only digital marketing platform for BTR, has been calling for some time for a dedicated Minister for Renting to address some of the problems in the private rented sector.

The industry at large believes a dedicated minister is needed to support the households which are private rentals and to encourage and play a part in the growing BTR sector, which can improve the lives of millions in the future.

Michael Gove has been vocal about the need for reform in the rental sector and has highlighted areas of improvement such as the need for more quality rental homes, better customer service, more responsible landlords and to lessen the environmental impact.

These are the same objectives that are core to the Build to Rent sector and which are carried out with each new development.

Read more: What does BTR mean for BTL?

It is our hope that the new housing minister, Greg Clark, will ensure that the thousands of people renting will get the protection they deserve.” 

It is not just Gove who recognised this need for change. Surging demand has led to local authorities favouring the Build to Rent sector with many creating their own Build to Rent planning policy to speed up delivery. 

Anne-Marie Brown, the Founder and CEO of Love to Rent

View Full Article: Build to Rent is the REAL key to rental reform says portal boss

What can a tenant’s deposit be used for?

admin    Uncategorized     agents

Hello everyone, I have had a housing benefit tenant, with the rent paid by Universal Credit, since April 2021 and the tenancy ends on 31 October 2022.

The rent for April and May was paid on time by Southwark council but I was only notified by the tenant at the end of June 2022 that the UC rent payment is in arrears

View Full Article: What can a tenant’s deposit be used for?

Do landlords need guarantors for all tenants?

admin    Uncategorized     agents

Hello everyone, In these difficult economic times, firms are regularly going bust and creating financial problems for their employees, and the SE (self employed) are just as vulnerable.

Would it not make sense to have guarantors for all tenants?

View Full Article: Do landlords need guarantors for all tenants?

Unacceptable tenants – do I need to supply a reference?

admin    Uncategorized     agents

Hello everyone, We had tenants for 4 years living in our 5 bed house next door.

We got on very well and we were quite relaxed with them.

Over time however, I came to realise that they were moving in more rodents in cages into bedrooms.

View Full Article: Unacceptable tenants – do I need to supply a reference?

Shelter’s warning after landlord repossessions rise

admin    Uncategorized     agents

The number of landlord possession actions in England for all court stages has increased compared to the same quarter of last year, the Ministry of Justice has revealed.

In the latest data, they have compared April to June of this year

View Full Article: Shelter’s warning after landlord repossessions rise

Where UK property investors are bulk buying to boost their portfolios

admin    Uncategorized     agents

British investors are spending an average of £1.2 million to quickly bolster their property investments by buying full portfolios rather than single properties, research reveals.

According to specialist property lending experts, Octane Capital, the North East is currently providing the best value for money.

View Full Article: Where UK property investors are bulk buying to boost their portfolios

Can you help with research on new tenant referencing tools?

admin    Uncategorized     agents

The University of York and the University of Bristol are undertaking work on new digital risk profiling tools in housing. Digital automated products that undertake tenant referencing are part of a new digital landscape for landlords and agents that automate parts of the tenant selection and tenancy and property management processes.

View Full Article: Can you help with research on new tenant referencing tools?

Shaving Foam Is Dead!

admin    Uncategorized     agents

Those of you with long memories will recall the talks I gave 5 to 10 years ago about my ‘shaving foam technique’. It got me hated by the #leaseholdscandal keyboard warriors, who saw it as encouraging developers to fleece leaseholders.

View Full Article: Shaving Foam Is Dead!