Student rental yields bouncing back as undergraduates have returned

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Student rental yields are rebounding strongly from the pandemic as undergraduates have both returned to campuses and begun to fight over properties for next year’s academic year, latest research shows.

This follows the announcement last week by Universities UK that its members will ‘continue prioritising the health and safety of students while preparing for a much fuller in-person experience this year, and look forward to welcoming students in the autumn’.

Lettings platform Goodlord analysed 5,000 student tenancies processed by its platform during the first half of the year and found that rents, which had been slashed or non-existent during the worst months of Covid last year.

Greater London, the North East, North West, South East, South West and the West Midlands all recorded their highest average rents for the year-to-date for tenancies commencing in July 2021.

75% increase

And for example, the North East recorded an average rental price of £1,114 for a student tenancy during July 2021, up from £636 for those which began in March 2020 – an increase of 75%.

In the North West, July saw a new annual high of £1,552 recorded, up from the region’s year to date low of £707 in March – a 120% rise.

“July was one of the busiest months we’ve seen for the lettings market in quite some time – the Goodlord platform processed more tenancies than ever before. Rents are rising and voids are dipping, for both student properties and the wider market,” says Tom Mundy, its COO (pictured).

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Propertymark call for dedicated housing court in Commission consultation

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In a consultation by the Law Commission on areas of law that it intends to review, Propertymark has called for a dedicated housing court to guarantee fair, timely redress for tenants and landlords and safeguard investment in the private rented sector.

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LATEST: Landlords slam council over ‘keeping them in the dark’ about licensing plans

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A group fighting property licensing plans in one of London’s largest boroughs have claimed that its kept many of the landlords who operate rental properties within the borough in the dark about its plans.

Member of the group also slammed the plans as being ‘cobbled together’ and lacking detail or justification.

The landlords involved met online last night to discuss tactics and submit their response to the borough’s two licensing proposals, the consultations for which closed at midnight last night (16^th August).

This includes renewing its additional licensing scheme for HMOs but enlarging it to include bigger properties, and introducing a selective licensing scheme to cover 15 of its poorest wards in order to licence all rented properties, which will have to be signed off by the Secretary of State due to its size.

The meeting, headed up by Peter Littlewood (pictured) of landlord campaigning group iHowz, heard from Ealing landlords living both inside and outside the borough, many of whom complained that that the council had not made sufficient efforts to inform them about its new licensing plans. The meeting was also attended by Conservative Ealing councillor Nigel Sumner.

Many had not heard about the plans until the last moment via word of mouth or a random council newsletter sent two weeks ago, while others pointed out that landlords who had properties within Ealing but lived outside the borough were unlikely to have seen the councils outdoor poster and bus advertising campaign, particularly during Covid.

Inadequate communication

“Communication has been less than adequate,” said landlord Mita Shrestha. “The impression is that the council has been much keener to get tenants involved, rather than the landlords who will be paying the licensing fees involved.”

And landlord Rodney Townson claimed that the council’s proposal documents, particularly the HMO scheme extension, had been poorly put together.

“They look like they’ve been knocked together on a laptop and not very comprehensive, very broad brushstroke and lack any detail or specifics to back up their claims,” he said.

The group also pointed out that Ealing has yet to publish a review of how its previous HMO licensing scheme performed, other than to say it has been ‘very successful’.

The landlord group sent its comments to Ealing property regulation chief Alison Forde before the consultation deadline expired.

Not all licensing scheme proposals get the green light – as LandlordZONE reported last year, Luton recently began a consultation on its revised selective licensing plans after a two-year campaign by local landlords that uncovered errors within the scheme.

And iHowz has in the past played a role in persuading several councils to change course, including at Stockton-on-Tees, Southampton and Margate.

Landlords are being urged to contact their MP or local councillor about the licensing scheme, and Littlewood told those at the meeting that a Judicial Review was one option – also these cost £50,000 to launch.

©1999 – Present | Parkmatic Publications Ltd. All rights reserved | LandlordZONE® – LATEST: Landlords slam council over ‘keeping them in the dark’ about licensing plans | LandlordZONE.

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Tenants on benefits ‘being pushed into poverty’ by government cuts’ – claim

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Increasing numbers of tenants in receipt of benefits are being pushed into poverty, problem debt and homelessness, an alliance of landlords, tenants, letting agents and poverty charities has revealed.

It is calling for the government to publish a full assessment of its decision to freeze Local Housing Allowance and cut Universal Credit despite a 107% increase in the number of private rented households in receipt of benefits during the pandemic.

Of these, 55% have experienced a shortfall between the housing support they receive and the rent they pay.

The government has already admitted that the median shortfall is £100 a month, a considerable sum for those managing on stretched budgets.

Since April this year, Local Housing Allowance has been frozen in cash terms, and later this year, Universal Credit will be cut by £20 a week.

Reduced benefits

The figures will have a direct impact on landlords – tenants struggling on reduced benefits are more likely to be vulnerable to financial challenges and fall into rent arrears.

The alliance includes high-profile organisations including the Nationwide Building Society and its mortgage brokerage The Mortgage Works, Propertymark, Shelter, The Big Issue, Crisis as well as the National Residential Landlords Association.

A statement from the alliance says: “We believe that the UK Government should reverse its decisions to cut Universal Credit and to freeze Local Housing Allowance.

“To apply policies like these without doing any meaningful impact assessment is, we argue, lacking the necessary foresight and consideration of the impact they will have on people’s security of tenure and well-being and for many will threaten their chance of recovery.”

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Warning issued over impact of benefit cuts on tenants

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The UK Government has been told it must complete and publish a full assessment of the impact on renters of their decisions to freeze Local Housing Allowance and cut Universal Credit, which risks pushing many households into poverty, problem debt

The post Warning issued over impact of benefit cuts on tenants appeared first on Property118.

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Prepare for success in student lettings?

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The outlook for student lettings is bright. This is particularly the case for landlords and lettings agents serving the HMO, or shared accommodation market, but applies in broad terms across the sector.

More students need more accommodation

This outlook is driven mainly by an increase in student numbers, as with more young people wishing to attend university, the greater the requirement for a term time place to live. On ‘A’ level results day this year, UCAS announced that a record 435,000 students were accepted onto a University Place. This was a 5% increase on 2020, which was also a record year.

In Autumn, just over 1/3rd of the UK’s population of 18 year olds will be attending University. The popularity of studying among 18 year olds is also key, with the growth of this demographic likely to maintain the upward pressure on student numbers for a decade. Positive news for student landlords.

Student culture

A further positive is that the majority of students want to live in shared housing at some point of their University Career. It is a trend baked into the University culture and is seen by students as a key part of the experience.Our recent research shows almost 70% of student felt that moving into this type of accommodation is ‘a rite of passage’. A further 67% of students told us that price was the primary consideration when finding a place to live. Given that shared housing tends to offer a price advantage over the alternatives, this is again is a strong position for student landlords.

Timing is everything

Given these factors stacking up in favour of landlords, preparing for a successful 2021/22 is really about focusing on maximising the opportunities that are available.  
Ensuring that your property marketing is in line with the student letting season in your city is vital. Many students are keen to secure a property for the following year very soon after going to University, with some starting their search as early as October.  
Understanding this is important. AFS has enjoyed a 40% growth in web traffic and a 50% increase in HMO enquiries over the last 12 months, however, even on a busy site like ours it will take longer to let your property if you start late in this cycle.  

Bills inclusive rents

Offering bills inclusive rent is increasingly important to students now. In our recent survey, the inclusion of bills was cited as the 3rd most important factor, behind price and location when choosing where to live.
For many students this is more than just about the convenience and lack of hassle, it is a way to reduce the potential areas for friction when sharing with housemates. Whilst offering bills inclusive rents is not new, there are still enough landlords NOT doing to offer and advantage to those that are.

Do the simple things well.

The current strong market should mean that landlords who do the simple things well will let their properties faster. At a very basic level, high quality pictures and a decent video tour of property will put landlords in a stronger position to generate enquiries provided the property is in a good location and at the right price point.

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Property owner who allowed portfolio to become cannabis mega-factory is jailed

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A commercial property owner has been jailed for three and a half years after she let a drug gang run a £500,000 cannabis factory in her three properties.

Pensioner Yoko Banks (pictured) admitted renting out the upmarket homes in Harrogate for the industrial production of cannabis with the expectation of making a significant profit.

The 73-year-old was sentenced at Leeds Crown Court alongside six members of the Albanian drug gang who were jailed for a combined 22 years.

Prosecutor Martin Bosomworth said the gang had invested tens of thousands into the three cannabis factories; they even dug a trench outside one to feed electricity cables to the house to power the cultivation system and bypass the electricity grid.

Their audacious plot unravelled when police were called to the five-bedroom villa on 26^th September after reports of a disturbance in the street. Officers found 283 plants in the four growing rooms in the house, which was fitted with CCTV cameras, along with a large crossbow and arrows next to the front door.

Facilitating

Although Banks was not involved in the cultivation, she had played a “facilitating” or advisory role in the plot, the court was told.

Banks – who had previous convictions for health and safety offences – was due to be paid at least £12,000 a month in rent for the three properties and was also receiving “high” deposits.

Jailing Banks, the judge told her: “You were, at the time, in some financial difficulties which may explain why you were – a woman in your seventies, a widow with a number of health problems – prepared to get involved with a gang from London.

“You knew that by doing that you were bringing drugs and criminality to Harrogate, a town where you have lived and worked for many years.”

Read more about cannabis farms.

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PRS under pressure as frustrated former home owners turn to renting

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Ten percent of all new tenancies or some 117,000 rentals agreed this year have been homeowners stranded by the difficult sales market, estate agency chain Hamptons has revealed.

Its figures reflect the current challenges within the sales market, where the recent post-Covid sales boom has led to a 27% drop in homes for sale in many parts of the UK.

The consequent growth in demand is contributing to a ‘squeeze in rental stock’ as former homeowners compete with longer-term tenants. 

For example, in July there were 43% fewer homes available to rent than at the same time last year, a fall that has accelerated significantly over the last four months.

Change of scenery

Hamptons also says the reasons why people are moving home within the PRS have changed dramatically in recent months; just 11.5% of tenants were moving to start a new job, while half were moving for a ‘change of scenery’ after the long months of Covid.

These different pressures on the rental market are having a predictable effect – higher rents.

Last month saw five of Great Britain’s 11 regions record their fastest ever rate of annual rental growth since the Hamptons Lettings Index began in 2014.

“With many sellers facing pressure from their buyer to move as they struggle to find their next home, rising numbers of homeowners are breaking their chain and renting instead,” says Aneisha Beveridge (pictured), Head of Research at Hamptons.

“While moving into a rented home to beat the end of a stamp duty holiday is not new, it is increasingly being used as a stop-gap by house-hunters faced with a lack of stock to buy.”       

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Rent Smart Wales claims summer retainer fees charged to students ‘unlawful’

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Rent Smart Wales is challenging letting agents and landlords over the widespread practice of charging student tenants summer ‘retainer fees’ which it claims are unlawful under Welsh legislation.

It says a retainer is an additional fee which is unlawful under the Renting Homes (Fees etc) (Wales) Act – the equivalent of the Tenant Fees Act, which took effect in 2019, and has been flagging up the issue during recent audits of letting agents in the country.

Many student tenancies ask tenants to pay half the rent in July and August meaning that students can’t pick up the keys permanently until they move in full-time; if they want to drop off some belongings, landlords will usually lend them the keys for a few hours at a time.

They can then give seven days’ notice when they want to move in, and it then becomes full rent.

David Smith (pictured), property solicitor at JMW, says students have become much more militant about their rights and what they’re paying and that a successful challenge could have big consequences.

He admits there are problems with the way that some landlords charge a retainer, but that there are ways to do this lawfully – and regulators don’t understand the difference.

He tells LandlordZONE: “Rent Smart Wales are saying it’s not a tenancy because you’re not living there, but it is – you still have a tenancy on a shop, even if you’re not living there.”

He advises landlords: “If you draw it up such that it’s a tenancy with restricted use it’s probably OK, but if it’s drawn up as a tenancy with an additional fee on the front of a tenancy, it’s probably not.”

LandlordZONE has approached Rent Smart Wales for a comment.

Read more about Rent Smart Wales.

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Do landlords qualify for COVID-19 cash support?

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The latest, and most likely final, cash help for landlords and the self-employed who are struggling financially due to coronavirus is open until 30 September 2021.

Although the Government has spent billions on cash benefits to keep small businesses afloat, landlords have slipped through the cracks.

While Chancellor Rishi Sunak has been willing to give a lifeline to small businesses that have lost money during the pandemic, unfortunately there has been little help for property investors.

This is because coronavirus cash aid protects business earnings, but not income from investments.

The fifth SEISS grant will cover the months of May to September 2021 and will differ from the previous four SEISS grants in terms of how the payouts are calculated.

The size of the grant will be determined by how much your turnover has been reduced in the year from April 2020 to April 2021. To be eligible for the fifth SEISS grant, you must be a self-employed landlord or a member of a partnership.

“Throughout the pandemic landlords have had very little financial support from the Government, so the fifth Self-Employed Income Support Scheme presents in all likelihood a final opportunity for landlords that are eligible to seek help,” says Daniel Lee, Principal, Total Landlord Mortgages (pictured).

But it’s important to be aware that being awarded the grant may present issues arising further down the line when it comes to applying for a mortgage.”

Here, LandlordZONE mortgage partner, Hamilton Fraser Total Landlord Mortgages explains what the scheme is, how to check if you qualify and provides a breakdown of how much you could be entitled to.

What is the Self-Employed Income Support Scheme (SEISS)?

The Self-Employed Income Support Scheme offers financial help to sole traders and partnerships who need cash help due to the impact of the coronavirus pandemic.

Do landlords qualify for SEISS?

Generally, landlords with buy to let investments do not qualify for SEISS. However, landlords with holiday lets tax-treated as businesses rather than investments can apply for an SEISS grant.

Here is a quick test to check if you are eligible:

• You are unlikely to qualify if you report your letting profits on the land and property pages of a self-assessment tax return or pay council tax on a rental home instead of business rates

• You should qualify if you complete the self-employed pages of the tax return for a furnished holiday letting business

• SEISS rules exclude companies or trusts from making a claim

If your tax returns show you are eligible for SEISS, HM Revenue & Customs should have already  been in touch with you.

Check if you can make a SEISS claim

After confirming if you qualify for SEISS as a landlord, you must pass three more tests to make a claim.

You must have traded in both 2019-20 and 2020-21

To pass this section, you must:

have filed a 2019-20 tax return by 2 March 2021

have trading profits of £50,000 or less

have trading profits that at least match any non-trading income, for example a pension or buy to let rents

You must also:

• continue trading in 2021-22
• show you expect a significant loss in profits due to COVID-19 between 1 May 2021 and 30 September 30 2021

When assessing your claim, HMRC will compare your turnover between April 2020 to April 2021 with your business income in 2019-20 or 2018-19.

How much is the SEISS grant?

How much SEISS grant you receive depends on how much turnover you have lost due to COVID-19.

Source: HMRC

For example, If your average profits were £30,000 over four tax years:

• Divide by 12 = £2,500

• Multiply by three = £7,500

If your profits were down by 30 per cent or more:

• Work out 80 per cent of £7,500 = £6,000

The grant is £6,000

If your profits were down less than 30 per cent:

• Work out 30 per cent of £7,500 = £2,250

The grant is £2,250

You should deduct tax and self-employed national insurance from the grant, which you should report on your 2021-22 self-assessment. The grant amount is calculated before deductions, which are the responsibility of the landlord or self-employed to pay.

Making your SEISS fifth-round claim

You must make a claim yourself online on or after the date HMRC supplies.

You will need your turnover figures, a Government Gateway ID and your unique tax reference (UTR) together with personal and business details like your national insurance number.

If the claim succeeds, HMRC will transfer the grant money to your bank within six working days.

Find out more about SEISS for landlords and the self-employed

SEISS and mortgages for landlords and the self-employed

It’s important to note that many lenders are rejecting mortgage applications from landlords and the self-employed who have claimed the SEISS grant.

“When considering a mortgage application, lenders tend to scrutinise the last two years of accounts to assess earnings and loan affordability so it is vital to only apply for the SEISS grant if needed. The impact of the pandemic could influence mortgage decsisions until at least 2023.” – Daniel Lee, Principal, Total Landlord Mortgages.

Some banks are also asking landlords and the self-employed to pay in larger deposits. For example, Metro Bank won’t lend to customers taking a SEISS grant unless they put down a deposit of at least 20 per cent of the value of their home, while Santander demands 25 per cent.

Consumer watchdog, the Financial Conduct Authority, says lenders should treat customers taking a SEISS grant fairly.

Office for National Statistics data puts the number of landlords in the UK at 2.66 million, while five million workers are self-employed.

Two out of three feel penalised by lenders when seeking a mortgage, says an Association of Independent Professionals and the Self-employed (IPSE) survey.

Mortgage lender trade body UK Finance says lenders must make checks to ensure loans are affordable.

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