A significant number of UK landlords are putting themselves and their tenants at risk by not complying with required safety regulations, a new survey has suggested. Almost half of tenants living in privately rented accommodation with gas mains say they have not had their gas appliances checked in the last 12 months, according to research … Read more
Landlords are seeing the choice of available mortgage deals increase as the number of products on the market rose by 233 last month alone. Mortgage options increased for the fifth consecutive month in March meaning there are a total of 2,333 buy-to-let products now available, according to the latest Moneyfacts data. This means the number … Read more
Tenants locked in deposit feuds have been awarded 50 per cent more money back than their landlords when disputes go to adjudication. Roughly one in every 30 tenancy deposits are disputed according to the Deposit Protection Service – one of the three Government-backed schemes for England and Wales. Since the start of 2018, 66,768 tenancy … Read more
Landlords could get preferential treatment when applying for mortgages if their properties are energy efficient, as lenders begin to launch new green products to the market. This week, Paragon Bank launched a new range of buy-to-let mortgages which offer lower-deposit options to landlords whose properties have an Energy Performance Certificate rating between A and C. … Read more
Credit Suisse has been thrown into crisis just weeks before Antonio Horta-Osorio joins as chairman from Lloyds Bank. The Swiss investment bank was already reeling from the aftermath of a spying scandal and its exposure to bust lender Greensill Capital. But now it has revealed it will suffer a ‘highly significant’ hit to its profits … Read more
The proportion of homes bought off-plan hit a six-year low in 2020 as landlords left the market – although there are signs homeowners may be warming up to the idea of buying a home before it is fully built. A third – or 33 per cent – of new-builds that completed in England and Wales … Read more
New rent hotspots revealed: London demand crashes as capital ‘loses its appeal’ but towns like Ipswich and Northampton see HUGE spike Demand for rented rooms fell by 40% in some parts of central London, according to Spareroom, as people no longer needed to be close to offices In contrast, renters flooded to places like Ipswich, … Read more
Brighton has retained its crown as the most profitable place to be a landlord for the second year running, new findings have claimed. Taking into account rental fees charged to tenants and landlord costs, buy-to-let investors in the seaside resort can make a monthly profit of around £570, insurance group CIA Landlord suggests. At the … Read more
Pets in lets: Government makes it harder to impose ‘blanket bans’ on tenants having animals – but landlords want to charge higher deposits The Government’s model rental contract now allows pets as the ‘default’ Landlords using it will need to provide a ‘good reason’ for not allowing animals The industry body says they should be … Read more
Rental costs in pockets of some cities across Britain have fallen drastically in the last 12 months, two separate reports show. Rents in Birmingham, Edinburgh and London fell between 5 and 8 per cent in the last year, data from SpareRoom shows – and in one capital postcode, they have plummeted 26 per cent. Meanwhile, … Read more