Rental Market Still Strong Following Brexit

Whether a “leaver” or a “remainer”, many landlords have expressed concerns about the rental market following the Brexit vote. While many have been predicting a slump in the property market, ARLA’s July private rental sector report found that the number of rental properties on letting agents’ books in July was the highest so far this year at…

ONS Reports Increase in Private Rental Prices of 2.4% in Past Year

The Office of National Statistics (ONS) has reported in their latest Index of private housing rental prices (IPHRP) that rents have increase across the UK by 2.4%. According to the ONS, Private rental prices paid by tenants in Great Britain rose by 2.4% in the 12 months to July 2016, unchanged compared with the year…

A Short Guide on Right to Rent

The Government have released their latest guide on the Right to Rent checks. Click here to access the guide

ARLA says that Lack of Supply will Push up the Cost of Renting

The Association of Residential Letting Agents (ARLA) warns that almost half of agents have witnessed uncertainty from landlords looking to let properties, which could cause waves in the rental market over the coming months’. The trade body reports that the private rented marked is urging the government to offer landlords reassurances that housing in the…

Tenancies Longer Than Ever Before!

A new report has found that in the last two years within the private rented sector, the average length of tenancy has increased by 300%, from 16 months in 2014 to four years in 2016. The Residential Landlords Association are currently trying to persuade the Government to remove barriers to longer term tenancies, for example…

Universal Credit – A Guide for Landlords

What is Universal Credit? Universal credit supports people who receive a low income or are unemployed. Universal credit is a monthly payment that replaces: Housing Benefit Working Tax Credit Income Support Child Tax Credit Jobseeker’s Allowance Employment and Support Allowance Universal credit is intended to be simpler than the current system of benefits and tax…

New Landlord Tax Guide

The RLA, in conjunction with RITA4RENT, have composed a guide to provide a summary of the changes affecting UK residential landlords in 2016 Click here to read the guide.

Immigration Checks to Become a Requirement across England

The Home Office has announced that the Right to Rent scheme will be extended across England from February 1, 2016. All private landlords, or their agents, in England, including those subletting or taking in lodgers, will have to check new tenants have the right to be in the UK before renting out their property. A pilot…

New Smoke Detector and Carbon Monoxide Detector Legislation for Rented Properties

From 1st October 2015 ALL rental properties must have at least one working smoke detector on each floor. This applies to ALL tenancies, whether new or existing. A property with a solid fuel appliance must also have a working carbon monoxide detector. These must be tested on the first day of the tenancy. NOTE: While…

Ban on Landlord Renting Properties with Poor EPC Ratings

Landlords will be banned from renting out England and Wales’ draughtiest homes from 2018 in a bid to cut energy bills and carbon emissions. The new regulations are expected to help around a million tenants who are paying as much as £1,000 a year more than the average annual bill of £1,265 because of poorly…