February 7, 2012
Nearly a third of Britons think that UK house prices will rise rather than fall in 2012, according to the latest Halifax Housing Market Confidence tracker.
With only 22% of respondents expecting house price declines, the lender's outlook balance has moved ...
Britons optimistic on 2012 house price rises
Permalink: Britons optimistic on 2012 house price rises
by Gill Montia
February 4, 2012
Homeowners-cum-tenants who have been ripped off by sale-and-rent (SRB) firms may be in line for compensation.
SRB firms offer to buy homes and then let them back to their previous owners.
However, according to a review of the market by the Financial Services Authority (FSA), ...
Redress for sale-and-rent-back victims
Permalink: Redress for sale-and-rent-back victims
by Gill Montia
January 25, 2012
A new report on Britain's "squeezed middle" claims that a radical shift is taking place in the housing market among under 35s in the low to middle income bracket (LMI).
According to the Resolution Foundation, household income for LMIs typically amounts ...
Lower / middle earners stuck as tenants
Permalink: Lower / middle earners stuck as tenants
by Gill Montia
January 23, 2012
Monthly rents across England and Wales fell for the second consecutive month in December, showing a seasonal dip of 0.8% to an average £711, according to the latest Buy-to-Let Index from LSL Property Services.
Seven out of nine regions saw falls, with the ...
Rents rise 4% over 2011
Permalink: Rents rise 4% over 2011
by Gill Montia
January 18, 2012
Housing Minister, Grant Shapps, is calling on councils to give elderly people more choice and control over where they live, so they are not forced into selling homes that no longer meet their needs.
Under the FreeSpace project piloted by the ...
Councils to help elderly rent out homes
Permalink: Councils to help elderly rent out homes
by Gill Montia
January 12, 2012
Housing Minister, Grant Shapps, has set out proposals to make unlawful sub-letting and "key-selling" in the social housing sector criminal offences.
According to Mr Shapps, thousands of homes could be freed up for those on social housing waiting lists if the practices ...
Social housing sub-letting to be criminalised
Permalink: Social housing sub-letting to be criminalised
by Gill Montia
January 11, 2012
Real estate specialist, Knight Frank, is expecting UK property prices to fall 5% this year, and the prospect of a new batch of forced landlords entering the private rental market has prompted the National Landlords' Association (NLA) to issue some timely tips ...
Timely tips for first-time landlords
Permalink: Timely tips for first-time landlords
by Gill Montia
January 4, 2012
Benefit reforms taking effect from 1st January could leave over a million low income families with shortfalls in their rent payments, according to the Chartered Institute of Housing (CIH).
New research from the Institute also suggests that across the UK rents ...
LHA changes impact 1.3 million private tenants
Permalink: LHA changes impact 1.3 million private tenants
by Gill Montia
December 15, 2011
Downsizing is one way of freeing up capital on retirement, but the Association of Residential Letting Agents (ARLA) is reminding homeowners that it's not the only way of using property assets to supplement pension income.
Letting the family home, rather than ...
“Renting to retire” an alternative to downsizing
Permalink: “Renting to retire” an alternative to downsizing
by Gill Montia
December 14, 2011
Tenants who live in the coldest privately rented homes are trapped into higher fuel bills because they rely on landlords to make their properties energy efficient.
So claims the Citizens Advice Bureau (CAB) and Friends of the Earth, who are ...
Private tenants punished with high fuel bills
Permalink: Private tenants punished with high fuel bills
by Gill Montia
High eviction risk areas identified
Permalink: High eviction risk areas identified
by Gill Montia
December 9, 2011
The latest Residential Lettings Survey from the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors (RICS) shows yields on rental properties rising in the three months to the end of October.
Strong tenant demand has now delivered better yields for landlords over seven consecutive ...
Yields and rents rise on firm demand
Permalink: Yields and rents rise on firm demand
by Gill Montia
November 22, 2011
Tight lending criteria attached to buy-to-let mortgages are hampering growth in the private rented sector at a time when tenant demand is at an all-time high.
According to tenant referencing firm, Landlord Assist, many landlords are keen to acquire new properties but are ...
Lending criteria block landlord expansion
Permalink: Lending criteria block landlord expansion
by Gill Montia
November 21, 2011
The Government has set out a new strategy to tackle England's housing shortage by breaking the current cycle in which lenders won't lend, builders can't build and buyers can't buy.
At the heart of the strategy is a new-build indemnity scheme that ...
New housing strategy full of promise
Permalink: New housing strategy full of promise
by Gill Montia
Asking prices tumble on economic uncertainty
Permalink: Asking prices tumble on economic uncertainty
by Gill Montia
November 18, 2011
Rent rises across England and Wales have slowed, according to the latest Buy-to-Let Index from LSL Property Services.
October saw an average 0.2% increase, the lowest monthly increment since February.
Even so, nine months of consecutive increases took average rent to a record high £720 pcm.
On ...
Rent rises slow
Permalink: Rent rises slow
by Gill Montia
November 11, 2011
Savills is predicting that rents will rise significantly more than house prices over the next five years, on the back of rising demand from those locked out of, or lacking confidence in, the UK housing market.
According to the real estate ...
Savills predicts 20% rise in private rents
Permalink: Savills predicts 20% rise in private rents
by Gill Montia
Sharp rise in buy-to-let lending
Permalink: Sharp rise in buy-to-let lending
by Gill Montia
November 9, 2011
With novice landlords currently swelling the ranks of buy-to-let investors, Defaqto is advising amateur landlords to arrange specialist buy-to-let insurance to protect their properties and to identify the exact policy features they need.
Having analysed the 87 buy-to-let insurance products on the ...
Insurance advice to novice landlords
Permalink: Insurance advice to novice landlords
by Gill Montia
November 8, 2011
Exceptional demand continues in the UK's private rental sector, new figures from estate agency firm, Countrywide, show.
In the three months to the end of September, tenant demand per property increased 10.8% compared to a year earlier, having shot up by ...
Rental properties snapped up in record time
Permalink: Rental properties snapped up in record time
by Gill Montia