Property price twitter- variable

apt or liable to vary or change; changeable: variable weather; variable moods.

House price moves vary by region - BBC
Land registry show average fall of 2.5 percent in past year - My finances
Unsold homes at new high - MSN
Irish property prices fall sharply - Reuters
House prices surge again - Express
UK property prices fall by 0.1 percent according to Hometrack - Business Week
House sales have fallen so why are prices still high? - BBC
Sterling crisis makes UK property cheap for foreign buyers - Telegraph

See all the property price tweets

Discounted landlord insurance

BTL mortgages - most popular

Visit Property Hawk mortgages and save time and money with our free online BTL mortgage finder.

Below is a selection of the most popular buy-to-let mortgages currently available.

If you would like to discuss your requirements with a member of the support team please telephone 029 2069 5446 or you can submit a quick enquiry directly to the team by filling in our online enquiry form.

Max LTV	Initial Rate	Term	Completion fee	Booking fee	Incentives	Overall Cost for Comparison
80%	5.99% Fixed	2 Years	£1499	£0	No	5.9% APR
80%	4.99% Disc.Tracker	2 Years	£2995	£0	Refund of valuation to a maximum of £500 and free legals for remortgages only.	5.7% APR
75%	4.99% Fixed	Dec 1 2013	1.5%	£0	No	5.2% APR
75%	3.74% Disc.Tracker	2 Years	£1999	£250	No	5.4% APR
70%	3.75% Disc.Tracker	2 Years	2%	£199	No	6.1% APR
70%	4.19% Fixed	2 Years	£995	£245	Free valuation and free legals for remortgages (properties valued up to £500,000).	5.1% APR
65%	4.4% Tracker	2 Years	2%	£150	No	5.2% APR
65%	4.65% Fixed	Jun 30 2013	0%	£250	Free valuation up to £700 for purchases and remortgages and free legals on remortgages only.	4.9% APR
60%	3.15% Disc.Tracker	2 Years	£1249	£250	No	5.2% APR
60%	4.5% Fixed	Dec 31 2012	0%	£295	Free valuation and free legals for remortgages only	6.1% APR

IMPORTANT! Due to current market conditions, lenders are withdrawing and replacing products with little or no notice.
Please check our website regularly to see the most up-to-date products available.

Email: info@propertyhawkbtlmortgages.co.uk

Tel: 029 2069 5446

Your home may be repossessed if you do not keep up repayments on your mortgages.

The Financial Services Authority does not regulate some forms of mortgage.

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Rock introduces £750 cashback

Northern Rock the state owned lender has introduced a £750 cashback offer on it's buy-to-let mortgages for a limited period until the 8.8.11.

Mortgages that are included are two, three and five year mortgages up to 70% LTV with flat fees, percentage fees and fee free options available.

For more information contact Property Hawk Mortgages 029 2069 5446 or email:info@propertyhawkbtlmortgages.co.uk

Mortgage Search 

Property Investor Profile– Q2

The trends for the BTL mortgage sector were -

• increase in buy-to-let products available.
• increase in average loan size.
• continued popularity of Tracker products.
• drop in Average rates.
• highest rental yields for students and terraced houses.

“Average loan sizes also increased by a further £2166 during Q2, following on from the £6214
increase in the previous quarter, representing growth of 6.4% since the beginning of the year. This is mainly due to the greater number of lenders offering higher loan-to-value (LTV) mortgages and the availability of finance for Houses in Multiple Occupation (HMOs), which tend to be higher value properties.” Paul Rockett, Managing Director at Landlord Centre commented.

“Average loan sizes also increased by a further £2166 during Q2, following on from the £6214
increase in the previous quarter, representing growth of 6.4% since the beginning of the year. This is mainly due to the greater number of lenders offering higher loan-to-value (LTV) mortgages and the availability of finance for Houses in Multiple Occupation (HMOs), which tend to be higher value properties.”

Use our whole market BTL mortgage search tool for free

Curse the landlord

"And may you evil landlord die a thousand painful deaths from now until eternity for all the evil you have done by partaking in the private rented sector. Your sins of painting walls magnolia and renting out property to those who choose to rent it at open market rents on a six month assured shorthold tenancy. For these acts you are the son of ultimate evil and bring darkness to our world of poorly state funded housing provision."

Well that's how some folk feel especially some tenants from Glastonbury who presumably exhausted after shaking their booties to Beyonce have written a curse to local landlord Doug Hill.

Read more on the bizarre life of a landlord in this BBC article

Who'd be a landlord?

Discounted landlord insurance

Merseyside drug farm warning

Liverpool police continue to warn landlords of the increasing risk of their rental properties been converted into drugs farms.
Merseyside Police uncovered 208 cannabis factories in
The Merseyside force uncovered 208 cannabis factories in 2008/09 up from 118 in the previous year.
Aviva have also reported a 30% year on year rise in claims by landlords on landlord insurance.
Read more in the Liverpool Echo

Saffron BS launch new BTLs

Property Hawk Mortgages has two new buy-to-let products with Saffron Building Society including a 4.99% 2 year discount available up to 80% LTV.



Your home may be repossessed if you do not keep up repayments on your mortgage.
The Financial Services Authority does not regulate some forms of mortgage.

Tips On Tenancy Deposit Disputes 51: The 4th Tenant Defence

Tip 51: Standard Tenant Defences #4

The third standard tenant defence is: We agreed that verbally

I have a certain amount of sympathy for tenants claiming that they had a verbal agreement with their landlords to do something for which they are subsequently charged. Of course, there are those tenants who claim verbal agreements fraudulently, and I have no sympathy for them, but I know very well from making verbal agreements myself that people often have a very different perspective on exactly what was agreed.

As an example, a tenant moves into a property which is let with a certain amount of furniture. The tenant has a wardrobe of his own and wishes to remove the landlord’s wardrobe from the bedroom. The tenant calls the landlord and suggests storing the extra wardrobe in the garage for the duration of the tenancy. The landlord thinks this is fine and answers that it is an old item of little value and she doesn’t mind what the tenant does with it. The tenant realises that there won’t be enough room to keep his car in the garage with the wardrobe in there and recalls that the landlord doesn’t mind what is done with the wardrobe, as it is of little value to her. The tenant takes the wardrobe to the tip in the belief that the landlord has given her consent. The landlord thinks the wardrobe is in the garage.

At the end of the tenancy the landlord is surprised to find she no longer has a wardrobe and wants to retain some of the deposit to compensate for the loss. The tenant’s claim states that they agreed verbally that the tenant could dispose of the wardrobe. The landlord accepts that the conversation took place, but has a different perspective on what was agreed.

As an adjudicator, it is very difficult to be sure who is in the right in situations like this, after all, we all forget what we have said from time to time. Where there is doubt, the adjudicator asks whether the landlord has proved their case? Because the deposit was the tenant’s money to begin with, it is the landlord’s problem to positively prove that they deserve to win. Where the landlord cannot, the money goes to the tenant.

To avoid this happening to you, don’t agree things purely verbally. If you do make an agreement with the tenant, once you get back to the office, drop them an email:

“Dear Tenant,

Further to our conversation today, I would like to confirm that I am happy for you to store the wardrobe in the garage for the duration of the tenancy.

Yours,

Landlord”

This way, each of you has a permanent record of what was said, and when, which will help you to avoid disputes and win the disputes you cannot avoid.

Tom Derrett is the Principal of Deposit Claim, an ex-adjudicator and an expert on the Deposit Protection Schemes. Tom helps landlords to claim money through the deposit protection schemes.

Free property management software, Free tenancy agreements

'Nationalisation' of slum landlords

Is the looney left back in London?

It looks like it if latest reports are true. The 'great' idea coming out of Labour controlled Newham Council is setting up an investment vehicle to 'nationalise' or bring back into state ownership poor quality private rented properties.

The Olympic borough wants to make use of low borrowing rates to buy rented accommodation in the private sector and thereby benefit from a rising rental income and increases in capital values.

Part of the argument for this move would be to 'stabalise' the 35,000 home private rented sector in the borough which currently has a turnover rate of 60% compared with 5% in the private sector.

How can this be right?  If landlords were criticised for crowding out first time buyers from being able to buy.  The intervention of a council who can borrow at far lower rates than private buyers and landlords surely constitutes crowding out on a massive scale.

Maybe they should be concentrating their resources in prosecuting the slum landlords in their patch rather than trying to buy them out!

Landlord insurance - professional rates 

10% yield on BTL

Any landlords looking for a 10% yield on a multiple apartment conversion wants to check out the latest investment property up for sale with Allsops.

Dukes Lodge, 246 Duke Street, Sheffield, S2 5QQ

Residential Investment Opportunity comprising:

14 studio apartments subject to 13 ASTs 14 car parking spaces

Total current rent reserved - £62,290 - 9.58%


ERV - £66,000 - 10.2% GIY(Gross Investment Yield)

Offers invited in excess of £650,000, subject to contract


For further information, please contact:
James Wilson 
Email: james.wilson@allsop.co.uk
Tel: 0113 236 6679
Michael Gorman 
Email: michael.gorman@allsop.co.uk
Tel: 0113 236 6683


Landlord Insurance - optimise your rate

Property price twitter - snake

Snakes in the grass live absolutely free.

Herald the property snake - Independent
There are fewer UK homes for sale than you think - Moneyweek
OECD propose UK property tax - Telegraph
A constipated housing market - Henry Pryor
Government encourages self build - BBC
Barclays starts cheap mortgage war - Daily Mail
Mortgage lending remains slow - BBC
Property asking prices finally fall - Independent
First time buyers continue to struggle - FT




See all the property price tweets

Discounted landlord insurance

Private Rented - Parliamentary "latest"

Are you interested in what is happening in the world of buy-to-let and the private rented sector in relation to future law and policy making?

Then you should check out The Parliament website.

Latest developments include:

A discussion of the changes resulting from the LHA changes brought about in 7th April 2008.

A consideration of the regulation of letting and management agents


Landlord Insurance - total cover

FREE - electical safety guide

The Electrical Safety Council (ESC) is offering a FREE guide to electrical safety in the communal areas of rented properties making it most suitable for HMO landlords.

If you want to check it out and receive a FREE copy.  Please click here.

Landlord insurance - professional rates

Shapps trumpets his reforms

The Housing Minister Grant Shapps has proclaimed that his reforms in social housing will bring about the first fall in waiting list for 22 years.

His reforms include-

• delivering 150,000 new affordable homes over the Spending Review.
• greater flexibility for councils to manage their own waiting lists.

Politicians have always been very good at managing lists but not so strong at managing reality.

Read more details on his proclamation here

Cheap quality landlord insurance

BTL mortgages - most popular

Below is a selection of the most popular buy-to-let mortgages currently available. For full information on these products, and all other buy-to-let mortgage schemes available to you, please visit Propertyhawk mortgages to use the free online buy-to-let mortgage finder. If you would like to discuss your requirements with a member of the support team please telephone 029 2069 5446 or you can submit a quick enquiry directly to the team by filling in our online enquiry form.

Max LTV	Initial Rate	Term	Completion fee	Booking fee	Incentives	Overall Cost for Comparison
80%	4.99% Fixed	Sep 30 2012	2.5% (min £595)	£0	No	5.4% APR
80%	5.99% Fixed	2 Years	£1499	£0	No	5.9% APR
75%	4.99% Fixed	Sep 1 2013	1.5%	£0	No	5.2% APR
75%	3.74% Disc.Tracker	2 Years	£1999	£250	No	5.4% APR
70%	3.75% Disc.Tracker	2 Years	2%	£199	No	6.1% APR
70%	4.49% Fixed	Jul 31 2013	£1250	£245	Free valuation and free legals for remortgages (properties valued up to £500,000).	5.2% APR
65%	4.4% Tracker	2 Years	2%	£150	No	5.2% APR
65%	4.65% Fixed	Jun 30 2013	0%	£250	Free valuation up to £700 for purchases and remortgages and free legals on remortgages only.	4.9% APR
60%	3.15% Disc.Tracker	2 Years	£1249	£250	No	5.2% APR
60%	4.5% Fixed	Dec 31 2012	0%	£295	Free valuation and free legals for remortgages only	6.1% APR

IMPORTANT! Due to current market conditions, lenders are withdrawing and replacing products with little or no notice.
Please check our website regularly to see the most up-to-date products available.

Please visit www.propertyhawk.co.uk/mortgages.aspx to search the full product range and find a buy-to-let mortgage to suit your specific personal circumstances.

Email: info@propertyhawkbtlmortgages.co.uk

Tel: 029 2069 5446

Your home may be repossessed if you do not keep up repayments on your mortgages. The Financial Services Authority does not regulate some forms of mortgage.

---

Restoration property travesty

Anybody watched restoration home?

It's a BBC2 spin or rip off from the excellent grand designs series.

The difference is that they don't have the knowledgeable Kevin Mcloud presenting but a rather clueless
Caroline Quentin.

Last week she watched as some gormless banker type in the home counties rendered his lovely 30s brick pumping station without any of the presenters passing a comment.  This was not restoration but bas....t...ar..disation of the worst kind. 

Kevin wouldn't have let the clueless couple get away so lightly.

Watch the program and see what you think.


Landlord insurance - best rates

Tips On Tenancy Deposit Disputes 50: The 3rd Tenant Defence

Tip 50: Standard Tenant Defences #3

The third standard tenant defence is: I’m not in rent arrears

This one is a real claim killer because it is only used by completely dishonest tenants and, for that reason, tends to catch honest landlords unawares. Usually, after the tenant puts in their defence, the landlord will only have seven days from the date of the letter to get their side of the story in, which only gives you a window of a couple of days to get your papers together if you are sending your documents back by post, and this also puts people on the back foot.

People who are facing this particular problem are often confused as to how to go about proving that something has not happened, in this case that rent has not been paid. If you collect your rent by standing order or regular bank transfer, it is much easier to prove that it hasn’t been paid, as your bank statements will show that the payments stopped or reduced. If you collect rent by cheque or cash, it can be much more difficult. In that situation I would recommend issuing the tenant with a rent book that you can sign when they give you a payment, otherwise get in the habit of issuing receipts for every payment.

Submit what you can in terms of bank statements, rent demands and print outs from your property management software, and specifically ask that the tenant prove that the correct amount of cash was withdrawn from their bank account, or a cheque for the right amount was drawn on their account. This situation is one of the few instances where I would be willing to turn the burden of proof on the tenant and get them to positively prove their claim. Hopefully your adjudicator will feel the same way.

Tom Derrett is the Principal of Deposit Claim, an ex-adjudicator and an expert on the Deposit Protection Schemes. Tom helps landlords to claim money through the deposit protection schemes.

Free property management software, Free tenancy agreements

Cardiff landlord licences

The licensing scheme of HMO properties in Cardiffs student areas has reportedly taken in over £300,000 in its first year of operation. The council is reported to be wanting to extend the area covered by the scheme that currently runs in Cathays, the popular student area of the city.
Which I guess makes sense, more properties, more money.

Local landlords are unhappy with the £500 a property charged by the scheme saying that it is focused on income generation for the council and not improving standards. ( surely not!!!)

One council official commented that £500 was not a lot considering that a landlord could take in £60,000 in revenue during the 5 year period of the licence.
(A council worker who doesn't understand the difference between profit and revenue, why would he?)

Read more in Wales online

Read the councils info on the scheme here

Landlord insurance discounted rates

LSL Average Rent Index

LSL Property Services latest rent survey indicate that UK average rents have broken through the £700 mark last month. This puts annual rent inflation at at 4.1 per cent.

The London average rent is now more than £1,000 with a 6.9% annual rise according to LSL.

Propertyhawks own rent index puts average monthly rents at £596.

What's happening where you are?

Read more in the Financial Times

Read more in ThisisMoney

Read more on Sky news

What's going on Gwen?


Free property management software, Free tenancy agreements

Mortgage rates slashed

Over the last couple of weeks there has been a swarm of rate cuts offered by a range of buy-to-let mortgage companies.  There are now several mortgage companies offering buy-to-let mortgages at less than 3% inc:  The Principality BS, Northern Rock and Platform.

This has all come as mortgage companies factor in the fact that interest rates are unlikely to rise this year as economic growth and confidence remains depressed.

Check out the latest rates using our FREE mortgage search.  You might be pleasantly surprised.


Free property management software, Free tenancy agreements

Most expensive property woes

I only posted the other day the importance of making realistic projected valuations on property developments. I was citing the grotesque, pointless and moronic looking Updown Court in Windlesham, Surrey as a fine example of how wrong a developer can get things.

I mean 5 swimming pools and a reported 1.5 million a year running costs.... uh!

£75 million seemed a nonsense figure for the place and six years on from originally going on the market the property sits unsold.

Well it seems that things have got even worse for the property developer as the property has now been seized by the banks following defaults on his £50 million loan.

Any guesses on how much it finally goes for? Will it even recover the £50 million debt, I doubt it.

They should of employed Prince Andrew as their estate agent, he seems to be the only person who is able to get over the top prices for these kind of monstrous property carbuncles, how does he do it....?

Read more on the saga here in the Daily Mail

BTL mortgage search tool

Landlords turn positive

Landlords have turned into net buyers of property according to the latest survey from ARLA.


The ARLA member survey covering Q2 2011 showed that 16% of agents believe landlords are buying properties, up from just 9.3 per cent a year ago.

This compares to only 14% who believe landlords are selling properties.  This compares with 25% a year ago. 

Specialist Landlord Insurance

BTL versus FTB grudge

Almost one in ten of the mortgages advanced in the first three months of this year were for BTL property up from 5.4 per cent at the lowest point of the economic crisis.

The increase in BTL popularity has been driven by a rising rental market and poor returns on alternative non property investments.
The increase in BTL investment activity has again stirred up criticism from the first time buyer fraternity who feel increasingly squeezed out of the market by investors competing for similar types of properties.

Katy John from the first time buyer campaign group, Priced Out commented, "It’s all very well mortgage companies coming up with innovative mortgage products to encourage first-time buyers, but in the real world they are competing against investors, who will always manage to outbid them, because most don't need a deposit – they already have equity in their existing properties.”

Property price twitter - cake

"This cake is dry, there's no softness left, try it........!"

House prices - the predictions... - Thisismoney
Mates mortgages are the ministers mad? - Moneyweek
Property market stays stale in June - Citywire
Wait till 2020 for house price recovery say PWC - Independent
House prices won't recover until 2020 - Telegraph
Irish house prices continue to be slashed - Daily Mail
First time buyers cast aside - Guardian
60 percent fewer home sales - Thisismoney
London property market discussion - CityAm
Inflation wipes thousands off property - Telegraph
House price surveys paint clear picture - Guardian
House prices bounce back say Halifax - CityAm
UK house prices continue to decline - Bloomberg

See all the property price tweets

Discounted landlord insurance

BTL mortgages - most popular

Looking for a buy-to-let mortgage? Visit www.propertyhawk.co.uk/mortgages.aspx and save time and money!

Our free online buy-to-let mortgage service aims to provide you with the most competitive buy-to-let mortgages in the market, whilst helping you choose a product to suit your individual requirements. You can use the free buy-to-let mortgage finder to get an instant personalised quote and apply for your mortgage online. There are no broker fees charged for this service so you could save yourself considerable time and money when arranging your next buy-to-let mortgage.

If you would like to discuss your requirements with a member of the support team please telephone 029 2069 5446 or you can submit a quick enquiry directly to the team by filling in our online enquiry form.

Max LTV	Initial Rate	Term	Completion fee	Booking fee	Incentives	Overall Cost for Comparison
80%	4.99% Fixed	Sep 30 2012	2.5% (min £595)	£0	No	5.4% APR
80%	5.99% Fixed	2 Years	£1499	£0	No	5.9% APR
75%	4.99% Fixed	Sep 1 2013	1.5%	£0	No	5.2% APR
75%	3.74% Disc.Tracker	2 Years	£1999	£250	No	5.4% APR
70%	3.75% Disc.Tracker	2 Years	2%	£199	No	6.1% APR
70%	4.49% Fixed	Jul 31 2013	£1250	£245	Free valuation and free legals for remortgages (properties valued up to £500,000).	5.2% APR
65%	4.4% Tracker	2 Years	2%	£150	No	5.2% APR
65%	4.65% Fixed	Jun 30 2013	0%	£250	Free valuation up to £700 for purchases and remortgages and free legals on remortgages only.	4.9% APR
60%	3.15% Disc.Tracker	2 Years	£1249	£250	No	5.2% APR
60%	4.5% Fixed	Dec 31 2012	0%	£295	Free valuation and free legals for remortgages only	6.1% APR

IMPORTANT! Due to current market conditions, lenders are withdrawing and replacing products with little or no notice.
Please check our website regularly to see the most up-to-date products available.

Please visit www.propertyhawk.co.uk/mortgages.aspx to search the full product range and find a buy-to-let mortgage to suit your specific personal circumstances.

Email: info@propertyhawkbtlmortgages.co.uk

Tel: 029 2069 5446

Your home may be repossessed if you do not keep up repayments on your mortgages. The Financial Services Authority does not regulate some forms of mortgage.

---

Becoming a Landlord

Owning a buy-to-let property has become an increasingly popular and attractive form of income for many individuals across the UK. A dream of making large profits for little effort is what attracts many people to the idea. However, potential landlords must be aware of possible pitfalls, and they must also be realistic about how they approach such a venture.

Tessa Shepperson, a specialist solicitor and author on residential landlord and tenant law, has been quoted as saying: “Becoming a landlord is perceived as being easy money but that's not necessarily the case. If you know what you're doing, get it right and are lucky with your tenants, you can make money for not a lot of effort, but it doesn't always work out like that."

However, there have been examples in the past of tenants causing trouble for their landlords, such as, vandalism, ignoring a ban on pets, anti-social behaviour, and, most commonly, withholding rent payments.

Ms Shepperson goes on to say: "If you're unlucky enough to be stuck with one of these people...it can take you six months to get them out of your property. You want a good tenant that's going to pay their rent, and is responsible, and will look after the place."

The best way to solve such unfortunate situations, and to ease the mind as a landlord, is by acquiring Landlord Insurance in order to provide comprehensive cover. Of course it is important to carefully select each tenant, however, with a decent insurance plan, a landlord can rest assured in the knowledge that their property is safely backed up.

Rents rise as demand soars

The Association of Residential Letting Agents (ARLA) has found that over half (56%) of their members reported that rents have risen of the past 6 month.

This compares to 53% three months ago.

The increase is due to a rise in tenants looking to rent. The report found that 74% of ARLA members said there were more prospective tenants than properties in the second quarter of 2011.

This compares to only 10% just 2 years ago.

Landlord insurance - professional rates

Rental Karma

Good Morning Property Peeps!

Well today I'm just sitting here at the hub of my lettings world and wondering to myself.... why would you ever want your letting agent not to jump immediately when the tenant requests a fix for a leaky shower or some such small problem in the house?

I hear so much complaining from tenants about their previous agents having not fixed things for them when they got in touch about small, easily fixed issues - and they are right, and the landlords should be shouting even louder if they knew. After all, whether you are a portfolio landlord, or a family who is doing a stint abroad for a few years and renting out your home, that house is still an investment and will devalue if it is not looked after well. The tenants are also an asset to you whilst they are living there, looking after the property nicely, and paying the rent, so they need to be looked after too and here's why:

Treating tenants well pays dividends to you, they stay longer and they have respect for your property, and even the neighbourhood too all making a positive impact on your bank balance in the long run.

So, my thought of the day is simple dear landlords / letting agents - saving a few quid by not fixing things will lose you money in the end. It will also lose you your lovely tenants sooner, and none of these things are good for your investment.

Treat your tenants well and they will treat your property well, and that's good for everyone - it's rental karma!

Free property management software, Free tenancy agreements

Caution in the auction room

The latest Network Auction residential property sale in Hertfordshire this month achieved a very lowly success rate of only 45%.  This is a stark contrast to their average of 77% as landlords remained on the side lines.

This result perhaps reflection growing caution amongst investors as the property market show every sign of long-term stagnation.  Latest predictions from accountants PWC indicate that house prices may not recover to their peak levels until 2020.  The analysis contained in the UK Economic Outlook report indicate only a 12% chance that real prices will have risen above their 2007 figures by 2015.

No wonder there is an element of caution by landlords in the auction room.

Is it a good time to dive in?  Post your views below.


Landlord insurance - professional rates

BTL still a good investment?

Should I, or shouldn't I?

The buy to let investment question is one that many have pontificated on and many reject, but as a sector it continues to grow.

Recent figures from the Communities and Local Government Department show a 55 per cent increase in the number of people renting privately-owned accommodation during last six years.

The private rental sector has seen a growth from 2.15 million to 3.35 million during this period.

If you are one of those investors still pontificating on whether the BTL sector is for you read this analysis in the Independent. However be warned there is a lot of input from mortgage brokers and let's just put it like this they do have a slight self-interest in firing the market back up.

For whole market view use our free BTL mortgage search tool

Probationary tenancy period to extend

Housing Minister Grant Shapps has announced plans to enable housing associations to extend probationary tenancy periods to 18 months from the existing 12 month period.

Social housing and the private sector will edge closer and closer together over the coming decades, until eventually merging, well that's my prediction.

Read full announcement on changes to probationary tenancy period here

Free tenancy agreements

Norths housing crisis

A Guardian blogger evaluates the shortage of social housing in the North of England.

No new data, more of a composite of surveys and comment from the last few months compiled in to one big long pondering. MMMMMmmmmmmmm???????

Read it here in the Guardian

Free tenancy agreements

FT - HMO letting rules tighten

Some landlords in certain areas of the country could find it increasingly difficult to let to students or groups of young people according to reports in the Financial Times.

This is because increasing numbers of local authorities are using article 4 directions available under the planning system to make landlords have to apply for permission to let their rental properties to groups of 3 or more tenants.

Many local authorities are concerned that so called 'ghettoisation' of HMO properties produces undesirable changes in areas formerly dominated by family housing.

Councils currently imposing restrictions on HMO properties according to the NLA are:

Bournemouth, Brighton, Bristol, Canterbury, Exeter, Leeds, Loughborough, Manchester, Milton Keynes, Newcastle, Northampton, Nottingham, Oxford, Portsmouth, Sheffield, Southampton, Thanet, Warwick, Welwyn Hatfield, York.

It's no surprise that many of these towns are big student centres as this problem is often associated with student living.

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Tips On Tenancy Deposit Disputes 48: The 2nd Tenant Defence

The second standard tenant defence is: I gave proper notice

Typically the dispute revolves around a claim for rent arrears which are accrued at the end of the tenancy when the tenant left without giving notice. It seems that tenants do this quite often and then claim that they gave notice over the phone or by letter.

The best way to avoid this happening is to be specific in the tenancy agreement about how notice may be served. If you specify that notice has to be given in writing by recorded delivery, it doesn’t stop you from accepting notice another way from a law abiding tenant if you want to, but it does prevent fast and loose tenants from trying to make out they gave notice when they didn’t.

Old tenancy agreements that just state the notice period need updating. Accuracy is king when it comes to protecting yourself in legal disputes.

Tom Derrett is the Principal of Deposit Claim, an ex-adjudicator and an expert on the Deposit Protection Schemes. Tom helps landlords to claim money through the deposit protection schemes.

Free property management software, Free tenancy agreements

Average rents 50 percent higher in London

London rents are now 50 percent higher than those of the national average according to figures from the Homelet Rental Index.

The Homelet Index puts average national rents at £750 a month compared to rents in London at £1125.

Our own rent index shows there has been as steady climb in average rents over the past few years, with average rents at £594.

Read more on average rents in this Guardian article

Possession figures up

As tenants struggle with rent and cost of living increases it looks like some are failing to keep up their rental payments resulting in high levels of possession claims according to latest government figures.


In Q1, 34,897 possession claims were issued, a 5% increase on the same quarter last year and 1% up on Q4 2010.  Out of these figures, 24,170 households were hit with a possession notice supported by the courts, a staggering 9% higher on Q1 2010 and 5% higher from the previous quarter.

Get a free initial consultation on how to get possession from a legal expert.

Free property management software, Free tenancy agreements