Monthly Archives: August 2012

Your Property is Now Showing on the NEW Rightmove iPad App!

Search traffic generated by people using a mobile device continues to grow at a staggering rate.

At peak times up to 30% of searches to Rightmove are being performed via smartphones and tablets.

Rightmove have just released their new iPad app.  It is free to download from the Apple app store.

This exciting new release has been designed to offer a great user experience and ensures that potential tenants will be able to search for, and view, your property even when they aren’t at their desk!

Councils Favour “Pay to Stay” Plans

Wandsworth council in London has backed a call for wealthier social tenants to pay higher rents. In a response to a government consultation on the ‘pay to stay’ proposals launched in June this year , Conservative-run Wandsworth Council said that tenants with annual incomes of more than £60,000 should not benefit from sub-market rent. The consultation paper,… Continue Reading

Social Tenants Take the Bedroom Tax Hit

Work being carried out by Wirral Partnership Homes has found that 45% of its tenants who will be affected by the penalty for under-occupation will accept the reduction to benefit payments rather than move to smaller properties. From April 2013, working age social tenants who are receiving housing benefit will see payments cut if they… Continue Reading

Woman Jailed for Fraudulent Social Housing Application

Rita Lambani, 35, of Laindon, Essex, was convicted of fraud at Basildon Magistrates Court this month after failing to declare she owned a home when she applied for social housing. An investigation found that Ms Limbani had not declared a property was registered in her name, that she paid the mortgage and that she rented… Continue Reading

Two Landlords Sentenced for Ignoring Gas Safety Rules

Two Sheffield landlords have been given suspended jail sentences for failing to maintain gas appliances at a flat they rented out. The problem was first identified when council housing officers went to the property in Gleadless Road and noticed a gas fire’s flame burning yellow. A subsequent investigation carried out by a Gas Safe Register… Continue Reading

Rents Rise Over 4% in Last 12 Months

The cost of renting a home has risen by over four percent in the last year, according to the RICS Residential Lettings Market Survey, with many would-be buyers continuing to find themselves locked out of the sales market. Click here for the latest RICS Residential Lettings Survey (May – July 2012) The cost of renting a… Continue Reading

Landlords Urged to Vet Tenants More Carefully

Buy-to-let landlords are being urged to boost their vetting procedures after figures showed the number of tenants in severe arrears increased by almost a quarter in a year. The country’s return to recession has meant frozen or lower wages and high unemployment. Combine this with rising rents and an increase in the cost of living,… Continue Reading

Social Landlords Spend Millions Tackling Anti-Social Behaviour

According to data compiled by benchmarking organisation Housemark social landlords deal with around 300,000 anti-social behaviour cases each year, at a cost in excess of £300 million. Based on a survey of 402 landlords, it has been estimated that the workload equates to 56% of the police’s total Anti-Social Behaviour workload. According to its watchdog,… Continue Reading

Number of Tenants in Arrears is Increasing, Research Shows

Research conducted by the National Landlords Association (NLA) of their members has found that landlords with an average portfolio of 12 lettings, has four tenants in arrears with an average of £2,363 owed. The research indicates the problems caused by the existing economic downturn, which has left many people with financial worries, and struggling to… Continue Reading