As a result of recent changes to the law, landlords could find themselves with the bill for any unpaid water charges if they fail to inform the utility company of a tenant’s details. Up until recently, a tenant’s arrears with any of the utilities (water, electricity, gas or telephone) had not been a concern of…

The Association of Residential Letting Agents, ARLA, has reported that demand for quality properties to rent is still firmly outstripping supply. According to a survey of ARLA members, more than 58% are still reporting a significant gap between supply and demand; 3% more that their December 2011 survey. Compared to three months ago, the national…

Increasing numbers of retirees are becoming landlords and relying on income from letting out property to boost their retirement finances. According to BM Solutions, a specialist buy to let mortgage provider, 80% of landlords view letting out property as a supplementary source of income to their pension and around 60% are actively planning to live…

Nottingham City Homes, who run the city’s council houses, has recently signed up to a new national repairs charter. City Homes director of property services Mark Johnson said: “By signing up to this charter we are showing our customers that we want to aim for the best possible repairs service.” The charter, developed by the…

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Official figures have revealed that Britain is currently issuing the largest number of buy to let mortgages since records began, with one in eight mortgages now being a buy-to-let loan. There are 11.3 million mortgages in this country, of which 1.44 million are buy-to-let loans. Ten years ago, there were only 275,500 buy-to-let loans, equal to…

The number of buy-to-let loans rose in the third quarter (Q3) of 2012.  Research from the Council of Mortgage Lenders (CML) revealed that in the three months to September there was a 2% rise in the number of loans that were advanced, a total of 34,400 mortgages were approved. Accordingly, letting agencies may have noted a rise…

The habits of house-hunters have changed with the advent of the internet, and websites such as rightmove and Zoopla.  Indeed, around 90% of people begin their search for a new home online! It is no surprise, therefore, that landlords advertising on these sites secure tenants quickly and minimise any void period. Online letting agents are…

According to the Association of Residential Letting Agents (ARLA), the end of the summer is traditionally a busy time for new tenancies as prospective tenants take advantage of warmer weather and longer evenings to search for properties. The number of new rental agreements is also usually boosted by the start of graduate job programmes in…