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…

Lambeth Council has pleaded guilty to criminal charges at Camberwell Green Magistrates Court after a mother of three was forced to leave her bedroom due to the mould in her flat.  The tenant, who has been named as Ms Murphy, brought the case when her complaints about her flat were not resolved. Ms Murphy’s flat…

Paragon has launched a range of buy-to-let mortgage products in an attempt to target more smaller portfolio landlords. The lender has launched a total of 18 products which target professional landlords, re-pricing six of its fixed rate deals and launching 12 variable mortgages. It’s sister brand, Mortgage Trust, will also offer two new trackers and…

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