When you are ready to purchase a buy to let property it is critically important that you finance it in the most cost-effective way possible. You also need to get your funds in place as quickly as possible, as you won’t be the only one looking to snap up a bargain investment. To ensure you…

The so-called ‘bedroom tax’ is an under-occupation charge for people living in social housing who have a spare room.  This ‘bedroom tax’ takes effect April 2013.  Tenants will have a choice of paying, on average, an extra £40 per month if they have one spare room, £70 per month if they have two, or move…

More and more people are struggling to sell their homes and an increasing number of sellers are opting to let their property out as a result. New research from Total Landlord Insurance has revealed that a staggering number of so-called “accidental landlords” are unwittingly opening themselves up to risk. Letyourproperty.tv is a new live and interactive webTV…

New research has shown that the buy to let property boom is set to continue, and even more families will have to rent if the economy does not improve. In 1994, just 7% of the population were renting privately.  A study conducted by the Resolution Foundation for housing charity Shelter has suggested that the number…

Tenants are typically viewed to be of higher risk than owner-occupiers, and for this reason regular homeowner insurance policies are often invalid for tenanted homes. Most mortgage lenders will require that you have buildings insurance in place.  Landlords building insurance will cover you against a number of eventualities, and is specifically tailored to offer a…

Following a vote by it’s cabinet, Charnwood Council have decided to transfer the management of its 6,000 homes back to the council from it’s arm’s-length management organisation (ALMO), Charnwood Neighbourhood Housing. CNH was set up in 2007 with a 10-year-contract to manage the council stock.  The contract included a break clause in June 2012, which…

The Bank of England has announced that the base rate will be held at 0.5%, making this it’s 39th consecutive month at the historically low rate. The decision is good news for mortgage holders who have rates linked to the base rate.  Savers, however, will continue to suffer, with low returns on their money at…

The government is introducing measures that will remove the social housing rent subsidy for higher earners. In what is being called a “pay to stay” scheme, the government are backing plans to introduce a new household income threshold, which will see social tenants with a total income above the threshold paying full market rent.  It…

Following a crackdown on the illegal subletting of council properties, the London Borough of Hillingdon has reclaimed 36 properties from people committing housing tenancy fraud. The 36 properties have been reclaimed following a crackdown which began just over a year ago in April 2011.  The properties were reclaimed from tenants who had been illegally sub-letting their…

The government has been urged to allow social landlords greater flexibility over setting rents on a local basis as part of the affordable rent model. The call from the Royal Institute of Chartered Surveyors comes as part of a wide-ranging review into the UK’s residential housing policy. In the review, published this week, RICS said…