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Housing and homelessness charity, Shelter, have described the fees charged by letting agents across Britain as “out of control”, and claim that they are forcing millions into debt. It claims that on average tenants are being charged £350 for everything from fees to set up a tenancy, administration fees, holding fees, credit check fees and check-in… Continue Reading
Category Archives: News
Proud to be members of The Property Ombudsman Service
The Online Letting Agents are proud to be member of The Property Ombudsman Service. Why should you choose a letting agent who is registered with TPO? Registered agents must follow The Property Ombudsman Letting Code of Practice. This sets out the framework within which registered agents must operate and the standards of service they must… Continue Reading
A Tenant’s Guide to the Custodial Deposit Scheme
In April 2007 it became law for all assured short hold tenancy deposits taken by landlords or letting agents to be protected in a Government-authorised tenancy deposit protection scheme. The Deposit Protection Service (The DPS) runs the only custodial scheme authorised by the Government. Their custodial scheme means that your deposit is paid to the… Continue Reading
Quick Ways to Improve your Rental Property (and get it let fast!)
Studies suggest it only takes eight seconds for someone to decide if a new property is for them, and most of us can recall a place we either fell in love with at first sight, or decided instantly that it was never going to work out. Of course some houses are so picturesque that they’ll… Continue Reading
Bank of England Leaves Base Rate Unchanged!
The Bank of England has decided to keep its stimulus programme of quantitative easing (QE) unchanged and also announced today that interest rates will remain at 0.5%. The decision was widely expected, with most analysts not expecting any change in policy until the new Bank governor, Mark Carney, arrives in July. The Monetary Policy Committee (MPC) has… Continue Reading
Councils Struggle to Cope with Demand for Emergency Payments
Following the introduction of the so-called “bedroom tax” on 1st April this year, local councils have seen a surge in demand for discretionary housing payments (DHP) leaving housing associations struggling with the additional workload. DHPs are temporary payments provided by councils in order to help cover costs when there is a change in the benefit… Continue Reading
Landlord Licensing
Nearly a third of councils in England have said they would consider introducing compulsory licensing schemes for landlords. A study by the Local Government Information Unit (LGiU) and the Electrical Safety Council revealed six out of every 10 councils are already considering investing in training and support for local private landlords. Eight out of 10… Continue Reading
Landlords Guide to Houses in Multiple Occupation (HMO)
Landlords who rent their property to a group of unrelated tenants often face complex legal responsibilities. This guide explains the key points. If you’re letting out property to students or professionals who aren’t related to one another, the property may be classed as a house in multiple occupation (HMO). In this case, you’ll need to… Continue Reading
Landlords Legally Responsible for Checking the Immigration Status of their Tenants
LandlordZONE recently asked us to write an article on the new proposals to make landlords responsible for checking their tenant’s right to be in the UK: The Queens Speech on the 8th May 2013 announced plans, as part of an Immigration Bill, to make landlords legally responsible for checking the immigration status of their tenants.… Continue Reading
Would a Nation of Renters Be Better for Our Economy
More people renting houses rather than owning them would be better for our economy In April, mortgage lending fell for the fourth month in a row. It seems that the British are so determined to get on top of their personal debt that repayments have exceeded borrowing for eight of the past 12 months. Since… Continue Reading