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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Labour MP, Roger Godsiff, has accused Birmingham housing officers of conspiring to allow the move of an anti-social tenant from one of its properties to a housing association. The MP for for Birmingham, Hall Green, raised the case of one of his constituents who has been affected by the move in the House of Commons yesterday….

According to the classified advertising website, Gumtree, the volume of London property rental ads on its site has risen by over one third in the last year. Gumtree also reports that half of all responses to rental property ads in the UK (placed via their website) are for London properties.  Of the 2.9m replies to rental…

According to the National Landlords Association (NLA), the number of so called “accidental landlords” is on the rise. Research by the associations has shown that 43% of its members did not buy the first property they let out with the intention of becoming a landlord. according to Auction Finance Limited, there are five reasons for…

The National Landlords Association has urged landlords to use the green deal scheme to cut energy bills. This comes after the announcement of the latest price rises from energy companies. British Gas have raised their prices by an average of 6%, and Npower have announced average rises of 8.8% for gas and 9.1% for electricity…