InventoryBase Blog

Trustworthiness is voted most important tenant trait by landlords

All good landlords are entitled to equally good tenants, with great tenants deserving of a good and comfortable home. But what exact qualities make a desirable and good tenant? New research from a survey of landlords has suggested that trust is one of the most crucial components of an efficient, harmonious and effective tenant-landlord relationship, […]

November 15, 2018

How will the Fitness for Human Habitation Bill help tenants?

The Fitness for Human Habitation Bill has cross-party support from Parliament, and is backed by organisations including the National Landlord Association and Residential Landlords Association, as well as the charity, Shelter. The aim of the Bill is to improve property conditions for tenants within the private rented sector and social housing, and it will also […]

November 14, 2018

InventoryBase launches new update for property reports with embedded HD video

InventoryBase a leading provider of property technology announce their latest version of property inspection software. InventoryBase, the UK’s fastest growing property reporting platform is set to roll out a series of updates for both the app and web dashboard. The latest version of the property inspection app for iOS and Android sees improvements to the […]

November 13, 2018

Which UK postcodes are better for selling or buying

PropCast, a new online service, has been launched, analysing which postcodes in the UK favour house sellers or buyers. Run by Gavin Brazg, a professional property trader from The Advisory, an advice site for home selling, the tool evaluates the micro market by calculating the number of properties currently for sale, sold STC or under […]

November 9, 2018

How you can help tackle domestic violence as a landlord

Domestic violence continues to be one of the most challenging issues in today’s society, but as a letting agent, what can you do to help stop domestic abuse? When escaping violent partners, women are frequently forced to either seek support to stay safely, or they have to leave their home with their children. Over 9,570 […]

November 8, 2018

Privately rented housing standards increase, but improvements are still needed

Standards within the private rented housing industry have increased, as many buy-to-let landlords react to the whirlwind of legislation focused on improving living standards for tenants. However, there are still plenty of improvements that can be made, especially in gas and fire safety. AXA, the rental market insurer, has tracked the progress in the standards […]

November 7, 2018

Calls for mandatory licensing system at Liberal Democrat conference

The Liberal Democrat conference, held on 15th – 18th September in Brighton, resulted in motions being passed which included a number of new proposals for PRS. The conference contained calls for mandatory licensing systems for landlords, and a database containing the details of rogue landlords which would be made available to the public. There were […]

November 6, 2018

Why you should invest in property in Birmingham

A major city and metropolitan borough nestled in the West Midlands, Birmingham has just been awarded the title of sixth best place for property market investment opportunities in Europe. World renowned for its vibrant history, culture and art, the city has an economy now worth a staggering £24bn, a figure that makes it one of […]

November 5, 2018

Scotland continues to offer higher rental yields than Wales and England

In Scotland, buy-to-let investors experienced an annual rental yield of 4.7 per cent on average in August 2018. These returns prove favourable when compared to rental yields in Wales and England, where returns reached 4.4 per cent last month. The statistics, provided by the most recent Scotland Buy to Let Index, commissioned by estate agent, […]

November 2, 2018

The Changes in HMO Room Sizes

New licensing rules for the safety and health of tenants living within Houses in Multiple Occupation (HMOs) will be in place from 1st October, impacting landlords’ businesses. Private landlords who rent out homes with at least five tenants from a minimum of two separate households must have a licence. They must also meet the requirements […]

November 1, 2018

Labour Party Conference calls for formation of renters unions and dismissal of Section 21

In a speech at the Labour Party Conference this month in Liverpool, the Shadow Housing Secretary, John Healey MP, called for a variety of reforms in the private rented sector. These would include the introduction of rental controls, the founding of renter’s unions and the abandonment of Section 21 notices. The aim of these plans […]

October 31, 2018

Landlord’s court victory against Colchester Borough Council

After a long running dispute, Cyril Thomas, an HMO landlord, was acquitted of all housing charges brought against him by Colchester Borough Council. The director of Platinum Crown Investments Limited faced nine housing charges associated to a house of multiple occupation in Colchester. Mr Thomas has spoken of his delight that Chelmsford Crown Court ruled […]

October 30, 2018

How Brexit will impact the private rented sector

With the UK scheduled to withdraw from the European Union (EU) on 29 March 2019, and despite the deep importance of this event, not much is understood about how the Brexit process will be managed and what will happen if ‘no deal’ is agreed between the UK and EU. Despite this uncertainty, the property market […]

October 29, 2018

What is the Homes (Fitness For Human Habitation) Bill?

With the Bill gathering momentum and gaining cross-party support, and its report stage set for October 2018, now is the time to learn about the Homes (Fitness for Habitation) Bill and how it will impact your business. The Homes (Fitness for Human Habitation) Bill aims to ensure that residential homes rented in England are suitable […]

October 26, 2018

Buy-to-Let landlords winning as property remains a solid investment

Tough mortgage lending and higher taxes, along with economic and political uncertainty, are making some people reconsider investing in the buy-to-let market. However, in truth, the property continues to be a solid longer-term investment. With customers still receiving an appalling return on their savings from building societies and banks, people still continue to invest in […]

October 25, 2018

The war on tenant fees: MPs declare more proposals to safeguard tenants

As the Tenant Fees Bill passes to its Third Reading within the House of Commons and the Report Stage, MPs have recommended a series of amendments to the proposed legislation. Earlier this month, it was discovered that the Tenants Fee Bill would contain an adjusted default fee plan, which will grant landlords and letting agents […]

October 24, 2018

The Tenants Fee Bill arrives at House of Lords

The Tenants Fee Bill, which aims to ban the majority of charges to tenants by letting agents and landlords, has begun its journey into the upper chamber of the House of Lords. The Bill was first introduced to Parliament in May 2018, and has since completed stages within the House of Commons, to move swiftly […]

October 23, 2018

OnTheMarket and Zoopla to begin advertising properties for rent on Facebook

Leading property portals, OnTheMarket and Zoopla, have announced this month that they are both planning to begin advertising properties for rent on the social networking site, Facebook. The online property portals will be placing advertisements for property rentals on Facebook Marketplace, which allows Facebook users to browse for items to buy. Facebook Marketplace became available […]

October 22, 2018

Water safety in buy-to-let properties – what you need to know

There is a lot to consider when letting property, and plumbing may not be top of your priorities. However, perhaps it should be, as it is estimated that Britons spend around £707 million each year on repairing their homes from water damage. Here we discuss how to avoid water problems in your buy-to-let property and […]

October 19, 2018

The Impact of the Homes (Fitness for Habitation) Bill

The Homes (Fitness for Habitation) Bill has gained Government support, after being first debated in January 2018. The tragic fire at Grenfell Tower focused attention on the limitations of existing legislation on disrepair and housing standards, with further criticism written in ‘Closing the Gap’, a report published by housing charity, Shelter. With the Bill gaining […]

October 18, 2018

Changes to HMO in England: are you prepared?

On 1 October, the criteria for certain types of House in Multiple Occupation (HMO) changed in England, with mandatory licences being extended. Agents must ensure that they keep landlords informed of the upcoming changes in legislation, whilst ensuring that all applicable properties have licences. In May 2015, the UK government declared that there would be changes […]

October 17, 2018

Landmark report blasts government’s unsuccessful PRS policies

Policies implemented by the government covering the private rented sector (PRS) are reportedly failing tenants, due primarily to their disjointed and uncoordinated nature, a landmark report has revealed. The review, compiled by David Rhodes and Dr. Julie Rugg, who completed similar research in 2008, discovered that many properties within the PRS do not satisfy the […]

October 16, 2018

Research discovers increase in families living in squalid rented homes

New analysis has revealed that one in three rental homes with the lowest rents in England are regarded as not decent, with over a quarter of a million households raising infants in privately rented properties that fail to meet the standards of decent homes. According to a study of official figures, the number of families […]

October 15, 2018

The importance of face-to-face contact between customers and letting agents

A recent study has suggested that there remains real value in the high street presence of letting and estate agents, as over half of UK consumers prefer to communicate and meet with agents in person. A survey commissioned by estate agents Winkworth questioned over 1,000 people and discovered that approximately 56 per cent would choose […]

October 12, 2018

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