InventoryBase Blog

Tenants Fee Bill will be fast-tracked through House of Commons

The Tenants Fee Bill is set to get a smoother and faster passage through Parliament, enduring fewer amendments than usual, due to Brexit negotiations taking centre stage in the House of Commons. The controversial Bill looks likely to pass, and will ban most charges by letting agents and landlords to tenants at pre-tenancy stages in […]

January 16, 2019

Equality laws broken by landlords rejecting tenants on housing benefits

Thousands of letting agents and landlords across the UK could be breaching equality laws by rejecting tenants claiming housing benefit, according to recent research from Shelter and the National Housing Federation. The study discovered that 20 percent of letting agents located in England, some of which were acting on instructions from their landlord clients, are […]

January 15, 2019

Five month wait for possession after eviction for landlords

According to statistics released from the Ministry of Justice, private landlords are waiting an average time of at least five months to attain possession of their property after applying through the courts. Landlords usually resort to possession claims as a last effort and want repossession as soon as possible due to the increased sum of […]

January 14, 2019

Government’s U-turn on deposits could cause vulnerable tenants to suffer

Landlord associations have warned tenants who are currently receiving benefits or who own a pet that they could suffer under the Government’s amended plans to cut the new deposit cap from six weeks to five. The cap is being introduced as part of the new Tenants Fee Bill being implemented next year, and was originally […]

January 11, 2019

Fitness For Human Habitation (FFHH) Act 2018

On the 20th December 2018 the Fitness For Human Habitation Bill received Royal Assent and is therefore now enshrined in law. The Bill revives a clause which already exists in the Landlord and Tenant Act 1985, requiring all rented homes to be ‘fit for human habitation’ at the start of the tenancy, and to remain […]

January 10, 2019

Risk of hidden charges despite tenants fee ban

The plan from the Government to launch a ban on the fees charged to tenants from letting agents and landlords is likely to take effect from next year. However, campaigners have highlighted that the new laws being passed through Parliament will not be enough to stop all the hidden charges and fees for renters. Introduced […]

The most affordable boroughs in London to rent property based on salary

It has been revealed that tenants renting property within the London borough of Kingston upon Thames are paying the lowest portion of their salary on rental payments. The new research has been collected by OnTheMarket.com, and has discovered that when renting a single bedroom property in Kingston upon Thames, an average rent of £1,099.15, which […]

January 9, 2019

Letting agents in Islington found guilty of fraud totalling £105,000

A company of letting agents, after a major investigation from Islington Council, has been found guilty of fraud. The three men behind the deceptive letting agency failed to pass rent payments onto landlord clients and return deposits to tenants. Earlier this month they were convicted of fraud by the jury following a crown court trial […]

January 8, 2019

Traditional tenant referencing is outdated and overpriced, claims PropTech entrepreneur

According to a PropTech entrepreneur and letting agent based in Sheffield, traditional tenant referencing is obsolete, as it uses slow and old systems, does not have adequate technology support as well as being extremely overpriced. Director of Vouch and SheffLets, Simon Tillyer, explains that consumers using traditional referencing methods and suppliers are paying far too […]

January 7, 2019

Upad launches a new rent collection system using direct debit

Upad, an online letting agency, has announced that it is now offering a new proprietary system to landlords which collects rental payments by direct debit. Rent Manager, the name of the new system from the agent, by using a method of collection controlled by direct debit, will provide assurance to landlords each month that the […]

January 4, 2019

How to winter proof rental properties

You will be well aware of how winter can push your rental properties to their limits, and you no doubt want to avoid any tenant emergencies during the winter months. A few precautions before the cold weather truly sets in can help reduce the possibility of emergencies to an absolute minimum. The first step is […]

January 3, 2019

Bill could empower tenants and expose rogue landlords

Lord Best has recently outlined the hopes for the Homes (Fitness for Human Habitation) Bill to overhaul the out-of-date current legislation for the private rented sector. The private member’s bill was introduced by MP, Karen Buck, with the aim of redressing the clear imbalance within the lettings sector, while empowering renters. With the private rented […]

January 2, 2019

Independent inventory clerks key in bypassing tenant landlord disputes

The AIIC (Association of Independent Inventory Clerks) has reminded letting agents, landlords and tenants that a key justification for engaging an independent inventory clerk is their ability to act independently from all parties involved. Inventory clerks, especially those belonging to a professional association, take pride in their neutrality between agent, landlord and tenant, according to the […]

January 1, 2019

Banks criticised for imposing restrictions on tenants on benefits

Banks have been criticised by MPs for imposing restrictions on lending for buy to let mortgages, which has ultimately lead to discrimination against tenants receiving benefits. Some letting agents and landlords are therefore receiving accusations of indirect discrimination as they refuse tenants on benefits. Currently, landlords are unable to secure mortgages from the majority of […]

December 31, 2018

Could deposit free renting benefit landlords?

With the problems of Universal Credit being experienced by a growing amount of claimants, and forcing some into rent arrears and destitution, anti-deposit campaigners are urging letting agents and buy to let landlords to consider deposit free renting. Recent reports have shown that Universal Credit, which has replaced 6 benefits, has more than doubled the […]

December 28, 2018

Changes in legislation could push agents into embracing modern technology

With the impending implementation of new measures such as the Tenants Fees Bill, professionally conducted inventory inspections are predicted to become an even more vital and important part of managing property. There will be many other aspects of the new regulations that will transform the way letting agents operate. Many letting agents will likely face […]

December 27, 2018

More controversy for agency at centre of ‘viewing charges’ scandal

It has been discovered that the agency at the focus of a scandal on alleged charges for viewing property has been at the centre of even more controversy recently. The London-based single office agency, Flintons, hit the headlines this week when it was accused by the BBC of effectively charging hundreds of pounds to prospective […]

December 26, 2018

Government proposes new Housing Court

The Government has launched a consultation, with the aim of reforming the avenues to justice for tenants and landlords, with the most controversial measure being the introduction of a new Housing Court. At the moment, most housing cases, such as possession cases, are taken to County Court and the first-tier Tribunal Property Chamber. However, many […]

December 25, 2018

Nottingham Council loses £95k court case against landlord

Nottingham City Council, which has implemented a selective licensing scheme, has been criticised after misusing £95,000 worth of taxpayers’ funds on an unsuccessful appeal case at the Supreme Court. Nottingham Council lost the two cases against a landlord, who they took to court to contest the size of two HMO student bedrooms, which were built […]

December 24, 2018

Good news for renters as rent payments added to credit score calculations

Private tenants with a record of paying their rent punctually are set to be rewarded with better credit scores, as Experian announces it is taking into account the payment habits of renters. The credit reference organisation estimates that approximately 80 per cent of tenants across the UK will see an increase in their credit scores, […]

December 21, 2018

What are the best yield hotspots for the buy to let sector?

A new study has been released which analyses the buy to let market, revealing which areas provide the best investment opportunities to investors. This research is likely to be of particular interest to buy to let landlords that adopt high yielding investment strategies. The research was conducted by Shawbrook Bank, which has discovered that Scotland […]

December 20, 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 […]

December 19, 2018

Labour plans to put an end to the housing crisis

In a speech at the Labour Party Conference held in Liverpool, John Healey MP, Labour’s Shadow Housing Secretary, criticised the Prime Minister’s statement concerning affordable housing, claiming it falls short of what is required, and he promised a collection of measures that would effectively end Britain’s housing crisis. ‘Rebuilding Britain for the many, not the […]

December 18, 2018

The impact of Google on the property market

As Google celebrates its 20th birthday this year, we reflect on the tech giant’s impact on the property market. Officially launched in September 1998, two PhD students from Stanford, Sergey Brin and Larry Page, founded the search engine which would transform the world and how we use the internet. From these humble beginnings at Stanford […]

December 17, 2018

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