InventoryBase Blog

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

Are you providing your tenants with what they want?

Due to the inflation of living costs and house prices, the number of people able to get onto the housing ladder has decreased over the generations. Renting has become the only viable option for many to live nowadays, but are letting agents and landlords providing what tenants actually want? Despite trends indicating that the housing […]

October 11, 2018

The Real price of nuisance neighbours

We all need good neighbours, but not all tenants and homeowners are fortunate enough to hit it off with those that live next door. When events turn sour, life becomes stressful and property prices can even tumble. According to a new study commissioned by financial services comparison website, GoCompare, nuisance neighbours are not merely a […]

October 10, 2018

The university towns which offer the highest buy-to-let returns

As A-Level students discover if they have achieved the grades they need to get into their university of choice, and students get ready to return to their studies at university and college, now could be the perfect time to invest in the student buy-to-let market. A recently released study has revealed that landlords who let […]

October 9, 2018

Liverpool: an opportunity for buy-to-let investors

Famous for its extensive industrial history, world-class Premier League football and acclaimed music scene, Liverpool has experienced a major overhaul, making it the perfect opportunity for buy-to-let investors. Located in England’s North East and crowned 2008 European City of Culture, Liverpool’s population continues to grow and experience regeneration as a result, and it is now […]

October 8, 2018

Potential tenants warned of renting scams

Threshold, a housing charity in Ireland, has warned potential tenants to exercise caution when replying to advertisements for rental properties, in order to not fall victim to rental scams. Vulnerable tenants such as young, inexperienced renters and students are proving especially vulnerable in lettings fraud in their attempts to secure appropriate rental properties. Scammers are […]

October 5, 2018

Four easy ways to boost tenant satisfaction

The private rented sector (PRS) is often complacent when it comes to customer and tenant satisfaction. In a turbulent and changing lettings landscape, the best landlords and letting agents are focusing on tenant retention as the key to flourishing in the lettings market. The tenant demographic is constantly evolving, and similarly, so are tenant requirements […]

October 4, 2018

£5,000 fine for landlord found guilty of safety failings

A UK landlord has been ordered by the courts to pay more than £5,000 for admitting to failings in safety within a rental property in Letchworth, Hertfordshire. Landlord, Lawrence Connors, of Hitchin Road in Arlesey, appeared before Magistrates in Stevenage, and accepted in court that he had neglected to follow regulations in fire safety. The […]

October 3, 2018

‹123 4 ›»