InventoryBase Blog

One in five landlords ‘selling up’

One in five landlords is planning to offload properties onto the market this year. Figures from the National Landlords Association show that 19% of buy-to-let investors are planning to sell property. Of these 380,000 investors, 45% are planning to sell apartments, while 33% are looking to offload terraced properties. Only 7% of those surveyed say […]

June 4, 2018

Building regulations found to be broken

Britain’s building regulations are felt to be in tatters, according to a government review ordered following the Grenfell Tower tragedy. In June last year, 71 people died in the fire which engulfed the 24-storey social housing building in London. The cladding is believed to have been one reason why the fire took hold so quickly. […]

June 1, 2018

Choice widens in buy-to-let mortgages

Landlords have much more choice in buy-to-let mortgages and loans, compared to a year ago. Despite mortgage relief being phased out and tighter regulations regarding landlords’ borrowing, there is now more choice than ever. Data from Moneyfacts shows there are 2,022 buy-to-let financial products on the market, which is 29.8% more than this time last […]

May 30, 2018

Rogue landlord register proves to be a capital idea

All London boroughs have shown their support for the capital’s Rogue Landlords and Letting Agents checker. All 33 of them have signed up to the scheme, says London Mayor, Sadiq Khan. He said his campaign to name and shame rogue and unscrupulous landlords has now reached a significant milestone. When the database was launched in […]

May 29, 2018

Technology improving the rental industry

Award-winning British law firm, Mishcon de Reya, is putting its faith in technology since launching the MDR LAB programme for startups. In this, its second year, the programme will enable six companies to work alongside Mishcon de Reya’s legal and business operations teams for 10 weeks. The companies will gain access to the law firm’s […]

May 28, 2018

Landlords fined over Right to Rent checks

More than 400 fines have been issued since the Right to Rent immigration checks were introduced two years ago. Under the scheme, landlords and agents have to find out if a tenant has a legal right to be in the country. Effectively, it means landlords are doing the jobs of immigration officers. Up to the […]

May 25, 2018

What perks would make a tenant pay more rent?

Whilst location is still the key when it comes to getting the right buy-to-let investment, it seems there are other factors to consider when marketing your rental property. Tenants are willing to pay more for features and facilities that add value to them. LSL Property Services recently quizzed more than 3,000 tenants to find out […]

May 24, 2018

Tenants work for four months a year to pay their rent

Apparently, full-time employees work until the beginning of May just to pay their year’s rent. BBC News analysis shows that someone on a middle income in England would have to work 86 days to pay off the annual rent on an average two-bedroom property. This is five more days than in 2011. Tenants in Scotland […]

May 23, 2018

What do tenants really look for in a property?

When investing in a property, or decorating or upgrading one, it’s obviously important to bear in mind the needs of the new tenants. But it can be difficult to second-guess exactly what a tenant needs or is looking for in a home. Once you know what is top of a tenant’s wish-list, then you can […]

May 22, 2018

More professional landlords emerging into the sector

Professional Landlords holding portfolios of 6 to 60 buy-to-let properties in the UK have increased in the first quarter of 2018. The figures have been used to show that confidence remains strong in the sector. Despite the recent changes to regulations, taxes, stamp duty on second homes and mortgages for buy-to-lets over the past few […]

May 18, 2018

Buy-to-let investors hit record high

The UK now has a record number of buy-to-let investors, with 2.5 million landlords in the latest tax year. Research by London estate agent, Ludlow Thompson, has revealed the record high, which is up 5% from the previous tax year. Over the past five years, the number of landlords has risen by 27% – there […]

May 17, 2018

Register of rogue landlords set up

Rogue landlords are to be added to a database which will be shared with local authorities. The register has been set up by the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government as yet another measure to crack down on rogue landlords. It is another way to try to force landlords who let illegal or substandard […]

May 16, 2018

Buy-to-let investors remain buoyant

About two in three buy-to-let investors are confident about the future of the sector in 2018, despite increasing tax burdens, stamp duty on second properties and uncertainty over Brexit. According to Shawbrook Bank research, 65% of investors are confident about their property portfolio for this year. In this year’s buy-to-let barometer, just 14% of landlords […]

May 15, 2018

Fire safety review after Grenfell tragedy ‘misses opportunities’

The government review into fire safety and building regulations has been criticised for missing the chance to look into regulations in all types of accommodation. The Residential Landlords Association, which represents landlords, has raised concerns that the review could have been much broader. It raises its concerns in its response to the interim report into […]

May 14, 2018

Landlords remortgaging to invest in property revamps

Landlords are remortgaging their buy-to-let properties in record numbers in order to make home improvements. According to figures by lettings network, Countrywide, which used its own data, 9,523 landlords who remortgaged their properties used the money for home improvements in the past 12 months. On average, they withdrew £22,850. This is the highest figure that […]

May 11, 2018

Private tenants live in shoddy homes for fear of being evicted

More than one in four tenants living in private rental accommodation in England who have had problems with their housing did not complain in case they were evicted. Citizens Advice found that 28% of tenants had not spoken out because they were fearful of ‘revenge evictions’. Citizens Advice staff also found that 43% worried about […]

May 10, 2018

Many millennials will be ‘lifelong’ renters

As many as half of the millennial generation are likely to still be living in rental accommodation in their 40s, while one in three people could be renters when they retire. A new report from the think tank, The Resolution Foundation, shows that this is the likely scenario if the homeownership growth in the UK […]

May 9, 2018

Scotland favours the landlord

More than four times as many English landlords are investing in Scottish buy-to-lets than six years ago. In 2012, just 260 new landlords from England registered deposits with SafeDeposits Scotland for rental properties. In 2017, this had increased to 1,388 new registrations. Already this year, the trend is continuing with an increase of 226% compared […]

May 7, 2018

Councils should have powers to seize homes from criminal landlords

Local authorities should have the power to seize homes from rogue or criminal landlords who are letting their tenants live in dangerous, damp or freezing conditions, a powerful parliamentary committee has proposed. The MPs said that better protection should be given to vulnerable tenants. They said these tenants are too scared to speak out about […]

May 4, 2018

New type of landlord is emerging

Landlords are getting younger, more professional and feeling optimistic, according to a new survey. New legislation, tax changes and stamp duty increases have brought a lot of changes to the private rental sector. This includes the type of landlord who has responded to these changes – and seen opportunities. A survey by Simple Landlords Insurance […]

May 3, 2018

Britain needs a thriving rental sector

Britain should shift its focus away from property ownership and look at ways to boost the rental sector instead, many housing experts argue. For many years, the UK has guided its housing policy towards home ownership. It was almost like a rite of passage that you grew up, found work and took out a mortgage. […]

Does bigger mean better in the buy-to-let sector?

The landscape of the rental sector in the UK is slowly shifting, with big investors and developers finding the market of interest here. Many people rent from small private landlords or the so-called accidental landlords, who are letting property as they don’t want to sell up. Now, corporations and landlords with impressive portfolios are providing […]

May 1, 2018

Meet the new rental kids on the block

Developers are reaching for the skies as they build purpose-built apartment blocks to meet the demands of tenants. The most impressive to date is the newly-built apartment block by Canadian company, UNCLE, which has 279 chic one and two-bedroom apartments in the 45-storey tower – officially the UK’s tallest apartment block for rentals. The aim […]

April 27, 2018

Can blockchain unblock property searches?

Proptech continues to redefine the way that properties are searched for, bought, sold and rented out. People can search for properties online, visit them virtually or via video, negotiate prices, draw up contracts and seal deals using their computers or smartphone apps. Trends in the past couple of years have included apps to organise your […]

April 26, 2018

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