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UK landlords must check ‘right to rent’ from February, warns law firm

Wednesday, 27th January 2016

All residential landlords in the UK must conduct detailed ‘right to rent’ checks from 1 February 2016 when granting new tenancy agreements. Law firm Howard Kennedy warned the checks could be time-consuming and may require landlords to report tenants without the right paperwork to... View Article

Private Finance: Buy to Let still remains attractive for investment

Tuesday, 26th January 2016

Following an analysis of the market, Private Finance believes that buy to let remains an attractive investment in the immediate future. However, the broker has also warned that accessing finance will now be the biggest challenge for amateur landlords in... View Article

London Central Portfolio responds to CML figures

Tuesday, 26th January 2016

Figures reported today by the Council of Mortgage Lenders have shown gross mortgage lending for the UK on the rise overall. Over £220 billion was lent in 2015 –the highest since 2008 and an 8 per cent increase over 2014. However, research conducted by London... View Article

Daniel Watney: Attacking landlords won’t fix private rented sector

Monday, 25th January 2016

The government’s approach towards private landlords risks hurting tenants, a leading London property consultancy is warning, after the government announced an extra £5m towards tackling ‘rogue’ landlords. Julian Goddard, head of residential at Daniel Watney LLP, has warned the government’s... View Article

BSRIA encouraged by current wave of house building announcements

Friday, 22nd January 2016

The Ministry of Defence (MoD) has announced it will sell off a dozen of its sites to raise £500 million and provide land for 15,000 homes. Defence minister Mark Lancaster said the money from the sale will be ploughed back... View Article

CML: Gross mortgage lending up 8 per cent in 2015

Thursday, 21st January 2016

The Council of Mortgage Lenders estimated that gross mortgage lending reached £19.9 billion in December 2015. This is 3 per cent lower than November (£20.5 billion), but 23 per cent higher than December 2014 (£16.2 billion). The estimated total for the year is thus £220.3... View Article

Mortgage Advice Bureau: Tax hike to heighten housing demand in the coming months

Thursday, 21st January 2016

Mortgage Advice Bureau commented on the RICS Residential Market Survey, CML Mortgage Lending Figures and HMRC Property Transactions (December 2015). Brian Murphy, Head of Lending at Mortgage Advice Bureau (MAB), comments: “There was a rush of buyers hitting the property market... View Article

DeVere Mortgages: Interest rates will drive mortgage market for years

Wednesday, 20th January 2016

The governor of the Bank of England has booted an interest rate rise into the long grass and beyond and this will further drive demand for mortgages throughout 2016, affirms the boss of Devere Mortgages. The comments come as Mark... View Article

Mortgage Advice Bureau comments on latest ONS house price index

Tuesday, 19th January 2016

Brian Murphy, Head of Lending at Mortgage Advice Bureau, commented on the increase in UK house prices as reported by the ONS. “House prices in November saw the biggest annual increase in eight months, despite traditionally being a quieter time in the housing... View Article

JLL: take-up of Grade A office space in Glasgow centre almost doubled in 2015

Tuesday, 19th January 2016

A total of 570,905 ft² was transacted in the Glasgow city centre, 15 per cent above the five-year average. Grade A space makes up 314,256ft², representing a 90 per cent increase on 164,773ft² in 2014, although total take-up is down... View Article

Nacro housing director full of praise for government investment plan

Monday, 11th January 2016

Commenting on the Prime Minister’s plans to invest in developing deprived housing estates, Joanne Drew, Director of Housing at Nacro, said: “We welcome the Prime Minister’s announcement to invest in developing deprived housing estates. Nacro led national thinking on ‘secured... View Article

ASSA ABLOY UK tips construction industry to respond after mixed 2015

Thursday, 7th January 2016

Despite the dip in the latter part of 2015, latest forecasts from the Construction Products Association (CPA) predict that construction output is expected to rise by 19.7% between 2015 and 2019, with 2016 enjoying a 3.8% increase. As expected growth... View Article

Council Tax proposals may damage house building, warns FMB

Thursday, 7th January 2016

Charging Council Tax on unbuilt developments could decrease house building numbers by deterring SME house builders, warns the Federation of Master Builders (FMB) in response to proposals made by the Local Government Association today. Brian Berry, Chief Executive of the... View Article

Brian Rubins: New year will be rosy for brokers with bridging expertise

Wednesday, 6th January 2016

Manager Director of Alternative Bridging Brian Rubins claims the new year will see an increasing demand for specialist brokers with expertise in bridging finance. Rubins commented: “Experienced brokers understand what bridging finance lenders are seeking, how to propose the loan to... View Article

Managing water in a wetter world

Monday, 7th December 2015

Michael White, business development director of Alumasc Water Management Solutions, says climate change, increased urbanisation and more extreme weather is causing problems for our built environment. Incorporating high capacity steel rainwater systems into our buildings is an effective and affordable... View Article

Improving indoor air quality – a breath of fresh air

Wednesday, 11th November 2015

There’s increasing awareness that as we design our homes to be more airtight and energy and heat efficient, we are risking the air quality indoors and the health of people who live inside them. Ventilation is taking on a new... View Article

Modern and stylish adaptive bathrooms

Wednesday, 11th November 2015

When it comes to refurbishing housing stock with fully adaptive bathrooms, many landlords, housing associations and local authorities think high-end aesthetics are simply not cost-effective. An evolving market is now challenging that view more than ever. Peter Melia, UK business... View Article

New rules for smoke alarms

Wednesday, 11th November 2015

New government regulations demanding smoke alarms and, in some instances, carbon monoxide alarms in privately rented homes add to a confusing mix of requirements, leading alarm manufacturer Kidde explains. With occupants at least four times more likely to die in... View Article

Buying into biomass

Wednesday, 11th November 2015

As a sustainable low-carbon technology, biomass has become an increasingly popular option for housing associations. What’s more, registered landlords who have installed biomass have seen a reduction in fuel bills for their tenants, making it even more attractive – particularly... View Article

Selecting the right flooring for your housing

Monday, 9th November 2015

Designer Contracts MD, Peter Kelsey, offers his expert opinion on how to select the right contractor and the right flooring products for any social or private rented property The nature of social and private rental properties should be researched and... View Article