Landlords are remortgaging for property improvement
Industry figures covering the first half of the year reveal a steep annual increase in the amount of extra buy-to-let borrowing used for improving properties. Industry figures on the purpose for new buy-to-let remortgages show that the first half of 2024 saw equity valued at £712 million used for property improvement in 4,632 remortgage cases. […]
Easing of pressures in the rental market
According to the property listings platforms Zoopla and Rightmove, there are now signs of a slight uptick in the supply of rental housing. However, the National Residential Landlords Association (NRLA) is warning that recovery in the rental market remains fragile, with the demand for rental housing still outstripping supply. Data from the research consultancy Pegasus […]
Variation in Energy Performance Certificates
Energy labelling within the UK, EU and beyond is not standardised, according to international real estate advisor Savills. The company’s Impacts research programme has revealed standards for the Energy Performance Certificate (EPC) regime vary widely, even among EU countries. This means that a commercial building receiving the highest rating in one country could receive a […]
An alliance to boost build-to-rent
Two major organisations have come together to form an alliance in the hope of improving the outlook for build-to-rent homes. The Build to Rent Alliance has been created at a time when the latest figures show build-to-rent (BtR) delivery slowing across every region of the UK. As well as uniting the two major sector representative […]
Call for builders to be licensed
The Federation of Master Builders (FMB) is urging the government to introduce mandatory licensing across all domestic building work following a recent survey. The research reveals 37 per cent of adults in Britain have hired a builder who turned out to be unreliable or unqualified, with homeowners losing £14.3bn to cowboys in the past five […]
Energy efficiency proposals are unrealistic
Government plans to improve the energy efficiency of private rented housing are unachievable, according to the National Residential Landlords Association (NRLA). The body representing private sector landlords has warned that current proposals are unrealistic. Government proposals currently under consideration could result in private landlords having less than two years to upgrade 2.5 million private rented […]
New HMO licences are on the decline
The number of houses in multiple occupation (HMO) licences being granted by local planning authorities (LPAs) is on the decline across much of the UK, according to recent research. The latest data from property software operation Searchland reveals the number of HMO licences has dropped in most areas other than Oxford, Bristol and parts of London. Large HMOs require […]
Smaller homes must be included in key student housing exemption
The National Residential Landlord Association (NRLA) has warned that government plans to restrict a key student housing exemption to larger Houses in Multiple Occupation (HMOs) risk undermining supply and disrupting the annual student rental cycle. This follows comments made by the House of Lords Housing Minister, Baroness Taylor of Stevenage, during committee stage of the […]
A bottleneck in starting build-to-rent developments
The number of new starts in build-to-rent (BtR) developments has fallen behind – and for the fifth quarter in a row, completions have outstripped breaking ground on new sites. The latest analysis from the British Property Federation (BPF) and Savills does show continued strength in BtR completions, however, with more than 17,000 homes finished between […]
A training day for landlords
An event is being staged in London to help landlords prepare for what are being described as the most significant changes to the rental market in three decades. To help landlords navigate the upcoming changes, the one-day training event will take place in London on Wednesday, June 4, at Hamilton House, in London. Hosted by Paul Shamplina, Co-Founder […]
