Category: Advice

Landlords should ensure their investment is sound

In the rush to make cash out of the booming rental market some landlords are risking their businesses by making rash decisions, according to a leading group of surveyors.
The Royal Institute of Chartered Surveyors is warning landlords that when it comes to buying new properties they should surround themselves with protection. Not only should they make sure they have adequate landlords insurance on the property but they should take steps to ensure the home is a sound investment before they conclude the deal.
The warning comes […]

Number of empty homes in Boston is increasing each quarter

Latest statistics show that the borough of Boston has 411 long-term empty properties, with 295 of them being empty for at least twelve months. The high number is yet another reason for the deepening housing crisis in Boston, which has seen many people unable to either afford a home or move up the boroughs housing waiting list.
Most mortgage lenders are still looking for a deposit of at least 20%, meaning the average first time buyer in Boston will face seven years of scrimping and saving […]

Poor to be hit hardest by size criteria scheme

Poor families living in social housing that is protected by landlord insurance look set to be penalised for staying in a property that the Government deems too large for their needs. The Coalition had previously claimed that the families would lose an average of £620 but now that is set to rise to £1400 a year.
The new “size criteria” scheme has come under attack by the NHF (National Housing Federation) who are worried for the huge number of families who are going to struggle with […]

Property damage expected as Thundersnow is forecast for Scotland

Property investors in Scotland have been turning to their landlord insurance policies in their droves this week as freak weather conditions have brought back memories of last year’s awful winter. Claims for wind damage and flooding are normal in Scotland at this time of year but insurers say the last few days has seen a significant increase in emergency calls as the weather takes a turn for the worse.
Landlords in Argyll and Bute, Ayrshire and Central Scotland have seen their properties damaged by localised flooding, […]

New service offers savings for landlords

At a time when property investors are experiencing higher rental achievements than ever before, a new service set to be launched in January offers to save them even more cash when it comes to advertising their properties.
Movestart.co.uk is an online letting service which promises to be of interest to any property investor with a need for landlord insurance. The website is offering to advertise rental property for just £49 which includes a tenant referencing service in the price. The backers of the website believe the […]

Work starts on renovation project

A regeneration scheme that is costing over £200million has at last got under way. Bulldozers started demolishing empty properties as residents gathered to watch the start of work that will see six-hundred homes demolished to make way for new housing.
Residents expressed their joy at seeing the first steps of the huge project begin and all of them firmly believe the new development will make their area a much more pleasant place to live. New homes will be built in place of the demolished houses, with […]

Colchester to benefit from massive investment

Developers Mersea Homes and Countryside Properties have unveiled their detailed plans for a huge housing development in Colchester. Together they intend to build 1,800 homes, a new shopping precinct, a new community centre and much needed new secondary and primary schools.
The development will cover one-hundred hectares of land and the developers have insisted that much of the countryside will survive, with a further thirty-four hectares remaining untouched. Colchester Council had planned to use the land themselves in 2008 to build 2,200 homes but the decision […]

Landlords encouraged to close down empty properties carefully as the winter weather rolls in

As the winter weather at last begins to show its face, landlords across the UK are being warned to ensure empty properties are protected from the harsh weather.
Although 2011 has been a bumper year for landlords, many property investors will find themselves with empty properties in the winter period. Holiday lets in particular will be empty at this time of year and the seaside tends to attract some of the most inclement weather. Already Scotland and the North of England have experienced snowfall this week […]

Transport fears will not stop huge housing development

The controversial plan for one of the biggest housing developments ever seen in a North Yorkshire district are all set to be approved despite concerns by residents. The Sowerby Gateway project has had opposition from the day plans for more than 900 homes being built were unveiled.
Planning officers at Hambleton District Council have recommended that the scheme should be approved when the planning committee meet later this week despite Sowerby Parish Council and Thirsk Town Council both raising a number of objections over whether […]

Residents plan to continue fight with council

Two groups of housing campaigners have come together with the aim of getting local council bosses to change their minds over the development of thousands of new properties throughout the borough.
The (NAAG) Northern Arc Action Group and the (CVAG) Crowthorne Village Action Group have between them produced a “Residents’ Charter” in the hope of forcing Bracknell Forest Council to go back to the drawing board with their plans. However, the council have revealed that this will never happen because it would cost around £1 million […]