Category: Property Insurance

Thanet District Council wins battle over new licensing scheme

Posted on 23rd November 2012

Private landlords in East Kent have lost their legal battle to have a selective licensing scheme declared unlawful. Following the Court ruling, Thanet District Council is going ahead with its plan in two of their wards, Cliftonville West and Margate Central.
The original plan to introduce a selective licensing scheme was agreed by the council in January last year after an extensive consultation by the authority. However the SLA (Southern Landlords Association) asked for a judicial review on the grounds that Thanet District Council failed the […]

Landlords and tenants delighted with new Landlord Assist warranty scheme

Posted on 21st November 2012

Landlord Assist has launched a new deposit replacement warranty scheme which removes the requirement for a tenant to pay the deposit upfront.
Instead of paying the traditional deposit, which is normally four to six weeks rent, the tenant will only have to pay an initial premium of between £100 and £160. This premium will provide guaranteed payment against any damage or non-payment of rent at the end of the tenancy. Private landlords are expected to benefit massively from the scheme simply by advertising properties that don’t […]

Landlord organisation enjoys an upsurge in membership

Posted on 16th November 2012

The increasing number of property investors buying landlord insurance policies has been reflected in the swelling membership of the South West Landlords Association (SWLA).
For the first time ever, membership of the SWLA has passed 600 and with 73 new members signing up in 2013, a rise of 12% and dozens more with pending applications, the organisation has never been in better stead. A big difference has been made by the SWLA offering accreditation training courses which have proved popular with landlords and local councils including […]

More increases likely for renters in Scotland

Posted on 7th November 2012

New research has shown that the cost of renting a private home in Scotland is now at record high, and the bad news for all those looking to move into rented accommodation is that landlords say that they will continue to rise next year as the cost of new legislation is passed on to unsuspecting tenants.
Soaring rental costs are pricing many Scottish families out of private accommodation with the average rent at an all-time high of £672. Aberdeen remains the most expensive place to […]

Energy company team up with landlord group to launch private sector Green Deal scheme

Posted on 6th November 2012

Holders of landlord insurance policies across the UK will this week get the chance to take part in the first contracts of the Government’s much vaunted “Green Deal” that apply to homes in the private rental sector.
A programme jointly undertaken by the Residential Landlords Association (RLA) and Enact Energy will see landlords of some of the draughtiest, dampest and coldest homes in the UK offered the chance to take part in an upgrading programme that will cover over 10,000 homes and cost £100 million over […]

Housing crisis in Leeds

Posted on 23rd October 2012

A report from one of the UK’s leading authorities on the housing sector says the housing market in one of England’s largest cities is in “meltdown” due to the lack of affordable housing.
According to the National Federation of Housing (NFH), property investors with an interest in landlord insurance are getting 40% more from their rented homes as demand for decent accommodation exceeds availability. The NHF, seen as a mouthpiece for Social Landlords in the UK, says the situation has developed because house sales in the […]

MPs caught up in landlord debate

Posted on 19th October 2012

The number of Members of Parliament (MPs) with an interest in landlord insurance is the main talking point at Westminster today, as the Speaker of the House of Commons, John Bercow, becomes embroiled in a debate about disclosing private rental arrangements.
The story revolves around a Freedom of Information (FOI) request made to the Independent Parliamentary Standards Authority (IPSA) asking for details of MP landlords. IPSA is better known as the expenses watchdog brought in to curb the excessive claims made by some MPs in the […]

New academic year saw demand for landlord insurance increase

Posted on 18th October 2012

Research has shown that when students returned to University at Cambridge last month there was also a huge rise in property owners searching for and taking out buy-to-let property insurance.
Despite landlords taking out insurance they are still being urged to make sure they are fully covered. Each year landlords in Cambridge are guaranteed income from student lets but failing to get the correct level of cover can be a very costly mistake in the residential letting sector. Each year numerous landlords are left kicking themselves […]

Good and bad news for buy-to-let landlords

Posted on 17th October 2012

In a week where the City has been buoyed by slightly better CPI figures, property investors with an interest in landlord insurance have received both positive and negative news about their industry.
As a comparatively new face in the lending business launches a clutch of short term loans designed especially for landlords, research shows tenant arrears are at their highest since 2008.
Shawbrook Bank, which launched only twelve months ago, are hoping to woo buy-to-let landlords with a range of short term loans. They include a loan […]

City planners against building much needed housing on green belt land

Posted on 10th October 2012

A new housing development that would see 110 homes built on green belt land on the outskirts of Edinburgh has been recommended for refusal by city planners despite developers pledging £600,000 towards apprenticeship schemes.
The decision has puzzled developers Sheraton especially as they had also confirmed that 30 of the new homes would be affordable housing for people living in the area and a further 25 would be bought by local landlords who would protect the houses with buy-to-let property insurance before renting to local couples […]