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Guest Blogs
The Green Deal is back
Can your clients make their properties energy-efficient by April 2018? Yes you can, says Kilian Pender, CEO, The Green Deal Finance Company.
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Latest property news
Airbnb-style lettings platform launches for tenants and landlords
A new Airbnb-style online marketplace called HomeRenter has launched that competes directly with traditional high street and online letting agents with a ‘third way’ business model. Based in London, it claims to be taking an unusual approach to lettings by creating a community where both landlords and tenants talk to each other directly about both properties to rent, and property management. The company says that landlords, once they are registered on the site, create listings on its platform that are then uploaded to Zoopla and Rightmove. Tenants and landlords then use HomeRenter’s website to liaise on viewing times, conduct referencing and sign a rental contract. One unique feature of the site for landlords is that it saves their listings as online adverts which anyone looking for property to rent can register to receive alerts for when the existing tenants move out – effectively ‘bagging’ properties in advance. Unique charging fee The site’s charging fee is also a first for the UK. Landlords pay a yearly subscription which at the moment is £49.99 and includes tenant referencing, 24-hour telephone support, keyholding and an outsourced viewing/keyholding service. HomeRenter says the low price is an introductory offer and after the site has launched…
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Latest property news
Don’t worry about MEES regulations, leading energy supplier tells letting agents
The soon-to-be implemented tighter EPC regulations for rental properties will not be the headache that many letting agents and landlords have been worried about. That’s the claim made by rental property energy specialist Spark Energy, which says that although the new minimum energy efficiency standard (MEES) will see up to a fifth of properties face sanctions unless they meet at least an EPC rating of E or above, landlords and agents need not worry. It says that despite the £4,000 fines faced by landlords and agents if they rent out properties with and EPC rating below E, it’s also an opportunity to upgrade properties without having to pay substantial sums. MEES regulations Many properties can be brought up to the minimum standard before the rules kick in on 1st April with the financial help of local authority grants, the company says, but knowing how and where to get the funding can be tricky, as the funding deals can be time limited and localised. But there are national schemes too. For example, some rental properties are eligible for funding via the government’s ECO: Help to Heat scheme, which offers two ways to apply for funding. To help navigate the red tape,…
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Features
Rogue landlords and agents are not the norm
There are unscrupulous landlords who lock out their tenants and, says Frances Burkinshaw, there are rogue agents too, but they are not the norm!
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Features
This is how to get sales progression really moving
New technology can save time and trouble, says Andrea Kirkby, by getting your deals moving smoothly.
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Features
How to do Section 21 notices properly
The confusion has arisen as a result of legislation changes applying to residential Assured Shorthold Tenancy (AST) agreements which began on, or have been renewed since, October 1, 2015. To be able to action the accelerated possession procedure in relation to AST agreements made up to September 30, 2015, the Regulations require a minimum standard of proof from landlords that there is a written AST in place, that the deposit is protected and prescribed information relating to the deposit was served on tenants. Licences are also required for HMOs or in Selective Licensing areas. In order to launch the procedure using the ‘new’ Section 21 notices, however, which are currently intended to be issued for AST agreements made from October 1, 2015 onwards, and won’t apply to older ASTs until late 2018, the Regulations impose several additional obligations on landlords which must be complied with before the eviction notice can be served. OLD AND NEW NOTICES Now I am concerned that landlords and agents are serving new Section 21 notices on old AST agreements, putting them at greater risk of having their case thrown out of court. By failing to recognise the differences between the ‘old’ and ‘new’ Regulations and…
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Features
MEES: A ticking timebomb
Make sure your landlords are aware of the new rules for Minimum Energy Efficiency Standards says Andrew Jacobs, Head of the Commercial Property Department at Seddons.
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Features
Naming and shaming
All agents must, by law, register with one of the three approved property redress schemes – and the system has just been strengthened, so read on.
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Movers & Shakers
Rick de Blaby joins Get Living
Get Living Group has appointed Rick de Blaby as Executive Vice Chairman.
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Latest property news
Badger Holdings invests heavily in digital landlord and tenant online services
The parent company of Townends and Regents Estate Agents, Badger Holdings, has launched an online lettings portal for its landlords, and signed up to Fixflo at the same time, in what is a major digital push for the group. Townends has 21 branches in London and Surrey and Regents has six, also in Surrey. Landlord clients of the two companies will now be able to see more clearly what’s going on with their tenancies, Badger Holdings says, including the ability to examine digital contracts, tenants’ details, online statements, pending work orders and downloadable inventories, EPCs and deposit certificates. Tenants being managed by Townends and Regents branch staff will now be able to flag up repairs and maintenance problems directly through Fixflo’s online reporting system. Badger Holdings believes this has “[been] proven to revolutionise repairs reporting for the residential lettings industry, helping agents provide a more streamlined service,” it says. Caroline Kavanagh, Director of Operations of Badger Holdings, (pictured, above) says “The provision of a comprehensive repairs handling process is essential to every lettings and management service. “Adopting new methods which capitalise on the ways in which people are choosing to manage more and more aspects of their daily life is…
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