ARLA
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Latest property news
New smoke alarm laws passed
The Smoke and Carbon Monoxide Alarm (England) Regulations have finally been passed in Parliament, giving Landlords and Managing Agents until 1st October 2015 to comply. Following final scrutiny of the measures in the House of Lords last week, landlords and Managing Agents now have less than two weeks to ensure that all tenancies have a smoke alarm fitted on every floor of their property where there is a room used wholly or partly as living accommodation. They will also be required to put a carbon monoxide alarm in any room where a solid fuel is burnt. Failure to do so could result in a fine of up to £5,000. Baroness Williams of Trafford, the Communities and Local Government Minister, insisted that the aim of the regulations are to “save lives and not catch landlords out.” But while many professionals in the housing sector have welcomed the aims of the regulations, there are concerns that the Government has ignored calls from across the Private Rented Sector (PRS) to reconsider the timeframe for its implementation. David Cox (left), Managing Director of the Association of Residential Letting Agents (ARLA), commented, “Whilst these measures are entirely sensible, ARLA is concerned that landlords will not…
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Housing Market
Supply of rental housing on the rise
The number of available private rented properties rose in July, the latest Association of Residential Letting Agents (ARLA) monthly Private Rental Sector (PRS) Report has revealed. ARLA registered letting agents, which managed an average of 189 properties per branch in July, compared to 178 in June, have continued to see increases in the cost of renting for tenants. Some 37 per cent of agents reported that rents rose between June and July; the highest number since tracking began in January, when levels were at 27 per cent. The report also revealed that tenants in the West Midlands have been affected the most by rent increases, with 64 per cent of agents reporting that rents had increased in July, followed by the East of England where 53 per cent of agents witnessed rent rises. In contrast, less than a quarter – 21 per cent – of tenants in the North West experienced an increase. But despite the rise in the volume of available private rented homes in July, it would appear that higher rental prices are deterring some tenants from moving home, with demand across the UK having fallen marginally in July to 35 prospective tenants registered per ARLA branch, down…
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Products & Services
Letting Agents improve repair management service
There has been a marked improvement in repair management by letting agencies across the UK, a new survey has revealed. The research, which was undertaken by repair service Fixflo and the Association of Residential Letting Agents (ARLA), shows that 85 per cent of repairs are completed within one week. Key findings from the study of more than 250 letting agencies, covering over 750 branches, with data from more than 70,000 repairs in UK properties that have been handled through the Fixflo repairs system in 2015, also highlight that a typical rental property requires three repairs per year, with typically a repair requiring 90 minutes of staff time to resolve, while a third of repair requests are reported out of hours. However, despite the improvement, the report also found that many letting agents they are still losing clients due to poor repair management processes, with 46 per cent of agents and property managers claiming to know a landlord who has switched agency due to a repair related issue, although this figure is 8 per cent down on the previous survey in 2014. David Cox (left), Managing Director of ARLA, commented, “Robust maintenance plans and the provision of thorough processes for repairs…
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Housing Market
One in three letting agents report rent increases
A higher number of letting agents witnessed rents increase between May and June, newly released figures from the Association of Residential Letting Agents (ARLA) has shown. According to the data, 36 per cent of letting agents that are members of ARLA reported that rents rose month-on-month – the highest number since tracking began. Letting agents in the East Midlands saw the highest number of gains, with 48 per cent of ARLA agents reporting a rise. In contrast, just 17 per cent of agents in Wales saw a hike in the monthly rent. The report suggested that rents are being forced higher by an ongoing supply-demand imbalance, particularly in London where it states that “worryingly” there were only 118 rental properties managed in June, compared to 134 in May – a fall of 12 per cent. “It is worrying to see so many agents reporting an increase in the cost of rent over the last six months, especially considering so many people rent as a way to bridge the gap whilst they save to get onto the property ladder,” said David Cox (left), Managing Director, ARLA. He added, “Findings like this continue to prove that the housing crisis isn’t going to…
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Latest property news
Regulation of the letting agents needed, says CEO
The newly elected Conservative Government should make the regulation of letting agents a priority in a bid to deal with unscrupulous letting agencies and help improve standards in the industry, according to Leaders’ Chief Executive, Paul Weller. Mr Weller (left) believes that millions of landlords and tenants in the private rented sector (PRS) would prosper from the formal regulation of letting agents. He said, “More people and families than ever before now use the PRS and the services of letting agents. Yet the vast majority are unaware that letting agents are not regulated by the Government and that anyone can set up a letting agency, with no experience, knowledge of lettings law or client money protection in place. “Letting agents can hold hundreds of thousands of pounds in rent which they are supposed to protect. But without regulation, there is no way to enforce this and there have been countless cases of letting firms losing their clients’ money, using it for their own ends, or completely disappearing with it, leaving landlords and tenants badly out of pocket. Too many people have suffered at the hands of agents like this, as well as incompetent and unscrupulous agents who fail to provide…
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Housing Market
Housing industry lobbyists must be louder, says Alastair Campbell
Housing industry lobbyists have not done enough to make housing a primary issue of the General Election, according to Tony Blair’s former Director of Communications and Strategy, Alastair Campbell (right). Despite the growing housing crisis, the main political parties are far more focused on other issues like the NHS, economy, immigration, welfare and jobs, with housing lower on the political agenda, largely because housing lobbyist have so far not done enough to be heard. Speaking at the Association of Residential Letting Agents (ARLA) conference last week, Campbell advised the industry to campaign harder on housing issues in order to make it a greater political issue. “Too many people give up before they have actually been heard,” said Campbell. He pointed to homeless charity, Shelter, as an organisation that commanded prominent media coverage thanks to their knack of campaigning on a particular issue. He continued, “I think at this stage of the election campaign, housing is not in there as strong as it should be, as a strategy. You have all the politicians talking about a housing crisis, but in terms of what they are going to do about that, who is shaping that agenda for them? “Just as Shelter has…
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Latest property news
‘Retaliatory evictions’ should be reconsidered, says ARLA
The Association of Residential Landlords (ARLA) is calling on the Government to reconsider a recent amendment to the Deregulation Bill which prevents so-called retaliatory evictions after May’s General Election. The House of Lords in February approved a Government amendment to the Deregulation Bill, given Royal Assent last week, which will bring an end to so-called ‘revenge evictions’ by private sector landlords tired of moaning tenants. The new legislation will impose a ban on any landlord from serving a section 21 eviction notice on a tenant for a minimum period of six months if they make a complaint about the state of their property. But the legislation has been criticised for imposing rules that can be exploited by bad tenants. David Cox (left), Managing Director of ARLA, commented, “The provisions in the Act designed to prevent retaliatory evictions by landlords, creates a number of unintended consequences. ARLA supports the principle of legislation seeking to stop landlords from evicting tenants in response to a genuine disrepair issue. The measures will mean that protections previously afforded to compliant landlords may be eroded by dishonest tenants using the new powers to defend against legitimate possession proceedings; possibly by intentionally causing damage to properties.” The…
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Associations & Bodies
Information, reputation, accreditation
Professional industry bodies support their members and act as a kitemark that gives the public peace of mind, as Marc Da Silva reports.
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Associations & Bodies
Letting agents, consumers and acceptable standards
Christopher Hamer, The Property Ombudsman, is on a mission to improve standards and awareness.
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