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Tag: Landlords

First time landlords invest as tenant demand increases

Posted on by prateek

Bath shutterstock_101583367

A recent study by major buy-to-let lender, Paragon Mortgages, found an increase in borrowing by first-time landlords as compared to the same time period last year.

Similarly, the percentage of business coming from landlords looking to grow their rental portfolios also increased.

John Heron, director of Paragon, said: “It would seem that an investment in property is increasingly attractive against a background of low returns on cash and volatility in global markets.”

“With perceptions shifting in terms of the improved availability of buy-to-let finance too, the lending industry is in a good place to support the ambitions of both new and experienced landlords.”

Also of interest to new landlords are the increases in average monthly rental costs in England and Wales – up by 3.5% in the 12 months to May 2013, according to LSL Property Services’ buy-to-let index.

David Newnes, director of LSL Property Services, said: “With wage growth so weak compared to inflation and house price growth, it looks like deposits will become less affordable – which will keep demand for rented accommodation high.”

He added that “private renting will become a more and more vital aspect of the economy.”

In line with these findings, we at Reside are seeing local demand for properties increasing significantly. July 2013 was our busiest month ever in terms of properties let, which were up 44% compared to July 2012 and 116% compared to July 2011. New properties added to our website also rose by 33% in July 2013 compared with last year.

Given also that rent arrears and voids are in decline, according to the National Landlords Association, this suggests that now is an excellent time for new landlords to consider investing in rental properties.

You spin me right round…

Posted on by prateek

We’re always looking for new ways to show our landlords’ properties, and better ways to help our tenants decide which properties suit them. So when we came across BubblePix, producers of a brand new technology that creates 360° photographic images, we saw an exciting opportunity.

The BubblePod creates 360° images that will give our prospective tenants an honest view of property interiors – before they decide to visit.

We’re proud to announce we’ve made a small investment in BubblePix and that inventor Tom Lawton has agreed that Reside will be pioneering this exciting technology.

There are two elements to the technology: the BubblePod and the BubblePix App.

The BubblePod is a clockwork turntable that grips your smartphone and smoothly, silently rotates it by 360º.

Meanwhile the BubblePix App on your phone captures the 360º image. Users can shoot and share images in less than a minute.

Reside has agreed to act as a test bed for the early production versions. This means we’ll be one of the first letting agencies to use these images to present our properties.

Once they go into production, this will create a fantastic tool for letting agents everywhere.

To find out more about the BubblePod, click here.

Will changes to EPC law be delayed yet again?

Posted on by prateek

Back in January, we blogged about the ongoing saga concerning changes to EPC law in England. Letting and estate agents are required by law to commission an Energy Performance Certificate prior to marketing a property, but current legislation regarding how much of the report must then be shared with clients is very lax. The EPC gives an indication of how energy efficient a property is, and what can be done to improve its rating and decrease fuel costs.

Since early 2011 the government has been promising to tighten up EPC laws, but the proposed changes have been consistently delayed and pushed back. With the latest deadline of April 6th coming up shortly, it remains to be seen whether or not they will be postponed yet again.

The warning signs look ominous; last week, agents were due to be issued with guidance on the upcoming changes by the Communities and Local Government department. This did not happen. However, Estate Agent Today reports that a government insider has indicated that the changes will ‘definitely go ahead on April 6‘, despite the fact that the redesigned EPC has not yet been approved.

It is widely believed that, after April 6th, letting and estate agents will be required to attach the entire first page of the new-look EPC to all property particulars, although no guidance has yet been issued about online marketing.

While many believe that this marks an important step towards encouraging tenants and homeowners to increase the energy efficiency of their home, others see the EPC as something that is ignored by the vast majority of people moving into a new home. A recent report in The Guardian suggests that ‘nearly four-fifths of people (79%) who had received an EPC when buying or renting a new home had not acted on any of its recommendations to make it more energy-efficient and thereby save money’. The government will be hoping that the redesigned EPC, with a front page that clearly and simply details recommendations for improving the property’s energy efficiency, will have an impact on the amount of people who then act on the recommendations.

At Reside, we have always made the entire EPC available to landlords and tenants and we will continue to do so after April 6th. Examples of our EPCs can be found on the property pages of our website.

RESIDE Bath on Phil Spencer Podcast.

Posted on by prateek

A couple of weeks ago, our resident Property Mark Trustee and Regional Executive (and all-round lettings expert) Mr Toby Martin (MARLA), was invited on to MOVE IQ’s local housing market review podcast with host and MOVE IQ founder, PHIL SPENCER!

MOVE IQ is all about providing all the information and a one site fits all space for all property questions. With a range of property experts and journalists across all backgrounds providing crucial information to the consumer.

MOVE IQ’s site aims untie the common goal of making sure that everyone has no-nonsense access to all market information when looking to sell, buy or rent, away from any bias and to make sure they meet all their readers and listeners needs within a market that is constantly changing.

RESIDE shares this goal of making sure that we too provide all the market information that we can, but on a more local basis here in the City of Bath. With that said, Toby was ever so kindly invited to be involved with the podcast and talk all things Bath rental market. He gives meaningful insight into the growth the bath rental market has seen over the last decade and what this has meant for the market, the growth in the average rent, difficulties landlords are facing and why we need more investment in the sector.

In this podcast Toby talks all things Bath Rental market. All the trends and statistics you could ask for are all here alongside more market insights further afield. If you wish to watch then please click the big red play button in the video attached below!