Reside is OnTheMarket (.com)

OnTheMarket

The launch of OnTheMarket.com on January 26th heralded an important day for the property industry; it saw the arrival of the first genuine rival to the two established property portals, Rightmove and Zoopla.

OnTheMarket.com provides the consumer with a cleaner and fresher browsing experience, free from the advertisements, promoted properties and unnecessary information which burden other websites. It is designed to automatically adjust to all manner of screens, so whether you’re browsing on a smartphone, tablet or a PC, you will always be given the most optimised version of OnTheMarket.com. iPhone and iPad users can now also download the OnTheMarket app, which has a similarly user friendly interface.

Here at Reside, we are delighted and excited to announce that all of our properties are now displayed on OnTheMarket.com, as well as across Rightmove and our own website. We have already started to receive leads through OnTheMarket.com and feel that it is on the way to quickly establishing itself as an essential tool for property hunters.

Despite only being a few weeks old, you may already be familiar with OnTheMarket.com; a major advertising campaign has started across a variety of national television channels, as well as on the pages of the UK’s major daily newspapers.

Click here to view all of our properties on OnTheMarket.com, and to have a look around their new website. We think you’ll be seeing a lot more of it for years to come.

1 In 4 Landlords Earn A Living From Rental Property

It seems that there has never been a better time to be a private landlord: tenant demand is up and predicted to rise even further; rents are increasing and yields are at their highest since the Landlords Panel research study began in 2006.

It is unsurprising therefore that more than one in four landlords are now making a living from letting their properties, according to recent research by BDRC Continental.

The research also found that a further 52% use rental properties to supplement their income, with 74% of those planning to use rental income to help fund their retirement.

Landlords stated that the opportunity to achieve a better return on property than investing in the stock market was a major factor in entering the buy-to-let market, along with the chance to make rental income their main source of income in the future.

It seems that optimism is in the air with 68% of landlords rating their capital gains and rental prospects as good or very good, compared with 60% in the third quarter of last year. This was found to be at the highest level since 2007.

John Heron, managing director of Paragon Mortgages, said: “Tenant demand for rental property remains strong, and with the mainstay of investment coming from private landlords, it is important for lenders to develop products that can underpin sustainable growth.”

Many of the landlords surveyed said they were looking to expand their portfolios, which is good news for buy-to-let mortgage providers and brokers. However it raises another issue when you consider that 63% agree ‘strongly’ that the buy-to-let market would benefit from greater competition. The industry cannot afford to have its key customers believing there’s too little competition in the market.

The research sounded a warning note for brokers and intermediaries: 21% of all landlords agree ‘strongly’ that they will approach a lender directly the next time they need funding.  And meanwhile some lenders are moving in the direction of providing a more holistic service to landlords – e.g. educating them on legal obligations, marketing and how to become more profitable.

With tenant demand almost certainly set to increase into 2014, it seems inevitable that even more landlords will be able to make a living from their rental properties in the future. If you are a landlord or are thinking about investing in rental property in Bath, we would be more than happy to discuss any questions you have about this topic either in person or via Facebook or Twitter.

First time landlords invest as tenant demand increases

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.

South West rents continue to rise as demand outstrips supply

As the sales market becomes increasingly subdued, the cost of renting a home in the South West has continued to rise as many would-be buyers find themselves unable to take their first steps on the property ladder.

The latest survey carried out by the Royal Institution of Charterer Surveyors states that the cost of renting a residential property in the South West has risen by 2.6% in the last twelve months. The RICS survey goes on to explain that this rise in rents is underpinned by a fall in good quality new properties coming on to the market.

This is a trend that is supported by recent research by Rightmove, whose ‘Little Blue Book’ of property trends states that in the last twelve months alone, search activity for rental property on Rightmove rose by 40% while available stock to rent fell by 3%.

Evidence of the South West’s strong rental market is borne out by a new report published by Endsleigh in which the specialist letting agents’ insurer placed Bath as the fifth priciest town or city for tenants in the UK. According to Endsleigh, the average cost of renting a property in the city is £963 per month – more than £257 above the national average. The report goes on to show the average monthly rent across the UK rose for the third year running in 2011 to £706 – compared with £688 in 2010 and £663 in 2009.

RICS, Rightmove and Endsleigh all indicate that current property trends seem set to continue for the foreseeable future, making this a particularly profitable time for landlords to be letting and investing in property in the South West.

RESIDE Bath on Phil Spencer Podcast.

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!