Private Rented Sector Buy to Let Consultants
Many local authorities, housing associations and charities designing strategies to try to get private landlords to let to tenants on Local Housing Allowance are very fond of doing surveys of landlords. (Readers of this blog will know how critical I was of one particular survey of landlords that, last year, was used to make some astonishing claims for the impact […]
Read moreSometimes government policy doesn’t seem to join up too well – with different policies apparently conflicting with each other. Two good examples are (1) the lending activities of state owned banks which appear to hamper what local councils are trying to do with their private rented sector access schemes, especially lease schemes and (2) policies on HMOs which appear to […]
Read moreIn this blog post we say that local authorities face big challenges trying to make a success of the “Local Letting Agency” concept – and we highlight the areas they will have to work hardest in if they are to be successful. Some groups of local authorities are setting up their own local letting agencies – a topic we have […]
Read moreLandlord readers of this column will know that LettingFocus’s stance these days is now very much built around consulting with organisations who sell products and services to the private rented sector. Basically we tell them how to do it better! Our two biggest client groups are banks / financial institutions who sell mortgage loans to landlords (commonly known as “buy […]
Read moreI hope you are not too bored by our coverage of the Housing Benefit story. If you are an organisation or public body and are providing / selling services or products to the private rented sector, you should still be riveted because it has big implications for the whole market. Even if you are a landlord who never lets to […]
Read moreI see the London Mayor has now waded into the debate about Housing Benefit rate changes. This is all terribly interesting. Readers of this blog will know that back in July we were the first to highlight how the changes to Housing Benefit (Local Housing Allowance) rates could actually result in hugely pushed up rents and house prices in some […]
Read moreNEXT SEMINAR AND NETWORKING EVENT for Landlords and Property Investors (which now take place just once a year): Next Property Investment Seminar and Networking Event In September 2010 we sent the following letter to all London Authorities Heads of Housing, to Housing Minister Grant Shapps and to Sir Steve Bullock who is Exec Chair of Housing at the Mayors Office. […]
Read moreIn the housing strategy papers of many a local authority the private rented sector can still be something of an afterthought – often tucked away on page 94 along with Dave Spart and ColemanBalls. (Private Eye Joke) This is quite curious and may reflect either the previous small size of the private rented sector or a genuine lack of understanding […]
Read moreNext Property Investment Seminar and Networking Event A bit of a quiet week this week, though I was quoted in the FT again: http://bit.ly/9o5NZ0 so, with not much news to report, I thought I would offer up some random observations from my working week as a speaker and commentator on the world of buy to let and letting property. Local […]
Read moreA colleague at the on line letting agency, Upad sent me this document: http://www.dwp.gov.uk/docs/impacts-of-hb-proposals.pdf which is a government paper looking at the impact of the future changes to the rates of Housing Benefit / Local Housing Allowance. At first glance, it seems to play down the cap effect from what I had understood. A bit wordy but worth a read, […]
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