What the Private Rented Sector Needs Now is a Period of Reflection

And so the general election is over and all is more or less calm in the world of the private rented sector – for a few years at least. The clear majority for the Conservatives meant there will now be no compulsion for landlords to issue 3 year tenancies. And the green light previously given to local authorities to allow them to require all […]

Read more

Private Rented Sector Quoted in the Media

Recent press comments from me on the private rented sector….. Private Rented Sector Quoted in the Media On the policies of successive governments towards the private rented sector: “….Too often policy is confused and contradictory and too often the changes that have been made offer far too little to landlords and tenants in terms of improving the private rented sector.” […]

Read more

Some Sympathy for Landlord Licensing in Southwark

David Lawrenson of LettingFocus.com has some sympathy for councils over landlord licensing. He calls on central government to make penalties for criminal landlords far harsher and let the councils keep the cash raised. He also questions whether licensing of landlords is being abused and used as a tool to deal with criminals offending on a wider basis. Some Sympathy for Landlord […]

Read more

Newham’s Universal Landlord Licensing Approach Not Popular with Local Authorities

Most housing options staff at the councils are not in favour of Newham’s universal landlords licensing scheme says David Lawrenson of LettingFocus.com Many private landlords labour under the assumption that the local authorities are simply there to make life hard for them. But actually that is not usually true: There are a lot of people at the councils who see […]

Read more

Why More Buy to Let Landlords Means More Landlord Licensing Schemes

David Lawrenson of LettingFocus notes the big rise in buy to let lending and how everyone wants to be a landlord now. Plus he fears an increase in the regulatory burden. Many years ago and time and again I predicted that the private rented sector (PRS) would grow bigger than social housing. And many times I was shouted down by […]

Read more

London Local Authorities and the Private Rented Sector

LettingFocus despairs of the approach adopted by one London Council in dealing with its private rented sector. We have just been sent an invitation to tender from a London local authority. In the invitation they identify that they need to do some work to improve their local private rented sector, which now forms a substantial 30% plus of all housing […]

Read more

The Impact of Landlord Regulation on Buy to Let Mortgage Terms, Conditions and Availability

Many buy to let mortgage lenders are still not “ahead of the curve” in terms of understanding the impact of legal and regulatory changes in the private rented sector – and this often leaves their own businesses exposed to losses, says David Lawrenson of private rented consultancy, www.LettingFocus.com In an interesting piece in Joanne Atkin’s “Mortgage Finance Gazette”, Paul Walshe […]

Read more
1 2