Private Rented Sector Buy to Let Consultants
In this post, I look into the strange world of Lewisham’s selective licensing scheme for landlords – where nothing is as it seems. They seem confused at the town hall, but not as much as we are. Also, a Labour MP and architect of a different selective licensing scheme in London appears to have forgotten to have a valid license […]
Read moreSouthwark Selective Licensing And so, it finally happens. By hook or by crook and some boxing clever we have managed to avoid all forms of licensing – both the HMO varieties and the Selective Licensing variety. Until now. Now, the game is up. Funny name isn’t it, “Selective Licensing”? Because usually when it is done, a local authority does it […]
Read moreRecent 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 moreDavid 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 moreWas Newham Council’s all borough landlord licensing scheme justified and was there really clear statistical evidence of a higher level of antisocial behaviour in the private rented sector, asks David Lawrenson of LettingFocus.com I shared a platform with the London Borough of Newham at a Chartered Institute of Housing (London region) event yesterday – which over 100 delegates attended. The […]
Read moreMost 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 moreDavid 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 moreLettingFocus 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 moreIf you have read my recent posts and seen me quoted on the net, you will know that I recently published a blog highlighting that some lenders, (including a state owned bank), still have in place restrictions, within their buy to let mortgage terms and conditions, which prohibit private landlords letting to tenants who are on housing benefit (or “DWP” […]
Read moreWill borough-wide selective licensing of all landlords succeed in dealing with antisocial tenants? And will it be cost effective? David Lawrenson of www.LettingFocus.com looks at the issues. Back in 2004, selective and additional licensing of landlords was designed as tools to help deal with “low housing demand” and pockets of antisocial behaviour by tenants in the private rented sector. The […]
Read more