Lettings

For those living in a rental property with an ever growing collection of items, storage can become an issue. On inspection, most tenancy agreements prohibit renters from drilling holes in walls, altering the layout in a property or installing fitted furniture, so adding extra storage will need more creative thinking.

National Empty Homes Weeks 2024 runs from 4th to 10th March this year and while the thrust of the event is to shine a light on bringing vacant dwellings back into use, the organisers offer support to all those who may have an empty property.

Buy-to-let has always been seen as a safe long-term investment strategy but over the last few years, the landscape has changed dramatically. As we move our way through 2024, however, the buy-to-let benefits are once again aligning. Here are five reasons property investment should be on your radar this year.

On the outside, selecting a good tenant may feel as simple as accepting the person who makes the highest offer, especially if the most recent news is to be believed. A survey undertaken for the New Economics Foundation found tenants were willing to go to extreme financial lengths to secure a rental property. As a result, landlords have had the luxury of waiting for the ‘highest bidder’ to emerge.

The safety of tenants has become of paramount importance in the private rental sector, and rightly so. One of the areas that has been improved immeasurably is electrical safety and now new guidelines have been issued to provide greater consistency when it comes to checks.

On 7th November 2023, the King’s Speech marked the opening of a new session of Parliament. In his first address of this nature, King Charles III announced the Government’s key priorities for the year ahead and with a General Election expected within the next 12 months, the contents were hotly anticipated.

We have been charting the progress of the Renters’ Reform Bill since it was announced in 2019 during Theresa May’s tenure as Prime Minister. In late October 2023, a little more progress was made and the Bill had its second reading in the House of Commons.

The features we assume tenants are looking for and what actually ticks their boxes can be two very different things. To establish the most in-demand aspects, Rightmove examined more than 600,000  property listings, looking at what was mentioned in the property description in relation to the homes with the highest number of enquiries.

Subletting is a recurring subject in the world of rental property. For those who are not familiar with the term,subletting is when the original tenant named on the legal agreement moves out and rents the entire property to someone else. Alternatively, the original tenant stays in the property and rents out a room or multiple rooms. Unless the landlord has agreed to subletting, the act will be a breach of the tenancy agreement and constitutes grounds for eviction.

Tenants have a duty of care to look after gardens, roof terraces, courtyards and balconies. This covers what grows outside, what is added – or taken away – and what happens in the outside space. Failure to look after the great outdoors could result in deductions from the deposit, so it’s vital to know what is expected of tenants.

In 2025, house builders and property developers will be banned from installing conventional gas boilers in the new properties they build. In 2035, the sale of conventional gas boilers will also be banned. 

There is a gentle murmur that rent controls could be on the cards but is it time to panic? History shows us that rent controls have rarely had the desired effect those in charge want, so despite a few rumbles in the press about a possible introduction, landlords should read with passing interest but it’s definitely not time to worry.