Lettings

When you become a renter, you’re expected to behave in a ‘tenant like manner’ and that extends to outside spaces as much as inside the home. If in any doubt as to what that means, you can refer to your tenancy agreement. It should list the specific garden jobs you’re responsible for, and what your landlord should maintain. If there’s scant detail, contact us and we can obtain written clarification for you.

You may have heard people talk about second-charge mortgages and wondered what they are. If you’re a landlord, they can be a beneficial way of accessing a lump sum of money. Here’s our Q&A guide to second-charge mortgages for owners of buy-to-let properties.

The Renters’ Rights Bill is Labour’s push to reform the private rental sector and the proposals are expected to pass into law this year. In fact, if progress keeps up its current pace, we could see new legislation introduced as early as April 2025.

As we head towards one of the most expensive periods of the year – Christmas - Ofgem confirmed the energy price cap would rise at the start of 2025.

Did you know 21% of private renters were asked to provide a guarantor when they applied to rent their current property? This finding was part of the latest English Housing Survey, which revealed almost 1 million tenants needed a backup financial plan.

When a property is listed for rent, there is currently no shortage of tenants vying to hopefully secure the home. The demand has been quantified by Rightmove, who says the number of enquiries each available rental property is receiving is 17.

Are you never happier than when your home is spotless or are you a tad on the slovenly side? If you own your home, this question is elementary but if you live in a rented property, the level of dirt you’re comfortable with can affect whether you get your full deposit back.

Tenants are increasingly asking private landlords for properties with good green credentials. That’s the findings of the latest Handelsbanken annual Property Investor Report.

The sun is out (fingers crossed), the temperature is rising and there is the distinct smell of barbeques in the air. After one of the wettest UK springs on record, who can blame the nation for rushing outside as soon as possible?

Viewing a property you’d like to rent can be exciting and overwhelming in equal measure. You may be distracted by the aesthetics or focused on checking the condition of the rooms but there are 8 less obvious but no less important questions you should ask while at the property. Print these out if you think you might forget!

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.