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After years of delays and deliberations, the Renters’ Reform Bill has finally been crystalised in its associated White Paper. Titled the Fairer Private Rented Sector White Paper: a new deal for renting, the contents will soon become law and shape the way lettings is run.

If you were lucky enough to have a spare bedroom in 2020, there is a high chance that you shoved the bed to one side (or got rid of it altogether) to make way for a home office.  In fact, ​​a report from Zoopla suggests that some nine million bedrooms were lost during the pandemic to other uses.

Whether the property market is running hot or cooling down with the seasonal shift, buyers will always have a vision of what they want their next home to be – and your property for sale might be full of off-putting aspects.

There has been talk about a lack of properties for sale for some time now but a new report released at the end of May has put a figure on the squeeze. Propertymark claims that in April 2022, there were 52% fewer properties available, compared to the same month in the previous nine years. 

Even mortgage lenders have their part to play in our quest to achieve net zero carbon emissions by 2050. The Government has asked banks and building societies to encourage the purchase of eco-efficient properties by offering buyers advantageous products billed as ‘green mortgages’.

While the property industry waits for a date when the Renters’ Reform Bill becomes law, there is an imminent change for all current owners and future buyers of leasehold properties. Here are five important points for anyone involved with a leasehold property.

If there’s one agenda that won’t be pushed to the bottom of the pile, it’s the eco agenda. How much energy we use, where we get our energy from and what we can do to reduce our carbon footprint is a narrative that has become persistent in the property market. 

UK house prices continued to rise in April 2022 but the pace of appreciation has slowed, reports the Nationwide. In the last month, prices increased by 0.3% and although this is the ninth successive month of growth, it is the smallest monthly rise since September 2021.

Called the ChargePoint grant, the initiative is not brand new – instead it replaces the Electric Vehicle Homecharge Scheme. The new grant invites landlords to apply for a 75% discount on the cost of purchasing and installing a home electric vehicle charging point, up to the value of £350.

Designers have often used hand-picked books as props when dressing show homes but the art of primping with paperbacks really went mainstream during recent lockdowns.

Data analysis by HBB Solutions found that a chain-free home carries an average property price premium of £23,131, with buyers willing to pay extra for a simpler and quicker sales transaction. 

As we close the first quarter of 2022, figures have started to arrive that show us whether momentum has been maintained in the first three months of this year. More importantly for those looking to buy, sell and rent imminently, we examine what has happened to house prices and rental values in the last four weeks.