Zig or Zag?

When others Zig, Zag – so they say. There is alot of change in the air for the world of Property right now – or so it would seem on the surface at least. There are certainly Landlords exiting, but there have always been Landlords exiting. The question remains is how will the supply-demand balance play-out in the context of any additional regulation. One thing’s always true – if you act with greater awareness, knowledge and agility, then you are likely to do well in all conditions.

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Hamptons estimates that it will take until 2042 for all private rental properties to achieve an EPC rating of C or above under proposed rules. New targets by 2030 require annual upgrades, with around 340,000 homes needing improvements each year. Currently, 55% of rental properties have achieved a C rating.

Burnley Council proposes expanding selective licensing for private rented properties across five areas. The aim is to improve housing standards, tackle anti-social behavior, and support landlords and tenants. This follows a 10-week consultation and will be decided by the council’s executive.

ATTENTION: Property Operators: We want to help you increase your housing stock and save up to 2 thirds per person housed in the process! We have units available NOW at 90 day’s notice for lease for up to 6.5years for use as-is, or lightly modified to suit a C3(b) Supported Living purpose – and other areas may be coming soon. Get in touch here, or get more information here.

The introduction of rent controls could lead to an exodus of 1/3 of landlords from the market, according to new research by Rightmove. Despite high demand for rental properties, many landlords are considering selling due to the potential impact of rent controls. This, combined with an existing shortage of rental homes, could worsen the housing crisis. According to Rightmove, around 120,000 additional rental properties are required to bring rental growth down to around 2% per year.

UTILITY OF THE WEEK. L and C’s Rent Indicator. Do Landlords set the rent, or does the market? The market does of course. In the same way a shop-keeper could charge £100 for a bar of chocolate but doesn’t (because they wouldn’t sell any) a Landlord can’t just charge anything they like – as the property won’t rent. Markets set prices. So, do you struggle to know where to start when trying to work out the rent that should be charged for a property? This handy little tool is one of many useful rent indicators out there. You could also get various paid services – or of course also use the tried-and-tested method of looking for comparables on the likes of Rightmove, Zoopla and On the Market. Whilst no tool is fool-proof, this page gives one other thing that you might struggle to get otherwise – a relatively consistent benchmark.

A Nottingham landlord claims selective licensing and Universal Credit errors are causing homelessness. The landlord argues these policies are forcing him and others to sell rental properties, contributing to the city’s housing crisis. Government data supports this, showing landlords leaving the sector due to increasing regulatory burden as a leading cause of homelessness.

According to Paragon, Landlords achieved average rental yields of 6.3% in Q2, the highest since 2012, recovering from a 15-year low of 5.2%. Larger portfolios and properties held in limited companies, especially HMOs, reported even higher yields. The data suggests professional strategies contribute to these gains, despite recent challenges in the buy-to-let market.

Who are M2P? Married2Property are a family-run property company that aims to build social good through property.

Walker Fraser Steele Estate Agency reports that after three consecutive months of growth, Scotland’s house prices dipped slightly 0.7% in June, though they still outpaced England and Wales. Prices rose in nine local authorities, with South Lanarkshire, Angus, and East Ayrshire hitting new highs. Despite this slight decline, Scotland’s market shows resilience, remaining 1.3% above its September 2023 peak overall.

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Song of the Week: 🎶 It’s a Long Way to the Top – AC/DC 🎸

And Finally… Are you worried about a Robot taking over your job? It’s a slowly growing risk in many areas, but this video suggests that for now, Painters and Decorators at least can probably rest-easy..