Renters’ Reform
Reform of the rental market has been a talking point for many years, but it finally looks like new legislation will be introduced in a month or two’s time which will make some significant changes to the way that residential property is let out. The Renters’ Rights Bill is currently in the Committee stage of […]
Fire Risk Assessments and Asbestos Surveys
We are often asked about Fire Risk Assessments and Asbestos Surveys when we are buying or selling a flat (although the rules largely apply to commercial premises as well). The requirements are not particularly new, but where flats have been owned for a while, or where a building has been “self managed” there can sometimes […]
Ground Rents
Ground rents have been something of a hot topic over the last few years. You may have seen articles in the press concerning ground rents and how in some cases mortgage lenders will not lend on properties with unreasonable or doubling ground rents. The situation is a little more complex than that and the main […]
The ‘Unknown’ Costs of Leasehold Properties
With the current cost of living crisis, it is not all surprising that leasehold properties are a more viable and attractive option to many purchasers. Generally, albeit not entirely true, leasehold properties can appear to be the less costly alternative to a freehold purchase, and it has become the more attractive option in London however, […]
Commercial Leases
What Landlords and Tenants should do There has been some misleading reporting around the measures that the Government have introduced relating to commercial rents. Contrary to popular belief, there is no automatic moratorium on rents. Instead, what the Government has done is to announce a temporary freeze on a Landlord’s ability to forfeit a lease […]
Airbnb style lettings- how it is changing short term lettings
Even if you have never actually used Airbnb, it is difficult to miss the fact that it is an online marketplace that works extremely well. Home-sharing platforms are almost the type of commerce that the internet was designed for. It is however easy to underestimate the effect that these platforms have on the short-term accommodation […]
Tenant Deposit Schemes
In April 2007 the law changed in respect of how tenant’s deposits are held In respect of most new tenancies granted after 6 April 2007, Landlords should be aware that where a deposit is held for rent payable under an Assured Shorthold Tenancy, that deposit should be held by an approved Tenancy Deposit Scheme. The […]
Deposit Guarantee Schemes
The RICS have published statistics which suggest that acquiring a buy-to-let property is now 500 per cent more expensive than it was five years ago. A 70 per cent Loan to Value mortgage on a typical new-build apartment will mean that an investor has to find well over £100,000. Where a flat may not be […]