Tom

The latest LSL Property Services / Acadametrics House Price Index for July 2011 reports that house prices in July fell by only 0.1%, reaching their lowest level since December 2009 following a 3% drop in Q2 2011. Transactions are down 5.9% year on year, as cheap mortgage deals fail to stimulate demand. A lack of…

*** A more up-to-date version of this article is available here *** Letting agents commonly advocate frequent portable appliance testing (PAT) as another way of creaming off a secret profit from landlords (in whose best interests they are acting!). Annual PAT testing and PAT testing at change of tenancy are all opportunities for the agents…

A tenant contacted me to say their managing agent had contacted them to tell them about the ‘new law’ that means they must inspect her property every 2 months? Is this correct? There are no laws that govern the periodicity of property inspections. In the case of this tenant, it was probably the agent’s cunning…

A landlord asked me the question recently so here is my answer… The House of Lords defines fair wear and tear as “Reasonable use of the premises by the Tenant and the ordinary operation of natural forces” When is deterioration classified as damage? If something is broken then it is almost certainly damage and needs…

I recently blogged about whether landlords need to consider improving the heating systems in their properties (article here) The British Property Federation (BPF) has criticised government proposals to introduce tougher energy laws for the private rented sector. The organisation’s comments follow a statement by Energy and Climate Secretary Chris Huhne who recently announced changes at…

On the odd occasion I encounter a rental property with no central heating where the heating in the property is dependent on convector heaters. Invariably the topic of the heating system comes up in conversation with questions like Should I install central heating? What level of rent could I expect if I installed central heating?…

Tenancy deposits protection. Most landlords take a tenancy deposit, also known as a damage deposit or bond. Since April 2007 landlords have had to protect this deposit in one of the three government authorised tenancy deposit schemes, and serve a notice giving prescribed information on the tenant. The regulations also say that if you have…

Landlords… Curious about how your rent compares? Want to know which properties and areas in Mid-Somerset are giving the best yields? Want to know what tenant demand is like? Our lastest report is out now so contact us for your FREE copy 01458 837 602 or info@jungleproperty.co.uk

I recently met a tenant who told me he was having a difficult time with his landlord who had made him sign a document titled ‘Lodger Agreement’. As the conversation progressed, I quickly realised that the tenant was exactly that – a ‘tenant’ and despite what this piece of paper had said, he was NOT…

A blanket ban on pets seems to be quite common amongst landlord and letting agents here  in Mid-Somerset. One local ‘kitchen table’ agent proudly advertises a ‘No pets’ clause in all his Tenancy Agreements as one of his unique selling points! Well I have some bad news. The Office of Fair Trading considers a blanket…