Lettings agents around the capital were targeted by protesters at the weekend demonstrating against unfair practices.
The ‘Let Down’ demonstrations took place outside a number of agents’ offices across Herne Hill, Brixton and other London boroughs on Saturday (April 27th). Read more…
The lettings industry and private rental sector can expect big changes in the future, according to housing minister Mark Prisk.
In a speech to the Law Society, Mr Prisk explain that the government’s new Build-to-Rent scheme would have a huge impact on the housing market, helping to combat the acute housing shortage the country faces in the next few years. Read more…
The lettings industry could be on the way to reform after another authority has stood up and clamped down on hidden charges.
The Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) has upheld a complaint against Your Move, one of the UK’s biggest lettings agents, for not informing clients about all of their fees upfront. Read more…
Hidden fees being charged by some major lettings agents may be illegal, according to consumer body Which?
After an undercover investigation in which mystery shoppers posed as prospective tenants, Which? found that some agents do not advise clients in advance of all the fees they will charge. Read more…
Landlords should take up the option of using a letting agent to avoid potential disputes with rogue tenants.
This is the opinion of Julie Twist, managing director at Julie Twist Properties, who believes that landlords can significantly benefit from the guidance that letting agents can provide. Read more…
There has been a rise in the number of tenants struggling to pay their rent, as the economic climate continues to squeeze household finances.
According to the Association of Residential Letting Agents (ARLA), 41 per cent of its members have seen an increase in the number of tenants finding it difficult to meet their rental payments in the six months to March 2012. Read more…
Landlords should expect to see rents rise moderately in 2012, according to predictions from Belvoir Lettings.
Managing director Dorian Gonsalves predicted that there will be large fluctuations in income across regions, with the south-east expected to benefit from high prices in London pushing people out of the capital into the home counties. Read more…
