Rent rises of 20% to 30% are on their way, warns trade association – Letting Agent Today.com
Renters are in for a shock as trade association fears that rents could rise 20% – 30% due to landlords recouping their losses through new tax reforms.
Tax rises for landlords being introduced today will make renting less affordable and stifle investment in homes to rent, making it harder for renters to find suitable accommodation.
That’s the view from the Residential Landlords’ Association as new measures start to restrict mortgage interest relief for landlords and tax their turnover rather than their profit.
A survey for the RLA has shown that two-thirds of member landlords feel they will need to increase rents to cope with the new tax burden. The results also show that 58 per cent of members plan on cutting back investment in property.
Homes on heavily-polluted main roads may fall in price, says expert – Estate Agent Today.com
Property expert, David Lawrenson, predicts difficult future for homes sited next to congested main roads, as value is threatened and house price growth could be curtailed.
“I predict that within a few years, folks advertising properties for rent or to buy will start to show if their property is a safe distance – at least 200 metres – from a main road. Relative safety in pollution terms will become a selling point.”
That’s the view of long-standing industry expert David Lawrenson, commenting on the current debate regarding increased air pollution in cities and in relation to the dangers apparently caused by diesel vehicles.
“In due course, there may even be legislation to force vendors and landlords to show local average air quality information” he says – although he adds: “Don’t bank on it, because there are too many parties with too much to lose.”
Alzheimer’s Society calls for help from the industry – Eastern New Home Buyer.com
The UK’s Alzheimer Society calls upon the property industry to help create a dementia-friendly housing charter, to help those families struggling to create a suitable home environment for their loved ones.
Alzheimer’s Society is calling on housing organisations to unite against dementia and improve the lives of people living with the condition by signing up to its new Dementia-friendly housing charter.
Research from the leading dementia charity* has previously found that 85 per cent of people want to stay living at home for as long as possible when diagnosed with dementia, but that a third of the general public would not know where to find information about how to make their home and living environment suitable.
Alzheimer’s Society is launched the Dementia-friendly housing charter recently at The Housing Learning and Improvement Network Conference at the Kia Oval in London, to help housing professionals better understand dementia and how housing, its design and supporting services can help improve and maintain the well being of people affected.
Halifax names the best places to live in the countryside – The Daily Mail Online
For those looking for a green escape from the big smoke, here is a definitive list compiled by Halifax of the best places to live in our green and pleasant land.
The Orkney Islands have been rated as the rural district of the UK with the highest quality of life.
The wild and remote archipelago off the north coast of Scotland won the accolade for the best countryside living after scoring well on education, crime rates and leisure.
Wynchavon in the West Midlands is in second place and the Derbyshire Dales in the East Midlands take the third spot in the annual Halifax survey.
Letting agents in the firing line as new civil penalties come into effect – Letting Agent Today.com
Local authorities in England now have the long overdue power to penalise bad landlords in their local areas thanks to new legislation being implemented this week.
New legislation coming into force today gives local authorities in England tough new powers to crack down on rogue agents and landlords.
For the first time, local housing authorities will be able to impose a civil penalty of up to £30,000 for a range of housing offences, including:
– Failure to comply with a housing improvement or overcrowding notice;
Brits reveal what made them fall in love with their property – Property Reporter
New survey results show what makes Brits fall in love with them… and it’s not a hefty price tag! Factors included community appeal and room size to name a few.
A new survey lifts the lid on the UK property market, with Brits sharing exactly what made them buy their homes.
Wood flooring specialists Flooring Republic asked 1,000 Brits what led them to fall in love with their homes, and which factors they consider non-negotiable when buying a property – and between community appeal and room size, it seems Brits are swayed by more than an attractive price tag.
After the BBC reported that the number of first-time buyers was at its highest in a decade, this new study reveals what it takes to get Brits excited about buying a house. With 60% of the vote, a safe and friendly neighbourhood took the top spot, followed closely by the price of the property (52%).
Inside the home of a top designer: Philippa Thorp’s Hampshire Dream – Country Life
Ever wanted to peek inside an interior designers home? Well now you can with this exclusive interview with Philippa Thorp and get to learn about how she transformed her Hampshire home.
There’s a discernible undercurrent of no-nonsense about Philippa Thorp that has clearly been responsible for propelling her business from a start-up in a friend’s spare bedroom to being the go-to architecture and interior-design company for some of the most powerful people in the world.
Among her faithful clientele she counts former presidents and oligarchs, who have her working on their global property portfolios, spanning continents from Phuket to The Hamptons. Recently, she’s been enduring Canadian winter temperatures designing the interiors of a client’s new Bombardier Global Express private jet. None of it appears to faze her.
The daughter of a naval officer who painted in his free time, she had a comfortable, if predictably peripatetic upbringing, but she credits part of her fearlessness to a ‘spectacularly challenging tutor who took every opportunity to knock me down’ while doing an art foundation course after leaving school. ‘I’m a fighter and I thought, if he wants to annihilate me, I won’t let him.’
POSTED BY 
