Nottingham Property Blog

Latest figures show that just 66% of homes are owner occupied, down from a peak of 71% nine years ago. This means one third of homes are rented from the council or housing association, or are privately rented. This is the largest percentage seen since 1988 when the push towards home ownership was at... Tags: social housing, private landlords, National Association of estate agents, letting agents Nottingham, private rental sector, home ownership, Thatcher

Latest research from an independent consultancy shows that in spite of newspaper reports about the burgeoning buy to let business, many professional landlords are feeling the pinch. Research by BDRC Continental, who is the largest independent market research consultancy in the UK, shows a substantia... Tags: BDRC Continental, portfolio landlords, tenant arrears, rental yields, private landlords, private rental sector

Most of us think twice now days before turning up the heating during winter, and according to a newspaper article, it looks as if this situation will continue as the government has admitted electricity costs 15% more because of its green policies. It gets worse, as by 2020 it is estimated electricit... Tags: retail energy prices, Green policies, Department for energy and climate change, coalition government, energy costs, fuel costs

According to an insurance company, the number of fraudulent tenants could be increasing. Apparently more potential tenants are filling out application forms fraudulently, and have no intention of continuing to pay the rent as they are constantly moving from property to property. Such tenants often g... Tags: tenancy agreement, subletting, fraudulent tenants, tenants, letting agency in Nottingham, Landlords

According to figures recently released by the Council of Mortgage Lenders, the number of properties purchased with buy to let mortgages rose by around 84,000 last year, helping to increase the supply of privately rented homes. During the last quarter of 2011, 34,800 buy to let mortgages were approve... Tags: landlord defaults, arrears, repossession rates, buy to let mortgages, letting agents in Nottingham, Paul Smee, CML

Research by insurance firm Axa shows nearly 10% of Britons exaggerate their insurance claims by an average of £600 which is leading to higher premiums for everyone else. Apparently the number of fraudulent claims has increased over recent years as many households battle with higher living costs and ... Tags: Untagged

Apparently the profile of buy to let landlords is changing, and, buy to let lenders are seeing an increase in the number of mortgage applications from first time borrowers. According to mortgage specialist John Charcol, growing numbers of middle-aged homeowners who have substantial equity in their p... Tags: rental growth, professional landlords, rental property, ARLA, mortgage, mortgage payments, buy to let landlords, John Charcol

More than a third of homes for sale have had their price reduced at least once since being listed, with Glasgow, Blackpool and Maidstone being the worst affected. The average discount from the original selling price is £19,580, or 7.5% which is £1,000 more than price reductions seen this time last y... Tags: homeowners, housing market, price reductions, house prices, mortgage lender, Zoopla

Apparently scientists at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in Boston are developing “highly expressive humanoid” robots which could be installed in houses up for sale. These robots would be able to work with people and would also be able to learn from them. The robots could then show around ... Tags: houses for sale, open days, viewings, robots, estate agents, MIT

A survey by Findaproperty.com has found nearly a third of parents long for more space, with this figure rising to 40% for those aged under 34. Apparently one in four children share a bedroom with a sibling, and most parents are unable to afford to rent or buy the kind of property they'd really like ... Tags: childrens rooms, space, property costs, British homes, findaproperty.com

A new report published by the Financial Services Authority has found the majority of sale and rent back transactions were either unsuitable or unaffordable. The FSA has reviewed all regulated SRB firms and now all have more or less stopped taking on new business while one firm has been referred to t... Tags: SRB agreement, lender, contracts, buy to let mortgages, Which Magazine, SRB deals, FSA

It's essential to ensure all the electrical wiring, sockets and switches in your rental property are in good working order for your tenants. One of the ways you can do this is by making sure the electrical wiring and any equipment is regularly inspected by a properly qualified electrician. They shou... Tags: electrical testing, tenants, Electrical Equipment Regulations, Electrician, British Standards, electricity

In spite of evidence showing that overpaying on a mortgage can be more beneficial than saving money, twice as many homeowners are choosing to save regularly rather than take advantage of low interest rates to pay down their mortgage, according to research from First Direct bank. Their survey of just... Tags: mortgage holders, first direct, interest rate, outstanding balance, overpaying a mortgage, savings account

With much of England predicted to finally feel the chill of winter over the weekend, it’s worth asking yourself if your buy to let properties are prepared for winter. Apparently last year's cold weather saw the number of claims for damage due to burst pipes increased by an incredible 900%, and insur... Tags: winter, burst pipes, Loft insulation, stopcocks, overflow pipes, insulation, buy to let property

The Association of British Insurers have pointed out that as many as 200,000 homes may be unable to get insurance against flooding once current agreements between home insurance companies and the government come to an end on July 1 2013. At the moment an agreement called the Statement of Principles ... Tags: ABI, home insurance, statement of principles, Public accounts committee, insurance industry, flood defences, flooding, buy to let insurance