Nottingham Letting Agent Property Blog

During the final quarter of 2011, members of the Association of Residential Letting Agents saw a 47% increase in the number of rental properties coming onto the market because owner occupiers were unable to sell. A year earlier this percentage was just 18%, and illustrates the sluggishness of the property market. These owners are being forced to turn to the private rental sector to solve the problem.Most of these landlords are likely to be looking for short-term lets. Short-term lets can range from as little as one week to three months, but according to ARLA there are a few pitfalls new...

An article by the Association of Residential Letting Agents has highlighted the changes recently made to HSE Legislation regarding the private rental sector. The recent changes mean that all owners of private residential rental property, and who are responsible for the water systems in the premises must now have a Legionnaires' risk assessment carried out. Many landlords are already aware of this responsibility, but others may not know about these changes.Legionella is a bacterium which is commonly found in rivers and lakes and artificial water systems. Whenever you hear about an outbreak of Legionnaires ’ disease it's usually in larger facilities...

The Association of Residential Letting Agents (ARLA) is hoping the forthcoming budget on March 21 will give a boost to the private rental sector. They are hoping the government will support growth of the private rental sector, and that landlords will be treated as entrepreneurial businesses. They point out supporting growth in this sector would encourage greater investment, which in turn would help boost the economy. There is still a healthy demand for good quality private rental homes, and there are 3.4 million tenants who rely on the private rental sector. This number has increased by 1 million since 2005.The association...

A new survey by the Association of Residential Letting Agents (ARLA), suggests the number of long distance landlords in the private rental sector is increasing, and the trend is especially prevalent in the capital and Scotland. ARLA thinks this trend is likely to continue as more owners may be forced to, or will choose to rent out property when moving to another part of the country. There is also an increasing trend for parents who have bought a property for their children to use while at university, to continue renting it out after the child has graduated.ARLA points out that being...

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 property are choosing to let rather than sell, and are then using the equity released to either buy another property in which to live or are choosing to rent.Some of these new landlords are keen to move but are reluctant to accept a lower price for the property, while others now see their home as...

According to the Association of Residential Letting Agents, last year saw more private rental landlords buy and sell property, but it looks as if this won't continue this year. Their research shows the percentage of landlords selling property during the last 12 months increasing from 6% to 8% during the last quarter of the year, while the number buying property increased from 23% to 25%. However the percentage of those intending to buy properties during the coming 12 months fell from 27% to 25%, while the number of those intending to sell property has increased slightly from 8% to 9%.Apparently private...

A new survey just released by the Association of Residential Letting Agents shows demand for rental property may finally be waning, and the market is showing signs of softening. According to the latest research for the last quarter of last year, some 55% of ARLA members still reported more tenants than properties, and while this figure is still good it is significantly less than the 74% seen during the third quarter of the year. Figures for people actually signing a new tenancy agreement were consistent with the previous quarter, but were slightly less in central London.During the fourth quarter 39.2% of...

Research carried out by the Association of Residential Lettings Agents (ARLA) shows an increase in the number of people being forced to rent out their homes in certain parts of the UK as they are unable to sell them. A survey carried out during the third quarter of last year showed that 47% of ARLA member agents had seen an increase in the number of reluctant landlords who have been forced to turn to the private rental sector, either because they are able to sell their property or because they are reluctant to sell at current prices. At the beginning of...

The Association of Residential Letting Agents is predicting a mixed year for the private rental sector, and even though recent measures unveiled by the government could help to get the housing market going once more there are concerns that things may get worse before they get better. It will be quite some time before the full impact of the new measures can be assessed and in the meantime it is expected that there will continue to be a lack of rental property. A recent survey showed that nearly three quarters of ARLA members had more potential tenants than available rental properties,...

According to a survey by the Association of Residential Letting Agents, only 35% of landlords in the UK know the energy performance of their properties, and around 17% think their property falls into the minimum category of energy efficiency performance, which is the F or G band of the Energy Performance Certificate. If this is true then they need to make plans to improve the energy efficiency of their properties, as from 2018 onwards, under the terms of the governments Green Deal, any rental properties performing at this level will be banned through the minimum efficiency standard.ARLA thinks that landlords should...