Nottingham Letting Agent Property Blog

The National Landlords Association has launched new software. It is aimed at helping landlords interested in the government’s Green Deal to make energy efficiency improvements to their properties, with the least amount of fuss. The software will help landlords assess the eligibility of their property, and will help them find a provider for making the improvements. The NLA has partnered with United Legal Services (ULS) and providers MITIE.Improvements are paid for with a loan that is attached to the property's electricity bill, but this bill cannot be more expensive than if the work hadn't been carried out. The idea is for...

According to a survey from the National Landlords Association, landlords within the private rental sector are busy improving the energy efficiency of their properties. Their survey found 51% of landlords have made improvements to two of their rental properties, improving energy efficiency, while another 12% have made improvements to five or more properties.At the moment the government is offering grants to landlords in order to encourage them to make energy-saving renovations. Energy-saving grants available at the moment include the Carbon Emissions Reduction Target, the Community Energy Saving Programme, and Warm Front. These grants are only available until the end of the...

According to a survey by the National Landlords Association, the number of tenants in the private rental sector who are falling into arrears is increasing. During the last 12 months 49% of landlords have seen tenants falling into arrears, and another 37% are worried about the likelihood of this happening in the near future. Their research found the typical landlord has an average of 12 rental properties, with four tenants in arrears. The average amount owed by tenants is £2,363.This problems are also affecting landlords could only have one or two properties, or those who have become landlords by accident. These...

Latest research from the National Landlords Association has found nearly three quarters of landlords think the buy to let market would benefit from greater innovation, while around 89% believe it would benefit from greater competition and a greater choice of lenders. In spite of the fact that landlords are dissatisfied with the range of buy to let products currently on the market, they are still buying properties, and one in 10 landlords have added properties to their portfolios during the last three months. Another one in five expects to do so during the next 12 months. More than 50% of landlords...

The National Landlords Associations annual conference was held last week in Manchester, and underlined the importance the private rental sector will play in the UK property market during the coming years. The keynote speaker at the conference was Terrie Alafat, director of housing growth and affordable housing at Communities and Local Government. He explained to attendees that housing is definitely high on the government agenda, especially as demand is continuing to grow, with the private rental sector having increased by 1 million since 2005. One of the things he touched upon was the changing face of the private rental sector in...

A recent survey by the National Landlords Association has found nearly three quarters of landlords who have tenants receiving local housing allowance, are considering reducing their exposure to this market. Around 25% are already taking active steps to reduce the number of tenants receiving housing benefit payments, and another 50% have plans to do so in the future  because of concerns about the LHA cap.These caps will limit the amount of benefit available, and are based on the property size. According to the NLA, the impacts of these cuts will vary, and some households may lose hundreds of pounds. There are...

According to a survey by the National Landlords Association, two thirds of private landlords in the UK are thinking about taking advantage of the Green Deal scheme to improve their properties. The deal enables landlords to obtain loans to make improvements to their properties energy efficiency, and includes improvements such as loft and wall insulation. The loans are repaid through utility bills, and should result in lower energy bills. According to the survey nearly a quarter of landlords intend to take advantage of the Green Deal, while another 38% are considering it. However 21% are unsure about its effectiveness, and another...

The latest Landlord Optimism Index has just been released by the National Landlords Association, and it found that 65% of those surveyed rated their prospects for the rental business over the next three months as being very good or good. They are also becoming more optimistic about the general state of the private rental sector with 54% feeling the prospects are very good or good, which is an increase of 8% compared to the second quarter of 2010. Unfortunately the same can't be said about the state of the financial market, as a mere 6% felt positive about this, which is...

According to a new survey from the National Landlords Association, the majority of landlords get on well with their tenants, with 61% describing their relationship as very good, another 34% describe the landlord tenant relationship is good, while only 3% say it is adequate. Less than 1% report having a poor relationship with their tenants. Apparently about four in 10 landlords have contact with their tenants whenever the need arises, while 36% communicate on a more regular basis.This is good news for everyone, especially as the rental sector is growing, and is probably due to letting agents in Nottingham taking great...

The accreditation scheme for private landlords which is run by the National Landlords Association is being feted as a success and is currently being used by 28 local authorities. The scheme was launched just over a year ago and is free to local authorities. A massive 85% of landlords who have completed the scheme say it is very good. It allows landlords to self-regulate, and to keep up with current legislation, and this allows local authorities to utilise their resources more efficiently in chasing up those landlords who give the rental sector a bad name.According to David Salusbury, who is the...

A new survey from the National Landlords Association has found that more than 50% of private residential landlords intend to cut the number of properties they let to tenants on housing benefits. Apparently the survey found that 58% said they would reduce the number of properties let to tenants on housing benefits, with 90% of this number expecting to do so within the next 18 months. Approximately one third were intending to reduce their Local Housing Allowance (LHA) properties immediately.A massive 80% of landlords were worried about the reduction of LHA rates, and are also concerned about any future increases in...

According to new research from the National Landlords Association and BDRC Continental, most landlords are pretty happy, but don't feel they have much respect from the public. The surveys found that 49% of landlords had faced increased demand from tenants and are confident that this demand will continue to rise, while just 6% thought it would fall. However 62% of landlords thought their job had become much harder recently. A whopping 78% felt good about their status as landlord.The housing market is conducive to buy to let investors at the moment, and 10% said they had expanded their property portfolio this...