Fact of the Week – 30th July 2018
On July 28th, 1945, a US Army bomber crashed into the 79th floor of New York’s Empire State Building, killing 14... View Article
City housing team issue first civil penalty to landlord
City of Wolverhampton Council’s housing team has sent out a warning to landlords across the city after issuing its first ever civil penalty. A landlord in the Whitmore Reans area of Wolverhampton has been hit with a £16,000 fine for... View Article
New licensing scheme for private landlords starts next week
With just one week to go until a new licensing scheme comes into force to improve private rented property in Nottingham, landlords are being urged not to delay and apply for a licence now. The City Council scheme, known as... View Article
The rise of the UK build-to-rent market
The UK’s Private Rented Sector (PRS) is going through a period of rapid change. A recovering UK economy and increasing interest by both UK and overseas large institutional investors are key elements in the recent expansion of the PRS. Rising... View Article
Curo on track to complete first development with funding from the Council’s £57m Affordable Housing pot
Housing association and housebuilder Curo is nearing completion of its 100 per cent affordable housing scheme at Whitehall Road in Bristol, on the land of the derelict White Hart Hotel. The 14 new affordable homes are due for completion in... View Article
Revised National Planning Policy Framework published
The National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF) has been revised by the Ministry of Housing including new rules intended by the to make it easier for councils to challenge poor quality development, and provide communities with a greater voice on how... View Article
Absent homeowners and landlords urged to ensure their properties are covered
Homeowners and landlords are being urged to check that their buildings insurance covers their property when it is unoccupied for a number of days. Richard Burgess, Director at Cover4LetProperty, says: “Many property owners – both owner occupiers and landlords –... View Article
Water heating innovation and it’s key role in Britain’s new social housing stock
Stuart Doggrell, water heating general manager at Fabdec discusses how developments in water heating, can power efficiencies and sustainability for housing associations and help them improve standards for residents Housing associations and local authorities currently face a key challenge, maintaining... View Article
Breaking the barriers to retrofit sprinkler installations
Fire safety remains top of the agenda following the Dame Judith Hackitt Review and the inquiry into the Grenfell Tower disaster. Whilst much of the debate has centred around the use of combustible cladding and the need to improve fire... View Article
New housing minister appointed
After just six months in post Dominic Raab has been replaced as housing minister by Kit Malthouse, as a result of a cabinet reshuffle arising from Brexit inspired resignations. The change happened just weeks before the launch of a delayed... View Article
Student hotspots in the north are the best bet for buy-to-lets
Buy-to-let landlords squeezed by recent tax changes are being advised they may find better returns by targeting northern towns and cities with sizeable student populations. University towns and cities where housing is cheap, such as Liverpool and Middlesbrough, are providing... View Article
Best places to rent out property in the UK revealed
The city of Manchester is the best place for people to buy property and let it out to tenants in the private rented sector according to analysis carried out by the website GoCompare. Manchester was rated as the best place... View Article
1.75m private renters never expect to buy a home
About 1.75 million people who rent their homes do not believe they will ever be able to buy a property, according to analysis of the English Housing Survey carried out by the Labour Party. This is an increase of 585,000... View Article
Slow rate of removing Grenfell style cladding is major concern
More than a year after the terrible fire at Grenfell Tower only a tiny number of tower blocks with the same combustible cladding have had it removed and replaced with alternative materials, making them safe for residents but raising question... View Article
Scotland to legislate for sprinklers in all new social homes
The Scottish Government is to pass new laws forcing developers to include sprinklers in all new social homes, during the lifetime of the current parliament. Housing minister Kevin Stewart made the pledge after an opposition backbencher, David Stewart, Labour MSP... View Article
Wales looks to ban letting fees
The Welsh Government has introduced a bill to ban the charging of fees for many standard tenancy transactions in the private rented sector. This has the potential to save tenants many hundreds of pounds and follows similar steps taken in... View Article
Court jails man who locked 35 tenants out of their home
A head tenant who changed the locks on a property in north-west London that was illegally sublet to 35 men has been jailed for 16 weeks. Ilie Florin Dragusin bolted the men out of a converted three-bedroom semi-detached house after... View Article
Council raid finds 16 living in a two-bedroom flat
A dawn raid by enforcement officers from Brent Council found sixteen people squeezed into a two bedroom flat above a shop in north west London, in conditions described as “Dickensian” by a local councillor. Council staff were supported by police... View Article
Anchor and Hanover in merger talks
Two large landlords who provide care services and homes to the elderly are in merger talks over forming a 53,000-home organisation and the biggest specialist housing association in the country. If the merger goes ahead, the new Anchor Hanover Group... View Article
Private block with unsafe cladding has safety watch removed
A private residential tower block in south London with cladding that has failed fire safety tests had its waking watch removed leaving residents concerned about their future wellbeing. The Palm and Malt House development in Lambeth consists of three blocks,... View Article