Archive

A leading London lettings agent wants increased regulation over Airbnb in a bid to deter criminal activity and anti-social behaviour. Martin Bikhit, managing...

Industry supplier Let Alliance has merged with the Barbon Insurance Group, which includes HomeLet and Rentshield     The announcement was made at...

Lettings agents who diversify to offer tenant liability insurance not only broaden their own business but also increase peace of mind...

An insurance firm has broken down the causes of major problems for buy to let landlords and tenants - and, perhaps...

Most landlords are wary of the potential damage, smells and noise complaints that can come with accommodating a tenant with pets....

Government data suggests that almost 54 per cent of the UK’s remaining smokers are tenants - and against that backdrop, an...

Life insurance sold to tenants could provide a valuable additional income stream for agents whose revenue has been hit by the...

New analysis by Direct Line for Business reveals a surge in the number of police investigations into the theft of electricity,...

The race for dominance in the deposit alternative field continues apace. Now franchise giant Hunters has teamed up with flatfair to bring...

Legal & General is introducing a Rental Protection Plan for tenants, thought to be one of the first examples of this...

An agency in the north of England is continuing its strategy of acquisitions in a bid to offset the effects of...

Utilities management service Tenant Shop says demographic changes leading to more families and older individuals renting privately represent an opportunity for...

Online rental services platform Howsy - which last week revealed £5m new investment from backers - has acquired online lettings agency...

Property management platform Howsy has revealed new funding to the tune of £5m - and it now claims to be one...

With the recent introduction of the Tenant Fees Act – which bans upfront fees charged by letting agents and caps security...

One of the key players in the ultra-competitive deposit alternative sector has announced a massive and new $11m investment. Flatfair says that...

Lettings software platform teclet has announced a strategic partnership with the Mortgage Advice Bureau. It means MAB’s intermediary products and services will...

Deposit alternative provider flatfair has been chosen by CBRE UK Residential Lettings as the race for prominence in the sector continues. This is...

Buy to let investors in the UK are spending nearly £4.7 billion a year on their rental properties, an average of...

Goodlord has expanded its offering to enable corporate lets to be processed through its platform.  The move means agents who process both...

A PropTech supplier specialising in rent passports and tenancy deposit replacement has launched an advanced version of its primary product, on...

Data from rental insurance firm HomeLet suggests that the Tenant Fees Act may already be causing more movement amongst tenants. The firm...

The future of the lettings industry will be tech-driven says one of the industry’s leading consultants, who is now also director...

A rental provider specialising in property for older tenants has attacked what he calls “hidden costs” involved when people buy purpose-built...

The Tenancy Deposit Scheme, which suggested a devastating fire in early January, has been recognised for the professional, efficient and calm...

A rent guarantor service says it’s already chosen 25 lettings agents to take part in a trial of what it calls...

Deposit alternative service flatfair has partnered with Barbon Insurance Group to co-market the two organisations’ products. “We’re thrilled to partner with the...

The Guild of Property Professionals has announced a link with insurance product and moving services operation The Lettings Hub. Lettings Hub offers...

High profile agency Haart has issued a warning to landlords on what it sees as the three key risks to successful letting...

One of the growing number of deposit alternative services, flatfair, has announced a partnership with lettings platform Goodlord. Agents and landlords can...

The public are described as being “sceptical and confused” over the fees ban that comes into effect tomorrow.  A survey by insurance...

One of the country’s youngest lettings franchise holders has opened a second branch by acquiring an independent agency. Kuljeet Aujla, owner of...

Lettings agents are being urged to educate themselves as much as possible about rival deposit alternative schemes which are becoming increasingly...

A survey of 500 undergraduates has given a rare insight into what they want as accommodation priorities.  The study, by a landlord...

Six months on from the introduction of stricter licencing for Homes in Multiple Occupation, awareness “remains limited” according to one of...

Who are you and what does it say on your business card? Simon Paul Skinner, Operations manager at LetHQ. My business card...

Tenancy deposit alternative Reposit has announced a partnership with Pattinson, the largest independent agency network in the North East. The 26-branch network...

HomeLet, the tenant referencing and specialist letting insurance company, has been announced as an ESTAS partner for the Estate & Letting...

The chief executive of Hunters has told MPs there are 19 properties on its books which specify ‘No DSS’ - but...

Senior lettings agency figures are amongst those who will this morning give evidence to a committee of MPs investigating so-called ‘DSS...

A new utilities management platform for tenants says it will generate additional revenue streams for letting agents. Love Resident gives tenants online...

Tenant referencing, rent protection and insurance provider Rent4sure is to join other leading suppliers as an ESTAS partner for the 16th...

The rapid growth of Airbnb-style short lets could lead to the loss of private rented homes and displacement of long-term residents...

Staff are usually a business’s biggest fixed cost, but did you know that the true cost of an employee is almost...

PropTech company Goodlord is the latest entrant in the deposit alternative field. Under Goodlord Deposit Replacement Insurance agents can provide landlords with...

A new survey suggests that long-term renting could be substantially less expensive than a mortgage. The study, for Ocean Finance, has analysed...

Utilities and comparative platform Tenant Shop has linked up with Reposit to offer a security deposit alternative product for agents. Tenant Shop’s...

There’s a claim today that around one million amateur and professional landlords in the new short lets sector are not adequately...

More than a third of landlords are looking to cut their annual spending - and many of them are considering ending...

Lettings automation service teclet has revealed that the Tenant Shop is the latest partner integrated into its platform. Tenant Shop provides energy,...

Some 24 per cent of landlords have considered letting out their properties on a short let Airbnb-style basis - but only...

Client Money Protect has gained formal government approval to operate a client money protection scheme when the regulations go live on...

Outsourcing. Everyone has an opinion on it and there’s a stigma surrounding it in the lettings industry. But get this…letting agents ARE...

London-focussed lettings agency ludlowthompson says buy to let landlords across the country claimed a record £17.7 billion in tax relief last...

A software platform has been launched which allows Build To Rent units to be short-let on the likes of Airbnb during...

A rental campaigner claims the amount of money stolen this year by crooked lettings agents and landlords has topped the £1.3m...

Some 79 per cent of landlords are only servicing the interest on their mortgages, not paying down their loans, according to...

New rules to protect rent paid by tenants to letting agents will fail to provide adequate protection for landlords, a trade...

Tenants know very little about their rights and responsibilities as renters according to a new survey produced by TotallyMoney. Some 97 per...

Shock figures released by an insurance company suggest that councils are woefully unable to police new regulations regarding mandatory HMO licensing. Figures...

The party conferences of the two main political parties threw up some interesting developments with regards to housing and the rental...

An insurance firm has conducted research showing that not all landlords are heartless - in fact, quite the reverse.  The study by...

Zero Deposit, one of the insurance-based schemes offering an alternative to traditional tenancy deposits, has signed up its first independent agency...

Some 1.5m tenants could be at risk of losing their deposits, claims a campaigner for insurance-based alternatives to deposits. Ajay Jagota, head...

New research may explain why the government and Labour appear to be competing with each other to attack landlords and letting...

Rental platform Goodlord - which in January made around 40 staff redundant in a restructuring move - has now announced that...

Two new PropTech services launched, targeting the lettings industry. Tenancy referencing firm FCC Paragon has launched MyMoveIn, an online platform that supports...

There has been a furious response from landlords and tenants to a police letter which says a local force is not...

A new study shows that 43 per cent of tenants want the system of private rental deposits to be dropped and...

Barbon Insurance Group, which trades as HomeLet and Rentshield Direct, has now snapped up Movem. Movem uses personal online banking transaction data...

The House of Commons has published a briefing paper on tenancy deposit schemes ahead of the Report Stage of the Tenant...

The chief commercial officer of PropTech startup Canopy says that letting agents and Build to Rent landlords need to accommodate the...

A London lettings agency is warning landlords who let out their properties via Airbnb or similar short let platforms to ensure...

The chief executive of mydeposits has hit back at a Which? report calling for reform - or possibly even replacement -...

An insurer is launching a new referral scheme for letting agents to market to landlords and tenants as a way of...

The concept of deposit alternatives is gathering pace and now one PropTech firm closely involved in it - Reposit - has...

Crooked letting agents and landlords have so far this year been convicted of illegally pocketing over £900,000 of tenant’s cash – and there’s...

A new analysis reveals that it takes an average of 118 days for court-appointed bailiffs to remove tenants from private homes...

Investors in buy to let in the UK are losing thousands of pounds in income - and it’s their own fault...

The Independent online newspaper says Conservative MP Gary Streeter will tomorrow meet with Prime Minister Theresa May and urge her to...

Outsourcing has long been an effective strategy in business. It enables you to provide a new, improved or more streamlined service...

A trade body is advising landlords and agents acting on their behalf to take precautions to protect their investments if they...

LonRes, the data and agent network business specialising in central London, is entering into a strategic partnership with rental services provider...

A specialist insurance provider says there is substantial mis-buying of insurance products by buy to let investors.  A survey of 500 landlords...

Countrywide - which is making the lettings sector a key part of its ‘back to basics’ programme - is proposing to...

We’re delighted to announce that Elaine Kellington from Kelso in the Scottish Borders is winner of the Landlord Of The Year...

Who are you and what does it say on your business card? Ben Robinson, Director of Agency Services at Landmark What is Landmark...

Private rental sector tenants have spent the year so far working only to pay for their accommodation, the BBC claims.  The broadcaster...

A survey suggests that the ability to have a pet in a rental property is more important than ease of parking...

There are plenty of helpful and reliable professionals in the letting industry, however it’s no secret that there are a lot...

The holiday lets market is just starting to pick up and new research shows that 80 per cent of those who...

A survey suggests that the advent of deposit-free renting in parts of the private rental sector may tempt tenants away from...

Lavanda, a platform for short-lets backed by Purplebricks’ co-founder Kenny Bruce, says it is to roll-out across the UK from later...

New research reveals that only 16 per cent of private tenants positively choose to rent. The study, commissioned by specialist insurance firm...

Increased volatility in the private rental sector and rising costs for landlords and investors have combined to lead to an increased...

A new survey suggests that only four per cent of tenants and landlords are aware of the new Minimum Energy Efficiency...

A quest has started to find the UK’s best landlord who goes the extra mile to ensure tenants receive the ultimate...

The ZPG-backed Zero Deposit scheme, one of a number now existing putting forward an alternative to traditional deposits, has announced four...

The cash value of tenancy deposits crooked landlords and letting agents have been convicted of pocketing in 2018 has already passed...

A specialist insurance firm claims that only 17 per cent of tenants receive the latest version of the mandatory How To...

The man behind a leading lettings industry PropTech company says the new Code of Conduct to clean up the rental sector...

The Association of Residential Letting Agents has described the introduction of a code of conduct and official register for letting agents...

The trend towards reducing or eliminating deposits at the same time as edging towards a ban on letting agents’ fees on...

Student accommodation specialist Unite is launching a new service, called Conker, which aims to replace deposits with insurance schemes for students...

The code sets out the standards to be met by anyone engaged in lettings including specific requirements around how clients’ money...

Countrywide’s Hamptons International is to work with a PropTech firm to try out a no-deposit lettings scheme in four of its offices. Hamptons’...

A new branch of the Move Revolution agency has opened in Weston-super-Mare, heavily promoting the concept of no-deposit renting.  The branch is...

The average rent agreed on a new tenancy signed in December was £907 according to the insurance firm HomeLet, compared to...

The UK Association of Letting Agents has launched a deal with insurance firm Let Alliance to allow total loss client money...

The UK’s army of buy to let landlords will still benefit from £16.7 billion worth of tax relief even after the...

A survey from a specialist rental insurance firm suggests that contrary to popular belief, landlords care more than a little about...

The Conveyancing Association has made a wide-ranging response to the government’s call for evidence on the regulation of letting and managing...

After the series of anti-buy to let measures contained in recent Budgets, it is perhaps unsurprising that a survey of landlords...

A campaigning letting agent says that at the start of this financial year the total cash value of deposits held in...

Online lettings agency Upad says landlords are concerned that insurance-based alternatives to traditional deposit schemes may not cover them for repairs...

The lettings market typically heats up in autumn, with landlords and tenants back off their holidays and ready to start the...

A lettings agency chief who monitors legal action against rogue agencies and landlords says almost £850,000 of deposits have been stolen...

A survey suggests no fewer than 88 per cent of tenants regard cost as the most important deciding factor when choosing...

The BBC says Right To Rent legislation is fuelling a burgeoning market in fake IDs - in some cases creating access...

The Association of Residential Letting Agents has issued a 10 point guide for tenants - with the emphasis very much on...

A lettings insurance specialist company is warning that students moving into private rental accommodation may pose a greater-than-average risk of fire. Total...

One in 20 lettings properties breach minimum standards set to come into force next April, according to a survey for an insurance...

The insurance group Direct Line says it is taking a 15 per cent equity stake in Canopy, an ‘alternative deposit’ company. Canopy...

A new survey by a property insurance firm suggests more than half of private rental sector tenants have remained in the same...

Even those earning average salaries risk being priced out of the lettings market by high rents according to an insurance agency.    Research...

New figures assembled by the Nationwide reveal precisely how much, on average, it costs to operate a privately rented property.    The numbers...

According to recent government figures, the average letting agent’s fee is £223 and 4.3 million householders pay this amount or thereabouts...

Letting agents have been accused of failing to carry out sufficient financial checks on prospective tenants.    Tenant referencing and insurance operator Landlord...

Hallmark, which has been working with agents and property management firms for over a decade, has formally launched its new name...

Ajay Jagota, the north east agent known for his campaign against rental deposits, says recent initiatives by two deposit protection services...

Letting agents using insured deposit protection schemes have been urged to switch to a custodial model in order to compensate for...

The Dispute Service (TDS) has announced today that it will provide dispute resolution for a new deposit replacement company.  The 'long-term strategic...

Giving clients reliable advice when they are buying, selling or letting a home lies at the core of every successful estate...

Reference provider Rent4sure says agents should beware of the growing issue of online identity fraud, especially hitting people in their 30s.   A...

A league table drawn up by a rental sector insurance specialist claims private rental accommodation in university locations can produce yields...

Humberts has launched an online-only lettings option for landlords with a PropTech firm which has previously operated a service described as...

Property investment platform LendInvest has raised £50m thanks to the over-subscription of its first retail bond, launched on the London Stock...

Former Countrywide chief executive and chairman Grenville Turner is one of a number of high profile new investors unveiled for Zero...

Lettings transaction platform Goodlord is branching into rent protection with a product that can be integrated into the company’s app.   “Agents can...

A survey of over 2,000 private renters for an animal insurance company apparently produces the result that 27 per cent of...

More than half of buy to let landlords have taken measures to check the fire safety of their properties in the...

One of the leading eviction specialists is calling for unregulated companies offering similar services to sign up to redress schemes in...

With a host of changing regulations hitting the private rental sector, some landlords may be put off using letting agents, but...

Specialist buy to let mortgage lender LandBay has teamed up with financial services giant Legal & General to provide a new...

The head of the parent firm of mydeposits is warning tenants and landlords tempted to enter into new ‘no-deposit’ schemes to...

Barbon Insurance Group, owner of HomeLet, today formally launches what it calls a "revolutionary" rent payment system aimed at locking tenants into...

An alternative to traditional deposits, already tested in the German rental market, is now being introduced into the UK - and...

New research conducted by a letting agency shows that 61 per cent of tenants currently have no contents insurance, with 48...

HF Resolution Ltd, a subsidiary of Hamilton Fraser, has acquired one of the industry’s leading tenant eviction solicitor firms, Landlord Action.   Landlord...

A specialist insurance provider has reminded landlords and letting agents of the pitfalls associated with rent guarantee insurance.  Cover4LetProperty suggests that squeezed...

Data gathered for a specialist insurance firm suggests that 14 per cent of private tenants have moved in the last five...

A series of six video ‘shows’ - ideal for agents to promote to would-be investment buyers - has been launched by...

Tenant referencing company Rent4sure has set up a new team to support agents in the light of the expected ban on...

Landlords are increasingly looking to reduce the fees they pay to letting agents due to industry tax changes and increasing management...

Tenant referencing and insurance provider Van Mildert has secured private equity funding from a private family office and the principals of...

Over a third of adults are now living in some sort of social or private rental accommodation.    New research from insurance firm...

Women now account for two in five landlords according to research by Simple Landlords Insurance.   It says it has analysed tens of...

A prominent campaigner over the misappropriation of rental deposits has welcomed the news that government proposals to ban letting agent fees...

Mark Witherspoon, the data services director at ZPG, has joined the board of Barbon Insurance Group, which operates the HomeLet and...

A leading letting agent campaigning against rental sector deposits is warning that the industry might be hit with “astronominal” insurance premiums...

A new study of landlords reveals that far more believe they will be affected by today’s buy to let mortgage interest...

What does it say on your business card? Luke Burton Sales and Marketing Director, Rent4sure Who is Rent4sure? Rent4sure, is an established tenant referencing company. We provide...

A leading insurance company says letting agents and tenants alike will suffer if the government’s proposed ban on fees levied on...

  Renters are spending half their wages keeping a roof over their head, are twice as likely as homeowners to have no...

Contrary to a number of trends identified by lettings organisations and surveys of tenants, an insurance firm is claiming that longer-term...

The Lettings Hub is broadening its offer to agents by launching a utility management service on top of its traditional referencing...

There was a sigh of relief amongst the lettings industry that yesterday's Budget introduced no new property taxes - but concern...

Chancellor Phillip Hammond has introduced no new property taxes in his Spring Budget - but a clampdown on those setting up...

Hamilton Fraser - parent firm to mydeposits, Total Landlord Insurance, Property Redress Scheme and Client Money Protect - has brought its...

A new form of agency which wants to blend traditional letting with Airbnb-style short lets has launched in London.    Lavanda claims it...

The latest survey from a specialist landlord insurance firm confirms what many in the industry will have known for a long...

A fraudster has been jailed after being convicted on nine counts of fraud, theft and forgery relating to property firms which...

One of the world’s largest ‘temporary furnished accommodation’ specialists is reported to have £20m to spend on renting property to re-let...

Tenant referencing and insurance firm FCC Paragon says its own referencing sector, as well as independent letting agents and smaller corporate...

Specialist insurer Direct Line for Business is warning agents and landlords that while winter has so far been relatively mild, February...

New research claims that the financial benefits of renting rather than owning may have been under-rated.   A financial researcher at the University...

The couple believed to be the owners of Britain’s largest buy to let portfolio have defended sending letting agents an 11-point...

Hamilton Fraser - parent company to several key brands operating in the private rental sector - has launched a series of...

Another organisation is warning of the dangers if tenants go away at Christmas and sub-let their properties without consent.    Total Landlord Insurance,...

A new survey suggests that a letting agent saves a landlord an estimated £1,910 a year.   The result of an investigation into 500...

An online student lettings agency claims there will be a growing number of students using the holiday season to boost their...

An assessment undertaken by the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development shows property taxes accounted for 12.7 per cent of the...

An insurance firm says a poll of 1,000 landlords suggests 50 per cent either did not have public liability insurance or...

Almost one in four landlords say delays by tenants informing them about maintenance issues in their homes have resulted in more...

City investment consultancy Jefferies has calculated the impact on landlords if the country’s second largest agency group - LSL Property Services...

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So much for Brexit and economic uncertainty disrupting the buy to let market - a new survey out today shows it’s...

The National Landlords Association claims that changes to buy to let mortgage interest tax relief being introduced in six months time...

Protecting your business in an unpredictable market can be a challenge, so finding insurance you can rely on is essential. As a nationwide...

Crooked letting agencies have been convicted of stealing £1,018,100 of deposits this year alone – and one agent claims this figure...

A company called My Property Host is seeking to attract failed sellers to become ‘accidental landlords’ and let out their homes...

A high proportion of landlords play an active role in the management and maintenance of their rental property, a new study...

Lettings agents are being invited to take part in a national online survey launching today and seeking to get an industry-wide...

Airbnb has hit back at a claim by the Residential Landlords Association that lets promoted by the firm effectively worsened London’s housing...

A landlords’ group says the widespread letting of homes in London on Airbnb and similar platforms is worsening the shortage of...

Letting agents and others in the industry have until October 3 to respond to a new review in to Client Money...

Ensuring that your business and your landlords’ interests are fully protected is now more important than ever and Rent4sure, as a...

New research shows that far from being a war zone between tenants and landlords, the private rental sector is a haven...

Highly publicised stories of property damage allegedly caused by short-let tenants using Airbnb and similar online platforms highlights the advantages of...

A high proportion of tenants do not feel the government is doing enough to protect them from unscrupulous landlords.  This is the...

Specialist eviction firm Landlord Action claims that in the past 12 months the number of incidents where tenants have sub-let properties...

An analysis of 100,000 buy to let insurance policies reveals that storm damage, burst pipes and damage from break-ins are the...

Research by HomeLet shows that rents on new tenancies outside London over the three months to March were on average 4.9...

The number of tenancies signed by a single tenant has fallen, according to the latest HomeLet Rental Index. Last year, tenants living...

The changes introduced to the tax and stamp duty levied on buy to let income and property appears not to have...

LSL Property Services has taken a 65 per cent share in Group First Limited which provides mortgage and protection brokerage services...

As agents, you know that there is so much more to the home-buying process than simply choosing a perfect home, but...

A price comparison website has publicised the case of a landlord who let out his property on the Airbnb website -...

Chancellor George Osborne has “effectively declared war on individual landlords” according to the Residential Landlords’ Association - but don’t expect a...

A survey by HomeLet suggests that nine in 10 landlords do not intend to raise rents on their existing tenancies during...

Tenants should not be coerced into paying higher rents to redecorate their landlords’ property according to the Association of Independent Inventory...

The former Property Ombudsman, Christopher Hamer, is to be a special advisor to the National Association of Estate Agents and the...

It is not often that a national newspaper dedicates an article to praising buy to let - and even rarer for...

Our team of heroes have been helping thousands of UK letting agents for the past 20 years, during this time we...

The broker Independent Mortgage Solutions - which until now has found loans for clients interested in residential sales, self-build and buy...

At HomeLet we have a team of heroes who have been helping the UK's letting agents with rent guarantees, tenant referencing...

Some 71% of landlords have not yet organised a carbon monoxide alarm in their rental property, according to a survey of...

A tenant referencing and insurance firm has announced that it has completed the acquisition of one of its competitors. Let Insurances Ltd,...

A letting agency has announced that it has formed a partnership with a heating installer to provide support for its managed...

New figures from a landlords’ organisation show that mortgage repayments are easily the biggest outgoing for a large proportion of landlords.  The...

An inventory software firm claims periodic visits by agents or landlords could lead to a reduction in damage to rental properties. The...

The Master Locksmiths Association has set out advice to letting agents on the best way to secure student properties which in...

An estimated 400,000 landlords in the UK - that’s approaching three in every 10 - have had their property damaged by...

The Advertising Standards Authority has banned a radio advertisement for Direct Line Landlord Insurance because it has been judged to be...

One of Britain’s best known and highest profile lettings agencies, Finders Keepers, has produced what it calls the definitive guide to...

Barbon Insurance Group Ltd - the firm behind HomeLet, Letsure and Rentshield, has appointed a new non-executive chairman as a global...

In my recent article, ‘Is Gazeal for Real?’ I reported on the imminent launch of this new product that claimed it...

Landlords of residential properties in high risk flood areas should look at minimising their risks now rather than be left at...

Recent weeks have seen changes made to the rules that govern responsibility for property repairs in the private rented sector. Section 11...

The journalism website HoldTheFrontPage says a landlord who tried to sue a weekly newspaper for defamation over its coverage of a...

An insurance firm has reminded landlords that recent changes in legislation require them to be responsible for any repairs to the...

As this year’s SAFEagent Awareness Week draws to a close today and thousands of agents have been raising the profile of...

In a marketplace where many providers outsource their Tenant Referencing and Rent Protection services, using one that doesn’t is essential for...

AllAgents is calling for the scrapping of the insurance-backed tenancy deposit schemes. The review website claims these schemes are misleading, as tenants...

“More than 1 in 3 agreed property deals in England & Wales fall through… Gazeal is a new system for property sales,...