wales

wales

400,000 properties in England and Wales could be unlettable from April 2018

21 July, 20170 Comments
According to government figures one in ten UK rental properties could be unlettable next year, if landlords fail to improve their energy efficiency. From April 2018, rental properties must have a minimum EPC rating of E. The regulations will apply to new lets and renewals of tenancies, and from 1 April 2020 it will extend
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New Tenants’ Fees Bill announced in Queen’s Speech

21 June, 20170 Comments
Announced in last years Autumn Statement, a new Tenant’s Fees Bill has been confirmed in todays Queen Speech. According to government figures, the average amount paid in fees is currently £223 with around 4.3m households paying such fees every year. However housing charity Shelter found that one in seven renters pay more than £500, with
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South Wales Estate Agent Set to Open Third Branch

16 May, 20170 Comments
As we enter our 8th year in business, we wanted to take the time to thank the continuous help and support of Welsh Estate Agency Rybec Homes – as well as congratulate them on the latest news that they’re in the process of opening a third estate agency branch. With sales and lettings branches already
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Landlords push for stamp duty surcharge u-turn to help solve housing crisis

11 January, 20170 Comments
Buy to let landlords in Wales are calling on the government to help kick start the Welsh housing market by amending or abolishing the 3% stamp duty surcharge currently imposed on residential properties and second homes. Nine months on since the stamp duty changes on second properties and buy-to-let continues to operate at lower levels than
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Quarter days and commercial rent arrears

12 December, 20160 Comments
In England and Wales, commercial rent is normally payable quarterly in advance. Traditionally these are known as “quarter days” and have been in use for centuries. The dates they fall on are – 25th March (Lady Day), 24th June (Midsummer Day), 29th September (Michaelmas) and 25th December (Christmas Day). Whilst many commercial landlords still use
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Significant number of landlords ditching ‘rip-off agents’

28 November, 20160 Comments
Since last weeks Autumn Statement announcement that there will be a ban on letting agents charging fees to tenants, it has been suggested that many more landlords should consider ditching ‘rip-off agents’. Many experts believe this latest legislation for the private rented sector in England and Wales will lead to higher rents, as landlords seek
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Deadline for landlords in Wales to register TODAY

23 November, 20160 Comments
Landlords in Wales have until today (Wednesday 23rd November) to sign up to a government register. The ‘Rent Smart Wales’ initiative was introduced last year, as a way of improving the standards for people renting private property, and eliminating rogue landlords. With an estimated 70,000-130,000 private landlords in Wales, over 55,000 of them had registered
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Top 5 anti-social behavioural types to watch out for in the PRS

13 September, 20160 Comments
In the year ending June 2015, 67% of the ASB incidents categorised by the police were identified as nuisance; 26% as personal; and 6% as environmental. The new set of 3 simplified categories for ASB, introduced in March 2012, are categorised as: “Nuisance” captures incidents where an act, condition, thing or person causes trouble, annoyance,
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54% of landlords unaware of government plan to abolish tenant fees

24 August, 20161 Comments
Following a petition opposing letting agent’s fees, fresh research reveals that 54% of landlords are not aware of the government’s plan to abolish tenant fees. Baroness Grenader put forward the changes to the Renters’ Rights Bill, which includes scrapping fees charged by letting agents and occasionally by landlords. As a landlord in England, Wales or Northern
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