Welcome to the latest edition of our newsletter.

The clocks have been put back an hour, we have reluctantly turned the central heating back on and Father Christmas is already in his grotto in the major department stores.

The financial crisis in the Eurozone continues and you could be forgiven for thinking that the lettings market would be grinding to a shuddering halt.Well, that is simply not the case and at Lenwell we are still seeing tenant demand outstripping landlord supply with still upward pressure on rental values.

As can be seen by some of the articles in this newsletter, there are some signs of the market overheating and tenant difficulties arising around the country and this makes the need for vigilant referencing of tenants and proactive management of property ever more vital. I am delighted to report that at Lenwell we are not seeing an increase in arrears or defaults but we concentrate very hard on ensuring that our landlords and tenants interests are both well looked after in order to ensure win, win outcomes.

In this issue, Lucinda Newell takes a look at the only other certainty in life after death – taxes!

I hope you enjoy the content.
Happy Reading!



Rob Wellstead
Managing Director

Three-quarters of property investors set to buy more rental homes.
Over three-quarters (76.8%) of UK property investors are considering buying additional investment properties over the coming year. According to the perennially upbeat investment firm Assetz, a new survey of its investors shows confidence, with landlords highlighting strong rental demand as their main incentive for expanding their portfolios, also high and rising rental values, and the belief that prices are at or near the bottom.......Click here to read the full article


Selective licensing is way forward, insists minister.
Ministers have been asked to reconsider regulating private residential landlords.

Labour MP Chris Williamson accused the housing minister in Parliament of failing in his responsibilities and allowing slum landlords to flourish..... Click here to read the full article





More landlords buying family-size rental homes.
Research from buy-to-let mortgage specialist Paragon has revealed a surge in the proportion of landlords planning to purchase family-focused housing..... Click here to read full article

The Lucinda Newell Column

To be seen pottering along the highways and byways of Luton in her Mini Clubman, her trusted Scottie Malcolm at her side, our super sleuthing property rental expert Ms Lucinda Newell is on the case on your behalf!

We are all familiar with the famous phrase that there is nothing more certain in life than death or taxes. A phrase originally attributed to either Daniel Defoe or Benjamin Franklin and as seemingly relevant today as it was back in the early 1700’s.....Click here to read full article
 

Arrears climb as rents reach all-time high.
Rents rose by their fastest rate in a year in August, bouncing up 1.2%, whilst tenants arrears grew in pure money terms by 19.5%. The findings are in the latest buy-to-let report from LSL Property Services.

It says that 10.7% of all UK rent was unpaid or late by the end of August – up from the 9%
of rent unpaid or late in July....Click here to read full article



 
National birth rate 'could fall because of lettings boom'
Family life is under threat because so many people are having to live in the private rented sector – where there is an inadequate supply of stock suitable for families.

As a result, younger people are putting off having children and forming households.....Click here to read full article


 
Landlords increasingly reluctant to take on social tenants.
More landlords could withdraw from the social housing sector if housing benefit payments, under the new Universal Credit system, are paid to tenants rather than directly to landlords, according to Landlord Assist.....Click here to read the full article



 
Poor energy efficient properties could still be banned from rental market within five years.
Parliament has rejected a call to ban rental properties with an EPC rating below E from 2016.

But the Government has not completely ruled it out if insufficient progress is made by landlords to improve the energy efficiency of their properties .....Click here to read the full article




And finally..
If you want to get ahead, get an App!

We are delighted to announce the arrival of the Lenwell Property Services App which will provide landlords and tenants with access to our property registers and other information direct from their smartphone.

The App is free to download and is the latest innovation in a long line of industry leading initiatives that have seen us scoop multiple industry awards for our services including the Gold award for technology and online at the 2010 Sunday Times Lettings Awards.

Managing Director Rob Wellstead said: "With around 50% of access to the internet now being made from smartphone and tablet devices, we see it as important to provide our clients and customers with access to our property registers in the way that they want to access them.

The free App is available on our website at www.lenwell.com or directly on iPhone, iPad, Blackberry and Android.

The App provides full information on all properties available to let as well as mapping information which enables the user to accurately find the property they are interested in.

Should you have any comments or questions, as always, we would be delighted to hear from you.

Sincerely

The Editor
editor@lenwell.com