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15 May 2013MeetMyAgent
This week is a very special week, with it being the second annual SAFE Agent Awareness Week! MeetMyAgent is a continuing supporter of SAFE Agent and what they stand for: highlighting letting agents who have client money protection in place. While The Property Ombudsman this week announced that the number of letting agents subscribed to the sche...
09 May 2013Leo @ MeetMyAgent
Woof! I’m Leo, and each week I bring you top news and interesting stories from the property world – below are my picks for this week. Landlords to be forced to check tenants’ immigr...
07 May 2013MeetMyAgent
Yet another obstacle in the introduction of Universal Credit (UC) came on day one of its pilot launch last week. The online system used to facilitate the new policy is apparently suffering from a bou...
03 May 2013Leo @ MeetMyAgent
Woof! I’m Leo the pup, the real brains behind MeetMyAgent, and welcome to my first ever weekly round up of goings-on in the property industry. The Return of the Buyer With spring finally lookin...
16 April 2013MeetMyAgent
Figures from the Office of National Statistics have showed that the average price for properties in London increased 5.9% last year. However, the national picture showed house prices rose by just 1.9...
12 April 2013MeetMyAgent
From 2018, landlords will be required by law to make sure any property they let out has a minimum of an ‘E’ class energy efficiency rating. While lower energy bills will certainly make a ...
09 April 2013MeetMyAgent
A picture paints a thousand words, so the famous saying goes. When it comes to selling your home, this has never been truer as photographs are the first thing that potential buyers will look at while...
05 April 2013MeetMyAgent
It can be easy to fall in love with a house at first sight of the beautiful pictures on a property agent’s website, and to hope you have found your dream home. To make sure that dream doesn&rsq...
02 April 2013MeetMyAgent
According to a recent report by property analytics firm Hometrack, 75 per cent of rental properties are in just 25 per cent of the UK – with areas in London at the top of the list. It's no ...
29 March 2013MeetMyAgent
A recent Supreme Court decision has meant that landlords who fail to follow consultation procedures correctly on building repairs will not be penalised if it is deemed that leaseholders are not left ...
26 March 2013MeetMyAgent
Houses sell when the sun shines. Estate agents say more people want to move in the spring, summer and autumn than the winter, and the start of spring normally brings house hunters out to search for t...
22 March 2013MeetMyAgent
The housing market could benefit from up to £130bn of new mortgages after Chancellor George Osborne unveiled a daring new stimulus package in the latest Budget. A new Help to Buy scheme was ann...
20 March 2013James Gould
When you are preparing to put a home on the market, there is always a great deal of preparation involved in making sure that the property is in good shape. Any necessary repairs must be addressed, fr...
18 March 2013Coreco
It has been an interesting few years for the Buy to Let market. In the aftermath of the Credit Crunch we saw lenders pull away from this sector with breathtaking speed, leaving only two large lenders...
16 March 2013MeetMyAgent
Woof! I’m Leo the dog and it’s my job to help consumers sniff out the best estate and letting agents to use. I am also the REAL brains behind MeetMyAgent - the human directors we have are...
14 March 2013MeetMyAgent
Research by Lloyds TSB has found that 3 in 5 aspiring ‘second steppers’ – first-time buyers who are now selling to purchase their second home – have found themselves stuck on ...
11 March 2013MeetMyAgent
Last week, the House of Lords voted in favour of a Labour party amendment to the Enterprise and Regulatory Reform Bill forcing letting agents to sign up to a redress scheme, despite government opposi...
08 March 2013MeetMyAgent
In a landmark decision, the Advertising Standards Agency (ASA) has ruled that letting agents must disclose their fees when marketing a property or they will be breaking the law. The ruling means that...
05 March 2013MeetMyAgent
New figures from the Bank of England show that net mortgage lending has fallen since August 2012, despite the government’s Funding for Lending Scheme (FLS) being introduced. Net lending was dow...
22 February 2013MeetMyAgent
The Office of Fair Trading (OFT) has called for better protection for tenants from rogue letting agents after analysis of over 4,000 landlord and tenant complaints. It found that letting agent fees a...
19 February 2013MeetMyAgent
Written by Ashley Alexander, co-founder of MeetMyAgent and former agent As a former agent myself, I've watched developments in the online agency model and the benefits they can offer consumers wi...
15 February 2013MeetMyAgent
House sales increased for the fourth consecutive month in January, a signal that confidence is returning to the market, according to the Royal Institute of Chartered Surveyors (RICS). While 9% more s...
12 February 2013MeetMyAgent
In an internet age, a strong broadband connection is vital when buying a new property. In a survey of over 2,000 UK adults, the Halifax found that 30% want their new home purchase to have a strong in...
08 February 2013Seddons
The 2012 Budget announced proposals to tackle perceived abuses in the ownership of residential property valued in excess of £2million by non-natural persons. The definition of non-natural perso...
05 February 2013MeetMyAgent
According to a new report by housing charity, Shelter, entitled ‘Rent Trap’, rents increased last year by more than £500 in one in seven local authorities while six areas saw rents ...
01 February 2013MeetMyAgent
The NewBuy scheme, the government’s flagship scheme to boost the housing market, has been extended to second-time buyers via the NewBuy Part Exchange to increase activity in the property sector...
24 January 2013mydeposits
Have you ever found that an ironing board cover or perhaps a toaster is missing at the end of a tenancy and wondered whether it's worth making a deposit deduction to cover the costs? To be fair y...
21 January 2013MeetMyAgent
With many parts of the country being affected by snow storms, many properties will be at risk from the damage that can be caused by heavy ice and snow accumulation. Below we run through some of ways ...
18 January 2013MeetMyAgent
Increased activity in the first-time buyer market contributed to a 6% increase the number of loans advanced for house purchases in November 2012 according to data released this week by the Council of...
16 January 2013MeetMyAgent
Written by Liya Fateh, co-founder of MeetMyAgent and landlord Today’s Guardian editorial, “Tenants need protection from feral letting agents”, speaks of agents who charge exorbitant...
14 January 2013MeetMyAgent
According to property portal Zoopla.co.uk, the combined value of residential stock in the UK was £5.963trn at the end of December 2012, representing a year-on-year rise of 0.97% from £5.9...
11 January 2013MeetMyAgent
Construction in the UK is set to see a boost this year, according to the latest Construction Market Survey by the Royal Institute of Chartered Surveyors (RICS). RICS are predicting an increase in 201...
08 January 2013MeetMyAgent
Revised Energy Performance Certificate (EPC) regulations are to kick in tomorrow, less than 10 months after new rules were published following confusion from consumers and agents alike on how to meet...
14 December 2012Aviva
There is a great deal of advice out there for people renting apartments, but the bottom line is that a large portion of the property-related burden actually falls on the landlord. When letting your p...
07 December 2012MeetMyAgent
Chancellor George Osborne delivered the much anticipated Autumn Statement this week, in which he conceded missing his deficit reduction targets and announced that austerity will be extended for anoth...
04 December 2012MeetMyAgent
New figures released by Rightmove show that just one in four landlords intend to increase their rental rates in 2013, with only a third of these looking to increase rents by more than 5%. Of 8,594 la...
30 November 2012MeetMyAgent
According to research by Halifax, 28% of 25-34 year olds believe that buying a property together is a bigger commitment than marriage. The figures showed that around one in four 25-34 year olds were ...
27 November 2012MeetMyAgent
A consumer letting survey by the Royal Institute of Chartered Surveyors (RICS) showed that 87% of renters would be behind a single mandatory regulation scheme for all letting agents. According to RIC...
23 November 2012MeetMyAgent
Average rents in England and Wales rose by 0.4% in October, according to research by LSL Property Services. Rent levels are now 3.4% higher than this time last year, reaching a new high of £744...
20 November 2012MeetMyAgent
Latest figures from the Office of National Statistics (ONS) show that the average price for properties purchased by first-time buyers increased by 1.5% over the past 12 months to £172,000. The ...
16 November 2012MeetMyAgent
The number of properties for sale has dropped 38% since the beginning of the recession according to a recent report by estate agent regulatory body, the National Association of Estate Agents (NAEA). ...
13 November 2012MeetMyAgent
Buy-to-let mortgage lending between July and September was up 8% on the previous three months, according to figures released by the Council of Mortgage Lenders (CML). The data showed the value of BTL...
09 November 2012Coreco
There has been much to discuss in the mortgage world over the past few days with the launch of the much anticipated Mortgage Market Review from the FSA. Whilst there will always be some who say it wa...
06 November 2012MeetMyAgent
The Co-operative Bank is shaking up the mortgage market by launching a new 90% loan-to-value mortgage product aimed at first-time buyers. At 3.99% for a fixed two-year mortgage with no arrangement fe...
02 November 2012MeetMyAgent
Winter is a season that often evokes thoughts of good cheer, soft white snow falling and days wrapped up warm by the fireplace. However for many homeowners winter is associated with cold homes, froze...
30 October 2012MeetMyAgent
A recent report by the National Housing Federation (NHF) has warned that working families are becoming increasingly dependent on state benefits to avoid being evicted from their homes due to soaring ...
26 October 2012MeetMyAgent
Since 2007, landlords have been legally required to pay tenants’ deposits into a tenancy deposit protection scheme to ensure safe return at the end of the tenancy. The schemes are also there to...
23 October 2012MeetMyAgent
Research by Lloyds TSB has shown that house sales rose in 324 of 500 towns tracked in the first six months of this year compared to the same period in 2011. This is a welcome indication of an improvi...
19 October 2012MeetMyAgent
As a landlord there are a number of issues that can arise during the course of a tenancy, and with the current economic situation some tenants are increasingly finding it hard to keep up with their r...
16 October 2012MeetMyAgent
Latest research by Hometrack shows the average time a property is on the market is currently just under 10 weeks, a statistic than has been rising over the past few months, while Rightmove reports es...
12 October 2012MeetMyAgent
With household bills increasing, cuts to child benefit and unemployment, while falling, still stubbornly high, it’s no secret that many are struggling with their finances. Add to this mix incre...
09 October 2012Coreco
When the Funding For Lending Scheme was launched there were many who had high hopes that, whilst it was never going to cure all the lending market's ills, finally there was a scheme that seemed t...
05 October 2012MeetMyAgent
Letting property is big business in the UK, and with the state pension situation looking precarious many are looking to property as a way of providing a solid income for retirement. However, renting ...
02 October 2012MeetMyAgent
Owning a second property, whether used for leisure purposes or to earn rental income, can be very rewarding. However, profit earned when selling a second home will attract Capital Gains Tax (CGT), an...
28 September 2012MeetMyAgent
Much has been made of proposals to relax planning pemission laws and allow homeowners greater freedoms to extend their properties, which is likely to provoke more homeowners to consider carrying out ...
25 September 2012MeetMyAgent
On Thursday 20th September 2012 we held the first MeetMyAgent workshop for letting agents, led by the fantastic team at mydeposits. The interactive workshop took a closer look at the Alternative Disp...
21 September 2012mydeposits
Are you an attentive landlord attuned to your tenant’s needs? Do you pride yourself on maintaining good landlord-tenant relationships and keeping regular communication? And are your tenants awa...
18 September 2012MeetMyAgent
A recent government consultation has proposed to amend the Estate Agents Act (EAA) 1979, giving more clarity to ‘passive intermediaries’ – Gumtree-style portals that publish listing...
14 September 2012MeetMyAgent
Announcement of a proposed amendement to the Estate Agents Act, allowing for private listing websites to operate outside the scope of the Act, will make many a seller consider whether estate agents a...
11 September 2012MeetMyAgent
So you have finally exchanged on the sale of your property and are ready to move out! Now is the time to prepare for a new challenge: taking care of your moving arrangements. Moving home can be one o...
07 September 2012MeetMyAgent
The government has announced a six-week consultation on relaxing planning laws for a three year period to help kickstart the economy by boosting the construction industry. The proposed changes could ...
04 September 2012MeetMyAgent
Letting your property can be time-consuming and tricky, and tenants can be an incredibly fickle bunch. Treat them right and they are your best friend, but treat them badly and they can end up being y...
31 August 2012MeetMyAgent
There have been numerous stories in the media about families going on holiday, only to return to find that their property has been overtaken by squatters. With ‘squatters rights’ previou...
28 August 2012MeetMyAgent
With reports of rising rent defaults, many landlords will be thinking of protecting themselves against the loss of rent. We explain the benefits of rent guarantee insurance, as well as look at some o...
24 August 2012MeetMyAgent
Choosing the best estate agent or letting agent to sell or let your home can be difficult, so we run down the five key things that separate the best from the rest. High-quality marketing Look at how ...
21 August 2012MeetMyAgent
This month saw the launch of the government’s highly anticipated Funding for Lending Scheme, aimed at increasing lending for mortgages and businesses. Three weeks in, we look at the early effec...
17 August 2012MeetMyAgent
Since its inception, landlord forum PropertyTribes has gone from strength to strength and is now one of the busiest property websites in the UK, with an Alexa rank today of 2,323 and over 4,200 activ...
14 August 2012MeetMyAgent
If you were approached by a person on the street who asked for the keys to your property and promised to look after it, would you give them your keys? Most will surely say no, but the scary thing is ...
10 August 2012MeetMyAgent
Estate agents are often ranked alongside bankers and traffic wardens as one of the most unpopular professions. They are stereotyped as lazy, overpaid, flashy door openers who make fat sums of money f...
07 August 2012MeetMyAgent
As a seller or a landlord, you are legally required to provide prospective buyers and tenants with an energy performance certificate (EPC). We explain whatan EPC isand your responsibilities as a home...
03 August 2012mydeposits
For most landlords the thought of a dispute at the end of a tenancy can fill you with dread. But just because only approximately one per cent of tenancies end in a dispute doesn’t mean you shou...
01 August 2012MeetMyAgent
Today marks one year from the launch of SAFE Agent, the government-approved kitemark which denotes letting agents who participate in client money protection schemes. Unlike estate agency, there is no...
27 July 2012MeetMyAgent
Reform under the Localism Act, putting housing decisions in the hands of local governments, could impact thousands of sellers and landlords as a number of key changes to council tax are being propose...
24 July 2012MeetMyAgent
Recent research by the UK’s largest property portal, RightMove, showed that buyers are spending an average of just three seconds on a seller’s summary advert before moving on to the next ...
20 July 2012MeetMyAgent
Whether you are selling or letting your property, the terms of the contract are important when authorising an estate agent or letting agent. Remember, the vast majority of agents will not charge you ...
17 July 2012Seddons
Later this year, the government-backed “Green Deal” scheme will be rolled out across the country, lauded as a way for landlords to improve their properties by making them more energy effi...
13 July 2012Coreco
Trust is a fickle thing. It was not too long ago that the local bank was the bastion of British trust, a place where respected bank managers offered a tough but fair assessment of your finances and d...
10 July 2012MeetMyAgent
When youputyour home up for sale or to let, you will naturally want to achieve the best price for your property. In order to do so, there are a number of considerations to be made, with choosing the ...
05 July 2012MeetMyAgent
When selling you home, you will want to make sure that you present your property in the most favourable light in order to find a buyer. Increased buyer caution over recent years means it is now more ...
02 July 2012mydeposits
There are a lot a lot of things that you need to cover in order to ensure a smooth and successful tenancy. Checking in and out are vital parts of the overall process and should not be viewed as just ...
28 June 2012MeetMyAgent
So you have taken the plunge and decided to become a landlord, fantastic! We outline some key points you need to consider when letting out your property, from finding a tenant to managing the propert...
25 June 2012MeetMyAgent
When you call an estate agent or letting agent round to value your property, they may tell you they belong to a regulatory body such as TPO, NAEA, NALS, etc. As an owner, do you know anything about t...
21 June 2012MeetMyAgent
We have seen a great deal of conjecture in the press and amongst industry commentators regarding the future of the housing market in 2012. Every month there is a new set of seemingly-conflicting hous...
18 June 2012MeetMyAgent
With most buyers searching for a home online, using an online estate agent can be very attractive as they will tend to advertise your property across all of the major portals, securing you important ...
14 June 2012MeetMyAgent
Marks & Spencerhas justannounced that they are adding to their financial services arm with a new proposition offering bank accounts and mortgages in a joint venture with HSBC. They already offer ...
11 June 2012MeetMyAgent
Buyers are now facing a cost of £41,000 when moving up the property ladder from their first home, almost 300% more than the £14,000 needed to make the same move 10 years ago. The research...
06 June 2012Coreco
In the midst of the swirling Euro storm which, depending on which report you read, threatens to dip the whole world into endless chaos, the UK mortgage market has been surprisingly stable up to this ...
28 May 2012Seddons
The Olympic Games will soon be upon us and a number of property owners may decide to let out their premises for the duration of the event. But before becoming an 'Olympic landlord', you shoul...
23 May 2012MeetMyAgent
Last week the Bank of England Governor Mervyn King said there is the “risk of a storm heading our way” in relation to the crisis engulfing the eurozone, exacerbated by a seemingly imminen...
16 May 2012MeetMyAgent
I am supporting SAFE Agent awareness week via MeetMyAgent and the reasons for doing so are from personal experience. Before starting MeetMyAgent, I was a lettings manager of a small independent in Fu...
14 May 2012MeetMyAgent
It is important that landlords and tenants are aware of the risks involved when using an agent that doesn’t participate in client money protection schemes - in fact, one of the driving factors ...
10 May 2012Seddons
If you own a leasehold flat, whether to live in yourself or as an investment, you may already understand that your lease is a diminishing asset. As the length of your lease reduces, so does its value...
07 May 2012Coreco
From preparing to enter the mortgage maze to receiving the mortgage offer that helps you purchase your dream home, this simple, 10-step jargon-free guide will help you take the right turns, avoid the...
02 May 2012The Property Insurer
With tenant demand outstripping supply of housing in many areas of the country, there isn’t a better time to become a landlord. However, many landlords are being caught out simply because they ...
25 April 2012MeetMyAgent
We recently saw the announcement of the government’s NewBuy scheme, which aims to encourage an increase in lending, stimulate the housing market and help first-time buyers onto the property lad...
23 April 2012Coreco
For many buyers, finding their new home is not the main issue, selling their existing one is the frustrating part. With demand for rental property at a high and rental incomes rising as a result, a g...
20 April 2012Seddons
Since 1st April 2007, landlords have by law had to protect an assured shorthold tenants deposit in one of three government authorised schemes. The law in this area has recently been updated – w...