Habitable Rules

New legislation means that tenants can now potentially sue a landlord who fails to adequately maintain their property.

The Homes (Fitness for Human Habitation) Act 2018 means that tenants can take direct action over substandard property, rather than having to rely on their local authority to pursue a landlord who fails to adequately maintain it. Courts will not only be able to force landlords to carry out repairs, but can also award damages to tenants.

The scope of the legislation is wide-ranging, … Continue Reading…

Other Forces

There was a day when a slight shift in the bank base rate or change in stamp duty could have a profound effect on property market sentiment. Yet the Bank of England’s continuing consensus to maintain interest rates at very low levels (albeit tweaked with the occasional 0.25% here and there) is possibly the strongest signal to date that the British property market is actually driven increasingly by factors other than such things. The general economy, oil prices, employment, and … Continue Reading…

March Market Comment

Sensation sells! The press is having a field day with all sorts of Brexit-related headlines and claims about how the current state of confusion is negatively impacting on the housing market. The reality is that latest figures published by respected sources support our own view that it’s not quite a buyers’ market yet, even though, according to the Nationwide, house prices are just 0.4% higher than this time last year.

The latest Propertymark Housing Report found that NAEA members report a … Continue Reading…