Tag Archives: garden
Only a minority of UK landlords experience disputes with damage top of the list
Over the last 12 months under 10% of UK landlords have experienced a tenant dispute but when it does happen it usually concerns damage, new research has found. Of the minority who had problems some 66% opted to settle the dispute in court, while 34% managed to resolve issues without the help of the legal system, according to the study by inventory service provider My Property Inventories. Damage to property was the number one dispute, accounting for 58% of problems, followed by redecoration at 51% and cleaning and rent arrears at 42%. ‘It is so important that agents and landlords ensure they have all the right documentation and evidence to improve their chances of resolving or winning a dispute,’ said Danny Zane, director of My Property Inventories. ‘Unfortunately, landlords are losing disputes because they can’t provide the right evidence to show that a tenant has damaged the property. For example, some landlords are failing to put a letting contract in place, or they have very unfair clauses in the contact. Other landlords don’t conduct an adequate check-in and check-out, or don’t keep copies of correspondence with the tenant which could be evidence in a dispute,’ he explained. ‘Normal wear and tear is a fact of life with rental properties, but if landlords and agents wish to avoid the hassle of arguments over who is responsible for damage, they need to prepare a thorough inventory of the condition of the property, that details the condition of everything in it,’ he added. He pointed out that usually tenants are aware that they have caused actual damage to a property and will try to hide it. ‘Hence it is vital that landlords and agents ensure that there is a thorough examination of the property and its contents to identify any damage at the check-out,’ said Zane. ‘If landlords have a thorough and detailed inventory, it will enable both parties to be treated fairly and reasonably. By opening a dialogue with tenants and using an independent inventory clerk, disputes can be resolved quicker and without the hassle that is often experienced at the end of a tenancy period,’ he added. The firm says that the more detailed the inventory the better. There should be dated photographs of the garden, the interior of the shed or garage, inside of the oven and keys handed over to tenants as these are the main areas of problems that occur and are often down to misinterpretation at the end of a tenancy. ‘Remember, you don’t need photos of every single corner of the property. Stick to the important things. Don’t try to produce a completely photographic or filmed inventory without a complete written accompanying inventory,’ the firm says. Landlords should also make sure their property is fit for letting. On check-in day the place should be completely clean and any garden areas… Continue reading
UK property industry welcomes Help Buy extension, mourns lack of Stamp Duty reform
As expected the first phase of the Help to Buy scheme in the UK is to be extended and this move announced by the Chancellor George Osborne in his Budget speech in Parliament has been widely welcomed by the property industry. He also announced that from midnight anyone buying a property worth £500,000 or more through a company scheme will be subject to 15% Stamp Duty, reducing the threshold for the tax from £2 million. But properties that are rented out will not be affected. He confirmed that a new garden city will be built at Ebbsfleet in Kent and claimed that the extension of Help to Buy to 2020 will be accompanied by 120,000 new homes. ‘We’re extending the Help to Buy equity loan scheme for the rest of the decade, so we get 120,000 new homes built and we’re making further reforms to our planning system and offering half a billion pounds of finance to small house building firms,’ the Chancellor said. He also said that he would be asking the Financial Policy Committee to be ‘particularly vigilant over house prices. Some experts have suggested that the extension of Help to Buy could fuel a property price bubble, especially in London and the South East. But Osborne has been heavily criticised for failing to reform the Stamp Duty tax as a whole. It is widely regarded in the property industry as being unfair and in need of change. In particular organisations like the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors saying that the current slab system hinders rather than helps the property market recovery. ‘The much trailed extension of Help to Buy to 2020 is not a game changer. While it provides certainty and clarity to the market, creating another 120,000 new build properties is still a modest target. We need over 230,000 just to meet current demand. Much more needs to be done,’ said Simon Rubinsohn, RICS chief economist. ‘Yet again, the Chancellor has failed to overhaul the stamp duty system, with wages well below inflation and rents rising rapidly for years, many have been struggling to save for a deposit, let alone meet a huge tax bill. Helping more buyers to enter at the lower end of the market would have resulted in more movement and transactions, freeing up stagnant property chains and bringing badly-needed housing onto the market,’ he explained. He also didn’t think much of the garden city plan, calling it ‘a garden village’ and saying that even with other new homes being built the announcements will contribute only a little housing in the South East. ‘These numbers are a drop in the ocean and do nothing to help others in the UK. More importantly, they don’t deliver the mix of homes we need across society, from the private rented sector to affordable and social housing,’ he pointed out. ‘RICS has long called for an investors’ prospectus for garden cities, which we welcome today. But we need a more ambitious approach than 15,000 homes at a… Continue reading
Flat / Apartment for sale in Welwyn Garden City
To find out more about this property click: http://haart.co.uk/HRT022105751 or contact Welwyn Garden City on 01707 322222 or E-Mail: welwyn.garden.city@haart… Continue reading
