Tag Archives: legal
UK lettings agents and landlords surprised at proposal for mandatory licensing
The private rented sector in the UK said it is surprised about proposals to introduce a mandatory licensing system due to be in the Queen’s Speech later this week at the opening of the new parliament. Prime Minister David Cameron said in his speech on immigration last week that landlords throughout the country will be required to check the status of immigrants who rent their property following a pilot in the West Midlands. But, without giving details, he also said that a new mandatory licensing scheme will be introduced along with new rules allowing landlords to evict illegal immigrants more quickly. ‘We’ll also crack down on the unscrupulous landlords who cram houses full of illegal migrants, by introducing a new mandatory licensing regime. And, a bit like ending jobs when visas expire, we’ll consult on cancelling tenancies automatically at the same point,’ he said. Landlord and letting organisations are concerned and are waiting for details which are likely to be in the Queen’s Speech on Wednesday. ‘We are pleased to see the Government listened to our housing manifesto calls for greater regulation of the private rented sector. However, whilst this is a step in the right direction, it’s not the full solution to the problem of rogue agents plaguing the market,’ said David Cox, managing director of the Association of Residential Lettings Agents (ARLA). ‘We urge the Government to take this opportunity and impose more appropriate, over-arching regulation on the whole lettings industry. We look forward to hearing the full details of the plans in the Queen’s Speech,’ he added. The Residential Landlords Association said it has writing to immigration minister James Brokenshaw asking for an urgent meeting to discuss the proposals. ‘No form of universal licensing of rented property is proven to capture the most unscrupulous landlords. As so often, the devil will be in the detail,’ said RLA chairman Alan Ward. Continue reading
Improved economy helps UK commercial property markets
The last year has seen a marked shift in the commercial property markets in the UK, powered by improved economic fundamentals which drive the underlying occupier base, according to new reports. The broad based improvement in economic growth, aided by low inflation, has seen improvements in both consumer and business confidence, which should lead to rental growth where demand outstrips supply, says the latest analysis from Cluttons. The firm’s Commercial Property Market Outlook report indicates that the industrial sector is now showing similar performance to offices, as Cluttons predicted last year. Office total returns for the past 12 months are at 23% with capital growth of 16.8%, compared to the industrial sector which has delivered a total return of 22.7% bolstered by capital growth of 15.1%, driven primarily by yield compression. ‘As we forecast last year, sheds are now matching offices for performance. One reason is that prime logistics take-up has improved over the past year, driven by manufacturers, especially in the automotive sector, and retailers with supply constraints in key locations,’ said John Barrett, head of valuations at Cluttons. ‘Apart from the strong supply/demand fundamentals aided by supply shortages due to a lack of speculative development in recent years, the case for investment in the industrial sector is helped by low obsolescence and the squeeze on land supply from higher land value uses. This is especially the case in London and the south east,’ he explained. ‘With prime yields now stabilising across most markets, income growth is replacing yield compression as the primary driver of future performance. Average income return is at 6%, so it's still a good time to invest in property,’ he added. ‘However this is not universal. Tricky' secondary property remains hard to sell across all market sectors and this may present opportunities for investors prepared to take risks for higher returns,’ he concluded. Meanwhile, the latest research from real estate advisor Savills shows that UK commercial property returns continue to remain attractive in comparison to other asset classes as average prime yields stay stable for the third consecutive month at 4.59%. Savills Market in Minutes report found that the average total return on UK commercial property stands at 18.63% to the end of the first quarter of 2015, in stark contrast to oil, copper and gold, which offer returns of -42.57%, -16.4% and -8.9% respectively. The firm predicts that due to the strong level of demand property should continue to outperform many other asset classes this year. The report suggests that against this backdrop of stability, a split between property asset classes is set to emerge over the next three months. At present, in the office market the gap between prime regional yields at 5% and prime city of London yields at 4.25% is historically narrow. Still, it is likely that central London office yields will harden in the near future, primarily due to the weight of money that is targeted at larger office lots in the UK, something… Continue reading
