Tag Archives: university
NLA warns students against scam landlords at start of UK university year
As students gear up for the start of the university year in the UK, the National Landlords Association (NLA) is reminding would be tenants to be vigilant when looking for somewhere new to live and to avoid getting scammed. The NLA receive complaints from tenants every year about fraudsters who operate online and the warning comes as many tenants scramble for available properties as the new academic year is about to begin. Such scams trick people into paying an advance fee to rent a property and in some instances fraudsters use NLA branding or fake letters from NLA local representatives in order to add legitimacy to the scam and lure their victims in to a false sense of security. Scammers often target those who are coming from abroad and are securing property online, particularly those looking for university accommodation. Typically once money has been sent the ‘landlord’ becomes un-contactable leaving the potential tenant defrauded. The NLA is reissuing guidance about avoiding online rental fraud which was drafted in conjunction with the National Union of Students and the National Crime Agency. They advise against sending money up front to anyone advertising online and to make sure they are genuine first and view the property if you can and also beware if you are asked to wire any money via a money transfer service, criminals can use details from the receipt to withdraw money from another location. Tenants are also advised to use government approved deposit schemes such as my|deposits and to contact the organisations the landlord claims to be associated with in order to verify their status. Tenants wanting to check whether a prospective landlord is a member of the NLA or accredited should ask them for their membership number, then go to: www.landlords.org.uk/member-verification . Overseas applicants needing to secure accommodation before they arrive in the UK should first seek the help of the employer or university they are coming to. Everyone should get paperwork and proof by asking for a copy of the tenancy agreement or safety certificates to confirm that the landlord has a genuine legal connection with property. ‘Rental fraud is one of the uglier aspects of private renting and it tends to rear its head this time of year as students, particularly those coming from abroad, look to secure rented accommodation for the academic year,’ said Carolyn Uphill, NLA chairman. ‘Tenants, no matter where they are from, should not send payment to advertisers before they are certain it is genuine and should contact their university who will have a list of reputable landlords and letting agents,’ she explained. ‘If you receive official correspondence from a landlord and are worried it might be a scam, often a good clue is that it will be written in poor English. Tenants should also remember they can check if a landlord is an NLA member,’ she pointed out. She added that any tenant that falls victim to such a scam should contact the relevant authorities in their… Continue reading
First time buyers and university accommodation boosting Welsh property market
First time buyers and parents investing in property for their offspring going to university are among the factors boosting the residential housing market in Wales, a new report suggests. Across Wales first time buyer numbers are up, particularly in the new build markets in Cardiff and Newport, according to the latest spotlight report from real estate firm Savills which covers the South of Wales. Savills deal book data for South Wales shows 49% of buyers were aged under 40 in 2014 and other sources confirm the trend, with the Council of Mortgage Lenders (CML) data for Wales covering the final quarter of 2014 showing a 14% year on year increase in loans to first time buyers compared to a 4% rise in home mover loans over the same period. Official data also shows that the Help to Buy Wales scheme has assisted almost 1,400 completions since it was launched in January 2014 of which 74% were sales to first time buyers. Indeed, the average age of buyers in the scheme is 30, with an average sale price of £178,000. Some £48.7 million of the available £170 million funding has been spent so far, and a Government announcement on the possible extension of the scheme beyond the scheduled March 2016 closing date is expected later this year. The report explains that along with the boost provided by Help to Buy, the wider economic recovery has led to an improvement in market sentiment, with potential buyers more confident and finding mortgage availability much improved. ‘Help to Buy can also be credited with opening up the idea of purchasing a new build for younger buyers who may not have considered it previously,’ the report added. According to the report flats are the most popular new build product in Cardiff, due to first time buyers and downsizers both being key markets. In Cardiff flats make up over 70% of the new property sales recorded by the Land Registry in the year to February 2015 compared to 15% across Wales as a whole. Even in the cities of Swansea and Newport less than a quarter of new homes are flats, reflecting the unique nature of Cardiff’s market. The report also says that in Cardiff it is the city’s universities that are a key driver of activity, with parents buying property for their student children. ‘Good yields and strong demand for rental property around the university sites mean that these are often kept as investments following graduation,’ the report says. It also points out that Cardiff is expected to have the fastest growing population in Wales, according to the official projections, adding over 20,000 households a year on average over the next 25 years. ‘Our projections show a majority of these will be added in the private rented sector. The number of households in the private rented sector in the city doubled between 2001 and 2011, and we expect that further increases are likely,’ the report added. Indeed, Cardiff is… Continue reading
Straw houses go onto UK general sales market
Houses made of straw are on sale on the open market for the first time in the UK after becoming eligible for standard mortgages. Until now the eco-homes have been the preserve of bespoke building projects and financed through specialist lenders but now a row of seven straw houses in Bristol have now become the first to secure building certification which makes them eligible for a standard mortgage. The two and three bedroom properties will each use more than seven tonnes of straw and reduce heating costs by 90% compared to the average brick house, according to Professor Pete Walker from the University of Bath who led a project to develop and test the construction method. They homes are due to be completed in April and are on sale priced between £220,000 and £240,000. ‘I think there's a lot of misconception about using straw, especially about fire resistance. As a construction material straw is a low cost and widely available product that offers real potential for ultra low carbon housing throughout the UK,’ said Walker. ‘Building with straw could be a critical point in our trajectory towards a low carbon future. The great thing about the houses is that they are affordable and in addition the energy costs will be extremely low, under £100 a year,’ he explained. The houses are currently undergoing a 10 week construction programme by developers Connolly and Callaghan in Shirehampton, Bristol. Each wall is the same thickness as a normal bale of straw, framed in timber and encased in wooden boards. In addition compressed straw board will line the walls throughout the house as a replacement for plaster board and once built, the terraced houses will be clad in brick so they will be indistinguishable from the other properties in the street. The only hint of their remarkable construction method will be a 'truth window' in each property where a section of straw wall will be visible through a window. Although these are not the first houses in the UK to be built using straw bales, they are the first to be built for any buyer on the open market. The straw design has received BM Trada's Q mark certification, meaning developers and house buyers can now insure and secure mortgages against the homes. ‘First and foremost the work has demonstrated that straw bales create safe, durable and affordable houses. They make contributions to reducing fuel poverty and make significant contributions to reducing energy bills of building occupants,’ Walker pointed out. He added that there are also wider benefits. ‘Buildings contribute around 50% of the carbon emissions in this country. Producing lower… Continue reading
