Conservatives Set About Raising Increased
Tax Revenue From Landlords
Before the general election the Conservatives were the only political party to not openly target landlords and property investors with manifesto rhetoric, making them the property professional’s choice for power.
Even before the budget statement was delivered by Mr Osborne, there was plenty of press […]
Conservatives Set About Raising Increased
Tax Revenue From Landlords
Before the general election the Conservatives were the only political party to not openly target landlords and property investors with manifesto rhetoric, making them the property professional’s choice for power.
Even before the budget statement was delivered by Mr Osborne, there was plenty of press coverage about the generous tax treatment enjoyed by private rental sector (PRS) landlords and buy to let property investors.
So it was of little surprise that the Chancellor chose to turn to the private rental sector in order to raise some additional revenue for the government.
Spotlight predicted that this would happen after the Conservatives were elected, and this year’s summer budget could be just the tip of the iceberg.
George Osborne’s post election Budget announcement, made earlier in July, contained two important changes to buy-to-let taxation that will impact on portfolio landlords and higher rate tax payers.
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Letting Agents Confirm PRS Rents Are Rising Again
The latest report from the Association of Residential Letting Agents has discovered that 36% of ARLA registered letting agents reported private rented sector rent increases in June, taking PRS rental prices to their highest point since records began.
80% of ARLA letting agents surveyed expected private rental […]

Letting Agents Confirm Rents Are Rising Again
Letting Agents Confirm PRS Rents Are Rising Again
The latest report from the Association of Residential Letting Agents has discovered that 36% of ARLA registered letting agents reported private rented sector rent increases in June, taking PRS rental prices to their highest point since records began.
80% of ARLA letting agents surveyed expected private rental sector rents to continue to grow significantly over the next five years.
East Midlands letting agents reported 48% of tenants were charged increased rents, while letting agents in Wales only recorded 17% of tenants facing increased rental charges.
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New Research Discovers That Quarter Of Potential Property Investors Don’t Even Know How To Apply For Buy To Let Mortgages
New research by a specialist mortgage lender has discovered that an amazing 28% of would-be property investors don’t know how to apply for a buy to let mortgage in order to finance their property purchases.
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Quarter Of Potential Property Investors Don’t Know How To Apply For Buy To Let Mortgages
New Research Discovers That Quarter Of Potential Property Investors Don’t Even Know How To Apply For Buy To Let Mortgages
New research by a specialist mortgage lender has discovered that an amazing 28% of would-be property investors don’t know how to apply for a buy to let mortgage in order to finance their property purchases.
The figures show that 1 in 4 potential property investors considering investing in property to boost their retirement income don’t know how to apply for a buy-to-let mortgage to get started on their property investment journey.
The research, conducted by specialist mortgage lender Kensington, also found that 54% of people approaching retirement age would consider investing in property using buy-to-let mortgages in order to help increase their income in retirement, but many didn’t know what they needed to do or what evidence to provide in order to apply for the correct type of mortgage.
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RLA Think Tenant Sub-letting Will Be Catastrophic For Landlords
Following on from last week’s pre-election budget delivered by Chancellor of the Exchequer, George Osborne MP, landlord organisations and their landlord members are expressing grave concerns over the Government’s plans to allow private rented sector tenants to begin sub letting their rental properties.
The
Following on from last week’s pre-election budget delivered by Chancellor of the Exchequer, George Osborne MP, landlord organisations and their landlord members are expressing grave concerns over the Government’s plans to allow private rented sector tenants to begin sub letting their rental properties. The Budget document published after Mr Osborne delivered his speech contains a clause about sub letting on page 51, under the title “support for the sharing economy”. Continue reading »RLA Think Tenant Sub-letting Will Be Catastrophic For Landlords
Council of Mortgage Lenders Predict Significant
Mortgage Lending Growth
The Council of Mortgage Lenders (CML) have predicted that gross mortgage lending in the UK will increase by 16% over the next two years.
The CML says gross mortgage lending in the UK reached around £207 Billion (GBP) in 2014 and they firmly believe that […]

CML Forecast 16% Mortgage Lending Growth In Next 2 Years
Council of Mortgage Lenders Predict Significant
Mortgage Lending Growth
The Council of Mortgage Lenders (CML) have predicted that gross mortgage lending in the UK will increase by 16% over the next two years.
The CML says gross mortgage lending in the UK reached around £207 Billion (GBP) in 2014 and they firmly believe that gross mortgage lending will grow by 7% to £222 Billion (GBP) during 2015.
Following that, the CML also forecast a further 8% increase to £240 Billion (GBP) in 2016, up 16% when compared to gross mortgage lending in 2014.
While the CML are happy to forecast 2 years of mortgage lending growth, it acknowledges that the pace of growth has slowed compared with the 18% recorded from 2013 to 2014, with gross mortgage lending increasing from £176 Billion (GBP) in 2013 to £207 Billion (GBP) in 2014.
In its analysis, the CML said that the stamp duty reforms announced by the Chancellor, George Osborne, in the Autumn budget would help boost overall mortgage lending activity, following the lull encountered in the summer of 2014.
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Buy To Let More Popular Than Traditional Pension Saving
There has been a lot of editorial commentary in the media focusing on the surge in UK Buy To Let property investment over recent weeks.
There are numerous reports that the total value of properties owned by 2.5 Million buy-to-let investors is fast approaching the total […]

Buy To Let Investment Beating Pension Investments
Buy To Let More Popular Than Traditional Pension Saving
There has been a lot of editorial commentary in the media focusing on the surge in UK Buy To Let property investment over recent weeks.
There are numerous reports that the total value of properties owned by 2.5 Million buy-to-let investors is fast approaching the total amassed in workers’ pension schemes built up over decades of employment.
The Telegraph reckons that a total of £1.25 Trillion (GBP) has been invested in buy to let property and this figure is still increasing compared to £1.6 Trillion (GBP) that has been invested in pensions.
Changes to pension legislation announced by Chancellor George Osborne in the Spring 2014 budget, could see more money taken out of pensions and put into the UK’s Buy To Let (BTL) market.
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The Help To Buy Scheme Could Be Scaled Back Amid Concerns That The UK Property Market Could Be Heading
For Another Property Bubble
George Osborne, the Chancellor of the Exchequer has said that the Bank of England are being vigilant on UK house price rises and they would intervene if the situation becomes necessary.
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Help-To-Buy Scheme Could Threaten UK Housing Market
The Help To Buy Scheme Could Be Scaled Back Amid Concerns That The UK Property Market Could Be Heading
For Another Property Bubble
George Osborne, the Chancellor of the Exchequer has said that the Bank of England are being vigilant on UK house price rises and they would intervene if the situation becomes necessary.
The Chancellor’s comments come after the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) warned that the booming UK property market could threaten the economic recovery of the country.
Possible action could include reigning back the Government’s Help-To-Buy scheme, which enables people with only a small deposit to take out a mortgage.
In a report the OECD said that “The UK should introduce measures to address the risks of excessive house price inflation, as property values now significantly exceed long-term averages relative to rents and household incomes. Access to the Help to Buy scheme should be tightened, and buyers should be required to put down bigger deposits for mortgages”.
In response to the report, Mr Osborne said: “I’ve said we should be vigilant about the housing market and this Government has given the Bank of England the power and the tools to do what they felt needed to be done to help to contribute to building a resilient economy in an independent way”.
The Help to Buy scheme enables the Government to place a second charge on properties purchased under the scheme, allowing them to have some degree of profitability and allow them a small degree of control over the UK property market.
People buying property worth up to £600,000 (GBP) using a deposit of just 5% may be grateful of the Government’s help but many fail to realise the full implications of the scheme, or spot the Government tactic of controlling properties.
The Government either top up the purchasers 5% deposit with 20% of the property’s value or it will underwrite a portion of the debt allowing lenders to advance purchasers with high loan-to-value mortgages that the Government guarantee.
The £600,000 (GBP) upper limit of the Help-To-Buy scheme has been widely criticised for being too high, however, recent figures show that the average cost of a property bought using the scheme was just £148,000 (GBP).
Concerns are rife that another property bubble may be formed in the UK property market following a continuing run of positive house price trends.
Mortgage lender, Nationwide recently reported that property values had risen by 10.9% during the last 12 months, the first time annual house price inflation has reached double figures since April 2010.
Data from the Land Registry also shows that average property prices in London have already surpassed the previous 2007 peak.
Recent property price increases have caused the typical average cost of residential property in the UK to rise to £262,770 (GBP), according to Zoopla.
New regulations to control borrowing were introduced at the end of April 2014 to ensure prospective property owners are not risking taking on too much debt.
Under the Mortgage Market Review, lenders are required to carry out stringent affordability checks, including making sure borrowers can continue to meet the mortgage repayments if and when interest rates rise.
However, data on the number of mortgage approvals for residential property purchases appear to suggest that the market may be moderating, with the Bank of England reporting a dip in loan approvals for the second consecutive month during March 2014.
Foreign Property Investors Think UK Property Is A Safe Investment
According to the accountancy group – UHY Hacker Young, the number of foreign property investors owning UK property has now exceeded 2 million.
The accountancy group analysed HMRC data and discovered that the number of overseas property investors owning and renting out property in the […]
Foreign Property Investors Think UK Property Is A Safe Investment
According to the accountancy group – UHY Hacker Young, the number of foreign property investors owning UK property has now exceeded 2 million.
The accountancy group analysed HMRC data and discovered that the number of overseas property investors owning and renting out property in the UK private rented sector increased by 6% in the past 12 months to 2.04 Million, up from 1.93 Million in 2012.
In the past five years the number of foreign property investors owning UK PRS property has risen by 39%.
However, the accountancy group says that the consistent growth in the number of foreign investors targeting UK property may come to a halt following the Government’s recently announced plans to charge Capital Gains Tax (CGT) on the sale of properties owned by foreign investors from April 2015. A move which could discourage foreign buyers from investing in UK property when the deadline comes in to force.
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UK To Tax International Property Investors
The Chancellor, George Osborne’s has taken a step towards levelling the playing field for UK property investors after deciding to introduce Capital Gains Tax (CGT) for international property investors, a move that has attracted a mixed response from property professionals.
While UK property investors have broadly welcomed […]
UK To Tax International Property Investors
The Chancellor, George Osborne’s has taken a step towards levelling the playing field for UK property investors after deciding to introduce Capital Gains Tax (CGT) for international property investors, a move that has attracted a mixed response from property professionals.
While UK property investors have broadly welcomed the new tax for international property investors, some industry professionals have slammed the Chancellors decision to introduce it, with some pundits speculating that it could drive foreign investors away, increase housing supply and push property prices down.
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Councils must be free to borrow more
to build new residential properties
The Government must allow Local Authorities to borrow more money to spend on building so they can tackle housing shortages and build 60,000 extra residential properties in five years, according to the Local Government Association
The Local Government Association (LGA) said that […]
Councils must be free to borrow more
to build new residential properties
The Government must allow Local Authorities to borrow more money to spend on building so they can tackle housing shortages and build 60,000 extra residential properties in five years, according to the Local Government Association
The Local Government Association (LGA) said that the nine councils listed below were unable to take on any loans at all, even though they have over 40,000 people on accommodation waiting lists.
- Darlington Borough Council
- Dudley Borough Council
- Exeter City Council
- Gosport Borough Council
- Harrow Council
- Royal Borough Greenwich Council
- South Cambridgeshire District Council
- Waverley Borough Council
- Woking Borough Council
The LGA said lifting a cap on local authority borrowing would allow up to 60,000 new residential properties to be built in the next five years.
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