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In response to calls for more clarity around property surveys, the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors (RICS) has introduced a new home survey standard. From March 2021, the new RICS home survey standard will become mandatory for all RICS professionals undertaking home surveys. The organisation hopes that this will bring greater consistency and transparency when […]

That is the question on a lot of peoples minds at the moment. We may have to wait until the next budget in Match this year to find out.The holiday has been well received but between now and March mortgage companies and solicitors are backlogged and over worked trying to get all of these transactions

HUGE PIPELINE INVESTMENT IN BUILD-TO-RENT At the beginning of this year, the build-to-rent sector was flying high with over £1 billion of investment in Q1. Then lockdown put a stop to activity, and as a result, there were only two transactions in Q2 totalling £83 million. Despite this, build-to-rent plans have still managed to progress,

LIVE STREAM AUCTIONS ACHIEVE NEW HIGHS In September 2020, property auction house, Bond Wolfe Auctions, reported outstanding results for its live-streamed auction. The online auction achieved a 95% success rate with 196 of the 207 lots offered being sold. It was the auction house’s second most successful sale, raising £18,779,150. Auction House London also achieved

COMPANY LETS AT HIGHEST LEVEL SINCE 2011 According to research from Hamptons International, companies now let more than one in ten properties. This is at its highest level since 2011 and shows a rise of 9% since 2015. Company landlords currently own 641,480 buy-to-let homes in the UK, which is a 42% increase on four

HOW DO THE VOUCHERS WORK? The vouchers will cover two-thirds of the cost of eligible improvements, up to a maximum government contribution of £5,000. For an energy-efficient improvement costing £5,000, you would pay £1,667, and the voucher covers the remaining £3,333. Landlords can apply for vouchers to improve each property in their portfolio. Vouchers are

According to research from Rightmove Overseas, there’s been a sharp increase in demand for purchasing properties abroad from UK investors. On June 28, there were over a million searches on the overseas property website – the first time it has ever reached this number. That’s an increase of almost 75% on the same day the

That’s no void periods. Ever. Then, when it comes to purchasing your next buy-to-let property, make sure it’s in an area where there is plenty of housing association accommodation. Why? Because, depending on the local authority, there’s a good chance you could rent your property to them and they in turn would sub-let to individuals and

Generally, leasehold agreements apply to flats. However, in recent years, some developers have been selling new build properties as leaseholds. We look at why investing in leasehold new builds should be avoided. WHAT IS A LEASEHOLD? When you own the freehold to a property, you own the building and the land it’s on outright in

Investing in property is all about unlocking potential. When you’re seeking out properties, these are some of the factors that can help you add value and transform an underperforming property into a profitable investment. CAN YOU ADD A STOREY OR AN EXTENSION? This month, new laws come into effect that will relax many current planning