How to Rent out Your Home
February 26th, 2010
The property slump, recession and the phenomenon that is Buy-to Let has led to more and more accidental landlords. These are home owners who for whatever reason have decided to rent out their property rather than sell. Here are a few things they had to consider:
1] Do your maths: Do all your figures add up? Does your rental income cover all your houses outgoing costs? Don’t forget your tenants will be paying the utility bills and Council Tax.
2] Go it alone or get an Agent: letting Agents take the hassle out of renting out your property; they will find a tenant, collect the rent, arrange repairs and manage the rental from start to finish. What they will also do is charge a fee, and this can be anything from 5%-15%. Do your homework and choose a good agent not a cheap one.
3] Let your current lender know: You need your lender’s permission to rent out your property. If you do not inform them, you could be in breach of your mortgage terms and conditions. The majority of Lenders are not going to object, so what have you got to lose.
4] Know the rules: It is vital to know the rules and regulations, now you are a landlord. This may not be an investment property but you may still be liable for tax. Don’t forget you are now responsible for gas, electricity and fire regulations, Energy Performance certificates, Tenancy Deposit Scheme, etc.etc. etc.
5] Don’t forget Insurance: Your buildings insurance will be invalid as soon as you rent out your property, so this will need to be taken out as a landlord, and don’t forget to get cover if your tenants default on their rent.
Happy Investing!
2009 arrears lower than 2008
February 20th, 2010
LSL Property Services have released figures showing that rental arrears were much lower during 2009 than the previous year, despite the recession. This was totally contrary to all forecasters’ expectations that arrears would rise.
Figures show that 11.7% of rents were not paid by the due date, down from 14.5% in 2008, with 12.5% of rent remaining unpaid as at 31st December 2009 as opposed to 15.9% for the same time last year.
The expectations were that tenants would fall behind with rent as the recession took hold and people lost their jobs, but with the unemployment figures not reaching the levels many analysts anticipated, and landlords and letting agents keeping a close eye on rents, problems have been spotted early and dealt with promptly.
Happy Investing!
Tenants outnumber properties
February 15th, 2010
According to the Association of Residential Letting Agents (ARLA) the rental market is seeing an upward trend in the number of tenants. A survey conducted by ARLS showed that the previous surplus of rental property is reducing at an unprecedented rate wile the demand growing even quicker.
During the last quarter of 2009 ARLA reported that 41% of its members were reporting more tenants than properties, compared to just 21% in the previous quarter.
Demand for tenanted accommodation is coming from previous homeowners who have been forced to sell their property during the last year due tot either moving jobs, or financial instability and they are now finding it difficult to find the right property or funding according to ARLA Operations Manger Ian Potter. He added the rise in Tenants is a positive sign for the industry as it indicated increased market movement, it also shows more people will learn the benefit of living in rental accommodation.
Happy Investing!
Terraced houses are a hit with landlords
February 2nd, 2010
Research carried out by Paragon Mortgages shows that 10% of professional landlords plan to expand their property portfolio during the first three months of 2010. When asked what type of property they would be looking for, terraced property was by far the most popular choice.
Almost 66% of those surveyed said that a terraced property would be their first choice, with semi-detached properties coming in second but way down their priority list, bringing up the rear were flats and detached houses.
Terraced houses have for many, many years been the property of choice for most professional landlords as they are usually sited in good solid rental area’s most are very well built and can offer a good base for refurbishment, priced reasonably they offer the landlord a good Return on Investment and are well liked by a wide range of tenant types.
Happy investing!