Like many, I have been in the property rental business for many years and I can clearly recall when the boom times went bust back in 2007. Thankfully, my buy to let business successfully weathered the storm (unlike many other landlords), and my property portfolio is now more fruitful than ever, so I was interested to read that the number of new property investors is now on the increase for the first time since 2007.

According to figures released from one of the biggest house builders, Barratt, the number of sales to investors is 25% up on the same period last year. The company is also reporting that increasing numbers of investors are buyers with a substantial cash deposit. Another notable trend is that any new housing development near transport links in the greater London area is selling like hot cakes. Of course this sudden upsurge in the property investor market is hardly a great surprise when you consider how much rental yields are rising, particularly in the London area, but if you have yet to buy any suitable properties, you might want to give it some serious consideration!

Overall, the property market continues to be held back by the restrictions still in place from many of the big high street mortgage lenders, so until the banks relax their lending criteria, houses prices are fairly low. But with interest rates also at a historic low, this is definitely an excellent opportunity for those with substantial savings to buy an investment property and secure a good income from the rental market.
 

As we are all very much aware, the cost of living continues to rise almost on a daily basis, and with the price hikes in food and energy showing no signs of abating, more and more people are choosing to jump off the property ladder and move into the rental market.

The situation is of course no different in London, and according to recent figures, rental prices in London are now at an all time high, despite the fact that the average salary is not rising at the same rate.

Tenants living in London can now expect to pay £1,202 per month. This figure is 12.2 percent more than the same period last year and the average rent in London is now higher than it has ever been. The lack of availability of rental accommodation is feeding the rise of rents in London, and as more and more people struggle to get mortgages and are forced into the rental sector, it is highly likely that demand will continue to rise.

But although the gap between rental prices and salaries is widening and placing pressure on tenants, landlords in London are benefiting from the situation. With the average rental property being snapped up within hours of being placed on the rental market, London landlords have never had it so good.

Interestingly though, the average length of tenancy has fallen in line with the rise in rents, so even though landlords are gaining from the extra income, they are seeing a higher turnover of tenants in their properties as people are choosing to move more frequently.

Going “green” is always in the news for one reason or another and with energy prices at an all-time high, there are many advantages to consumers if homes are more energy efficient. But as a landlord, are there any advantages to having “greener” rental properties?

The government is currently trying to encourage property owners to consider the benefits of going green, and with this in mind it has developed the Green Deal Scheme to help improve energy efficiency in homes and rental properties. At present, the scheme is still in the early stages, but if it does go ahead, loans would be made available to property owners, including landlords, from October 2012.

How would the Green Deal Scheme work?

The government intends to offer financial incentives in the form of grants towards green energy efficiency home improvements, including cavity wall and loft insulation. The repayments would be deducted via a levy added on to utility bills, but over time the increased energy efficiency of the property would ensure that energy bills would be lower anyway.

Are landlords likely to be interested?

When questioned as part of a survey by the National Landlords Association (NLA), more than two thirds of landlords expressed a serious interest in signing up for the Green Deal Scheme. Personally speaking, the thought of incentives towards adding energy efficiency features such as loft and cavity wall insulation makes sound economic sense. Not only do the tenants stand to benefit from the cost savings made on energy bills, I also stand to benefit by making my properties more marketable to new tenants, so everyone’s a winner!

According to new figures released by the Deposit Protection Service (DPS), most disputes between landlords and tenants during June and July of this year were as a result of alleged damage to the rental property. However, unless landlords ensure that they have their paperwork in order and are well prepared for any potential dispute, they are unlikely to win their case against the tenant!

Experienced landlords know the ropes and are usually well versed at dealing with potential disputes over issues such as property damage. We understand the importance of establishing the correct procedures from the beginning of the tenancy and are less likely to end up out of pocket should a dispute occur. But what are the procedures you need to follow to ensure you stand a chance of winning should a dispute end up in court?

Make sure your tenant is given a fair contract along with a detailed inventory. Use dated photographs and videos to illustrate what condition the property was in prior to the tenancy agreement—this will help you prove that a tenant has damaged the property.

What happens if a dispute arises?

 Always ensure you have evidence to support your claim. The more evidence you have, the more likely you are to win in court.

 Be present when the tenant moves in and out of the property. This will help you iron out any issues that may arise.

 Keep receipts for any repairs and provide detailed accounts if the dispute is over unpaid rent.

And finally, accept that normal wear and tear on a property is to be expected. As much as you would like the property to still be in pristine condition after two years, it is probably wishful thinking on your part!

As the buy-to-let mortgage market becomes increasingly competitive, the bewildering choice of finance products on offer to would-be landlords and existing landlords has recently expanded to include loans from the Yorkshire Building Society. Initial mortgage products will only be available to properties in London and some postcodes in the southeast, but over time, should the products prove successful, it is very likely that the Yorkshire Building Society will expand its geographical area to include other counties.

What are the lending criteria?

If a buy to let mortgage from the Yorkshire Building Society sounds good to you, be aware that the building society is fairly strict in its lending criteria. In order to qualify for a buy to let mortgage, you must be aged 30 or older if you are an existing landlord, or 35+ if this is your first time. You must also earn a minimum of £35k per year and the rental property must be no more than 40 miles from your home.

Other financial institutions are also waking up to the thriving market in buy to let mortgage products. The British bank, Aldermore, has also changed its buy to let mortgage product lending criteria. First time landlords are now welcome and you can now be 85 and still qualify for a buy to let mortgage—which is great news if you are looking to maximise your pension income!

It appears that the future is looking bright for anyone hoping to invest in a buy to let property, but as I always recommend in my posts, make sure you shop around for the best deals!

Credit checks on tenants are the most effective weapon a landlord has against tenants who are at risk of defaulting on their rent payments. Most of the time, my tenants pass credit checks and all is well—they move in to one of my properties and everyone is happy.

However, with the ever-increasing rise in average monthly rents, the numbers of people who are failing to pass the credit reference checks is also rising. This is a particular problem in London where the average rent has soared in recent months. According to recent figures, as many as 1 in 5 tenants are failing credit checks, which is a sharp rise from a few years ago when it was only 1 in 20.

As the recession continues to bite further, credit reference agencies are insisting that would-be tenants have a salary that is three times the monthly rent, or two and a half times the annual rent, which is quite a hefty figure if you live and work in London. And, somewhat surprisingly, even tenants with lots of cash are being caught out by the rigorous credit referencing checks if they have no UK assets, or are not currently employed.

How can landlords work with a tenant who fails a credit referencing check?

Obviously you can turn them away, but if nobody else is queuing up to move into your property, this might not be the right decision. An alternative course of action is to ask for a much larger deposit, or request that the tenant use a guarantor for their tenancy agreement, so if they do subsequently default on the rent, the guarantor is responsible for rent arrears and/or damages/losses.

As you might recall, in one of my recent blogs I talked about fire safety and, more specifically, about how important it is that landlords adhere to fire safety recommendations in order to prevent possible fire related deaths.

Well fire safety is not the only health and safety requirement landlords need to consider when preparing and maintaining their rental properties: gas safety is just as important and should any of your gas properties have a gas appliance, you will need to provide gas safety certificates for your tenants.

But is the provision of a gas safety certificate enough to reassure you and your tenants that the gas appliances in the property are safe?

It would not be unreasonable to assume that a brand new gas boiler, newly fitted, is bound to be safe from the risk of carbon monoxide leakage, but in one tragic case, a social housing tenant in London died of carbon monoxide poisoning as a result of a faulty gas boiler in a new-build flat. Following the inquest into the death of the tenant, the coroner has since called for a change in legislation to try and prevent a similar tragedy from occurring.

Sadly this case is not an isolated event. Other similar tragedies have occurred in the past year because of faulty valves factory fitted on gas boilers, and because safety checks following installation of the appliance are not mandatory, these faults very often go unnoticed. So how can you protect your tenants?

The answer is simple—fit mains operated carbon monoxide detectors in your properties. They cost very little, but they can save lives.

According to claims made by the National Housing Federation, the lack of affordable housing in the UK is reaching crisis point, which is good news for landlords, but not so good for buyers hoping to gain a foothold on the housing ladder.

With mortgage lending levels at an all-time historic low and many people’s budgets squeezed so tight they can barely afford to eat let alone meet the monthly mortgage repayments, it is hardly surprising that more and more people are being forced into the rental market as a means of putting a roof over their head.

Naturally I am not complaining—business has never been so good—but this trend is leading to a rise in unscrupulous landlords who are not averse to charging a small fortune in rent for sub-standard properties. Indeed, some experts believe that rents in the private sector could rise by as much as 20 percent in the next five years, so now is a great time to consider expanding your property portfolio if you have the financial resources.

But with finances for the average family so tight in the current economic conditions, you would be advised to think about the provision of affordable rental properties as opposed to large executive lets. More and more families are being forced into rented accommodation because they cannot afford the cost of a deposit on a mortgage. This trend is unlikely to change any time soon and with social housing waiting lists longer than ever, their chances of securing a council property are extremely remote.

As a landlord, I take my responsibilities very seriously, which means I always provide suitable fire protection and a safe means of escape should a fire break out. I certainly do not want to put my tenants’ lives in danger for the sake of saving money!

Fire safety is always important in any rental property or privately owned house, but Houses in Multiple Occupation (HMO) are frequently at the lower end of the rental market, and therefore not always as well managed. Sadly, some landlords of Houses in Multiple Occupation do not always take their responsibilities seriously and are more concerned about making money.

To illustrate this, a news report I read this morning described how two landlords were fined £22,000 after disregarding an emergency safety order that had been slapped on a HMO by environmental safety officers.

When a fire broke out in the house in the early hours of one morning last December, the young man in the attic room (a room previously prohibited from being used as sleeping accommodation) was forced to jump out of the window to escape almost certain death. Thankfully the tenant survived the fire, although his expensive guitars and record collection were not quite so lucky. But although this story had a happy ending, it could quite easily have been a tragic one.

It might seem like an expense you can do without, but legislation regarding fire safety is designed to protect everyone, including you, so never be tempted to take shortcuts as your tenants might end up paying the ultimate price for your cost-cutting endeavour.

According to the latest published figures, the average rent in England and Wales has risen for the sixth month in a row and is now at an astounding £705 per month. And with inflation currently at 4.2 percent, rents look likely to rise even further in the coming months. Obviously this is great news for landlords, but probably not so great for prospective tenants!

London saw the biggest rent rises, mostly thanks to the lack of available rental properties causing fierce competition, but rental prices rose throughout the South East in general. Only three regions declined: West Midlands, Yorkshire and Humber, and North East.

So as we can see, this is definitely a boom time for landlords and with such a buoyant rental market, landlords have all the balls in their court when it comes to setting rental prices for their properties.

Is it a good time to invest in rental properties as an investment?

Definitely! I have noticed a lot more affordable products appearing in the buy-to-let market now that the lenders have realised how strong the rental market has become in recent months. Which is good news if you are considering buying your first buy to let property.

However, do not be tempted to rush into the process without doing some research on the rental market in your area. Things are pretty good in my area, but as we have already said, this is not the case in ALL parts of the UK, so always do your homework before investing your valuable savings in rental property.