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According to the fourth quarter ARLA survey, achievable rent levels have increased in central London and throughout the country away from the southeast. The return on property investment has stayed static at 5.1% for apartments. However a mood swing is apparent with significantly more investment landlords buying rather than selling their property holdings than last quarter. Average weekly rents for flats in prime central London are now £406. This compares with £112 (Midlands) and £157 (Northwest). Average

The Disability Discrimination Act, as applied to residential blocks of flats, is a grey area because this law, the DDA, is not fully ‘tested’ and is at present being formed by case law. Advising, therefore, on complex law that was formed for the broad premise of non-discrimination and is still going through various legal stages, is not easy. However, there are pointers that will make dealing with the issues raised a little easier to incorporate into policies. Firstly, please do not assume that because

What are the implications of the Disability and Discrimination Act 2005 for landlords and property managers? Richard Gard, and Kit Wells explain. All landlords should be aware that there are new rules under the new Disabilities Discrimination Act 2005 which could affect them when they are letting their property to the disabled. The 1995 Disability Discrimination Act had placed a duty on landlords and managers of properties not to treat disabled people less favourably than prospective able-bodied tena

Lord Richard has retired as the Chair of The Leasehold Advisory Service (LEASE) after five years’ service. Lord Richard has overseen the considerable progress of that period, which now includes LEASE’s status as a Non Departmental Government Body (NDGB) granted by the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister. This reflects LEASE’s increasing importance and is an endorsement of the quality of work undertaken by the organisation. To replace Lord Richard, the Board has appointed David Marcus as Chair. A board mem

The lead professional body for the rental market is calling on government for a long overdue Christmas present. ARLA, the Association of Residential Letting Agents, believes that the best present that landlords and tenants could wish for, after the exposure of yet another failing unregulated letting agent, is the licensing of every letting agent in the land. ARLA, which regulates some 40% of all mainstream agents to the Association's blueprint for standards, claims that by licensing the agents, much of th

Down-sizing has been a growing phenomenon; be it among the single, rich and happy’s (‘Sarahs’), the smaller mortgage – ideal lifestyle (‘Smilers’), growing numbers of people are making the conscious decision to alter their lives, allow a better work/life balance, and insodoing are down-sizing their homes. Whether this is driven by a dream to opt out of full time work, finance a second home abroad, or by hard reality, such as a divorce, the trend is a move to smaller or less costly homes, freeing up cash f

‘M’ Day In the first of our two reports on the Financial Services Authority’s regulation of mortgages, Robin Gordon-Walker of the FSA explains the background to the new regulations. On October 31st the Financial Services Authority (FSA) took on responsibility for regulating mortgages in the UK. This covers mortgage lending, advice and administration. By law, all mortgage lenders, including banks and buildings societies, need to be licensed by the FSA, as do mortgage brokers and other mortgage intermed

As we progress into 2005, Mark Alexander, Managing Director of Norwich based The Money Centre and London based Associate consultant, Mark Edwards, give us their expert analysis of the buy-to-let market and provide advice to investors about what to expect in the next 12 months. 2004 was a great year for private investors in the buy-to-let market. Several independent surveys show the average UK property soared in value increasing by 15 per cent. Investors who purchased property during 2003 with the standar

In January, the general insurance industry joined the banks, life and pensions companies and financial advisers already under the statutory supervision of the Financial Services Authority (FSA). Rod Gibson examines the consequences. For anyone involved in providing protection for home, motor and business insurance – anything from a caravan in North Wales to an oil rig in the North Sea – these are turbulent times. How did it come to this? Well, the financial services industry has had a habit of shooting

Residents, landlords and managing agents are facing increased legal requirements this year, with the introduction of new laws bringing electrical installations in dwellings under the remit of Building Regulations for England and Wales.  Arkady Granik explains. Changes in legislation relating to electrical installations move are intended to crack down on cowboy operators and raise the standards of electrical installations in flats and residential blocks. The move follows a rise in domestic electrical acc

While some powerful landlords have been resisting efforts by people living in flats to buy their buildings, one of the biggest land owners in the country has been lending quiet support to this growing consumer movement by selling off residential properties to leaseholders. The land and buildings owned by Queen Elizabeth in her capacity as the Monarch – known as the Crown Estate – represent one of the largest, most diverse and valuable property portfolios in the United Kingdom. The Sovereign’s present la

EDITOR’S COMMENT Your block needs you If you're still pondering New Year's resolutions, here's a thought. Why not volunteer to become a director for your block? Enfranchisement, Right to Manage and Commonhold all involve setting up companies, and by law a company must have at least two directors. But once your block has got itself organised and the first rush of enthusiasm has worn off, so often does everybody's readiness to pitch in. Managing agents report blocks of 100 or even 150 flats where only on