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Em Morley

The UK’s Top 10 Spookiest House Price Drops of the Year

Published On: October 31, 2017 at 9:01 am

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Categories: Property News

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It has been a particularly spooky year for some UK property owners, with Brexit and a snap General Election bringing an uncertain market. Some property owners have seen the price of their homes drop in line with a lack of buyer demand.

In light of Halloween and all the ghastly things that come along with it, hybrid estate agent eMoov.co.uk has compiled a list of the top ten areas of the UK that have suffered the scariest house price drops of the past year…

The UK's Top 10 Spookiest House Price Drops of the Year

The UK’s Top 10 Spookiest House Price Drops of the Year

  1. Aberdeenshire: -5.69% 

Topping the list is Scotland’s Aberdeenshire, which suffered the frightening price drop of 5.69%. Although property values in Scotland remain lower than the UK’s average, this part of northern Scotland has been hit hardest over the last year, with a typical house price of £188,876 – largely dye to the continued economic slump from a decline in the oil industry.

  1. City of London: -5.59%

Prices in the capital have taken a spine-chilling turn over the last 12 months – not because of ghosts or zombies – but instead because of the inflated price of property. The City of London has endured a decrease of 5.59%, although prices still average £800,802.

  1. Hartlepool: -5.35%

Durham’s Hartlepool follows closely behind, with a drop of 5.35%, taking the average property value to £100,957.

  1. City of Aberdeen: -4.81%

Keeping up with the wider area, the largest city in the region has seen a spooky dip in house prices, down by 4.81% over the year to an average of £167,903.

  1. Halton: -4.62%

Heading back to England, Cheshire’s Halton has suffered a haunting fall in average values of 4.62%, taking prices to £127,003.

  1. Middlesbrough: -3.21%

North Yorkshire’s Middlesbrough experienced a decline of 3.21% in average house prices over the year, bringing the typical value down to £108,904.

  1. Rhondda Cynon Taf: -3.14%

Wales’ darkest price decline was 3.14% in the south, dropping the average house price to an almost supernatural £101,675.

  1. Carlisle: -2.98%

In Cumbria, the average property value in Carlisle has trickled down by 2.98%, leaving it at £129,425.

9 & 10. City of Westminster & Hyndburn: -2.46%

Another contender in the capital, prime central London’s City of Westminster experienced a grim drop of 2.46% to a devilish average of £962,510. Lancashire’s Hyndburn accompanies it, where property values also fell by a gruesome 2.46% to an average of £93,628.

Russell Quirk, the Founder and CEO of eMoov, comments: “Although the current state of the UK market may appear scary, the haunting uncertainty that came with the snap election and the referendum has begun to slowly vanish, so we should start to see positive price growth creep across the majority of the UK before next Halloween.”

Buy-to-Let Mortgage Rates Rising from Record Lows

Published On: October 30, 2017 at 10:57 am

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Categories: Finance News

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The buy-to-let market has been hit from all sides of late, with tougher affordability rules and key regulatory changes. Now, to make matters worse, buy-to-let mortgage rates are rising from record lows.

According to the latest data from Moneyfacts.co.uk, the average buy-to-let mortgage rate is on the rise. In fact, since 1st October 2017, the average two-year fixed rate has increased by 0.05% and is on target to get back to the rate seen in September, before the latest set of lending changes came into force.

At present, the average two-year buy-to-let fixed rate is 2.84% – up from 2.79% at the start of October, but down from 2.86% in September.

Meanwhile, the average five-year fixed rate is 3.44% – up from 3.43% at the beginning of the month, but down from 3.49% in September.

Buy-to-Let Mortgage Rates Rising from Record Lows

Buy-to-Let Mortgage Rates Rising from Record Lows

Moneyfacts also recently reported that the number of buy-to-let mortgages available has dropped slightly.

The Finance Expert at Moneyfacts, Charlotte Nelson, says: “It has been a turbulent time for the buy-to-let market, thanks to multiple rule changes, and there’s no sign of calmer waters, as rates are starting to creep up from their record lows. While a 0.05% increase appears insignificant, it marks a turnaround in the buy-to-let sector, so landlords are now faced with not only more hoops to jump through, but higher rates as well.

“As in the residential mortgage market, much of the rise in buy-to-let rates can be attributed to base rate speculation causing swap rates to increase significantly. This has given lenders little choice but to increase their mortgage rates, with 18 individual providers so far having upped theirs since the start of September.”

She continues: “The beginning of this month marked another significant change in the buy-to-let mortgage market, as lenders are now required to apply stricter underwriting criteria to portfolio landlords. This has seen the buy-to-let mortgage market shift away from landlords who have three or fewer properties, with a 13% drop in the number of products available to this group since the start of October.

“This portfolio change may have had a more practical effect on rates as well, with lenders not just being a little more cautious; some lenders may have had to change their process behind the scenes to accommodate the new rules, and this extra cost may be impacting these providers’ pricing activity.”

Nelson concludes: “With all the changes and now the rising buy-to-let rates, it is going to be more difficult for individual landlords to make a profit that is worth their efforts. Landlords will have to weigh up the costs to figure out what their best possible option may now be. Anyone who is unsure should seek the advice of a financial adviser.”

Meanwhile, specialist lender Together is further enhancing its offering for landlords and property investors with a new holiday let product, which has been created in response to demand from professional landlords looking to let their properties on a short-term basis.

A growing number of investors are turning to holiday lets as an alternative to traditional buy-to-let, thanks to attractive rental yields and websites like Airbnb, which have revolutionised the holiday let sector.

Market demand for holiday lets is buoyed by record numbers of tourists visiting the UK, estimated to be 40m this year, and more Britons staying at home for their holidays post-Brexit.

Marc Goldberg, the Commercial CEO at Together, comments: “Our aim is to support landlords and investors by providing innovative finance products that are tailored to their needs. Holiday lets can deliver high yields and there’s strong market demand, so we’re delighted to launch this new product, which we believe will complement our existing offering in this sector.”

Loans of up to £2m are available for purchase or remortgage, while terms range from four to 30 years, with a minimum five-year term on fixed rate loans.

The holiday let product is also available on a second charge basis, for landlords looking to raise additional finance on their rental property.

Confidence in Housing Market Drops to Five-Year Low

Published On: October 30, 2017 at 10:22 am

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Confidence in the housing market has dropped to a five-year low, according to the latest Housing Market Confidence Tracker from Halifax.

The report found that, although just over half of adults still believe that house prices will rise over the next year, almost the same proportion predicts a slowdown.

Confidence in Housing Market Drops to Five-Year Low

Confidence in Housing Market Drops to Five-Year Low

The most pessimistic are Londoners and the under-25 age group, Halifax found.

The report also shows that a rise in interest rates, which is widely expected this week, is not seen as a major barrier to buying a home, and nor is Stamp Duty. These findings arrive at a time when the Government is considering scrapping Stamp Duty for first time buyers.

The main barriers to buying a home were seen as the ability to raise a deposit, followed by job security, high house prices and household finances. Shortages of properties for sale and fees related to housing purchases were considered relatively minor obstacles.

Existing mortgage borrowers, who were asked whether a rise in interest rates would affect their ability to meet repayments, were mainly unworried, with 36% showing concern. This proportion is down by 6% from the 42% measured in 2014.

The Housing Market Confidence Tracker also found that house price optimism – a measure of whether house prices will be higher or lower in a year’s time – has dropped 14 points from April, to 30 points now, which matches the record fall seen following the EU referendum result.

Half of the 1,968 adults surveyed said that they expect house prices to increase over the next year – the lowest level since April 2013, when the proportion was 45%. Meanwhile, one in five think that house prices will fall – the highest level since October 2012.

When it comes to those who think that the next 12 months will be a good time to buy, London is the only region with a negative outlook. Those aged between 18-24 were the only age group with a negative buying outlook, while those over 65 were the most positive.

Across the country, 52% of adults said that they think the next year will be a good time to buy a property.

Selling sentiment, however, has become more negative, down by 11 points since April, to 6%.

Those aged 18-24 were least positive about selling, with 8% more negative than positive, while 35-54-year-olds had the highest level of optimism, with 20% more positive than negative.

Despite expectations of an interest rate rise, an increase was only perceived as the main barrier to buying a home by 15%. Instead, 61% named the ability to raise a deposit and 42% cited job security as the main barriers.

The Managing Director of Halifax Community Bank, Russell Galley, comments: “Housing market optimism has declined significantly over the past year, with almost half of people expecting a general slowdown in the market.

“Even with a potential base rate increase on the horizon, it’s significant that buyers’ concerns continue to be centred on raising deposits and job security, and, as such, we do not anticipate that an increase in base rate will have a significant effect on the demand for properties.”

Property Purchasing Process is Outdated, Estate Agents Agree

Published On: October 30, 2017 at 10:00 am

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The property purchasing process is outdated, estate agents seem to have agreed in the latest Housing Report from NAEA Propertymark (the National Association of Estate Agents).

Property purchasing process

Property Purchasing Process is Outdated, Estate Agents Agree

Property Purchasing Process is Outdated, Estate Agents Agree

As the Government announces that it will consult on the home buying and selling process, the September Housing Report from NAEA Propertymark reveals that eight in ten (79%) of estate agents confirmed that the property purchasing process is outdated last month.

The Government recently revealed plans to shake up the property purchasing process, such as banning gazumping. Read more here.

Housing demand

The study also found that, in September, the number of house hunters registered on estate agents’ books rose to the highest level seen since March this year, at an average of 394 per member branch.

This was up from 343 in August and 347 in July.

Property supply

The amount of properties available to buy on estate agents’ books increased from an average of 37 in August to 41 in September – the highest number recorded since March 2017.

Sales agreed 

Despite the fact that both supply and demand for housing rose in September, the amount of sales agreed remained flat, with an average of eight per branch – the same level as in July and August.

The proportion of sales made to first time buyers was 23% in September, which is also the same as the previous two months.

The Chief Executive of NAEA Propertymark, Mark Hayward, comments on the report: “The Government’s announcement last weekend that it will consult to reform the home buying process couldn’t come soon enough, and we welcome it. Our findings show that estate agents agree, and would welcome changes to ensure the process for buying and selling is brought into the 21st century.

“The current prolonged process means sales are stagnating, despite the fact that the supply of housing is up and there is growing demand. Hopefully, we will see activity pick up marginally in the short-term, when properties which are being marketed now are taken off the market and pushed through, so buyers can be in before Christmas.”

Landlords and Tenants Split over New Insurance-Based Deposit Schemes

Published On: October 30, 2017 at 9:10 am

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Categories: Landlord News,Tenant News

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Both landlords and tenants are split over the effectiveness of new insurance-based deposit schemes, according to recent research by Upad.co.uk.

The letting agent revealed concerns from both landlords and tenants regarding various aspects of these insurance-based deposit options. Specifically, landlords were worried that the insurance would not cover them fully for repairing any damage at the end of the tenancy.

A number of insurance-based deposit schemes have been launched recently, which aim to resolve tenants’ difficulties in raising the cost of a deposit by instead offering a monthly insurance payment.

When questioned over the new alternatives, some tenants felt that, despite sometimes having to borrow money to pay their deposit, they would get their deposit back in the majority of cases. Paying for the insurance, however, would see them making payments that would never be returned.

Nevertheless, tenants overall were more in favour of the insurance-based deposit schemes than landlords were.

Perhaps most alarming is that less than 10% of both groups were even aware that these new options existed.

Landlords and Tenants Split over New Insurance-Based Deposit Schemes

Landlords and Tenants Split over New Insurance-Based Deposit Schemes

When the new insurance-based schemes were put to landlords, they were unconvinced that they would have any real impact, with 57% claiming that they’d never had a tenant struggle to raise a deposit.

Just 35% thought that finding tenants would be easier if they offered this option as an alternative to requesting a deposit. Additionally, only 14% thought that insurance-based deposit schemes were better than taking a deposit.

Although a higher proportion of tenants appeared to support these new schemes, in some cases, those in favour were still in the minority, with 35% thinking that insurance-based deposits are better than taking a deposit.

However, 37% said that they would definitely rather pay a monthly insurance cost than a deposit, while 62% had no concerns about paying a monthly sum, rather than one large deposit.

Portfolio landlord and the Founder and CEO of Upad, James Davis, responds to the findings: “Alternatives to paying one-off deposits are always welcome, and these schemes are a great idea.

“Immediately, tenants will be free of the struggle of having to raise a deposit for a new rental before they have got their existing deposit back, and those who are unable to raise a deposit at all, or have no means of borrowing the money, could find themselves able to rent a far wider range of properties than they previously could.”

He adds: “I am definitely in favour of such schemes, and hope in the coming months a greater proportion of landlords will also take this point of view.”

Do you believe that insurance-based deposit schemes are a better idea for the lettings industry?

StudentTenant moves into Mainstream Market with ClickTenant

Published On: October 27, 2017 at 9:40 am

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Categories: Lettings News

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Online student property expert StudentTenant.com has launched a brand new online letting agency for the wider residential market – ClickTenant.com.

The new business is offering the first let for free on all new properties, and then a hugely competitive pricing model after that to source tenants and manage landlords’ properties.

ClickTenant has been introduced in the midst of increasing costs and reduced tax relief for landlords, in the hope that it will provide a much more cost-effective and efficient service. The website uses technology to streamline the entire property lettings process.

StudentTenant moves into Mainstream Market with ClickTenant

StudentTenant moves into Mainstream Market with ClickTenant

Danielle Cullen, who has been the driving force behind StudentTenant’s success over the past three years, is the Managing Director and Co-Founder of ClickTenant.

She says: “We have automated a lot of the arduous administrative processes, making the customer journey much more efficient and streamlined. It also significantly saves our staff’s time, meaning less will be needed, allowing us to pass the savings onto the landlords. Viewings and bookings can be managed online, credit checks can be carried out in a few clicks, and an array of additional services can be obtained through instant quoting systems from partner integration.”

ClickTenant believes that its main competitiors will be high street letting agents, who currently control 94% of the sales and lettings markets.

Cullen continues: “Whilst the market is slightly more saturated compared to the student sector, we see our main competitors as the expensive high street letting agents. Online letting agents still only make up just 6% of the current market, giving huge growth potential.

“ClickTenant.com is also one of very few platforms that are heavily tenant focused. We wanted to include very dominant and innovative search tools for tenants on the homepage, to encourage more actions to be carried out on our site. Many competitor websites rely solely on partner platforms to generate leads, but we wanted to concentrate on building our own brand and creating a platform that consumers will recognise.”

The new website has different advertising tiers. The most basic package offers advertising on major property portals Rightmove and Zoopla, as well as a credit check on all incoming tenants. The first let will be free for all properties, and the business will only charge a success fee thereafter, unlike many other platforms, where upfront fees are required to advertise.

The new business can also assist with the formulation and signing of tenancy agreements online, deposit collection and full property management, including British Gas maintenance cover – all at a fixed price.

Another of the Co-Founders of ClickTenant, Simon Vaughan, comments: “Although ClickTenant.com is a new venture, we’ve got a wealth of experience in operating a national online property business. Our team have been doing this successfully in the student sector for a number of years now.

“Through StudentTenant.com, we’ve learnt that providing a great service by working very closely with our customers is key. The ethos of ClickTenant.com will be to work in partnership with landlords. We are prepared to list their properties for free and, in return, we ask that they advertise our business – either through a post on social media or by word of mouth. We know the importance of building strong relationships from the outset.”

He concludes: “We see huge potential for growth in what we are offering. What landlord wouldn’t want to advertise their property on all of the major portals for free and have the tenant credit checked? We are also able to offer full letting agent services, at a price that we haven’t found anyone else to be matching.”

If you’re looking to market a rental property, why not check them out?