Government ministers have welcomed proposals to boost the private rented sector by easing planning restrictions and encouraging investment. Housing Minister Grant Shapps says the report compiled by Sir Adrian Montague provides a blueprint for building more good quality homes. Most of the private sector in the UK is managed by individual landlords. This is likely
A property developer has won his appeal to quash a decision by a planning inspector in a case involving the proposed construction of six houses. The dispute arose after the developer decided to shut down a pig rearing unit and demolish an old farm house. He said he had done so because the council had
More than £100m is being made available to help smaller building firms restart stalled housing developments. The money is on offer through the Get Britain Building fund, which was introduced last year to help firms resume work on projects that had ground to a halt through lack of funding. Previously, firms had to have plans
Government departments have identified enough publicly owned land to build more than 102,000 homes. This puts them well ahead of the Prime Minister’s target of releasing suitable land for 100,000 homes by 2015. The surplus public land includes empty offices and unused storage space at sites across the country. The Homes and Communities Agency must
Since 2007, landlords of houses and flats have been legally obliged to “protect” their tenants’ rent/security deposits. Deposits must either be paid into an authorised scheme or be registered and insured with such a scheme. Landlords are also obliged to give tenants full written details, including the scheme reference number. The requirements initially had to
Landlords need to ensure they comply with tougher new tenancy deposit rules which came into effect on 6th April. If they fail to do so, they could face fines and find it harder to evict tenants. The new rules are part of the Localism Act, which redefines the way landlords should protect the deposits given
The number of homes coming on to the rental market because their owners cannot sell them is increasing, according to the Association of Residential Letting Agents (ARLA). A survey of ARLA members showed that 47% had seen a rise in “unplanned lettings” by homeowners who either couldn’t sell or wanted to wait until the market
Home-buyers who turn to the “bank of mum and dad” and increasingly the bank of grandparents to buy their home to prepare for the all eventualities, as generous family members tighten their belts. Many people have no choice but to turn to parents or other family members to help raise a deposit for a house
With the stamp duty holiday for first-time buyers buying properties under £250,000 due to end on March 24, there could be a rush to buy amongst first time buyers. With lending from the major banks still cautious, first time buyers will inevitably turn to other sources, such as family members, for help to beat the
Three councils have lost their appeal for a judicial review of the Coalition Government’s decision to scrap the need for planning permission when converting single dwellings into houses in multiple occupation (HMOs). The need for planning permission was introduced in April 2010 by the last Labour Government after it had conducted a consultation with interested