Nigel Lewis

1 day ago | thenegotiator.co.uk | Nigel Lewis

Letting agents and landlords now face an ‘unfair’ and ‘outdated’ system of gauging wear and tear when tenants exit properties, it has been claimed. Inventory Base says current rental regulations remain stuck in a pre-Covid approach despite widespread changes caused by remote working. The firm reckons that additional use of fixtures and furnishings in homes means that their expected average lifespan has fallen by 30%.

1 day ago | landlordzone.co.uk | Nigel Lewis

The poorest tenants within the private rented sector (PRS) are spending 63% of their income on rent, a shocking new report from the Government has revealed. The Official for National Statistics (ONS) latest update to its English Housing Survey reveals that while tenants paid 34% of their income on average – up two percent on four years ago – the poorest tenants paid 63% of their income, up from 59% in 2020.

1 day ago | landlordzone.co.uk | Nigel Lewis

Landlords could face a £765 bill for delaying their selective licence application when Thurrock Council launches its proposed scheme. The authority hopes to introduce licencing in every ward except Little Thurrock Blackshots, Orsett, Stifford Clays, and The Homesteads, and has set the standard fee at £1,002, which jumps to £1,767 if landlords fail to apply within 12 weeks of the scheme’s launch date. Those applying on paper would also be hit with a £500 surcharge.

1 day ago | landlordzone.co.uk | Nigel Lewis

A petition calling for rent controls launched by a hard-up mum has garnered some 42,00 signatures and counting. The petition, which was started by single mum Bridget Chapman (pictured)from Darlington in County Durham after her landlord raised her rent by 20%, follows research from Generation Rent that revealed that 61% of tenants it canvassed had been asked to pay higher rent during the past 12 months.

2 days ago | thenegotiator.co.uk | Nigel Lewis

Picture this. You are a 40-something estate agent with 20 years at high-profile estate agency corporates, and you’ve grown weary of the 9-5 grind. So you quit your job and set up as an independent using your own name and boards and go for it. That is what London-based agent Ronke Maye  (main image) has done, but not using one of the industry’s many self-employed estate agent ‘platforms’, instead opting to go it alone.