Property industry news

Heather Crellin was rewarded with one month’s rent worth £854 by her letting agent, Belvoir Bedford, via their customer rewards programme.

The Home Office has further extended the period in which letting agents and landlords managing properties in England can carry out Right to Rent checks by video call, to the end of August.

On 16 June, the Welsh Government debated the housing crisis facing locals. Simon Brooks MS, began the debate by introducing several housing issues including second homes and wasted stock that were echoed throughout the debate.

The Scottish Government is proposing a new Bill to extend the emergency Coronavirus laws introduced in 2020 by at least another six months. With current measures due to expire on 30 September 2021, what could this mean for the PRS in Scotland?

Members of the House of Lords quizzed the UK Government yesterday on what it is doing to encourage landlords to be more pet friendly. The question was tabled by Lord Black who said that one million households that would like to have a cat cannot do so because they live in a rental property.

Generation Rent’s Renters' Rights Awareness Week runs from 14 to 20 June, and we are keen to highlight the important role agents play when ensuring renters understand their rights when they need them most.

Propertymark, alongside other organisations, has written to Eddie Hughes MP (Minister for Rough Sleeping and Housing) to emphasise the sector's ongoing concerns over COVID-related rent arrears and urged the UK Government to introduce emergency financial support.

Propertymark’s scope for lobbying on behalf of members continues to expand with the addition of two new Policy and Campaigns Officers, both bringing significant additional sector experience to the team.

Inadequate or insufficient insurance cover may result in serious financial loss and can affect organisations of any size, and the pandemic has resulted in many businesses reviewing their cover in a more challenging environment.

The Home Office has released a draft revised Right to Rent Code of Practice in readiness for changes to checks in England. In broad terms, from 1 July agents will move from checking nationality to checking the UK immigration status of all adult applicants.

The Office of Tax Simplification (OCT) has published the second report of their review of Capital Gains Tax (CGT). It sets out what could be done by HMRC to raise awareness among taxpayers to help them meet their CGT 30-day reporting and paying obligations.

Housing Minister Robert Jenrick MP has announced a new First Homes Scheme of discounted houses for local people and key workers in England. The first properties going onto the market are in Bolsover (East Midlands) as part of the first phase of an early delivery project.