Tag Archives: british
Research reveals how many people find problems with their home after moving
Some 20% of British people feel that they have compromised when finding a new home with those renting more likely to be unhappy than buyers, new research has found. They feel they like their home less than when they moved in and the reasons include not liking neighbours, finding the property too small and finding the upkeep too much. The poll by AA Home Membership found that 29% discovered a lot of problems after moving in and the same number didn’t get on with their neighbours while 26% confessed they moved in as the property was affordable rather than because they liked it. The research also found that 25% found the property too small after living in it for some time and 21% found it needed too much upkeep while 13% found it no longer suitable as their circumstances had changed. The results also showed some big differences between homeowners and tenants. Some 26% of tenants said they’d grown less fond of their home compared to 17% of home owners. Tenants were more likely to live in homes which had unexpected problems and not get along with their neighbours. Home owners on the other hand, were more likely to struggle with the upkeep of a property and have changing circumstances such as children leaving home which made their property less suitable. The cost of the property was the most commonly re-evaluated aspect cited by 32% and 27% said they had to compromise on either the location or the size of the home they chose. Some 19% moved somewhere that needed more work doing to it than they had originally planned and 18% had fewer bedrooms than they wanted. A quarter of those who made a compromise were unhappy about having to do so. Those aged 18 to 24 were the most fussy with 31% of them saying they made a compromise begrudgingly. ‘It must be quite disheartening to find that your home is not all you hoped it would be. Some issues such as property maintenance and anti-social neighbours may only become apparent over time and may not have been a cause for concern when the householder chose the property,’ said Helen Brooker, head of AA Home Membership. ‘It’s pretty common for people to have to compromise when looking for somewhere to live as after all, not many people can afford their dream home. Even if you find your ideal property, the housing market is so competitive there’s no guarantee you’ll get it,’ she explained. ‘Others, particularly those who are looking for somewhere to live with a partner, may find that they have different tastes and opinions and may find it difficult to agree on what they want,’ she added. Continue reading
Immigration check scheme in UK makes landlords reluctant to take on foreign tenants
The immigration check pilot scheme in the UK which is running in the Midlands has led to tenants being charged additional fees and is making it harder for foreigners to rent a property, new research has found. Tenants are being charged an extra £100 in administration fees, according to a survey by the Joint Council for the Welfare of Immigrants (JCWI) which polled landlords and tenants in the pilot area since the roll-out. Under the pilot scheme, which is expected to be rolled out across the UK later in the year, landlords are required to carry out checks on new tenants and face action if they are found to be renting to an illegal immigrant. If a landlord breaches the rules they face a fine of £1,000 per illegal adult occupier and for a second offence that rises to £3,000 per adult. The survey also indicated that landlords are now more hesitant to offer viewings to anyone needing more time to provide paperwork, meaning migrants are more likely to be turned down. The research also shows that landlords are discriminating between applicants on the basis of their background and are preparing to turn away tenants because they have a foreign accent. Furthermore, some legitimate tenants who cannot easily identify themselves using a British or European Union passport are finding it harder to secure somewhere to live. ‘This research clearly shows the dilemma that landlords are facing. On the one hand they want to be fair to prospective tenants, but on the other hand, they are fearful of renting a property to an illegal immigrant,’ said Jane Morris, managing director of Property Let By Us. She gave an example of an American tenant who reported that her British husband could secure viewings for the same properties she had been told were no longer available. Morris explained that under the pilot scheme, would-be tenants have to produce evidence from a checklist of documents that they have permission to be in the UK and landlords have to take a copy for their records. ‘So before dismissing a prospective tenant, it is important that agents and landlords make all the necessary checks. For example, if an agent is taking on the responsibility for checking an occupier’s immigration status, he/she must agree this in writing and must report the findings to the landlord,’ she pointed out. ‘Agents should set out timescales for checks and reports in the agency agreement and report occupiers without the right to rent to the landlord in writing. If the landlord still authorises a tenancy agreement, they will be liable for the penalty,’ she added. She also pointed out that in the event of a breach, where an occupier is found to be living illegally in a rented property, the agent or landlord will need to establish a statutory excuse to avoid a penalty. ‘A statutory excuse can be maintained if… Continue reading
UK asking price discounts falling
The average property for sale in the UK is discounted by 6.05% but by almost 10% in some areas, the lowest figures since 2010. Rotherham has the most properties that sell for less than the asking price at 43.6% while the largest discounts are in Blackpool, according to new research from online property portal Zoopla But despite the lower discounts on offer, some 31% of properties currently on the market for sale have had their price reduced at least once since originally being listed. And that equates to over £2 billion of reductions in total have been made from houses and flats currently on the market across Britain. The top 10 areas with the highest percentage of properties with reduced asking prices are all in the north of England, with more than two fifths of all properties listed. After Rotherham the next location with the highest number of discounts is Preston at 43.2% and then Barnsley at 42.3%. After Blackpool the next location with the largest asking price reductions is Manchester at 8.3%) and Bradford at 7.9% while in London it is 7.4% with typical discounts in the capital city can exceed £75,000. Looking at London in more detail, the neighbouring boroughs of Merton at 28.7%, Richmond-upon-Thames and Croydon, both at 27.3%, have the highest proportion of reduced properties for sale, but those looking for the largest reductions will find them in Havering, a borough soon to benefit from Crossrail, where the typical property price discount is 10.45%. At the top end of the national market, more than a fifth of properties valued over £1 million have been reduced since originally coming on to the market, at an average discount of more than £185,000. ‘Buyers may be disheartened by the decrease in the typical discounts on offer but can take cheer from the fact that almost a third of houses are listed today below their original asking price,’ said Lawrence Hall of Zoopla. ‘This means that despite ever increasing house prices, there is still room for some good, old-fashioned negotiating. On the flip side, vendors can be pretty confident of achieving close to their initial asking price. Zoopla has a unique feature on its website that allows potential buyers to track original asking prices and subsequent reductions,’ he added. Continue reading
