Tag Archives: europe
Landlords immigration checks to be rolled out UK wide next year
The UK government has confirmed that all landlords in England will have to check new tenants have the right to live in the UK before renting out their property from February next year. It means that the pilot study on immigration checks which has been ongoing in the West Midlands will now be rolled out across England from February and in other parts of the country at a date yet to be announced. Under the new rules, landlords who fail to check a potential tenant’s Right to Rent will face penalties of up to £3,000 per tenant. According to Immigration Minister James Brokenshire right to rent checks are quick and simple. ‘Many responsible landlords already do them as a matter of routine. We are providing landlords with all the advice and support they need before the checks go live on 01 February 2016,’ he said. He explained that the rules are part of the Immigration Act 2014 which introduced measures to reform the immigration system. ‘Right to rent is about deterring those who are illegally resident from remaining in the UK. Those with a legitimate right to be here will be able to prove this easily and will not be adversely affected,’ he added. Richard Lambert, chief executive officer of the National Landlords Association said that the policy has been causing great concern among landlords so a date for the roll out is welcome. ‘The Home Office’s evaluation of the scheme so far seems to show that landlords’ experience of carrying out right to rent checks is not as bad as the perception of the problems they will cause,’ he pointed out. ‘However, with just over three months to go it’s vital landlords familiarise themselves with what they will need to do to properly check their tenants and steer clear of breaking the law come February, especially because those who fail to do so could wind up in jail,’ he added. It is also hoped that the new rules that anyone renting a property in the UK has to see and make a copy of a passport or residence permit will act as a deterrent to rogue landlords who rent substandard properties and to more people that the building can adequately house. ‘Hopefully this will assist with the regulation of rental property standards and help clamp down on some of the landlords who believe it is acceptable to rent sub-standard properties. If this happens, the industry will be more regulated for both landlords and tenants and, in turn, a better environment for all,’ said Adam Male, found of online estate agent Urban. ‘It is also good news that any landlords who are not making the appropriate checks on immigration status will now face a penalty of up to £3,000 per tenant if they are found to be renting out a property to someone who is in the UK illegally,’ he pointed out. ‘Anyone found to be abusing the system should be punished, it… Continue reading
A roof terrace for a helipad is one of the unusual demands from buyers in London
Roof terraces strong enough to take a helicopter’s weight, squash courts in the basement and car galleries to display vehicle collections are among some of the most extravagant home buyer requests in the prime London market. A survey from agents Marsh & Parsons also shows that there have been enquiries from prospective owners and tenants looking for recording studios, panic rooms, staff living quarters and swimming pools or hot tubs. Overall, the most popular property requirements are more traditional. Aside from the usual number of bedrooms, a south facing outdoor space is the most common request in London property searches, closely followed by off street parking and separate home offices or studios. The holy trinity of transport links, shops and London parks show no signs of being toppled as the top three amenities buyers want to be close to, cited by all Marsh & Parsons agents polled. In Kensington, proximity to Hyde Park or Kensington Gardens is closely sought after, while in Barnes the duck pond is the centre of many property searches. After outdoor space, school catchment areas are the next most important amenity to be close to. In terms of interior design, wooden flooring is de rigueur, with almost a third of agents identifying it as the most popular style trend at the moment, just ahead of bi-fold doors. Ikat patterns and prints also remain a popular choice. Wireless speaker systems are currently the most sought after home item. More than a quarter of Marsh & Parsons agents cited integrated AV systems as a must have for top end London purchasers at present, with Sonos systems revealed to be the brand of choice. Other popular features in the luxury market include temperature controlled wine cellars and log burners. ‘No matter what your budget when looking for a new home, there are some fundamentals that are ubiquitous. Being close to shops, parks and tube stations are the ultimate must haves, but many London buyers have to compromise on one or more of these asks, as such optimal locations come with a price tag to match,’ said Peter Rollings, chief executive officer of Marsh & Parsons ‘Some buyers and tenants come to us with very unusual and specific requests, but luckily London’s rich and varied housing stock provides a wealth of choice, and properties to suit even the most particular of tastes from staff quarters to tree lined driveways. But no matter how lavish the requirements are, the chances are that we’ll have fielded a similar enquiry before,’ he added. Continue reading
Buyers and estate agents in US embracing new technology new study shows
Even though more consumers in the United States are using the internet as a tool during their home search and are therefore more connected than ever before, says new research. It means that home buyers are increasingly utilising the knowledge and expertise of a real estate agent, according to the study published by the National Association of Realtors. ‘Consumers have the ability to do more home buying research online and be more connected during the home search process than ever before, but research proves they are still seeing the value a Realtor® brings to the transaction, from the initial search to well after the closing,’ said NAR president Chris Polychron. ‘Agents bring great value to buyers from every generation, demographic and location as well as in every financial and familial situation. So while consumers have more technological tools available at their fingertips, realtors are now more than ever a part of the home buying and selling equation,’ he added. The study found that finding the right property was ranked as the most difficult step in the home buying process. Since the internet is now the first place many people go for information, it's not surprising that four in 10 buyers looked for properties online as a first step in the home buying process, up from 36% in 2010. However, the data also shows that 88% of buyers in 2014 purchased their home with assistance from a real estate agent, up from 83% in 2010. While 94% of millennials and 84% of baby boomers used online websites in their home search, only 65% of those aged 69 to 89 years did the same. Older boomers, those aged 60 to 68 years, used a mobile device to search for properties at less than half the rate of millennials at 30% versus 66%. When it comes to website listing features, photos and online property information were more important to millennials, while virtual tours and direct contact with a real estate agent were more important to baby boomers. Despite visual content growing in popularity and importance, older homebuyers found virtual tours more useful than younger buyers at 45% compared to 36% among millennials. As for the length of time it takes for consumers to find a home, millennials typically looked for about 11 weeks, while baby boomers and members of the older generation searched for eight weeks. Internet use also impacted the length of a home search. Those who used the internet to search homes visited more homes and searched for longer, looking at 10 homes over a 10 week period versus four homes in four weeks for those not looking on the web. While not all consumers use the internet in their home search, a growing number are first finding their future home online. Some 43% buyers first found the home they ended up purchasing on the web compared to just 8% in 2001. In 2001 some 48% of buyers found the home they… Continue reading
