UPDATE ON HOUSING ACT (SCOTLAND)

AN UPDATE ON HOUSING ACT (SCOTLAND) FROM RORY COWAN OF TC YOUNG SOLICITORS

The headline grabbing part of the Housing (Scotland) Act 2014, which received Royal assent on the 1st of August (the Act), is the abolition of the right to buy. Indeed, chunks of the Act deal…

Consumer Protection Legislation - Landlord's Dos and Don'ts

Landlord and Agent Duties to Tenants under Consumer Protection Legislation - Dos and Don'ts

This guide summarises the responsibilities of landlords and agents (both letting and managing agents) towards tenants and prospective tenants under European Union Consumer Protection and allied Legislation as it applies in the United Kingdom.…

Being an expat landlord can be a money-spinner or a headache - Top Tips

  In addition, when tenants move out, inventories must be carried out, repairs done and the return of the deposit negotiated. Alastair Mullen, the UK lettings manager for Hamptons International, pointed out: “Having to manage contractors from a distance is tricky, and your visits to the property itself to check…

Guest Post - Accidental Landlords – not by design, but thriving nonetheless

The return of the ‘accidental landlords’ is something that’s gained plenty of column inches within property publications over the past 18 months. But while many of us can relate to those whose hands have been forced into the rental market as a result of current market conditions, making sense of…

The fall and rise of buy-to-let

Buy-to-let is starting to look like the technology sector. In investment style they are polar opposites, of course – the one physical, unchanging and easy to understand, the other ethereal, fast-moving and based on arcane mathematical languages. Yet both have had near-death experiences that in the long run may serve…

Landlords need to access properties more frequently

As a growing number of renters seek greater security through longer-term tenancies, the Landlord Syndicate warns that many landlords are not carrying out mid-tenancy checks on their properties and tenants frequently enough, leaving them at greater risk of a dispute later down the line. A number of incidents have recently…

Cleaning costs most friction between landlords and tenants

Cleaning continues to be the most common cause of a dispute between UK private landlords and tenants, according to new statistics from the Tenant Deposit Scheme (TDS). It accounted for 52% if disputes in 2011/2012 compared with 49% in 2010/2011. Damage to property is the next most common cause at…

Rural Scottish property with wood burning stoves are in demand, it is claimed

Private property sector tenants in Scotland are increasingly interested in renting properties that come with a wood burning stove, according to agents. With cold winter days now upon us, the prospect of a welcoming cosy log fire to return to at night is one that most of us would relish,…

Financially savvy landlords “cutting out the middleman” to make buy to let more profitable

THE economic downturn has led to a new breed of financial savvy landlord who prefers to manage their own property portfolio rather than pay hefty fees to letting agents, a survey reveals. THE economic downturn has led to a new breed of financial savvy landlord who prefers to manage their…

How tenants can take responsibility during cold winter months

Assuming that your landlord will be liable for damage to the property and your possessions through frozen pipes is often wrong. With Christmas only just around the corner, some tenants will be going off for a break to visit friends or relatives. However, a tenant does have responsibilities. In these times…