Only a quarter of landlords outside London are planning to increase their property portfolios over the next year, research has discovered. A study by Young’s Group found that just 26% of non-London landlords are in the market to purchase extra properties. Tom Entwistle, editor of landlord information site LandlordZONE, said the results of the poll [...]
The lack of mortgages available to first time buyers is bumping up rents as would-be homeowners struggle to get a foot on the housing ladder, an industry expert claimed. Nicholas Leeming, director of propertyfinder.com, said the credit crunch is good news for landlords because it will inflate their income. “Rent levels have been recovering in [...]
The price of renting a home increased 2.2% over the past six months, according to new figures released this week. Buy-to-let advice site Property Hawk said the rise is “good news” for landlords. However, a recent poll by Direct Line found 20% of landlords are worried about their cash flow. A further 29% fear that [...]
Creditors of struggling DIY and gardening chain, Focus DIY, are expected to back a Company Voluntary Agreement (CVA) in a bid to prevent the company from collapse and protect 4,572 jobs. Under the proposed deal, Focus will pay its creditors (the majority of which are landlords) a proportion of what it owes them, while leases [...]
The average yields earned by landlords increased to 6.4% in the second quarter, up from 6.2% in the first quarter, according to figures released by Paragon. This is the second consecutive quarter that yields have increased, after a prolonged period of stagnation. Yields – a property’s rental income as a percentage of its capital value [...]
As the recession has kicked in, small retailers to well established chains have struggled with cashflow problems, which has caused many to go bust, and as a result has caused huge difficulties for retail landlords. However a positive step has now been made by some landlords to be more accommodating, as the British Property Federation [...]
The British Retail Consortium (BRC) has announced fears that yesterday was the toughest quarterly rents payments day for over 18 years. This is because the start of the year is usually the period where consumer spending is lowest and, coupled with the increased uncertainty caused by the credit crunch, the BRC has lead a campaign [...]
M&S Money launches 3% cash ISA
M&S Money has launched an Advantage Cash ISA paying 3 per cent, and which allows transfers in from other ISAs. It can be opened with a minimum deposit of £100 lump sum followed by minimum monthly deposits of £25. The 3% rate is variable, but there is no short-term bonus so the return won’t plummet [...]
Google suspends UK Compare Mortgages site
Google has closed its UK mortgage comparison site which it launched in July last year, after it proved to be less popular than expected. Mortgage comparison sites are designed to allow visitors to compare mortgages quickly and easily without having to visit each lender’s individual site. Google was competing with several well-established comparison sites, including [...]
AA launches ‘black-box’ policy for young drivers
The AA is launching an innovative car insurance policy called Drivesafe which could help younger drivers save up to £850 a year. Younger drivers already pay substantially higher premiums than other motorists and these costs are increasing. A new study by Confused.com suggests insurance costs for younger driver have gone up by 5.7 per cent [...]
ATOL scheme updated to protect online bookers
ATOL, a financial protection scheme managed by the Civil Aviation Authority, is being extended to protect up to six million more holidays a year. The scheme ensures that holiday makers do not lose out financially if a travel company collapses, and that they are not stranded abroad. An increase in the number of holidays booked [...]
Home repossessions lowest for four years
The number of UK homes repossessed fell to 36,200 in 2011, significantly below the Council of Mortgage Lenders’ forecast of 40,000, and lower than 2010 when 37,100 homes were repossessed. With interest rates remaining low and lenders adopting a sympathetic attitude to customers in financial difficulty, repossessions fell to their lowest level since 2007. However, [...]
Monthly pay lasting just 17 days
Workers are running out of money just 17 days after receiving their monthly pay, according to new research by the Halifax bank. This means that the average UK worker spends half the month worrying about money. The study, based on the responses of more than 2,000 adults, found that 10 per cent of workers start [...]
Women disadvantaged by auto-enrolment changes
Government proposals to increase the auto-enrolment threshold to £10,000 could put 1.8 million women at risk of missing out on a pension, the TUC has warned. Under the auto-enrolment scheme, which will be phased in from October, private sector employers will automatically enrol workers between the age of 22 years and the state pension age, [...]
Emergency household repairs company Homeserve is taking longer than expected to get back on track after its operations were suspended last October. The company expected customer numbers to fall by 5% this year but it has increased this estimate to 8% and announced the loss of 200 jobs. It estimates that renewal revenue in 2013 [...]
Sale rumoured for Yorkshire and Clydesdale banks
There is growing speculation that National Australia Bank (NAB) may sell Yorkshire Bank and Clydesdale Bank after the Australian parent company announced a strategic review of the two banks’ operations. The Australian economy is performing well and NAB reported strong profits for the final quarter of 2011 but with the UK economy at a virtual [...]
More women experiencing debt difficulties
Women in Debt, which offers female-focused debt advice, has warned that the number of UK women facing serious debt has grown significantly over recent years. The organisation believes that more women will need advice on solving debt problems in the future because they are building up an unsustainable level of indebtedness. Women in Debt’s director, [...]
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