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February 2009 Newsletter - click here to view
The state of the market... Despite reports of renewed sales surges and actual rises in property prices, overall prices are still on the decline, rents are coming under pressure and the UK economy is in a pretty dire state. Way over-optimistic government growth forecasts from last year will need to be revised considerably downwards come budget day—this is a world wide problem with an effective disintegration of the financial system, the likes of which have not been seen since the 1930s. We constantly read forecasts of when property prices will bottom out and when they will recover—quite frankly, no-one really knows at this stage! Just as the boom fed on a positive cycle spiralling upwards, the downturn does exactly the opposite. Considering the seriousness of the situation we must hope that our governments’ credit holds out long enough to see this through. Inevitably things will improve—already yields are looking tempting—but we’ll be in a completely different operating environment—property will still be a good place to invest though. For those with the resources, there will be some bargain basement prices. One bright spot in all this gloom is the student lettings market. With university applications set to rise by around 8% in the recession—education always weathers recessions well—there’s a virtually guaranteed increased demand for the student landlord over the next three years, and beyond. As always, location is the key, and a recent survey published by accommodation for students (AFS) (see pages 5 & 6) may be of help... continue reading.... The LandlordZONE Newsletter Training & Education - can it make a difference? Over the last 12 months there have been 3 different reviews of the private rented sector. The first, The Carsberg Review, was initiated by ARLA, RICS and the NAEA. The second was published by the Law Commission and the third was commissioned by the Government. What do they have in common? They all mention the role of landlords and letting and managing agents. Then, in January 2009 Professor Jones’ School of the Built Environment, Heriot-Watt University recommended that letting agents and property managers should be regulated and subject to the Consumers Estate Agents and Redress Act (CEAR Act). He also proposed that at least the principal professional in a lettings or management agency should have an accredited, advanced qualification. Unlike many countries in the world, letting agents and managing agents in the UK do not need to be qualified nor indeed are they regulated. It is estimated that less than 15% of those employed in lettings and management have any sort of vocational qualification. Unlike Scottish landlords, landlords in England and Wales do not need to be accredited even though there are accreditation schemes which have been developed by some local authorities. This month’s Newsletter will look into some of the major issues involved. If you as a landlord, letting agent or managing agent, are interested in membership of a professional association involved with lettings, or training and qualifications for yourself or your staff. Tom Entwistle, Editor Content has been provided by Susie Crolla, Chief Executive of the Guild of Letting and Management http://www.guild-let.co.uk/ Why not download and print the full LandlordZONE Adobe .pdf Newsletter
Check out these quality suppliers...

Cover4LetProperty - Cover4LetProperty.co.uk specialises in insurance for residential and commercial landlords. By inputting simple details of your property or portfolio just once onto the Cover4LetProperty online quote form, you can access up to five quotes instantly.

Landlords' Energy Performance Certificates Nationwide - UK - Service. A Quality Energy Performance Certificate service in association with Connells - The LandlordZONE Partner Programme offers EPCs - UK nationwide - using the Connells' approved surveyor panel at a standard cost of £75 plus VAT. For a fast, convenient and trustworthy service click the link.

Crimson Investments - Property Investment – the easy way ! Discounts of 15% - 20% BMV, Re-sale and refurbished properties, Tenanted and empty investment properties, Low deposit down deals. Specialist Mortgage Brokers & Solicitors. Our ‘Ready to Let Service’ – furnishing packages. Continuing support.

Landlord & Buy to Let Show - London Olympia 20-21st March 2009 - Want your properties to work harder for you? - Aiming to grow your buy-to-let portfolio? - Need to understand the new legislation? - Looking for the best deals from suppliers? Meet over 70 exhibitors - including leading industry suppliers. FREE seminars...

Positive Flow Ventilation Systems - Condensation, damp and black mould, not to mention Radon gas and volatile organic chemicals (voc’s), can present serious problems for homeowners and landlords. Keeping the property well aired with a Positive Ventilation System is the ideal answer.

Rent Guarantee & Legal Cover - underwritten by AXA, this LandlordZONE Partner Programme cover is excellent value for money at £116.56 pa (with TenantVERIFYâ checks - see terms) • Legal Costs Covered up to £25,000 • Free Legal Helpline • Rent Arrears Covered up to £10,000 (£2,500 monthly limit) • Excess Only 1 Month’s Rent Arrears (or sum of deposit if higher)

Accommodation for Students - Landlords - Advertise your properties quickly and easily, for just £5 per property per month. (Discounts are available for bulk uploads and long advertising periods). • Include images, maps, features, pricing, contact details, and more • We display performance reports and track the enquiries made by students about your properties • 1000s of emails are sent by our student visitors to landlords on our site everyday. • Over 5000 student landlords already registered and using our site.

Accountz.com - Is the fastest and easiest to use personal and business accounts software you will find. It beats more expensive systems hands down with its unique system of RapidEntry. Business Accountz is for Sole Proprietors, Partnerships and Limited Companies and is ideal for service based businesses such as Landlords and Property Investors. Unique one-click VAT Return. No confusing jargon. Fast and dead easy to use. Mac OSX 10.4+, Windows Vista/XP, Linux.

Landlord Manager - Whether you are a landlord with a portfolio of 2 or 3 properties or have several hundred properties in any number of portfolios, there is a Landlord Manager solution for you. Available in Pro and Premium versions along with a web site add-on to promote your business, Landlord Manager will grow with you as your portfolio grows. 30 day free trial.

PropertyPortfolioSoftware.co.uk - Property Portfolio Software provides solutions to help self managing landlords get better organised when managing multiple properties. Their software solutions are designed by landlords for landlords and are guaranteed to save you time, money and effort in running all aspects of your property business.

DiscountLetting.co.uk — a forward thinking team, we’ve been offering a range of letting services to UK landlords for years—from a full Management Service to a Tenant Find Service, we offer UK landlords a first class service to suit your needs. Call 020 8 697 0984 to speak to an agent.

The Rent Management Service from Hutcheson Solicitors - The low cost monthly rent collection and legal protection service for busy landlords. • Personal account manager to liaise between landlord and tenants. • Rent payment cards issued to Housing Benefit recipients. • 0800 083 0626 to chat with an advisor or visit http://rentmanagment.co.uk for more information.

TenantGuarantee.com - Landlords... no more worries about Tenant Deposits with the insurance guarantee that costs you nothing, but secures you against: - RENT (shortfalls) - DAMAGE (caused by Tenants) - LEGAL FEES (to remove a problem Tenant) With the Tenant Guarantee in place, you don't take a Deposit, so you can avoid the Government's Deposit Protection Scheme.

LandlordMONEY.co.uk - An independent property mortgage and property finance web portal. The site contains all the help and investment finance information you should ever need to guide you through the process of successful property investment and securing competitive property finance.

TenantVERIFY.co.uk - Successful Landlords know that Tenant Screening is "the" most important task when letting property. Tenant Verifying - doing credit searches and tenant referencing is the core of the tenant screening process. Nice Car, Nice Suit, Nice Chat... No Rent! Don't take chances - have those tenants checked out professionally! You can rely on TenantVERIFY

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February 2009 Newsletter - click here to view