Labour vows to get tough with letting agents

The Labour Party has pledge to crackdown on bad practices in the letting sector if it comes into power at the next election.

Its leader Ed Miliband claimed he will take action against “rip-off” agents after a study carried out by the party revealed the high fees charged by some firms, the Independent reports.

In an analysis of 91 agencies, Labour found the average tenant pays a total of £902 in up-front costs, which includes deposits and charges for reference checks and admin work. The figure stood at £1,700 for people renting in London.

Three-quarters of the agents covered by the study were found to be not transparent about the fees they charge, while only half were willing to provide information on this via email.

This is not the first time the Labour Party has vowed to make reforms in the letting sector. In June, shadow work and pensions secretary Liam Byrne told the BBC it could force agents and landlords to lower rents if it comes into power in a bid to reduce the amount spent on housing benefits.

Furthermore, the party released a report into the UK housing market in May that called for the regulation of letting agents.

Shadow housing minister Jack Dromey told the Independent: “Labour has called for effective regulation of letting agents, to force them to be transparent on their fees, and we’re assessing the size and level of fees that can be charged. Tenants need proper protection against being ripped off.”

However, a figure within the private rental sector has warned of the dangers of judging the industry as a whole based on the actions of a rogue minority.

Alan Ward, Residential Landlords Association chairman, said it was “unfair” of Labour to include the cost of deposits in its research as these charges are usually paid back.

He added that while he supports the introduction of regulation to tackle bad practices, the agencies he deals with only charge modest fees and provide a useful service for tenants.

Here at Applegate Lettings our fees would not be anywhere near £900 and all fees are not only handed to the applicant in an information sheet before applying – they are also listed on the internet advert. We see no point in hiding fees and we go as far as listing them and justify what each fee is for. We receive fantastic feedback from tenants who have been very pleased with our services – please our testimonials page  http://www.applegatelettings.co.uk/testimonials/ to read some of them!

source: www.rman.co.uk

Image: Yoki5270/Shutterstock

PRICE REDUCTION

House to let – Hudroyd, Almondbury

Property type: 1 bed cottage
Location: Almondbury
Rental: £350 pcm
Min term: 6 months

A particularly pretty one bedroom cottage with off street parking and private garden.

This lovely home is set in the centre of the popular village of Almondbury and is close to all local amenities including mini-supermarket, restaurants and various bus routes. Briefly comprising; kitchen overlooking rear garden with units to the high and low level, dining/lounge with access to cellar via trap door. A staircase rises from the lounge to the first floor where there is one double bedroom overlooking the rear garden and shower room. Externally there is an off street parking space and private low maintenance garden. The property is complete with gas fired central heating and double glazing.

• Off street parking space
• Private garden
• One double bedroom
• Dining lounge
• Double glazing
• Gas fired central heating
• Available now

To enquire about this property, please contact us on 01484 682999. To view the full advert for this property please click here.

PRICE REDUCTION

House to let – Cinderhills Road, Holmfirth
Property type: 1 Bed Terraced
Location: Holmfirth
Rental: £375 pcm
Min term: 6 months

Recently re-furbished one bedroom cottage with private garden, views, on street parking and external store.

This lovely home is set over one level and briefly comprises; Small entrance lobby, kitchen with units to the high and low level, lounge with exposed beam and views over the valley, double bedroom and fully tiled, modern house bathroom. The property has recently undergone a full program of modernisation, which includes modern decoration throughout, new flooring, new three piece bathroom suite and new combination boiler.  There is a dry external store and raised lawned garden with long distance views. The property has gas fired central heating and double glazing and would suit a professional individual or couple. Parking is available on street.

• One bedroom
• On street parking
• Private garden with views
• Modern throughout
• External store
• Double glazing
• Gas fired central heating
• Suit professional couple or individual

To enquire about this property, please contact us on 01484 682999. To view the full advert for this property please click here.

PRICE REDUCTION

House to let – Union Street, Lindley

Property type: 1 bedroom terrace house
Location: Huddersfield
Rental: £385 pcm
Min term: 6 months

A one bedroom cottage set in the popular village of Lindley with gas central heating, double glazing and various appliances.

This lovely home is modern throughout with neutral décor. Briefly comprising; good size lounge with gas fire, modern galley kitchen with washing machine, oven, hob, extractor and fridge/freezer and store. A staircase rises from the lounge to the first floor landing where the bedroom and bathroom are situated. The bathroom is complete with white three piece suite and shower over bath. The property is set in a quiet courtyard and has outside space to the front.

Bond: £385

(Photos are of a similar property, pictures of this property are to follow).

• Good size double bedroom
• Recently re-furbished
• Modern kitchen
• Modern bathroom
• Off street parking
• Set only a few minutes walk from Lindley centre
• Close to HRI
• Bond – £385
• See floorplan for measurements

To enquire about this property, please contact us on 01484 682999. To view the full advert for this property please click here.

NOW LET

Now let – Meltham Road, Netherton

Property type: 2 bedroom semi
Location: Netherton
Rental: £475 pcm
Min term: 6 months

A deceptively spacious and well-presented two double bedroomed property located within walking distance of the local amenities in Netherton.

Set back from the main road, this surprisingly spacious property must be viewed internally to appreciate the accommodation available. The home features double glazing and a gas fired central heating system, and briefly comprises:- entrance hall, lounge (15’3″ x 13′ max) with feature gas fire, dining kitchen (15′ x 14’9″ approx) with integrated cooker, hob and extractor fan, cellar, two good sized double bedrooms (bedroom 1 with useful attic/store mezzanine level), and modern house bathroom with shower over bath. Externally the property has use of the patio/garden area to the rear, and parking is on an informal basis on Mercer Close (adjoining street) or the nearby car park. Offering easy access to local amenities and bus routes, this property is sure to please.

•  Deceptively spacious
• Modern fittings throughout
• 2 double bedrooms
• Well presented throughou
• Convenient location
• Garden area to rear
• Bond – £575
• Available now

To enquire about this property, please contact us on 01484 682999. To view the full list of all our available properties please click here.

NOW LET

Now let – Bramble Bank, Holmfirth

Property type: 3 Bedroom Terraced House
Location: Holmfirth
Rental: £595 pcm
Min term: 6 months

3 Bedroom modern family home with gardens & off street parking, situated in the popular area of Holmfirth. With large garage and gardens to rear, these homes they make the ideal family home.
Set only a short walk from the centre of Holmfirth but with rural walks and footpaths nearby, this property briefly comprises; Entrance hallway, good size utility room, large integral garage, good size dining kitchen with patio doors out to the rear garden and lounge. A second staircase rises to the top floor accommodation where there is a single bedroom, two doubles, one with en-suite, modern house bathroom and storage cupboard. The property has PVCu double glazing and gas fired central heating. There is a good sized, enclosed lawned garden to the rear and further garden area, along with driveway to the front.

(Photos are of a similar property, pictures of this property are to follow).

• Terrace
• Three bedrooms
• Enclosed garden
• Modern throughout
• Dining kitchen
• Ideal family home
• Garage and driveway
• Bond – £795

To enquire about this property, please contact us on 01484 682999. To view a full list of all our available properties please click here.

NOW LET

Now let – North Road, Kirkburton

Property type: 2 bed terrace house
Location: Kirkburton, Huddersfield
Rental: £395 pcm
Min term: 6 months

A pretty two bedroom cottage set in the heart of Kirkburton with off street parking.

This lovely terrace property is offered on an unfurnished basis. Stone steps lead up to the ground floor entrance door which leads into a lobby area. On the ground floor there is a good sized lounge and breakfast kitchen with breakfast bar. There is a doorway in the kitchen that gives access to a small rear yard area and another door which leads down to a very good sized, dry cellar. A staircase rises to the first floor where there are two bedrooms; a single and good sized double. This floor is also home to a fully tiled, stylish shower room with double shower enclosure, WC and wash hand basin. There is an off street parking space positioned directly in front of the property. Early viewings advised.

• Two bedroom terrace
• Off street allocated parking space
• Yard area to rear
• Useful cellar
• Well presented
• Modern shower room
• Close to local amenities
• Bond: £595

To enquire about this property, please contact us on 01484 682999. To view a list of all our available properties please click here.

Rental returns in Northwest England outstrip central London

Data from the Association of Residential Letting Agents (ARLA) shows that houses in North West England are currently delivering the highest rental returns in England*.

Conversely, rental returns on houses in central London have been falling for the past six months. Returns have fallen from 4% to 3.5% over this time period, while levels in the North West have stayed relatively steady at 6% or above. Outside of England, houses in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland have also recorded broadly rising return values.

One reason for this difference in rental return rates could be the variation in capital values around the country. ARLA has found that the value of the average rental house in London stands at £1,251,000 compared to just £173,000 in the Midlands. Rented houses in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland have an average capital value of £197,000.

Rental figures for flats followed a broadly similar geographical pattern, with central London properties offering an average return of 4.1%, compared with returns of 5.2% and 5.8% in the North East and North West respectively.

The survey also showed the average void period – the time that a rental property remains vacant between tenants – remained steady at three weeks across the UK.

Ian Potter, Managing Director of ARLA, said:

“Our data clearly shows that landlords around the UK must choose their rental property wisely to ensure they receive the returns they expect. I would always recommend using an experienced ARLA agent when letting a property as they will be able to give the most up-to-date insight into the local rental market.

“It may be that rental returns in a particular area come as a surprise to those not directly involved in the local market. As void periods have stabilised, landlords may have an easier job of forecasting returns once an indicative figure has been received. However, some untenanted time should always be factored in to any landlord’s investment calculations.”

* Rental returns are the income generated from capital investment made by landlords in buy-to-let property. The data from the ARLA Members’ Survey of the Private Rented Sector, covering Q2 2013, was drawn from 507 member offices.  Together with the ARLA Survey of Residential Investment Landlords, June 2013 – conducted among 1,224 landlords – the report forms the ARLA Review and Index. The Review and Index is available at: http://www.arla.co.uk/buy-to-let/buy-to-let-review/2013/

source: www.arla.co.uk

Image: RTimages/Shutterstock

NEW PROPERTY

House to let – Bramble Bank, Holmfirth

Property type: 3 bedroom terrace
Location: Holmfirth
Rental: £595 pcm
Min term: 6 months

Set over three levels, these three bedroomed homes have spacious utility room to lower level, large garage and dining kitchen with patio doors out to rear garden, making them the idea family home.

Set in an ideal location only a short walk from the centre of Holmfirth but with rural walks and footpaths nearby Applegate Lettings offer for let this modern three bedroom town house.  Briefly comprising; Entrance hallway with space for storage/office, utility room, large integral garage, good size dining kitchen with patio doors out to the rear garden and lounge. A second staircase rises to the top floor accommodation where there is a single bedroom, two doubles, one with en-suite, modern house bathroom and storage cupboard. The property has PVCu double glazing and gas fired central heating and is alarmed. There is a good sized, enclosed lawned garden to the rear and further garden area, along with driveway to the front.

• Terrace
• Three bedrooms
• Enclosed garden
• Modern throughout
• Dining kitchen
• Ideal family home
• Garage and driveway
• DSS not acceptable
• Strictly no pets
• Bond – £795

To enquire about this property, please contact us on 01484 682999. To view the full advert for this property please click here.

NEW PROPERTY

Apartment to let – Westgate, Honley

Property type: 2 Bedroom Apartment
Location: Honley
Rental: £495 pcm
Min term: 6 months

A two bedroom apartment/terrace set in the popular village of Honley with separate dining hall, gas fired central heating and double glazing.

Briefly comprising this well-proportioned home (see floor plan for full measurements) has; Entrance hallway with staircase rising to first floor dining hall, breakfast kitchen with small pantry and cooker, washing machine, dryer and fridge. A further staircase rises from the dining hall to the top floor landing where there is house bathroom with shower over bath and storage cupboard and views, lounge with dormer style window and additional Velux style window. Two double bedrooms (available with or without furniture) and landing. The apartment is positioned over the Zebra shop in the centre of Honley and has the advantage of private front door from the high street (not shared) and additional lower hallway. Complete with gas fired central heating and double glazing this home is sure to be snapped up soon and early viewing is advised. There is on street parking close by and although the property does not have its own private garden it is only a stone’s throw away from the newly completed park area. DSS may also be considered with references.

• Two double bedrooms
• Set in Honley village
• Dining area and kitchen
• Kitchen appliances
• Double glazing
• Gas fired central heating
• Bond – £495
• DSS considered with references
• Part furnished available

To enquire about this property, please contact us on 01484 682999. To view the full advert for this property please click here.

“Activity in the housing market has picked up further,” the Bank of England reports...

We recently read the Bank of England's Agents' summary of business conditions for August 2013 and thought that some of you may be very interested in it so here it is for you:

Bank of England - Agents' summary of business conditions - August 2013

Housing market

Housing market activity had risen further in recent months, both in terms of enquiries and transactions.

In the new-build market, improving conditions were partly ascribed to the effects of the new Help to Buy scheme (applying to England only) and to a continued easing of mortgage availability, though some contacts reported stringent conditions on higher loan to value loans.

The Help to Buy scheme was also said to be boosting demand in the market for existing homes, by raising expectations of future house prices.

Buy-to-let investors had remained highly active. On the supply side, a shortage of properties for sale was said by estate agents to be restraining transaction volumes and to be putting upwards pressure on house prices.

Business conditions summary

• Annual growth in the value of consumer spending had remained moderate. There were signs of increasing consumer confidence, though disposable incomes had remained tight.
• Activity in the housing market had picked up further in recent months.
• Investment intentions had continued to point to only modest growth in capital spending.
• Growth in manufacturing output had been unchanged for the domestic market, though it had increased a little for exports.
• Sentiment in business services had improved further, alongside continued growth in turnover.
• Construction output had strengthened, as house building had increased over recent months.
• Corporate credit availability had continued to improve gradually.
• Employment intentions pointed to a slight increase in staffing over the coming six months.
• Capacity utilisation had remained slightly below normal both in manufacturing and services, though the margin of spare capacity in services had narrowed a little.
• The annual rate of growth in labour costs per employee had been little changed.
• Annual growth in materials costs had remained subdued and moderate inflation in imported finished goods prices had continued.
• Inflation in manufacturers' output prices had edged lower and had remained very subdued for business services prices.
• The rate of consumer price inflation had been unchanged.

The full report can be found here.

Source: www.arla.co.uk
Image: camilla$$/Shutterstock

17% of UK homes still don’t have the internet

A recent survey has shown that 17% of UK homes still don’t have the internet. For most of us it’s pretty tough to imagine life without the internet but millions of people in Britain say they simply don’t need it. Four million houses in the UK are still not connected to the internet, according to Office of National Statistics. Most of those people living without a home internet connection – 59% – say they don’t need to be online. 20% of people said they didn’t know how to get connected and 10% said they couldn’t afford the costs. But mobile browsing continues to grow.

 It’s easy to assume that everyone has the internet these days but there are some areas, even around Huddersfield, which are more remote and have either no internet at all or very slow connections. At Applegate Lettings, we remind prospective tenants that this is something they should check before moving into a property as it is not the landlords responsibility to provide things such as a TV, internet or aerials, nor is it their obligation to check that these items will work efficiently in that property.

source: www.inea.co.uk

Image: imagedb.com/Shutterstock

NEW PROPERTY

Apartment to let – Meltham Road, Netherton

Property type: 2 Bedroom Apartment
Location: Netherton
Rental: £350 pcm
Min term: 6 months

A well presented, modern apartment set in the centre of Netherton with two double bedrooms. The property has recently been re-furbished and must be viewed internally.

This super apartment briefly comprises; Entrance lobby to ground floor with staircase rising to first floor. To the first floor there is a landing and lounge area with modern kitchen off the lounge with space for free standing fridge/freezer and plumbing for washing machine. There are two double bedrooms and modern house bathroom with full height travertine effect tiling throughout. The property is complete with Upvc double glazing and gas fired central heating. The property has a small yard area to the rear which can be used by the occupier as a seating area/patio if required.

• 2 double bedrooms
• Good quality apartment
• Seperate lounge and kitchen
• Modern kitchen and bathroom
• Double glazing
• Gas fired central heating
• Courtyard/patio area
• Unfurnished
• Bond £450

To enquire about this property, please contact us on 01484 682999. To view the full advert for this property please click here.

NEW PROPERTY

House to let - Netheroyd Hill Road, Fixby
Property type: 2 Bed Terraced
Location: Fixby
Rental: £550 pcm
Min term: 6 months

A spacious through terrace with two double bedrooms, modern interior, good size dining kitchen and gardens.

Set in the popular area of Fixby is this modern two bedroom home. Briefly comprising; Lounge with feature fireplace and large double glazed window, allowing plenty of natural light in, good size contemporary dining kitchen with units to the high and low level, there is a rear PVU door leading out to a low maintenance garden with tiered patio area. Staircase rises from the lounge to the first floor where there is a good size master bedroom overlooking rear garden and further double bedroom overlooking the front garden. The bathroom has recently been modernised and has stylish three piece suite and full height tiling surrounding where appropriate. The property is complete with gas fired central heating, double glazing and is located close to bus routes to Huddersfield Town Centre.

• 2 double bedrooms
• Modern interior
• Dining kitchen
• Front and rear garden
• Double glazing and GFCH
• On street parking
• New bathroom/kitchen
• Bond – £650

To enquire about this property, please contact us on 01484 682999. To view the full advert for this property please click here.