News from our blog

Buying a home with the intention of letting it out is a completely different beast to buying one to live in. It will require careful consideration to ensure you get the best rental income and a good investment property. At Carrick Johnson we specialise in letting, not house sales, so we are in the position of offering you unbiased advise prior to your property search..

If you choose well, you’re going to benefit from short and long-term gain. In the short term, you’ll be receiving rental income each month from your tenant. Once you’ve covered your outgoings, the rest is yours to invest, save or spend. And in the long term, you’ll benefit from the capital gain that your property generates. Click image to read more…

Huge changes to EPCs may be coming into play in 2025. But what does EPC mean? How is it going to impact you? And how much will it cost?

The Government is considering bringing in changes to protect the world from climate change. It would impact selling or renting out a property. According to recent survey statistics,* almost 60% of homes in the UK have a D rating or lower which means this change will affect the majority of landlords in the UK. Here’s all you need to know. Click image to read more.

Whether you are a first-time landlord or have a bigger lettings portfolio, it is important to be prepared when welcoming new tenants into your rental property.

This proactive approach not only safeguards the tenant’s health and safety and may prevent future maintenance issues, but it also ensures your tenant has a good experience living in your property, helping you with potential leases in the future.

Click the image to read five things to consider when preparing your rental property for a new tenants.

According to Nationwide, 34% of landlords are looking to expand their lettings portfolios in 2022, as strong rental market conditions are encouraging optimism within the sector.

Buy-to-let remains the investment choice for many, with rents rising by 9.9% in the last year, their fastest rate on record, according to Nationwide data and market analysis. * So, it’s no wonder that many landlords are looking to widen their horizons this year. Click image to read more…

Fuelled by the surge in demand for more spacious homes during the pandemic, UK housing market activity has been exceptionally strong since mid-2020.

Recent HMRC figures show that more 1.5m homes were purchased during the past 12 months. This represents the strongest annual total since 2008, and more than one-third higher than the 1.1m yearly average recorded over the previous decade.

Accompanying this pick-up in activity, the official measure of UK house prices has risen by 17% since May 2020, equivalent to £37,000, and now stands at £268,000. This has led the ratio of house prices to earnings across the country to reach an all-time high, with the multiple currently at more than 7.5.

Notwithstanding the Bank of England’s recent decision to increase interest rates and the prospect of further incremental rises this year, house price expectations are consistent with continued growth over the coming 12 months. Click image to read more..

Is it legal for landlords to refuse pets?

There are no cast-iron laws when it comes to renting properties with pets.
And as such, landlords can refuse a tenant’s request to keep a pet if they have a valid reason to do so.
Those valid reasons include:
The landlord believes your pet is too large for their property
The landlord, or other tenants, have allergies
The landlord has concerns over potential noise

Do landlords have to accept tenants with pets?

Landlords aren’t obligated to accept tenants wishing to rent with a pet.
But they must provide a valid reason for declining the request.
Landlords are also obligated to allow a tenant to keep a guide dog or assistance dog if they require one due to a disability, unless they have a good enough reason to decline this – for example on health and safety grounds

There’s a huge amount to know and a great deal of specific administration that needs to be carried out in order to let and manage a rental property in a legal and professional way. Here are five of the most common mistakes we see landlords make:

Failing to reference tenants properly

 Not giving their tenant the required documentation

Not keeping up to date with legislations

Not having a periodic check and maintenance schedule

 Not following the correct procedure for eviction

Click image to read a detailed list..

The  dawn of 2022 bring with it a raft of legislation and rule changes for landlords to absorb.

1. The Renters Reform Bill

Having been delayed in its journey through parliament by the pandemic, it’s now looking likely that the Renters Reform Bill will become law at some point in 2022.
The Bill is one of the biggest changes to the private rented sector in many years and there are several key proposals within it you need to be aware of…

The end of section 21 evictions

‘No fault’ evictions would be banished under the Bill, with section 21 notices abolished.
This would mean you’d need to seek possession of your property through a court-based section 8 notice or specialist tribunal instead, even if your tenant is at the end of their fixed term or living under a periodic tenancy.
You’d also need to give the tenant not less than two months’ notice that you wish to regain possession of the property.
Because section 8 notices would become the norm under the Bill, it also proposes to improve the court process and reform the grounds for possession, making it easier for  landlords to regain their properties through the courts.

Lifetime deposits

The Bill also proposes to introduce lifetime deposits, which follow tenants from tenancy to tenancy.
This means tenants wouldn’t have to save another deposit when they move, when there is often a gap between them receiving their deposit back and having to provide a new one to another landlord.
More details are set to be confirmed about exactly how the lifetime deposit plan will work in practice, but this is an element of the Bill you should keep an eye on as a landlord.

The landlord database

The government’s database of rogue landlords would be made available to tenants, agents, landlords and professional bodies under the Renters Reform Bill.
Consideration is also being given for a landlord register or the introduction of a requirement for landlords to join a redress scheme