Welcome to the Property Advice Newsletter
written by Independent Chartered Surveyors of the UK wide network of Property Professionals

www.PropertySurveying.co.uk

Publication date: March 2018

In this month’s edition… we ask why more homes aren’t being bought under commonhold law, highlight the issues surrounding the Localism Act, discuss MEES and the urgent need for landlords to act and discover ways to keep your home insurance premiums down …

The Property Market Monthly Fact File

The property market fact file is a collection of data compiled each month by our Chartered Surveyors and the propertysurveying.co.uk team; collating survey data, statistics, trends and information from the property market. This aims to provide a single place where anyone with an interest in UK property can find the information they need.

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Why aren’t more homes being bought under commonhold law? The Commonhold and Leasehold Reform Act has been in existence since 2002, so why are 98% of flats still purchased ‘leasehold’?

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Localism Act 2011 being used to trap people in homelessness

Restrictive powers given to local councils are to blame for the rise in homelessness, despite a reduction of 700,000 from housing waiting lists since its introduction.

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Equality laws highlight discrimination against housing benefit claimants

A county court has awarded compensation as a result of discrimination on the grounds of sex, in a case that could lead to landlords and letting agents being prosecuted for indirect sexual discrimination.

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What is all this MEES about – and are landlords ready? With a deadline looming – over 400,000 properties currently fail to meet the energy performance standards required to stay within the law.

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It’s the biggest investment most of will make – so why don’t four in five home buyers bother with a survey?

Mortgage lenders don’t insist that buyers commission a survey before they will lend many thousands of pounds to purchase a new home. The question is … why not?

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London ‘ghost towers’ and the Brexit effect, illustrating the travesty of the demand for new homes

London has attracted significant overseas investment and provided the capital with a plethora of luxury new-build flats. But with thousands standing empty, and many more due to be built, how will these investors fare après le Brexit?

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Nimby councils vs the big home builders; isn’t it time for some common sense?

The government has threatened local councils with the loss of planning powers, unless they meet house building targets. Isn’t it time to look at the incentives behind the provision of houses and building the right housing where it’s needed?

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Brexit … you’re off your rocker, mate!

‘If you want to move up – move out’. No longer does the old adage ‘a job for life’ apply so, whatever your view on the demands of the housing market, the number of tenants choosing to rent rather than buy in order to maintain flexibility is likely to remain strong. 

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Home insurance and how to keep premiums down We consider some of the ways in which insurance companies assess risk when quoting for home insurance and how you can act to keep premiums down.

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Control the Beasts – keep your house warmer this winter while keeping heating costs down

Now that the Beast has gone and it’s safe to go out, at least in most parts of the UK, we look at ways to keep the heat in and the weather out when the good old British weather gets that little bit too extreme.

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And Finally….

Storm proof your home

Now that you’re keeping the heat in, lets think about how to minimise the effects of the weather on your home.

This newsletter is a free service by PropertySurveying.co.uk for those with an interest in the UK Property Market. As well as being posted online here, it is emailed direct to our subscribers all across the country.