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How much more can rents rise?

It's been one of the features of the past year: rents in the private residential sector have been rising pretty much all over the country. In London, some commentators say that rents have risen about 20% in the past year. The average rent paid across the UK has now topped £700 for the first time. Average monthly rents in London are now a staggering £1000. One significant cause of these... Read more

Posted by Dan @ Upad on August 4th, 2011 in Finding Tenants, Property Rental, Tips for New Landlords

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Ask Upad: As a landlord, how can I avoid using deposit protection schemes?

A landlord has been in contact and asks how she can avoid using one of the government approved deposit protections schemes. She says: “I don’t want to use the deposit protection schemes because it’s yet another hassle and bit of paperwork I can do without. For years, I simply kept deposits in my bank account and didn’t have any problems with that. How can I avoid the deposit... Read more

Posted by Dan @ Upad on November 25th, 2010 in Ask Upad, Tenancy Deposit Scheme

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Tenants should protect own deposits, says lawyer

A top lawyer has said that tenants should pay their deposits directly into a deposit protection scheme, instead of handing them over to their landlord or lettings agent. John Stephenson, head of the Residential Property Team at Bircham Dyson Bell, said: "My advice to tenants is to pay their deposit directly into a scheme - not directly to the landlord - or if dealing via an agent, get an... Read more

Posted by Sue @ Upad on November 25th, 2010 in Landlord Legislation, Property Rental

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Are you complying with the law on tenants’ deposits?

There are lots of laws and regulations that landlords need to keep up with and some of the case law and important changes don’t always get much publicity. Keeping up with the changes takes a bit of time and interest but it is vital: failure to comply can be a criminal offence and might attract a hefty penalty. One recent event that seems to have passed many landlords by, regards a legal case... Read more

Posted by Dan @ Upad on September 27th, 2010 in Landlord Legislation, Legal, Tenancy Deposit Scheme

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AST rent threshold to increase

It’s more bad news for landlords who want to see less red tape and less badly implemented regulation on the private lettings. The coalition government has confirmed that rumoured changes to the rent thresholds will be going ahead. From the 1st October 2010, all properties with annual rents up to £100k will be subject to ASTs. That means that deposits for such properties will also need to be... Read more

Posted by Dan @ Upad on September 10th, 2010 in Landlord Legislation, Property Management, Property Rental

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Tenant Views: Deposits and “wear and tear”

Dan, who helps us out with marketing and writing here at Upad, gives his perspective as a tenant of 10 years standing at properties in Brighton and London about inventories and getting your deposit back. “Apart from a few minor deductions, I’ve never had any major issue getting my deposits back in full. But, as most tenants will attest, it can be a bit nerve wracking waiting to check out... Read more

Posted by Dan @ Upad on August 31st, 2010 in Furnishing, Property Rental

Rental Deposits: what tenants should know

It seems incredible, but the Deposit Protection Service (DPS) has said that it has almost £5 million of deposits which it is unable to repay because it can't get hold of the tenant to whom the money is owed. The Director of the DPS, Kevin Firth, said that "some tenants are not keeping their contact details up to date – resulting in this large number of unpaid deposits". For security... Read more

Posted by Sue @ Upad on March 10th, 2010 in Property Rental

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