Podcasts from Inside Property

Inside Property is back for the new year! And with a raft of regulatory changes planned for Letting Agents in 2019, who will benefit and who will be losing out? From April, Letting Agents must have a dedicated bank account and insurance for clients’ money; and tenants’ fees will be banned from June 2019. What is morale like amongst Letting Agents, and how will the sector change in the coming years? And as a result of these changes, will the real victory be with the consumer? Host Richard Blanco is joined by David Cox, CEO of Arla Propertymark; Fiona Exley from London Trading Standards; and Business Transfer Agent, Adam Walker.

How important is design for let properties? As a landlord, should you always stick to neutral or can you safely stray into something more adventurous? To furnish or not to furnish? Are there particular sectors, like HMOs, where design adds considerable profit? If you are a tenant do you despair at having to put up with the landlord’s leftover furniture and would you prefer more freedom to redecorate your home to your taste? Richard Blanco is joined by designers Nicola Geldart from David Phillips, Julian Maurice of Icon Living and East London portfolio landlord, Toby Scrutton to unpack the issues and offer some useful tips and guidance.

How would you feel about compulsory three year tenancies? Would they provide essential security of tenure for families or pose too big a risk for landlords? The government has appointed the third housing minister this year. What will Kit Malthouse bring to the table and how confident are you that housing really is a priority for ministers? Will the Bank of England end nearly a decade of ultra low interest rates and increase them this August? And we discuss a new initiative to help student landlords support tenants with mental health issues. Richard Blanco is joined by Chris Norris, Director of Policy & Practice at The National Landlords Association and and Carol Lewis, Deputy Editor of Property and Personal Finance at The Times.

Under this directive, from 25th May 2018, tenants will have the right to sue landlords for misuse of data. The NLA’s Chris Norris and Marlon Fox from Outlook Property talk to Richard Blanco about what landlords and agents need to do to comply. They discuss Ellie Flynn’s BBC Three documentary Rent For Sex (watch here) which exposes so-called landlords offering free rooms for sexual favours. A parliamentary select committee has proposed that landlords’ properties could be confiscated should they commit certain housing offences. And Tory party conference promises to fully regulate letting agents have now precipitated proposals for a legally enforceable code of practice, compulsory membership of a trade body, and a new regulator. Could this sound the death knell for ropey agents? Inside Property is produced in collaboration with the National Landlords Association.

Richard Blanco asks Douglas Haig, Vice Chair of the Residential Landlords Association and Richard Lambert, Chief Executive Officer of the National Landlords Association about the work of landlord associations; whether they can be legitimately seen as the voice of landlords; how their offer supports the landlord community; and why campaigns to prevent – and now roll back – recent tax changes have been thwarted. Also joining the debate is Vanessa Warwick, landlord and founder of propertytribes.com, who outlines the role she sees for digital platforms. What role might these organisations play as the government tries to professionalise and regulate the sector, should landlord associations merge to give them more clout, and is it fair to criticise web portals as a forum for ranting?

Chris Norris, NLA Director of Policy, and Nigel Lewis, Head of Content at The Negotiator, join Richard Blanco to discuss the latest issues affecting the world of property. There’s a new Ministry of Housing and we exchange views on the seventh housing minister to be appointed since 2010. There’s an update on changing gas, electricity and carbon monoxide safety regulations, the new Fitness for Human Habitation Bill and some unexpected changes to arrangements for licensing and Article 4. Will you be contributing to the consultation on the proposed Landlord Redress scheme, and what do you think about Labour’s proposals to give tenants the right to have pets? Inside Property is produced in collaboration with the National Landlords Association.

How would you define an ethical landlord or investor? Richard Blanco speaks to Susan Aktemel, founder of Glasgow based Homes For Good, Landlord Mary Ann Richmond-Coggan who created Green Farm Kent and Ed Fowkes, Development Director of Prosperity Capital Partners to find out what motivates them and how their practice stands out. We hear about how their businesses are structured, who benefits and what could be done to encourage more landlords and investors to nurture their social conscience. Inside Property is produced in collaboration with the National Landlords Association.

The launch of the Private Residential Tenancy in Scotland heralds the end of no fault evictions and Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan, outlines his aspirations for more devolved powers in a Draft Housing Strategy. As letting agents in England look forward to “full regulation,” where is the market heading in 2018 and was the phrase “sky high rocketing rents” ever more than a headline grabbing cliché, particularly as rents are currently rising well below inflation? We look back at the Autumn budget and offer interest rate and election predictions for the year to come. Sarah Davidson, from This Is Money and Chris Norris, Head of Policy at the NLA join Richard Blanco for a round up of all the latest issues facing property professionals. Inside Property is produced in collaboration with the National Landlords Association.

From the Government’s Help To Buy and Shared Ownership schemes to the recent reduction in stamp duty and Bank of Mum & Dad, just how easy is it for first time buyers to get a foot on the property ladder? In this edition, we hear from Laura about buying her first home and Jack’s aspirations to become a landlord or developer. Expert guests are on hand to offer help and advice: Kate Faulkner, MD of Property Checklists, Investment Coach Damien Fogg of theepinvestor.com and Financial Adviser Jay Rooney from One And All Financial. Inside Property is produced in collaboration with the National Landlords Association.

After announcing the first interest rate rise for a decade, if the Bank of England introduces further rises in 2018, how might this affect the housing market? Theresa May wants the state to get back into the business of building subsidised rental homes, so could we see a return to growth for the social rented sector? And weighing up the pros and cons of Conservative and Labour party ideas and initiatives for the private rented sector, what could your property business look like in 2025? Richard Blanco is joined by Chris Norris, Head of Policy at The National Landlords Association and landlord and journalist Victoria Whitlock from The Evening Standard.