Walsall Property Market

Comment on the Walsall property market

Would you buy your Walsall home off the internet?

Head of Juicing @Ashmore Lettings & Sales Ltd Walsall Property Market , , , , , , , , ,
Would you buy your Walsall home off the internet?
Would you buy your Walsall home off the internet?

People say buying a house or moving home is stressful.  I totally agree and whilst at my Agency we do our best to make things easy believe me, when I say it’s nothing compared to online shopping!!

My close friends and family know that I dislike self service tills and the impersonal detachment of internet shopping.  I can be honest and admit that I absolutely hate it.  Don’t get me wrong, I think it has its place especially when I enviously see my neighbour’s food shopping being brought by a kindly man driving a Morrison’s van bringing their weekly shop to the door.  Seeing this made me think how great it would be and how much time I would save if I or my wife didn’t have to go food shopping.

The one and only time I tried food shopping online I received all sorts of stuff.  Some I ordered and some I didn’t… other times I tried Birthday gifts which didn’t arrive on time, clothes which looked lovely on the internet model are not what I had hoped for – sack of spuds springs to mind!

A long awaited mother’s day gift for my sister was delivered by courier to my house and because no one was home they very kindly left it in a safe place… the recycling bin which was emptied on the same day!  So, if you don’t mind, I’m sticking to high street shopping in the future.

Thank goodness we don’t buy houses online.  Can you imagine it…?!

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Get out of the Walsall Property Rental Market!

Head of Juicing @Ashmore Lettings & Sales Ltd Walsall Property Market , , , , , , , ,
Get out of the Walsall Property Rental Market!
Get out of the Walsall Property Rental Market!

I was recently reading a report by the Home website which suggested that landlords are selling en-masse their buy-to-let investments due to increasing burdens on them in the buy-to-let market.  Their findings suggest the number of new properties that came onto the market nationally (for sale) jumped by 11% across the UK as a result.

Those increasing burdens include new tax rules coming in over the next 3 to 4 years and the announcement that all self-managing landlords (i.e. landlords that don’t use a letting agent to look after their buy-to-let property) will soon need to register with a compulsory redress scheme to resolve tenant arguments and disputes; as Westminster wants to heighten standards in the Private Rented Sector.

Interestingly, a few weeks ago I was chatting with a self-managed landlord from Bloxwich, when I was out who didn’t realise the other recent legislations that have hit the Private Rented sector, including the ‘Right to Rent’ regulations which came in to operation last year.  Landlords have to certify their tenants have the legal right to live in the UK.  This includes checking and taking copies of their tenant’s passport or visa before the tenancy is signed.  Of course, if you use a letting agent to manage your property, they will usually sort this for you (as they will with the redress scheme when that is implemented).

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Smokin’! What’s The Deal With Smoke Alarms?

Head of Juicing @Ashmore Lettings & Sales Ltd Walsall Property Market , , , , , , , ,

Back in 2015 The Smoke Alarm Regulations came into being. Now, apparently approx 30% of UK residents have never tested their smoke alarms so, what does all of this mean for landlords and tenants?

Let’s talk about landlords first:

  • Landlords must install a smoke alarm on every floor of their rental property.
  • Landlords must install a carbon monoxide alarm in any room with a solid fuel burning appliance (E.g. Coal fire, wood burning stove). Though not a requirement, it is advisable to also install one near a gas appliance.
  • Licensed HMOs are exempt from this regulation as they must comply with separate fire safety regulations.
  • Social housing landlords are exempt.
  • Live-in landlords are exempt.

Whether exempt or not, it would behove all landlords to ensure the safety of their tenants.

  • All alarms should be in working order at the start date of a new tenancy as per the tenancy start date stated in the tenancy agreement. This does not include tenancy renewals.
  • It is advisable to obtain the tenant’s signature for them to confirm that the alarms were tested and working in their presence. This could be included in a document that also confirms they have received all documentation as per the “How To Rent Guide“.
  • Or, it could be included in an inventory and schedule of condition.

There are no requirements for a specific type of alarm or on the location of the alarm installation. It is recommended to follow manufacturer’s instructions and that they are installed on a ceiling in a circulation space i.e. hall or landing. Carbon Monoxide detectors should be placed at head height and approx one to three metres from the solid fuel/ gas appliance. If in doubt on the installation of alarms you can also contact you local fire service for advice.

The failure to comply with these regulations is a fine of up to £5000 if the 28 day remedial notice has not been adhered to.

 

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Are all Walsall Tenant’s Needy?!

Head of Juicing @Ashmore Lettings & Sales Ltd Walsall Property Market , , , , , , , ,
Are all Walsall Tenants Needy
Are all Walsall Tenants Needy?!

Over the weekend I had an email from one of my Blog reading friends.  I thought I would post this below and discuss in this week’s Blog post as it may benefit the rest of my friends who follow the Walsall Property Blog…

Landlord’s Question:

”Dear Salek,

Over the past two years I have had three different tenants in my rental property in the Delves area of Walsall.  At first each of them came across like ideal tenants.  However, not long into each of their tenancies, problems started to arise.  To cut a long story short, between the three tenancies there have been months of non-payment, plenty of damage to the property and harassment (in the sense that I was called over  40 times in the space of 4 weeks  with requests to change light bulbs, locking themselves out of the property etc).

Why am I attracting these tenants?  Is this a common thing with being a Walsall landlord?’’

 

My Response:

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Walsall Millennials set to inherit the Earth!!

Head of Juicing @Ashmore Lettings & Sales Ltd Walsall Property Market , , , , , , , ,
Walsall Millennials set to inherit the Earth
Walsall Millennials set to inherit the Earth

That got your attention… didn’t it!

Last weekend I went to our favourite restaurant in Leamore (North Walsall) with the family.  The owner is a client of mine and so, in between the Biryani and Nan Bread naturally, we started talking about our favourite subject… the Walsall property market.  He informed me that he was a Millennial which is a term I’m familiar with but then he also told me that I was a Generation X!  I had to look this up when I got home as I thought he was teasing me at first.

What is Generation X, let alone Generation Z, Millennials, Baby Boomers…?  These are phrases banded around about the different life stages of our society.  When terminologies like this are used as often and habitually as these phrases (i.e. Gen X this, Millennial that etc.), it appears particularly vital we have some practical idea of what these terms actually mean.  The fact is that everyone uses these phrases, but often, like myself, they are not exactly sure where the lines are drawn… until now…

So, for clarity …

Generation Z:             Born after 1996

Millennials:                 Born 1977 to 1995

Generation X:             Born 1965 to 1976

Baby Boomers:           Born 1946 to 1964

Silent Generation:      Born 1945 and before

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Self-Managing a Walsall Property… I Can DO It…!!

Head of Juicing @Ashmore Lettings & Sales Ltd Walsall Property Market , , , , , , , ,
Self-Managing a Walsall Property… I Can DO It…!!
Self-Managing a Walsall Property… I Can DO It…!!

During my rounds in Walsall town centre this weekend I bumped into one of our Let Only landlords who I hadn’t seen for a while.  I’m going to call her Ally Monie just for the fun of it!  We decided to have a catch-up over a coffee inside the new Co-Op on Bridge Street (lovely it was too!!).  She told me about the shock and dismay when she recently visited one of her properties after 3 years!

It’s ok, it’s not one of those horror stories that you hear where there was a cannabis factory in the loft, or there were four other people living in the property that shouldn’t have been or worst still the property was deliberately trashed, or is it…

Ally owns a number of properties and used our services to provide our Walsall Tenant Find Only service.  She didn’t need an Agent for management, agency fees are money for old rope, and she had plenty of time to manage.

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Recovering Possession of a Walsall Property.

Head of Juicing @Ashmore Lettings & Sales Ltd Walsall Property Market , , , , , , ,
Recovering Possession of a Walsall Property
Recovering Possession of a Walsall Property

I am getting more and more enquiries from my blog reading friends on some technical aspects of property management.  In the past I’ve avoided writing about these types of questions on the Blog by answering them directly.  I find writing about the Walsall property market more interesting but people power has to prevail and I feel I must provide the readership what they seek.

There are various reasons why you may need to recover possession of your rental property.  Below is an enquiry I received recently and my answer.  Hope you find it informative and as always I welcome your feedback.  Do let me know if you have any burning questions you would like me to answer in a similar vein and I’ll do my best to accommodate.

Question:

‘Dear Salek,

I rented my property out when I moved into my husband’s house about 6 years ago and we are now going through a divorce.  I need my property back as I need to move in as soon as possible, so I know I will need to evict the current tenants. How do I correctly serve a notice?

Thank you,

Sue.

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Rents in Walsall Set to Rise to £714 pm in Next 5 Years

Head of Juicing @Ashmore Lettings & Sales Ltd Walsall Property Market , , , , , , , , ,
Rents in Walsall Set to Rise to £714 pm in Next 5 Years
Rents in Walsall Set to Rise to £714 pm in Next 5 Years

A good 18 months has passed since annual rental price inflation in Walsall peaked at 10.7% (June 2016).  Since then we have seen increasingly more humble rent increases to 7.3% in November 2017.  In fact, in certain parts of the Walsall rental market over the autumn, the rental market saw some slight falls in rents.  So, could this be the earliest indication that the trend of high rent increases seen over the last few years, may now be starting to buck that trend?

Well, possibly in the short term, but in the coming few years, it is my opinion Walsall rents will regain their upward trend and continue to increase as demand for Walsall rental property will outstrip supply, and this is why…

The way I see it is this…the counterbalance to that improved rental growth would be to meaningfully increase rental stock (i.e. the number of rental properties in Walsall).  However, because of the Government’s new taxes on landlords being introduced between 2017 and 2021, that means buy-to-let has (and will) be less attractive in the short term for certain types of landlords resulting in fewer new properties being purchased to rent out.

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Walsall Property Market Predictions 2018!

Head of Juicing @Ashmore Lettings & Sales Ltd Walsall Property Market , , , , , , ,
Walsall Property Market Predictions 2018!
Walsall Property Market Predictions 2018!

A belated Happy New Year to all my Blog reading friends!!  Trust the holiday season has treated you all well.  Now that you are rested, relaxed and rejuvenated I’m sure you have gotten into the full swing of things with vigour and enthusiasm.  We’re already passed the middle of January 2018 and finally I feel like the dust has settled allowing me the opportunity to catch my breath to reflect on the past year.

Wasn’t 2017 eventful?!  Last year was the greenest year in the UK.  We broke all previous records by June 2017 when our use of wind, nuclear and solar power created more UK power than gas and coal combined.  From England women winning the World Cup in July to an incredible breakthrough by scientists at University College London who have developed a drug that they hope could stop Huntington’s disease.  To top the end of the year there was the Royal love story with the announcement of romance, a wedding between Prince Harry and Megan Markle and something close to the hearts of every buy to let landlord and homeowner in Walsall… the changes in the local property market.

So, let’s look at the headlines for the Walsall property market in 2017…

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WALSALL LANDLORDS – THREE THINGS I’ll be doing over Christmas 2017!!

Head of Juicing @Ashmore Lettings & Sales Ltd Walsall Property Market , , , , , , , ,
WALSALL LANDLORDS - THREE THINGS I’LL BE DOING OVER CHRISTMAS
WALSALL LANDLORDS – THREE THINGS I’LL BE DOING OVER CHRISTMAS 2017

My Blog reading friends and existing clients will know that at some point over the Christmas break I get fed up of all the eating, drinking and partying.  “Bah! Humbug!” I hear you say…but in reality I think it’s simply that as a busy business owner, my mind and body can’t take the change in pace from mad and hectic to practically a vegetative like state.

So it’s usually around this time of the year, when I hit that point and I need to re-engage my brain, this is what I plan to do…

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