Welcome to our Spring Newsletter 2024

Landlord Broadband welcomes you to the latest edition of our quarterly newsletter. We hope that you enjoy it. If the latest industry news, customer market updates, and new content interests you, then read on. Want more? You can check out our previous newsletter here.

Latest News

We are delighted to be accepted as an NRLA Recognised Supplier. Look out for more exciting things to come! This is being launched on March 25th 2024.

Industry News

Legal
Ministers have been discussing watering down no-fault eviction proposals. The proposed changes were circulated with Tory MPs who had expressed concerns about the bill and wanted to increase rights for landlords. The government insisted it would still ban no-fault evictions by the election. The Renters (Reform) Bill was first introduced in May 2023. It would mean that landlords could evict tenants in England only under certain circumstances, including when they wish to sell the property or when they or a close family member want to move in. But the bill has still not passed through the House of Commons.

In the documents circulated recently the government promised to announce a review of the scheme “with the explicit aim of reducing burdens on landlords”. Among the other draft amendments the government is suggesting: Requiring renters to live in a property for a minimum of four months before they can give notice to end their tenancy and allow “hearsay” evidence in eviction claims for antisocial behaviour.

Finance
UK landlords are expressing a notable sense of optimism for the property market in 2024, as revealed by recent research from The Mortgage Lender (TML). An impressive 74% of residential buy-to-let landlords are confident about the market’s performance in the coming 12 months, with a noteworthy 27% expressing a particularly high level of confidence. Confidence in the future of the property market peaked for those landlords that predominantly owned HMO’s at 86%, student accommodation landlords (84%) and portfolio landlords with more than five properties (82%). This positive outlook underscores the resilience and potential growth anticipated in the UK property sector, showcasing the landlords’ favourable perception of the future.

Technology
There are a number of companies helping to automate the landlord process and make running a business more efficient:

Arthur Online
Arthur Online is a property management tool designed for landlords providing everything a landlord needs in one place. This includes tenancy, accounting, reporting, contractors and maintenance. This software allows landlords to store important documents safely in one place and allows all parties to communicate easily. The app also offers other apps which can increase efficiency with which property managers can respond to issues such as Arthur Online Tenant and Arthur Online Contractor.

Goodlord
Goodlord is the first digital system that provides the entire tenancy setup process including referencing forms, contracts and application forms. This streamlines the renting process considerably and helps agencies reduce costs and completion rates.

Canopy
Canopy provides a more effective credit referencing for tenants. This gives landlords a better idea of which tenants are good and more likely to pay their rent on time. It also offers a practical way for renters to improve their credit score and also an incentive to keep up with rent repayments. As well as a way for tenants to rent a property without a deposit, using their unique Rent Passport.

Traditional companies
Rightmove, Zoopla and Prime Location continue to innovate their digital platforms, making it easy for landlords to list their properties and generate sales.

Customer Markets

Landlords
Quick Move Now, a property firm that has analysed transactions across the UK, suggests the market is, at last, ‘back to normal’ in almost every region. Nationally, figures have returned to pre-pandemic levels particularly North West and South West. Danny Luke, Quick Move Now’s managing director says “ In February 2022, there was an average of just 10 properties for sale within a quarter-mile radius, down from an average of 16 in both February 2019 and February 2020.” ”Buyers now have more choice, which is important in keeping the market moving, and prices are largely remaining stable, which is needed to combat higher mortgage interest rates and the current cost of living challenges.” The Guardian suggests the housing market is expected to stage a recovery in 2024. This is after average UK house prices fell by only £4,000 last year, according to official figures.

Build to Rent
The UK Apartment Association (UKAA) is set to host its annual Expo in London on February 29, 2024, marking a significant event for stakeholders in the industry. This Expo is strategically designed to facilitate networking and connection-building opportunities for suppliers, investors, procurement executives, operators, and third-party operators within the apartment sector. Attendees can anticipate a platform that not only showcases the latest trends and innovations but also fosters collaborative efforts to further enhance the dynamics of the industry. The event promises to be a valuable occasion for industry professionals to forge new relationships and strengthen existing ones.

PBSA
Aviva Investors continues its strategic portfolio expansion with a significant investment of £150 million in six purpose-built student accommodation (PBSA) schemes. This move reflects Aviva’s commitment to diversifying its holdings and capitalizing on the growth potential within the thriving PBSA sector. The acquisition not only enhances Aviva Investors’ market presence but also underscores its proactive approach in identifying and capitalizing on promising investment opportunities in the real estate landscape.

Serviced Accommodation

Generations Z and Y are at the forefront of driving this change, having become accustomed to booking hotel rooms for leisure trips from the convenience of their mobile phones. They now expect the same flexibility in long-stay bookings that they have experienced in their personal lives for short-stay and leisure bookings.
The recent merger between Homelike, a German long-stay B2C platform, and experienced B2B corporate accommodation provider Q Global Network, a subsidiary of Glade Capital. The resulting entity, operating under the Homelike brand, has emerged as a significant player in the long-stay serviced apartment sector, boasting a vast portfolio of approximately 180,000 beds across 70 countries. The merger is opening up markets not only in Europe to instant booking, but also globally including North America, South America, Asia, Australia and Africa.
Homelike is facilitating this change by helping landlords to digitise their offerings so they can reach a wider audience of potential clients. Homelike’s cutting edge technology also provides international assignees and business user tenants with the opportunity to see prices and availability in real time. This enables corporate clients to make better decisions around budgets, location and pricing

Social Housing

RSH(Regulator of Social Housing) has published a second fire safety remediation report for English social housing. All social housing landlords are required to submit data to RSH on the fire safety remediation of relevant buildings for which they are responsible. The results show that fire risk assessments have been undertaken on around 98% of all buildings reported, and the majority of remaining buildings will have one carried out in the next 9 months.
RSH’s report also highlights the responsibility of boards and councilors to understand landlords’ legal obligations in relation to managing the safety of buildings, to seek assurance that they are being met, and address issues promptly. To ensure that tenants are safe in their homes. RSH will continue to monitor the performance of landlords in remediating 11 meter plus buildings and the progress they are making against their plans.

Wi-Fi Installation Case Studies
Landlord Broadband Wi-Fi Installation Case Studies

Want to know more in-depth information about our installations? Want to see pictures and on-site footage? We have created case studies for some of our Wi-Fi installations so that you can see first hand what our services entail.

Our Solutions
Here is some footage of what we do at Landlord Broadband. Please click below to watch the video.

We hope you enjoyed this latest edition of our quarterly newsletter. We hope to see you next season!
If you would like to know how Landlord Broadband can help you:
Email us at customer.services@landlordbroadband.com
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