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As of 13th May 2020 in England, Government guidelines have enabled the housing market to re-open for business. In this episode of Inside Property, Richard Blanco is joined by broker Jay Rooney; Lawrence Bowles from Savills Research; and Arla Propertymark board member, Rachel Hanniquet-Brooking. They look at how agents and customers are coping with the new procedures and discuss the ongoing mortgage holiday, rent holiday challenge facing many landlords and tenants. How is the mortgage landscape evolving, and what are the prospects for house prices and sales and lettings activity moving forward?

There is a burgeoning offer of residential, buy to let and short term finance available and arguably the market has never been so competitive. But lending criteria and mortgage regulation can make getting the right finance quite a feat. Richard Blanco is joined by brokers Morgan Stewart from GPS Financial, Nick Blunt from One and All Financial Services and Scott Hendry from lender, Together Money to guide you through the mortgage maze.

Richard Blanco is joined by Meera Chindooroy from the National Landlords Association, Lawrence Bowles from Savills and Richard Bowser from Property Investor News to analyse some of the factors driving the property market as we near the end of 2019. We discuss the latest sales and rental trends, the UK and global economy, housing politics, regulatory changes and landlord and developer sentiment. This programme was recorded just before the announcement of the December 2019 election.

Most of us associate short term lets with AirBnB; but holiday lets, villas and all kinds of serviced accommodation make this a much more diverse arena. Far from competing with hotels, there is increasing convergence with other hospitality sectors. How can landlords finance or switch to these kinds of investments, and what are the management challenges? What is the broader impact of this rapidly growing area on our communities, and is existing regulation transparent, fair and adequate? Richard Blanco is joined by Fiona Veitch: Marketing Director from Portico (AirBnB partner and letting agent), Merilee Karr: MD of Under The Doormat and member of the Short Term Accommodation Association, and Chris Poulter from the Serviced Accommodation Podcast.

Architect Richard Ganeshmoorthy and expert landlord developers MaryAnn Richmond-Coggan and Karen Gregory join Richard Blanco to discuss the joys and challenges of refurbishment. From finding the perfect wreck to managing your tradespeople, pushing through the difficult bit in the middle and charming your way through the snagging, we share our best tips and anecdotes.

The inventory and return of the deposit are key aspects of being able to end a tenancy well – but what if the tenant is in arrears or has breached the contract? How can tenants get redress if their landlords don’t comply with regulations? And what of the softer sides of ending the tenant landlord relationship…. how can staying on good terms help to oil the wheels over those inevitable bumps in the road? Richard Blanco is joined by inventories expert from No Letting Go, Lisa Williamson, Head of Dispute Resolution from My Deposits, Suzy Hershman and Al McClenahan, Director of Justice4Tenants.

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.