Landlords Must Prepare For Longer Tenancies

Landlords and property managers must prepare for long-term tenancies. The Association of Independent Inventory Clerks (AIIC) says heightened preparation must include thorough administration and more thought about the choice of furniture and interior design themes. The organisation draws attention to the recent English Housing Survey 2014-15, which shows average private tenancy length is now four years – up from three and a half years in the previous survey. It also found that some 46% of 25-34 year-olds lived in the Private Rented Sector in 2014-15, up from 24% in 2004-05. Read more on 24dash.

Union Backs Protest against Private Landlords' HB Profits

General union GMB has put its support behind a planned protest outside a private residential property management company that received more than £2 million in housing benefits over 2012/13. The protest against Earlsfield Properties is driven by a belief that such a "large sum of public money going to private 'middlemen' is wrong". Last month a GMB study on the top 20 company landlords that receive housing benefit direct from councils for tenants renting their properties showed that for 2012/13 Earlsfield Properties received: £754,298 from Wandsworth, Merton £725,964, Croydon £414,072, Sutton £116,611 and Kingston-upon-Thames £86,858. The total of £2,097,804 makes the firm the 9th largest private recipient of housing benefit in the UK. Read more on the GMB website.