Zoopla Promises To End Housing Benefit Discrimination

People receiving housing benefit can no longer be barred from renting properties advertised on one of the UK's largest listing sites. Zoopla says it will prohibit landlords posting "No DSS" ads, a commonly-used acronym of the now defunct Department of Social Security. The National Housing Federation and Shelter found that one in 10 agents in England refused to let to DSS tenants. The BBC found the policy was enforced even if tenants could afford the rent. Approximately 889,000 people in England receive housing benefit to help pay their rent. Read more on the BBC website.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-47567568

Buy-To-Let Rents Rise To All-Time High

The average monthly rent for a home in England and Wales rose to an all-time high of £846 in July. The overall figure was 5.2% higher than a year previously, according to the latest monthly index of buy-to-let rentals from Your Move. The biggest year-on-year increase occurred in south-east England, with rental costs rising by nearly 15% to £924 as people moved out of London to escape the capital’s high rents. Rents had been expected to fall as landlords rushed to buy property ahead of the new stamp duty rates for buy-to-let properties in April. Your Move’s index shows a slowdown in the early part of summer, but surveys suggest that demand for rental property is outstripping supply. Read more on the Guardian website.