Foxtons Area magazine’s January number is out now – choose your location and start reading.

Property Week: Who are winners and losers of 2010?

DomusNova magazine Autumn/Winter 2010 Collection.

The Hill magazine – for people who live in Notting Hill and Kensington.
Register to read the online magazine for free.

Exclusively Mayfair – Mayfair’s Finest Property Portfolio 2010
By Wetherell

Harrods Estates magazine November 2010.

London Property December 2010 .

Homes & Property 15. December 2010.

We would like to ask our readers to help a journalist who is looking for information about a particular scam that is sometimes called ‘Let and Run’ or the ‘Runaway Landlord’. Please read the message below and contact Jenny if you or someone you know have fallen for this scam.

Hello,

I’m doing some research for a BBC Radio 5 live programme and I’m looking into private rent fraud.

This particular scam is sometimes called ‘Let and Run’ or the ‘Runaway Landlord’. It involves prospective tenants being tricked into handing over a deposit and a month’s rent to ‘fake landlords’, who pretend to own properties they may have gained access to through a variety of methods, either by taking out a short term rent themselves, or taking copies of the keys during a viewing. The ‘fake landlord’ then disappears.

I’d like to speak to anyone who has experienced this either as a tenant or a landlord, or anyone who suspects this may be occuring in their area. If you have heard any reports of ‘let and run’ scams occurring recently, have suspicions or have been affected by it yourself, please email me at jenny.wotherspoon @ bbc.co.uk or telephone 0161 244 3784.

All correspondence will initially be confidential, and I will be happy to answer any queries you might have before going further.

Thank you,

Jenny Wotherspoon
Trainee Researcher
Radio Current Affairs
BBC News
Manchester

*Hyde Park, October 2010

Estate agent W A Ellis predicts the future in their latest weekly market overview:

Historically the latter part of October and early part of November can be a quieter time
in the lettings calendar but this does not seem to be the case in 2010.

Granted – there will be less people looking. The problem is that there is still not enough stock.

While the majority of landlords are honest and responsible, unfortunately a small minority treat their tenants in a deliberately exploitative way, making their lives a misery. Shelter believes that this is unacceptable and has launched a national campaign Evict Rogue Landlords! to expose these practices. 

The charity wants prospective tenants to be aware of the most common rent scams they have uncovered during their investigation. Popular scams include:

1. Receipt rip off
A con artist will ask for money to be wired via Western Union as a sign of good faith that a tenant is serious about letting a property. The landlord will ask that funds are wired to the tenant’s friend or relative to demonstrate that they can afford the property. The landlord will ask for proof of receipt and will then withdraw the funds using the transfer details.

Never agree to wire money for a deposit, no matter how plausible the story. Most landlords should accept either a cheque or bankers’ draft.

2. Complete liability
Rogues may suggest that tenants can pay more rent each month instead of a deposit and that at the end of the tenancy they will receive this extra money back if there are no breakages. This doesn’t happen and the rogues are able to pocket all the additional money paid.

Although tempting if you’re short of cash, be wary of landlords who suggest these options. Having a properly protected deposit is the only legal way to ensure that your deposit will be handled fairly at the end of your tenancy.

3. Let and run
Con artists break into empty properties and then rent them out as their own. Unsuspecting tenants hand over large sums of money as a deposit and rent, at which point the con artists disappears. When the real owners of the property realise what has happened, the tenants are evicted because in the eyes of the law they are squatters.

Never hand over cash until you have been given the landlord’s name and a UK contact address — they are required by law to provide this. You can check who owns the property by searching on the Land Registry website and paying a small fee.

4. Duped into debt
Rogue landlords often charge extortionate amounts for hidden costs not previously discussed, such as fees for a tenancy inspection and then ‘conveniently’ forget to tell tenants about it. This means the tenant has a debt that they may not even be aware of. These debts increase over time and when tenants attempt to leave the property, they are lumbered with a huge bill that they are expected to pay — although they are not legally obliged to.

Ask for written confirmation of exactly what you will have to pay for over the lifetime of the tenancy. Remember you are not liable for a debt if you didn’t agree to it within the tenancy agreement.

5. Disappearing deposits
Although a legal requirement, some rogue landlords may try to avoid putting tenants’ deposits in a tenancy deposit scheme. This leaves the tenant in an extremely vulnerable position if there is a dispute. Rogue landlords often claim money handed over prior to entering the property was an administrative fee as opposed to a deposit.

Always ask which authorised deposit scheme your landlord will be putting your deposit into.

Evict Rogue Landlords!

2-bed (1x double, 1x single) flat to rent in Brewers Court, London W2 6AB.  It is on the 2nd floor, has a multi-point lock on the front door and is triple glazed.  It was fully refurnished in Dec-2009.  Brewers Court is a well run ex-Local Authority block which is well located for Paddington Station / Lancaster Gate and is a 5 min-walk from Westbourne Grove.  Rent is £400pw and deposit is £1,600.  Landlord is registered with DPS.

- Floorplan

Interested in renting this flat? Get in touch with us: info[at]royalsofrent.com

Cadogan Place, Belgravia SW1 June 2010

Our friend, who is trying to find a studio in Marylebone close to University of Westminster for up to £300 per week, tells us the situation in the market is absolutely mad! We are not surprised – it is, after all, SEPTEMBER!

She first sent out a ton of property enquiries to letting agents through property portals and registered with most W1 postcode agents online but that says it was a totally useless waste of energy as the response rate is zero. This confirms what Angie said in her Findaproperty.com diary: “Emailing via the portals is probably not the agents preferred method of contact – it yields little or no response.” We hear that the problem is that they can’t handle the large number of E-mails coming their way during this busy period.

Here is some advice from our friend to all the tenants looking for a flat today:

- Visit all the letting agent offices in the area – see the list of London Letting Agents. Talk to an agent who is dealing with rental properties, tell them about what you are looking for and also a little bit about yourself as well. Ask if you can fill out a tenant application form. Show them your excellent references and make sure you look presentalbe for better results.

 - If you can’t visit the offices – pick up the phone and call the agents.

- Have the holding deposit money (usually 1-2 weeks’ rent) with you when you go to the viewing.

- Have the references (letter from previous landlord, letter from employer, bank statements for the last 3 months, guarantor letter if you are a student) ready.

- Don’t panic! The worst thing you can do is rush to put down a holding deposit for a flat you don’t have a good feeling about. Make sure you are paying the holding deposit to the right person (do not pay any money to exiting tenants, landlord should show you his ID and proof of ownership) and ask for a receipt!

Good luck to everyone and hope you find the one!

A group of London estate agents have launched a new property portal FabricProperty.com. The site focuses on luxury homes in North, North West, West and Central London areas. 

What makes Fabricproperty.com so special? VIDEOS! They’ve got good quality videos of properties for sale which you can find under Showcase Properties. The Be Inspired section features interior design ideas presented by designers.

There’s quite a lot of reading material on the site, too. In the Property Market Advice corner you are encouraged to ask questions from the agents and read about the current issues in Insider View.  Area Focus looks at the different areas obviously and these are a good read as they offer some good inside information.

The property search is very basic and simple and just gave us 2441 rentals in London. You might get confused when the search results won’t show you the postcode or area. We think the reason for that is because estate agents know the streets better than taxi drivers and they are just trying to show off here;) It is a relief to see the maximum price for a rental property is £30,000 per week. They will have to lift it when the One Hyde Park penthouse will come on the market.

The portal was born from the co-operation of Fabric magazine and estate agents Aston Chase, Savills, Plaza Estates, Bargets, Hamptons International, Beauchamp Estates, Behr & Butchoff, Winkworth, Benham & Reeves, Brian Lack & Co, Anscombe & Ringland, Arlington Residential, Chesterton, Day Morris, Glentree Estates, Godfrey & Barr, Goldschmidt & Howland, Harris Latner, Heathgate, Litchfields, Parkheath, Sandfords, TK International, Vickers and Wigmore Estates.

Bed bugs are apparently making a huge comeback around the world.

Homes & Property’s ‘accidental landlord’ Victoria Whitlock talks about fighting with the bugs here and here. Now the BBC reports that the number of bed bug call outs has gone up by 24% in the first half of the year. The bugs have become such a serious problem in the US that the landlords are now obliged to tell the prospective tenants if there has been any bed-bug infestation within the past year.

We would advise all tenants to take the matter very seriously as these unwanted companions don’t care about the strict no-pets policy in your tenancy agreement. Until a new more effective bed-bug-killing insecticide is discovered, we should take precautions to at least put some kind of a stop to the spreading.

Here are a few tips for prevention and what you can do to get rid of them:

Prevention
- during the viewing of the new home ask the landlord or letting agent whether there has been a bed bug problem in the flat in the past year;
- check all the furniture and walls in the bedrooms around the bed area before signing the tenancy agreement. Do not move in before the professional pest control service has cleaned the place;
- if you buy second hand furniture – dismantle it and clean thoroughly before bringing them to the premises;
- do not buy a second hand beds or mattresses;
- check the bed and furniture in the hotel room or guest bedroom;

The sad truth is that you can get the bed bugs from anywhere as infected individuals may carry them around.

Signs you’ve got them
- check for flat and oval shaped, reddish-brown or purple insects up to 5 mm long bugs;
- bloodstains on your bed, furniture or walls;
- red itchy bites on your body.

Infestation
- don’t rely on a powder or a spray. You will have to seek professional help as bed bugs are said to be the hardest pest to exterminate. Try Bed Bugs Limited, for example.
Update: Some good advice from comments – make sure the exterminators know what they are doing. Do some research on them or ask how many infestations they deal with and what the success rate is;
- notify the landlord as soon as you discover the problem as they spread to the other rooms very quickly. They do not have to pay for the infestation but they also cannot just stand by knowing the flat is not in accordance with health and safety regulations.

Let’s try and keep it civil, fellow tenantistas!

Estate agents are saying that the situation on the London rental market has gotten out of hand once again, reports Estate Agent Today.

Benham & Reeves says that there is a 34.7% rise in new tenant registrations since this time a year ago in the area while the availability of properties is 14% down.

WA Ellis Partner Lucy Morton says: “Bidding wars have become the norm again. Properties newly launched on to the market are being viewed and secured within hours of coming on. Last Wednesday we showed a two-bedroom property on Kings Road with five other prospective tenants viewing it at the same time. Our letting was agreed within ten minutes of the viewing, the holding deposit was paid by credit card and five minutes later the landlord received other offers.”

Read more from Estate Agent Today

Singer Mika tweets that there seems to be a growing problem with mice in London:

What the hell is going on in London with Mice?!? Five people I know
have gotten a mouse problem over the last month. They are everywhere.
[4:56 AM Aug 2nd via Twitter for iPhone by @mikasounds]

In London one can pretty much count on the mice problem in a flat that is situated in the basement, ground floor or next to a restaurant. We’ve had a resident mouse in our rented house in the past but managed to get her to move by closing all the openings.

Have you noticed that the problem has gotten worse? Share your experience!

New TV advert for the popular UK property portal FindaProperty.com.

The Hill magazine has asked the top agents in Holland Park to write down some tips for tenants looking to move to the area. All 12 have just one message for us – the stock is limited, competition between tenants is high, and if you really want that flat you better have your references and monies ready on the day!

- Stock is limited, with the sales market having been so strong across 2009. Family houses are seeing particular demand. If you see the right property, do not hang around. Limited stock means more competition. – Savills.

- With the shortage of good quality stock you need to act quickly if you find the perfect property. Be prepared to offer asking price or close to secure the property. – Knight Frank.

- With an increasingly competetive rental market, as a result of the rental property available, it is paramount that tenants are acting quickly and presenting their best offer as soon as possible. Great properties can  attract multiple bids. – Marsh & Parsons.

Read the digital issue of The Hill, the local magazine for Notting Hill, Kensington and the surrounding areas.

Experts say that the demand for rentals in London is increasingly on the rise:

“A rising number of more mature households in the private rented sector is likely to mean that it is not just studios and one-bedroom flats that will be required but, increasingly, small houses and family homes for those with children who have been unable to gain a foothold on the housing ladder,” says Yolande Barnes of Savills.

Read the whole story in FT Weekend.

Renters have started to run background checks on property owners, writes The Observer. As the number of mortgages in arrears has soared, tenants’ concerns are well founded.

So what are our options?

First, if you’re renting through a letting agent, ask them what type of background checks have they run on the property owner.

Without landlord’s consent we can confirm that their name matches the one on the property deeds. Log on to Land Registry – information for one property costs £4.

Landlord’s permission is needed for the following checks:

- Basic check for £15.88 with TenantVerify reveals an individual’s credit score, outstanding debts, whether there have been any county court judgments filed against them, and their main residence for the last six years.

- More comprehensive check with TenantVerify for £30.88 gives you the landlord’s contract of employment, earnings and character references.

“With almost ten people for every available property in Notting Hill landlords can look forward to an excellent return on any refurbishment work they perform.”

- Tom Mellon, Foxtons lettings manager, for The Hill.

10 people for every available property?!  Mad!