Well it is official, the Renters’ Rights Bill has achieved Royal Assent and is now law, well not quite, we await the governments timetable regarding what parts will be introduced and when, but they have indicated they will bring it in gradually giving landlords time to get their ducks in a row, and prepare properly for what is to come, but at least we now know what the future holds and what needs to be abided by.
Our lead article on page 12 looks at the impact climate change is having on those looking for cooler climates, both for summer breaks and relocation, with a focus on Northern Europe, in particular the Nordics and the Baltics. The article looks at whether these locations could be worth investing in as more and more people look to visit and move there to escape the hotter summers happening in places like Spain and Italy.
This is followed up with an article from Adam Lawrence, on page 28, about how global warming is affecting the UK, with a particular focus on the inherent problems of drier summers and wetter winters, resulting in more floods happening and how they will affect property.
In a follow up article to last month’s analysis of the various airport developments, we’ve taken a look at the area around Gatwick on page 36, known as the Gatwick Diamond, and what opportunities there are in the property market, with the likely construction and increase in workers, both short- and long-term, requiring housing, especially with thousands of homes already planned or under construction.
On page 30, Suzi Carter has looked to debunk the myth that the commercial property market is a riskier proposition than residential, with a thorough look at how you can mitigate any uncertainties and take advantage of what may be the most predictable investment strategy of all.
Our regular auction experts Jay and Piotr have weighed in on their thoughts about the Renters Rights Act on page 44, and how it will affect property auctions, with an alternative approach that’s been making traders significant profits, whilst allowing them to essentially sidestep the new regulations.
David Kemp has analysed a recent permitted development application on page 20, which fell afoul of an Article 4 Direction restricting its conversion into residential, and highlights that you should be checking early in the process if a property you want to purchase and convert is eligible to be converted instead of steaming ahead and finding out late in the process.
We have some other excellent articles in this issue, in particular an analysis of the aforementioned Renters Rights Act on page 34, whilst on page 22 Des Taylor takes look at the somewhat ironic situation Rachel Reeves found herself in recently, having failed to appropriately licence her London home before letting it out.
