NEWS: Moving out

One month on and everyone in politics, on TV and in the media has stopped talking endlessly about the European referendum. Thank goodness for that!
Unfortunately, they’re now talking endlessly about Brexit — and chances are they won’t stop talking about it for the next five years. Because as new PM Theresa May made clear just as she was about to move into her new home, Number 10 Downing Street, “Brexit means Brexit — and we’re going to make a success of it!” Which is a much better message to send than, “Brexit means Brexit — and we’re going to make a hash of it!”

In the main, landlords seem to be sanguine about the EU result. For one thing, as the Sunday Times pointed out, it may mean fewer rules with a “potential question mark over, for example, the EU ban on letting homes with poor energy efficiency, due to start in 2018.” It’s not yet clear what will happen to Brits who own properties abroad, mind you — and depending on which newspaper you read, house prices are either tumbling or rising, post-referendum. Either way, buckle up, property watchers. This Brexit thing could be quite an interesting ride…

NEWS: Heading for the door marked ‘Brexit’

Seismic. A political earthquake. Unprecedented.
In the early hours of 24 June, the superlatives started to fly as it became clear that the British public had voted to leave the European Union. The political ramifications were immediately apparent: within hours, David Cameron had resigned and Boris Johnson was being talked of as his successor. The financial markets and the pound plunged.

Yet in property terms — as with so much else connected to this historic vote — it’s unclear as to what could happen next.

Melanie Leech, Chief Executive of the British Property Federation, summed up the mood of many property experts and analysts, however, with her statement. “The priority for the government and the Bank of England must now be to stabilise the position and maintain confidence in the UK,” she said. Depending on what side of the remain/leave divide you are, this is either a desperately worrying and uncertain time — or the beginning of an exciting new era of UK growth and opportunity…

NEWS: Referendum time
Brexit, we have been told, could cause a variety of problems, the biggest of which (by some margin) is World War Three. On the other hand, it has also been suggested that staying in the EU would be tantamount to appeasing Hitler.

Yes: we’ve not had the most edifying or rational of debates in the run-up to the EU referendum. But at least it’s here: the month when we put our cross in the box marked Britain ‘in’ or ‘out’ of Europe. There is, though, just time to squeeze in one more in/out warning. Echoing similar sentiments from the International Monetary Fund and the National Association of Estate Agents, Chancellor George Osborne has said that houses could be worth up to 18% less by 2018 if the UK votes to leave. Energy minister Andrea Leadsom from Vote Leave, meanwhile, said this was “an extraordinary claim” and that “the greatest threat to the economy is the perilous state of the euro.”

So that’s just as confusing as ever, then. Roll on 23 June.

NEWS: Rules and regulations
It’s been a turbulent time for the rental industry of late, with new rules coming into force that could make a significant impact on the market. The recent additional 3% stamp duty on second homes, for instance, has been followed by a regulation (first announced in the summer budget) that landlords won’t be able to deduct ‘wear and tear’ from rental receipts before income tax is applicable. Some pundits believe that both of these measures will push up the price of rents; and one survey found that the stamp duty rise on second homes would discourage three-quarters of landlords from buying more properties.

In other headlines, the National Audit Office has found that The Green Deal — the government’s energy-saving programme that folded last July — cost taxpayers £240million, but failed to deliver ‘meaningful benefit’ on energy and carbon emissions. Only 14,000 households took out Green Deal loans.