“Newly formed letting agents is surely the latest 'get rich quick' start up business with minimal capital outlay (you just need a web site, maybe a leased shop unit, a car & some stationary) a few years ago these people were probably a new 'recruitment agency' before the new jobs dried up in the latest recession.

Private letting is massive now because:

1. There are no more council houses to rent & the old folks in them won't move out
2. House prices will fall as more & more people lose their jobs
3. You need £10,000+ saved up for a deposit for a mortgage, even then the banks may say no!”

“Surely people who rent until retirement and into old age are the SMART ones now....

There's no house they own that they are forced to sell to pay their council provided care home costs so they get a guaranteed place/s at a care home without all the heartache of having to sell their house, not to mention NO unhappy sons, daughters & grandchildren who of course won't be expecting the windfall of their share of their cash from the house sale.

It now pays to retire penniless. SORTED!”

“Of course there are going to be more people wanting to rent, as getting on to the property ladder is next to impossible. There is no way that renters can save either, as renting is at least as expensive as buying.
There is a ticking time bomb of people who will never be able to get a mortgage, who, upon reaching retirement age, won't be able to afford to rent privately either, so, unless there is more 'social' housing built, then homelessness will be their only 'choice'!!”

“Buy to let? Rental enquiries, surely.
Pingu61, are you saying tenants are more likely to cause trouble than homeowners?
I resemble that remark ;)”

“Quite agree Matt - but landlords should be - errm - motivated to act responsibly. Sensibly, this is only going to really work through legislation. Landlords must be made responsible for letting a property that is "fit for purpose" - that includes sensible levels of insulation.

You're obviously right as far as the building regs are concerned. But they're not relevent to older properties - and it's older properties that are the problem.

I know friends who pay 12 times what I do, for heating a smaller family home, but the owner of the property forbids them from doing anything about it.”

“pingu61 - if you want a well-insulated (and double-glazed) rental property, you need to find one that's new, and has therefore been built in accordance with the recently-updated Building Regs (the latest Approved Document L, which relates to thermal requirements, came into effect from October 2010). Older properties will have been built in accordance with the Regs of the time, but in the last few years the thermal requirements for new-builds has been increased significantly. My flat is 20 years old, and whilst it was built with CH, DG & insulation it is a long way off what would be required if it was being built today.

Buildings being converted need to comply with the Regs too, but an old building, not worked on for years (as far as the Building Regs are concerned) could be woefully inadequate in comparison to the latest Regs, but will still comply. So a modern box might not be as appealing as a nice airy apartment in a converted (30 years ago) Regency villa, but the thermal requirements between the two could be miles apart. Unless major works are being done, there is no requirement within the Building Regs for a landlord to upgrade a building thermally, and if the tenant is paying the bills, why (as you point out) would the landlord want to spend thousands on new central heating and/or new double glazing?

Do agree that landlords could (should?) provide their contact details to neighbours so that if there is a problem the landlord can be made aware of it. Whether he/she then acts on the information received is another matter.”

“I guess it's a free market. However I have two requirements that landlords should comply with before letting.

Decent levels of insullation and double glazing must be a legal requirement. Tenants are usually forbidden to install this sort of thing (or may not be in a property long enough to see a return on investment, or may not be able to afford them), and landlord have no reason to because they don't pay the energy bills.

Another requirement on landlords, should be that all adjoining properties receive regular reminders of the landlords contact details (ideally updated once a year). If neighbours have problems with the property or bad tenants, they must have somewhere they can complain.”

“"We offer free, comprehensive advice ..." - this is an advertisement, not a news item.”