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Property News Roundup

20th June 2019

The latest news this week in the Property Industry:

How successful have digital solutions been for housing associations?

Three housing associations replaced their self-service facilities with easy-to-use portals and found customers were quick to sign up Read more…

Government has been aware of HPL test failure since November, Malthouse admits

The government has been aware since November that high pressure laminate cladding failed an official safety test, ministers have confirmed. Kit Malthouse this week confirmed his department became aware eight months ago that high pressure laminate (HPL) cladding failed a large-scale test when combined with combustible insulation. Read more…

Changes announced to Support for Mortgage Interest policy

Disabled people and others receiving Support for Mortgage Interest (SMI) will now be able to transfer this support to their new property when moving home, rather than having to repay the loan and reapply, it has been announced. SMI is the help offered by the Government to owner occupiers in times of need. It is paid as a loan and contributes towards the interest on people’s mortgages if they are in receipt of certain benefits, to protect them against repossession and keep them in their own homes. Read more…

Rents in the UK up 1.3% in the 12 months to May 2019, latest index shows

Rents in the private rented sector in the UK increased by 1.3% in the 12 months to May 2019, up from 1.2% in the previous month, the latest official data shows. In England rents increased by 1.3%, in Wales by 1.1%, in Scotland by 0.8%, and in Northern Ireland rents were up 2.1%, according to the figures published by the Office for National Statistics (ONS). Read more…

“Lessons of Grenfell must never be forgotten”

The ‘golden thread’ of information proposed by the government’s consultation into building safety in the wake of the Grenfell Tower fire would transform FMs into “guardians” of tower blocks, according to a digital data firm. James Connolly, head of partnerships at EviFile, speaking to Facilitate on the second anniversary of the fire in 2017 where 72 lives were lost, said that the proposed “golden thread” had to improve transparency and often depended on sophisticated technology. Read more…

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