News from the Residential Property Investor, the bi-monthly magazine for RLA members other artilces from the August / September 2002 issue RPI news archive

In brief - August / September 2002

The Financial Services Authority began talks with the mortgage sector in mid August on how to regulate the provision of mortgages. However, the City watchdog said that its régime would not cover home reversion schemes or buy-to-let mortgages, so it is still a question of caveat emptor. Indeed the chairman of the FSA, Sir Howard Davies has sold his own buy-to-let property which he had bought as an investment.

A French couple with Big Brother intentions hasbeen arrested by French police after no fewer than 17 spy cameras were found in a flat they rented out. A tenant sent for gendarmes when he became suspicious of a crack in the ceiling of the bathroom. It is not known why the couple, in their 60s, kept films of a series of tenants who lived in the flat at Banyuls-sur-Mer near Perpignan.

Richard Jones, head of affordable housing at consultants EC Harris has warned the Government that vast improvements in public infrastructure would be necessary if its plan to build 200,000 homes in south east England were to come to fruition. 'The call for half of new housing to be affordable accommodation or subsidised for "key workers" must be flexible. In some instances this [demand] may blight the development of entire sites' he commented.
 

other artilces from the August / September 2002 issue

• Homes shortage?
• Legislation to blame, not estate agents
• Landlords' great flood threat
• Council tenants set to lose right to buy
• Estate agent confesses
• Minister announces changes to housing benefit
• Up the smoke
• Scots council angry at landlord
• Insulating the property value
• In brief