East Devon District Council’s recently published sixth annual report to tenants, which reviews the housing service’s performance over the past year (2014-2015), reveals that the council’s housing service is continuing to make positive progress (exceptional in some areas) with its housing stock and service to tenants.
A customer survey of satisfaction, which was undertaken with a thousand tenants in October 2014, showed that overall there was still a high level (90%) of satisfaction with the repairs and maintenance service. However, the council is striving to improve this figure as...
With its contemporary interior and glorious grounds, Manor Mews is one of the most exciting new developments in Exeter.
Situated in a quiet, private and convenient location, the gated development set in around 0.3 acres offers individuals the opportunity to enjoy executive living accommodation.
The stunning communal rooms include a modern fitted SDC designed kitchen, Karndean flooring, luxury open-plan living room, wall mounted plasma television screen and gymnasium facilities.
With Satellite and free WiFi available the property is perfectly placed for a range of...
The New Year may not be very happy for hundreds of thousands of people in the South West, as research by Shelter reveals a fifth of rent or mortgage payers in the region are cutting back on winter heating and clothing to meet their housing payments. This is the equivalent to 500,000 people.
The study by housing and homelessness charity Shelter and YouGov shows the strain people in the South West face this January, with one in eight rent or mortgage payers fearing they will be unable to meet their housing costs this month.
This is despite the fact that many have already cut...
New fire safety measures will help save the lives of tenants and ensure all rented property is equipped with a smoke alarm, Housing Minister Brandon Lewis said today.
From today (1 October), landlords will be required by law to install smoke and carbon monoxide alarms in their properties, under new Government measures coming into force.
It is estimated this could help prevent more than 25 deaths and nearly 700 injuries a year. Landlords who fail to install smoke and carbon monoxide alarms could face up to a £5,000 civil penalty.
Exeter City Council’s Housing Revenue Account stands to lose nearly £8m as a result of the cut in Council rents imposed in George Osborne’s recent budget.
Having agreed a rent formula with councils two years ago that was designed to allow them to plan their housing finances with some certainty for the next ten years, the Government has now scrapped this agreement and instead imposed four years of rent cuts.
This will wipe £7.9m from the budget the city council uses to provide services to its tenants and invest in their homes.
Landlords of Houses of Multiple Occupation (HMOs) are being offered £125 discounts for a licensing their properties if they sign up to an accreditation scheme.
The incentive comes as Exeter City Council and the University of Exeter actively attempt to drive up the standards of properties in the city for tenants.
Both the University of Exeter and the Students’ Guild are committed to promoting the AfS/Unipol Accreditation Scheme within the private sector housing market in Exeter.
The University of Exeter is working with AfS/Unipol to ensure that landlords are made...
A new poll reveals the negative perception that Brits have of becoming a landlord, with 36% of UK adults saying it's extremely risky being a buy-to-let landlord.
Despite the negative perception, millions of buy-to-let landlords are reaping the benefits with data from HM Revenue & Customs showing that the number of buy-to-let investors in the UK is around 1.6 million, after an increase of 120,000 in 2014.
The research asked 2,000 people what their biggest concerns would be with investing in buy-to-let property. Making repairs to toilets (63%), and risking tenants...
Greater transparency and fairness for private renters has been called for by a group of Exeter charities.
The Advice Exeter partnership has today published its report into the Exeter lettings market.
The findings from the report will be used to lobby government and other organisations to get a better deal for private tenants.
Iain Large, partnership development officer for Advice Exeter, said: "We carried this research out in June and July last year. We have now processed it and are ready to use the information we have gathered to campaign for change in the market...
Thousands of rent or mortgage payers across the South West might be facing a not-so-happy new year, as new research reveals one in nine are worried they will be unable to make payments this January.
Research from Shelter and YouGov paints a bleak picture for many this winter, with 65% of rent or mortgage payers in the South West revealing they are already struggling to keep up with their housing costs.
Shelter is warning that ignoring money worries rather than seeking advice could lead to people’s home being put at risk. Worryingly, over a quarter (27%) of people in the...
From the 19-22 January the Exeter Phoenix will be hosting an exciting new production of the musical Rent, produced and performed by the University of Exeter’s Shotgun Theatre Company.
Set in early 1990s Manhattan, Rent tracks the trials and tribulations of several struggling artists living in the island’s East Village. The musical’s narrator is film-maker Mark Cohen who, along with musician Roger Davis, can’t drum up the outstanding rent for their old friend and landlord Benny. Mark and Roger’s story is intertwined with those of their friends and love interests, as well as all the...
