One of the key factors that determine the price of anything is the demand and supply of the item that is being bought and sold. When it comes to property, demand can change overnight, but it takes years and years to build new properties, thus increasing the supply.
The Conservatives have pledged to build over 1 million homes by 2020. I am of the opinion that as a country, irrespective of which party, we have not built enough homes for decades, and if the gap between the number of households forming and the number of new homes being built continues to grow, we are in danger of not being able to house our children or grand children. I believe the country is past the time for another grand statement of ambition by another Housing Minister. Surely it’s right to give normal Milton Keynes families back the hope of a secure home, be that rented or owned? As a town, we need to exert pressure on our local MP’s Mark Lancaster and Iain Stewart, so they can make sure Westminster is held accountable, to ensure there is a comprehensive plan, with enough investment, that can actually get these homes built.
To give you an idea of the sorts of numbers we are talking about, in the Milton Keynes Council area in 2006, 1,830 properties were built. In 2007 it was 1,700 and a year later in 2008, it peaked at 2,340. By 2014, that figure had dropped by a massive 47.44% to 1,230 properties built.
The outcome of too few homes being built in Milton Keynes means the working people of the town are being priced out of buying their first home and renters are not getting the quality they deserve for their money. The local authority isn’t building the estates they were after the war and housing associations are having their budgets tightened year on year, meaning they have less money to spend on building new properties. I know of many Milton Keynes youngsters, who are living with their parents for longer because they cannot afford to get onto the housing ladder and growing families are unable to buy the bigger homes they need.
I talk to many Milton Keynes business people and they tell me they need a flexible and mobile workforce, but the high cost of moving home and lack of decent and affordable housing are barriers to attracting and retaining employees. Furthermore, building new homes is a powerful source of growth, creating jobs across the county and supporting hundreds of Milton Keynes businesses. It is true that landlords have taken up the mantle and over the last 15 years have bought a large number of properties. The Government need to be thankful to all those Milton Keynes landlords, who own the 12,700 rental properties in the town. Most local landlords only have a handful of rented properties (to aid their retirement), and without them, I don’t know who would house all the extra people in Milton Keynes.
Moving forward, those Milton Keynes landlords have many pitfalls, both in the short term and medium term. For instance, were you aware that the rules of changes for new tenancies from the 1st October 2015 (with some imposing penalties including loosing the right to require the tenant to vacate, if they are done incorrectly) or in the medium term, the planned change in the way buy to let’s are taxed?
More than ever, the days of buying any old property in Milton Keynes and you would be set for life are gone. Now, it’s all about ensuring you stay the right side of the law, buying the right property (and that might mean even selling some to buy others), so you build the right portfolio for you as a landlord.
To answer the question on what you should be buying these days, on this blog 3 or 4 times a week I will post what I consider to be the best buy to let deals across Milton Keynes and surrounding areas, irrespective of which agent they are being marketed with. Maybe you should subscribe and be kept up to date?
If you are thinking of getting into the buy to let property rental market as a new investor and don't know where to start, or you would like some impartial advice and guidance to get the best return on your investment, call me now on 01908 690700 or pop along and speak to me in person at our offices in Central Milton Keynes.
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