Rented property insurance may be in demand if landlords take advantage of the falling cost of buying a home.

Land Registry's House Price Index showed the average value of abodes in England and Wales in November dropped to £160,780.

Landlords with houses in the London boroughs of Kensington and Chelsea may need to take out rented property insurance to ensure they protect what could be strong capital gains, as it has been revealed these are the two most expensive areas to buy homes in the UK.

A study by Lloyds TSB showed the most costly street to purchase an abode is Campden Hill Square, where residential real estate sets people back an average of £4,863,000.

Landlords property insurance may be better taken out on homes in the north by buy to let investors that want to expand their portfolio, as new research has revealed abodes are more affordable there than in the south.

The Halifax First-Time Buyer Review found the the average house paid for by those purchasing their initial domicile is achievable for those on typical earnings for their area in 44 per cent of all local authority districts.

Protecting valuable assets in London with landlords insurance could be an important consideration for buy to let investors next year, as it has been predicted house prices will see further rises.

Graham Lock, director of estate agent Housenetwork.co.uk, explained holding the Olympic Games in the city is bound to have an inflationary effect on the amount of money required to buy real estate in the area.

It is estimated that hundreds of thousands of rented houses are owned by accidental landlords, which could mean landlords insurance customers will see even greater tenant demand when these reluctant investors leave the sector.

And it looks like this time may not be too far in the future, as chairman at the Residential Landlords Association Alan Ward has predicted those who only leased their abodes because they could not sell them will put their domiciles back on the market as house prices increase.

Purchasing buy to let insurance on a home in the Hampshire town of Hart could be a good investment for landlords, as a new survey ranking the location as the best in the UK for quality of life may suggest it is in demand with renters.

Research by Halifax showed 95 per cent of residents in the settlement said they were in good or fairly good health, weekly average earnings were high at £841 and the crime rates are among the lowest in the country.

Tenants referencing services may be particularly important to landlords nowadays, as occupants are generally staying in their contracts for longer and one expert's comments suggest this trend could continue next year.

One of the reasons people are living in leased accommodation instead of entering the property market themselves is that they are unable to access finance to buy real estate.

The National Association of Estate Agents' chief executive Peter Bolton King thinks this situation will stretch into 2012.

"Next year will see a continued lending barrier facing those entering the housing market for the first time, with major lenders sticking to tight mortgage policies," he said.

In fact, he warned the difficulties first-time buyers will face trying to take out a home loan will become even greater in the second quarter of 2012, when the Stamp Duty holiday ends.

The struggle to get a mortgage seems to be affecting tenants far more than landlords, however, as property consultant at Knight Knox International Iqbal Hussain recently stated it is not as hard for buy to let investors to access finance as it has been over the last couple of years.

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Posted by Luella Ravelin

Landlords property insurance could be essential for those with high-value portfolios who need to protect their capital gains, particularly as it seems house prices will remain buoyant in 2012.

The Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors' (RICS) Housing Market Forecast suggested falls in asking prices will be limited by a shortage in available residential real estate.

Buy to let investors worried about having to claim on their landlords content insurance may have tried putting booby traps in vacant properties, but they have been warned this could make matters worse not better.

A survey by More Than found almost 14 million Britons have thought about setting up amateur obstacles in their abodes before leaving them empty.

This paranoia could be even worse for buy to let investors who have left expensive appliances in properties that are currently void.

Five per cent of people have considered putting trip wires and ropes up around the house, while the same proportion have thought of greasing doorknobs and propping up external doors with household objects.

As many as 21 per cent have mulled over leaving a talk radio station on loudly so people think there is someone in, while 13 per cent have been tempted to ice up their driveway and seven per cent have come close to putting cardboard cutouts or dummies behind netted curtains.

In fact, a third of respondents admitted they had actually gone through with some of their ideas, but it was explained these traps could advertise the fact there is no one in.

"Home security isn't about employing tricks and gimmicks that belong in fiction," Matt Pernet of More Than Said.

"If you want to minimise the likelihood of a break-in while you're away over the festive season then stick to the basics," he added.

Burglars are not the only people that could leave landlords out of pocket. Malcolm Harrison of Tenancy Deposit Scheme recently reminded buy to let investors to ensure they use a regulated letting agent.

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Posted by Royston Hunter 

Buy to let insurance customers may be able to benefit from the indications of a two-tier housing market reported by property website Zoopla.co.uk.

It was revealed that while the real estate sector is stagnating in most areas, higher-end assets are performing well.

As many as 26,744 British property millionaires were created this year, with the average value of a home that costs over £1 million now standing at £1,688,379.

This shows there has been a rise in prices among abodes in this very high end of the market, which were typically going for £1,657,858 a year ago.

While this is happening, the average value of a UK home has fallen by three per cent in the past 12 months to reach £221,128.

Nick Leeming of Zoopla.co.uk explained: "At the upper end of the market, cash and equity rich buyers are enjoying some of the lowest mortgage rates in recent history. And strong demand from overseas buyers has boosted prices for homes in the capital."

This could be good news for buy to let investors who have been able to buy up properties in London and also those who want to extend their portfolio while the cost of most houses is down.

Renters may also be rushing to get into rental accommodation at the moment, as FindaProperty.com said this is a good time to move to a new leased home, as the amount charged by landlords tends to dip at the end of the year.

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Posted by Luella Ravelin

Tenants referencing and rent guarantee insurance are likely to be important products to landlords who are worried they will have to deal with an unreliable occupant, but even if buy to let investors are faced with someone unexpectedly giving notice to move out of their property, they may not need to worry about losing too much cash.

This is the opinion of experts at Belvoir lettings, who explained that high tenant demand means an abode should not be vacant for too long.

Indeed, this echoes the sentiment of many commentators on the private rented sector, with research from the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors recently showing the supply of rental real estate is not able to keep up with the number of people looking for accommodation.

As well as reducing the chance of long void periods for landlords, this has also put upward pressure on rents, with the body reporting 19 per cent more surveyors saw asking prices rise rather than fall in the three months to October.

Sales director at independent residential lettings and property management Daniel Cox explained this is partly due to a lack of available finance for first-time buyers.

"The lending criteria is still pretty stringent at the moment, so it is quite difficult to get a mortgage ... That is why renting is the way to go at the moment," he said, adding: "It is difficult to save while you're renting, so it is a catch 22 situation."

For this reason, landlords may notice tenants staying around for a longer period of time while they try to build up enough cash to pay a deposit.

This could be difficult for many young people, as Mr Cox noted even those on a reasonable salary of around £25,000 to £30,000 will have great difficulty accessing finance to purchase a home.

However, some tenants may decide to leave and, even in a climate that could make it easy to fill vacant properties, it is better to retain the same occupants, Belvoir stated.

"If they have looked after the property and always paid on time, they are clearly worth trying to hold on to. If they leave you will have re-let fees to pay out and a possible void period," proprietor of Macclesfield Belvoir Rosemary Millican explained.

The lettings agent suggested buy to let investors find out why people are keen to move to a different abode and see if there is anything that can be done to change their minds.

"It may be they are finding the house expensive to heat and you could investigate ways of making the property more energy efficient, for example. Or maybe they are wanting to cut down on their rent," Ms Millican said.

She also suggested offering a fortnight of reduced charge to stay in the house that is the equivalent cost of re-let fees and other expenses they would have to pay if they had to find someone else to move in.

Some individuals may need to leave for work or because they are buying a house, in which case landlords are likely to need to look for someone new, but they could still ask for the occupant's help, Ms Millican advised.

"If you have looked after your tenant well, they may well be happy to help you find a new tenant, which will minimise the void period. Perhaps offer your tenant a £20 shopping voucher to say thank you," she stated.

Belvoir urged those landlords left with a vacant house to use the time between occupants well.

"It's an opportunity to reappraise your property in terms of rental income, appearance and maintenance to ensure long-term prospects for the property are still good," proprietor of the organisation's Luton branch Adrian Mason said.

He also advised landlords to evaluate how much other portfolio investors are charging their occupants and make sure they meet the standards required of the area they are operating in as well as charging the right amount to tenants.

Ms Millican agreed, stating: "Take a look at the rent you have been getting ... with rents increasing in many areas, it may be that you could now re-market it at a higher rent."

When it comes to the standard of accommodation landlords should aim for, she warned tenants may have increasing expectations in this arena, with buy to let investors refurbishing their properties and owner-occupiers leasing their homes because they will not sell.

This means portfolio holders may be competing with a higher quality of housing than before, so a lick of paint and some maintenance work is a good idea while tenants are out of the house, Ms Millican added.

"Never be complacent and say, 'it will do, it's just a rental property'," she advised. "Importantly, a well-prepared property reduces problems during the tenancy and minimises issues at the end of tenancy too."

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Posted by Luella Ravelin

Now is the time to sign a contract to stay in rented property, tenants have been told, which may mean buy to let insurance customers see an increase in the number of people viewing their houses.

FindaProperty.com explained the amount landlords are charging people to stay in leased homes dropped slightly recently.

With demand for rented property rising steeply and significantly outweighing the supply of available housing, many buy to let insurance customers may have been provided with the opportunity to charge higher amounts to occupants.

However, landlords have been warned they need to be realistic with their asking prices in 2012 and provide affordable shelter for tenants.

Lettings agent haart explained the amount people are being forced to spend on their accommodation is reaching the limits of affordability.

In some areas, including London, rent is equivalent to 40 per cent of an occupants' income, so landlords do not have much room to continue upping their rates.

"We are likely to see a rise in prices in 2012 but nothing like the levels we've experienced in 2011," managing director of residential lettings at the company Andrew Benn said.

Indeed, research by LSL Property Services recently revealed average rents reached a record high of £720 in October.

"We are forecasting relatively modest increases, especially outside of London, as the market settles back down to something akin to normality after an unpredictable few months," Mr Benn stated.

Caroline Kavanagh, group lettings director at Townends estate agents, also warned landlords rents cannot get much higher.

She noted the amount of money occupants are being charged has increased by an average of 20 per cent in London and the south-east, while a whopping 38 per cent hike has been seen in Putney.

However, she explained buy to let investors will not be able to continue upping their prices forever.

"The fact is that it is not possible for rents to continue rising at the rate they have been next year, as this is not sustainable and tenants will simply be forced out or will take a more stubborn approach of 'can't pay, won't pay'," Ms Kavanagh stated.

She explained there are several reasons for the surge in the cost of living in leased property, including a rise of up to 30 per cent in occupant demand over the last year.

Accidental landlords and new investors have rushed on to the scene, but even this has not been enough to provide homes for everybody who is looking for one and the expert predicted this imbalance will continue.

"Peripheral areas of prime locations will start to benefit from the overspill of tenants in need of more affordable accommodation, which in turn will provide even greater investment opportunities for landlords to expand their portfolios," Ms Kavanagh forecast.

Haart agrees that demand will stay strong, forecasting a ten per cent increase between now until well into 2012, after the volume of applicants registering with the lettings agent jumped by this amount over the last three months.

Ms Kavanagh added that both buy to let investors and the people they lease to have high expectations, with many property owners not only looking for occupants that will pay a high price, but also ones they consider to be "high quality".

This could mean more landlords are using tenants referencing services - with some portfolio holders potentially afforded the luxury of picking who they want to rent to while competition for abodes is high.

Indeed, haart has seen as many as ten potential occupants chasing each property.

It is important for buy to let investors to bear in mind, however, that individuals looking to live in rented property also have expectations and one of these is good value for money, so it may be wise to ensure houses are affordable while still profitable.

"We have already seen instances ... with some tenants looking at alternatives in order to avoid higher costs, be that moving back with parents, downsizing to a smaller rental property or opting to share with others," Ms Kavanagh said.

Such a trend could potentially reduce the number of occupants on the market and leave landlords with less of a choice over who lives in their homes.

Despite the high cost of accommodation, there is also evidence people are choosing to stay in rented houses for longer.

Mr Benn highlighted leasing instead of buying a property is being seen as a lifestyle choice for many individuals and some people are even deciding to be tenants for the rest of their lives.

He added this trend is evident among people well into their 30s as well as younger occupants, particularly in London and the south-east.

"This isn't to say that they don't want to buy their own home. It is more that with the continued economic uncertainty, they are delaying that decision and the associated long-term financial commitment of a mortgage, until there is greater certainty in the country," the expert stated.

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Posted by Luella Ravelin

Rent guarantee insurance and tenants referencing services may be vital for landlords at the moment, as the Association of Residential Lettings Agents has warned the number of people falling into arrears could rise next year.

Ian Potter, operations manager at the body, noted there is not enough housing stock to meet the demand from potential occupants.

Building contents insurance for landlords may become a much sought-after product next year, as it has been predicted the student lettings market will continue to be buoyant.

London estate agents LDG noted more university goers were looking for rented accommodation this year than in 2010.

Indeed, the volume of students looking for homes increased to the extent that half of all tenancies handled by the company were to this demographic in 2011.

Partner and lettings manager at the organisation Javier Carrillo explained the demand for rented accommodation has been boosted by the decision to raise university tuition fees.

This is a trend also noted by asset management company Kames Capital. With head of property investment Phil Clark saying the houses lived in by students present a good opportunity for those who want to make money in the buy to let sector.

"I believe investors should consider a greater exposure to alternative sectors such as residential property, student accommodation or healthcare property," the expert stated.

"One of the key attractions of these alternative sectors is they generally have a high income yield, an ability to track inflation and have low vacancy rates," he added.

He advised looking into these opportunities in 2012, although he warned the property market could continue to be "challenging" like this year was.

This is why looking at fundamental drivers like the number of people interested in the paying for accommodation, is important.

Mr Clark explained this is why the house sector remains a good one in university towns because swathes of young people are still planning on going into higher education despite the tuition fee rises.

"Student accommodation demand for the best universities is leading to typical annual vacancy rates of less than two per cent," he revealed.

The specialist also pointed to the residential sector in the south-east of England for some more great opportunities to invest.

Some areas of this region as seeing rental increases of as much as seven per cent per annum, with demand outweighing supply, he stated.

Those hoping to pour money into houses in the south-east may be pleased to hear partner at LDG Laurence Glynne was particularly upbeat about London's West End.

He noted a lack of available property on the market has seen a boost in the amount of money people will pay for houses.

"We have achieved record prices in favoured West End apartment buildings," Mr Glynne stated.

"Theatre, arts and the cultural energy in the West End have a significance in attracting people to property in the capital, whether for their primary residence, investment or renting," he added.

Meanwhile, Mr Carrillo noted an increase in lettings in London to individuals, with one and two-bedroom flats in the middle of the market doing particularly well, which he attributed to a wave of redundancies in the City, leading to a drop in professionals sharing property.

Another factor that is driving a buoyant rental market in the capital is the coming of the London Olympics in 2012.

When the Games arrive, Mr Carrillo expects to see a rise in demand for short-term contracts in serviced apartments.

Furthermore, the lettings professional was very optimistic about the current conditions for landlords in London.

"London remains the financial centre of the world and is seen as one of the safest havens for city living," he noted.

He also remarked that renewals are up 40 per cent and there are no indications they will fall again in the next year.

Tenants are choosing to stay put because would-be first-time buyers are unable to get their hands on finance, there are not many available houses on the market and rents are more achievable.

Elsewhere, spokesman for affordable house prices campaign website PricedOut Matt Griffith gave advice that may also spell good news for landlords.

He told first-time buyers not to look for property to purchase in 2012, encouraging them instead to "batten down the hatches whilst they wait out for a saner housing market and lower prices".

Should people follow his advice, it could mean individuals are forced to stay in rented accommodation for another 12 months.

"The outlook for first-time buyers is pretty grim," Mr Griffith said. Earnings are down, the threat of a slip back into recession is looming, worries are abound over the eurozone debt crisis, high deposit requirements look as if they are not yet close to falling and banks are beginning to tighten up their lending criteria yet more.

With each of these downbeat factors affecting the housing market, 2012 could be "seriously depressing" for first-time buyers, Mr Griffith said.

Posted by Luella Ravelin

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Rent guarantee insurance may be a good idea for landlords operating in London, as it has been suggested tenants could be feeling the squeeze when they try to pay for accommodation.

Liam Bailey, head of residential research at property consultancy Knight Frank, explained the amount occupants are asked for is likely to keep rising despite the fact it is verging on unaffordable at the moment.

Buy to let insurance customers are likely to be investing in the private rented sector due to the promise of strong returns and it seems they are not the only people who are trying to cash in on the booming market.

Law firm Wedlake Bell has reported that banks and insurers are taking increasing interest in the UK's housing stock, pouring billions of pounds into leased homes.

The organisation revealed that in the last financial year, such firms spent as much as £2.2 billion on houses compared with £765 million in the previous 12 months, according to the Telegraph.

This represents a change of heart among institutional investors, as the benefits of renting abodes now outweigh the potential drawbacks to a more significant extent, head of residential property at the organisation Jeremy Raj stated.

"Financial institutions have previously been reluctant to invest in residential property as they felt that the relatively high costs of managing a residential portfolio, made up of so many small individual properties, cut too deeply into returns,” the Financial Times quoted him as explaining.

However, the law firm revealed rental values have been rising for nine months in a row and now average at £720 per month, making buy to let houses an increasingly appealing opportunity for those looking to make some money.

"Institutions are being attracted to residential property because of improving market fundamentals, including high tenant demand, high rents and a supply shortage that shows no immediate signs of abating," Mr Raj said.

Some areas of the private rented sector are more alluring to these investors than others, including student accommodation.

Iqbal Hussain, property consultant at global real estate group Knight Knox International recently recommended landlords buy up houses in lesser known university towns like Bolton, where there are fewer competitors.

Get a cheap landlords insurance quote today from Simple Landlords Insurance.

Rent guarantee insurance may be a good idea for landlords operating in London, as it has been suggested tenants could be feeling the squeeze when they try to pay for accommodation.

Liam Bailey, head of residential research at property consultancy Knight Frank, explained the amount occupants are asked for is likely to keep rising despite the fact it is verging on unaffordable at the moment.

It may be a good idea for buy to let investors in London to take out landlords insurance to protect their assets, as one expert has said the value of prime properties in the city is likely to remain high.

Ed Mead, director at Douglas & Gordon, explained foreign buyers are supporting the buoyancy of the market and they will probably not lose interest.

"The only possible change on the horizon is that there has obviously been a lot of turmoil in the eurozone," he said, warning this could cause significant changes.

"But at the moment there seems a very strong momentum towards trying to keep the euro together," the specialist added.

This is protecting the best London real estate for the time being and there are no indications foreign buyers are dropping out of the market, Mr Mead stated.

His comments followed a recent report by Knight Frank, which said the average prime central London property increased in price by one per cent in November and 12.6 per cent in the past 12 months.

Get a buy-to-let property insurance quote today from Simple Landlords Insurance.

It may be a good idea for buy to let investors in London to take out landlords insurance to protect their assets, as one expert has said the value of prime properties in the city is likely to remain high.

Ed Mead, director at Douglas & Gordon, explained foreign buyers are supporting the buoyancy of the market and they will probably not lose interest.

"The only possible change on the horizon is that there has obviously been a lot of turmoil in the eurozone," he said, warning this could cause significant changes.

"But at the moment there seems a very strong momentum towards trying to keep the euro together," the specialist added.

This is protecting the best London real estate for the time being and there are no indications foreign buyers are dropping out of the market, Mr Mead stated.

His comments followed a recent report by Knight Frank, which said the average prime central London property increased in price by one per cent in November and 12.6 per cent in the past 12 months.

Get a buy-to-let property insurance quote today from Simple Landlords Insurance.

The National Landlords Association (NLA) has responded positively to the discussion of the private rented sector among the candidates for the London mayoral election.

Chief executive of the organisation Richard Lambert noted the city-wide non-profit lettings agency proposed by Labour member Ken Livingstone - which may affect those seeking building contents insurance for landlords - is comparable to the Held2Let scheme in Harrow, which the NLA supports.

Individuals looking for the best landlord insurance quotes may be affected by reforms to the private rental sector in London, which have been unveiled by the city's mayor Boris Johnson.

The quality of the accommodation provided in the region could be enhanced through the establishment of a London Rental Standard, he stated, explaining this would aim to have accredited 100,000 landlords by 2016.

People with insurance for rented property and others in the private rented sector may be interested to know the average cost of renting a domicile in Wales and England declined during November.

This is according to a survey from LSL Property Services, which noted this expense dropped by 0.4 per cent when compared with the preceding month, which is the first fall seen in typical rents since January.

The National Landlords Association (NLA) has responded positively to the discussion of the private rented sector among the candidates for the London mayoral election.

Chief executive of the organisation Richard Lambert noted the city-wide non-profit lettings agency proposed by Labour member Ken Livingstone - which may affect those seeking building contents insurance for landlords - is comparable to the Held2Let scheme in Harrow, which the NLA supports.

Rent guarantee insurance and tenants referencing could be useful for landlords in London.

This is because research from Shelter has revealed this area has the highest proportion of people at risk of eviction in England, with households in Manchester, Peterborough and Slough also at an elevated likelihood.

Ken Livingstone's proposals for rent controls - which could affect landlords property insurance customers - have been criticised by LettingFocus.com founder David Lawrenson.

In a blog on the site, he compared them to similar policies in the 60s and 70s, which were followed by many people, but ignored by others, who asked for 'side payments'.

Landlords looking for insurance for rented property could be in a burgeoning market, as research has revealed buy-to-let products accounted for 18 per cent of all mortgages taken out in the UK during November.

This is the highest level seen all year, the study from Spicerhaart Financial Services reported, noting this figure has averaged at 14.4 per cent over the course of 2011.

Individuals looking for insurance for rented property could be some of those potentially affected by the London Living Rent campaign.

This was announced by the capital's former mayor Ken Livingstone, who noted inhabitants of the city typically pay more than 50 per cent of their income on housing costs in over half of the region's boroughs.

Elderly people may wish to take out buy to let buildings insurance and begin the process of putting their house on the rental market.

This is according to the Association of Residential Letting Agents (ARLA), which noted downsizing and selling the family home is not the only way pensioners can fund their retirement.

Landlords may be able to avoid making a claim on their buy to let buildings insurance by fitting a mains-powered smoke alarm throughout their portfolio of properties.

Councillor Mark Healey, chairman of Devon & Somerset Fire & Rescue Authority, has stated this in a YouTube video, which promotes the use of these devices and highlights how useful they are in the private rented sector.

Landlords, who may be looking for insurance for rented property, have been advised to ensure the buildings in their portfolio are not wasting energy through poor efficiency.

Citizens Advice and Friends of the Earth have said the owners of rented accommodation ought to try to cut the fuel bills of their tenants by making their assets more sustainable, rather than waiting until 2018 when parliament will force their hand.

Availability of new housing is likely to be limited by a "crisis" in the property construction sector that has partly been caused by the lack of a suitable planning system.

This is according to chief executive of Mount Anvil Killian Hurley, who said at a Property Week seminar that the industry is "not delivering enough houses" at present.

People seeking a landlord insurance quote may be seeing higher returns, as new research has shown buy to let investors are reporting higher yields.

The latest Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors Residential Lettings Survey also revealed rents and tenant demand were rising.

Property values in London could be set to increase in the run-up to the Olympic Games next year if trends seen in many previous Olympic cities are repeated in the capital.

According to managing director of MyLondonHome.com Steven Herd, research by the company revealed house prices rose "substantially" ahead of the major sporting event.

Landlords insurance policyholders are likely to increase their rents next year, while mortgage lending in the buy-to-let sector will remain subdued.

This is the prediction of Landlord Mortgages managing director Lee Grandin, who explained mortgage suppliers are being "very selective" about who they lend to in the current economic climate.

The private rented sector has to be regulated to a certain extent, one expert has said, which may be something those looking for rent guarantee insurance agree with.

Malcolm Harrison, spokesman for the Tenancy Deposit Scheme, explained the sector is growing extremely quickly, which means there is fear bad practice may be going on.

Buy to let investors in London may be increasingly tempted to cover their real estate with let property insurance in order to protect what may be becoming increasingly valuable assets.

Ed Mead, director at estate agents Douglas & Gordon, explained house values are rising and will probably continue to increase through the first quarter of next year.

"If a strong market is one where prices are going up, then we will continue to see a strong market," he stated.

However, he noted there are fewer properties available, saying "less and less people are finding the option to move".

Although buyers being priced out of the market can be a positive factor for landlords, as it can increase tenant demand, it seems they may be up against some competition if they are buying top-end real estate.

Sought after properties are continuing to attract a lot of interest, WA Ellis recently reported, also noting rents are beginning to settle after surging to a record high in 2011.

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Posted by Royston Hunter

Supply and demand is the reason behind rising rents in London, not the upcoming Olympic Games, one expert has observed.

Managing director of discountletting.co.uk Daniel Burgess noted demand for rental property such as that owned by buy to let buildings insurance customers is strong due to difficulty with getting on the property ladder.

People looking for a landlord insurance quote for real estate in London may be interested in how the Olympic Games are likely to affect the property industry in the city, but one expert has said it depends on what happens after the competition.

Daniel Burgess, managing director of discountletting.co.uk, explained it would not be wise to end up with a similar situation to the Millennium Dome, which was left empty after being built for the 2000 celebrations.

"There needs to be proper planning for the Olympic sites once the Games have been and gone and Londoners are left with the cost," he argued, saying there should be decisions made about how the areas will be used to benefit the community.

It will be another 233 days until the event begins in Britain, as it will be held between July 27th and August 12th next year.

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Posted by Luella Ravelin

Demand for buy to let insurance could rise in the coming months, as an opportunity for landlords to extend their portfolios may present itself, if one expert's predictions are correct.

Paul Holmes, chief executive officer of Firstrung, said house prices are going to "spectacularly fall" in the next three years by as much as 33 per cent.

Buildings insurance for landlords could become popular if there is a rise in the number of people extending their portfolios due to the rise in buy to let lending predicted by one expert.

David Whittaker, managing director at Mortgages for Business, said some of the increase in borrowing will be the market settling back into the status quo after losing momentum during the recession.

It once accounted for around 13 per cent of the market, he noted, but this fell to around 8.5 or nine per cent in 2009.

However, it seems the private rented sector may be more attractive to lenders than other property.

"In a market where the UK residential mortgage market itself might be soft, buy to let could be a higher percentage of it in quarter four and going into 2012," Mr Whittaker stated.

Landlords looking for the best provider to borrow from may be interested to know Paragon Mortgages was today (December 6th) announced as the winner of the Best Buy to Let Portfolio Lender title at the Your Mortgage 2011-12 Awards.

Get a landlords insurance quote today from Simple Landlords Insurance.

Posted by Royston Hunter

People seeking insurance for rented property may be excited to hear new forecasts have suggested landlords are to see continued strength in the market.

Savills' latest Residential Investment Bulletin for autumn 2011 predicted as many as one million extra properties are set to be leased by buy to let professionals in 2015/16 compared with 2009/10.

There are mortgages available on the market for buy to let investors who have some capital to use as a deposit, an expert has said, which may see professional portfolio owners taking on buildings insurance for landlords.

"If you are only looking for up to 75 per cent LTV [loan-to-value] then there are mortgage products out there," Ian Potter, operations manager at the Association of Residential Letting Agents, said.

It may be wise for buy to let investors in ownership of homes built before World War I to protect their assets by taking out buildings insurance for landlords, as new figures suggest these professionals may be making strong capital gains.

The latest Halifax Property Age Review has shown real estate constructed before 1919 has seen the largest growth in value compared with abodes from other eras.

People with landlord home insurance may be looking ahead to April next year when the first allowances for the carbon reduction commitment (CRC) are released, but one specialist has noted it is not clear where the cost of being greener will fall.

Michael Reid, senior associate at business law firm Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer, said at the Property Week CRC webinar yesterday (December 1st) that the first flurry of activity seen when firms were going through the registration stage has calmed down.

Buy to let investors may need to get landlord house insurance to protect retrofitted homes, as if green abodes become more popular with occupants, these assets could be increasingly successful.

Richard Addenbrook, managing director of Sense of Space Architects, noted people will chose to live in a property that costs them less to run.