The voice of property technology

 Updating you on industry changes and technology developments in our sector

 

  Greetings humans of Landlord Broadband,

We have founded a quarterly newsletter to keep you updated on what we have been getting up to, and what has been moving and shaking in our industry. Furthermore, we hope you find it informative and a useful check in and we look forward to hearing from you in the future. This is our quarterly newsletter – Autumn 2017 edition. We hope you enjoy. If you would like to know about property technology and the Internet of Things, read on.

What’s going on in our Industry during Autumn 2017?

During the last quarter we have seen several significant changes in landlord laws, Wi-Fi technology, meaning the Internet of Things and the financial sector.

Legal:

  On the first of November, draft legislation revealed that Landlords and agents will only be able to charge three types of fee. Furthermore, agents will be required to join a client protection scheme. According to Sajid Javid, the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, this ban will make ‘renting fairer and easier for tenants by allowing them to see upfront what a given property will cost them’.

Technology:

Customers will be excited to know that the UK’s broadband network is being upgraded from Superfast (which is anything above 24Mbps) to G-Fast (anything over 100Mbps). G-Fast is a really exciting development in our sector, particularly with Openreach expecting to deliver this technology to 10 million homes by 2020.

Financial:

The official bank rate has been lifted from 0.25% to 0.5%, the first increase since July 2007, and it is likely to rise twice more over the next three years, according to Bank of England governor Mark Carney. The reasons for this are due to  record-low unemployment, rising inflation and stronger global economic growth. As a result, Philip Hammond’s Autumn 2017 budget announced that there will be 44 billion pounds in government support. This includes loan guarantees  to target building 300,000 new homes a year by the mid 2020s, which is a very positive development in our sector. Furthermore, affecting Landlords in the budget was a clause stating that Local Councils have been granted the right to charge a 100% Council Tax premium on empty properties. As a result, this will have an affect on void periods and refurbishment projects.

 

What are we working on in Autumn 2017?

Serviced accommodation: 

In recent months we have been gaining growth in the rapidly expanding serviced accommodation sector. Additionally, we have found that the ‘Section 24’ legislation changes have been influencing landlords in their choice of housing. In September 2017 we were proud to become a member of ASAP (The association of serviced apartment providers). In short, ASAP are a top body in the accommodation sector who collectively operate over 100,000 apartments in 17 countries. This is a milestone event that reflects the quality service we work so hard to provide.

Construction:

We have increasingly seen inquiries for problematic projects with dead zones and poor service levels. In addition, there appears to be a growth in commercial to residential conversion projects as landlords and property developers. This is because they wish to obtain planning permission to develop disused commercial premises. Our knowledge and ability to solve these complex problems is what makes us the specialist leader in our market.

Student Market:

We have linked in with The University Of York to recruit a number of students. Landlord Broadband hires it’s students based on the department that relates to their degree. As a result, this has helped us to improve our insight into what students look for in their accommodation. Therefore meaning we are continually their favored Wi-Fi solution.

Social Housing:

We are increasingly seeing the need for Wi-Fi in sheltered accommodation in Autumn 2017. Housing associations use Wi-Fi to provide comprehensive  coverage for personal development. Moreover, they use Wi-Fi for education and to promote social inclusion. Additionally, they use Wi-Fi  used to manage assets such as heating systems, CCTV and other household devices highlighting the relevance of the Internet of Things (IoT).

 

Meet the team? 

Meet Commander Tom, our Broadband and Wi-Fi Genius/ Engineer.  ‘Prior to Landlord Broadband, I was in the British Army which I joined at the age of 16 and I was in the Royal Corps of Signals. Predominantly, I worked with NATO as part of the Allied Rapid Reaction Corps (ARRC).  This is where I gained my experience in the telecommunications sector. My role involved the installation of complex networks in order to provide fully operational head quarters for 700 + staff. I joined Landlord Broadband in 2014 and I’m a Broadband & Wi-Fi Engineer. My role includes designing complex Wi-Fi networks for HMOs and blocks of flats. I manage our national engineering team and over seeing the operational delivery of the company. I enjoy the challenge of designing Wi-Fi solutions in order to provide tenants with a consistent and reliable service, Wi-Fi is as high a priority as water! Away from work, I enjoy spending time with my two sons, my wife…and the dog!’

meet the team Tom image

 

That’s it for our quarterly newsletter – Autumn 2017. We hope you enjoyed our quarterly newsletter – Autumn 2017 edition,

Landlord Broadband
(The champions of Wi-Fi friendly accommodation) 

 

Wi-Fi friendly accommodation button

Still want more?  Click the links below to find us on our website and on social media!

Fun Fact – Did you know data requirements in multiple occupancy buildings are increasing by 30-40% per year? This is as a result of streaming applications such as Netflix!