<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?><rss version="2.0" xmlns:content="http://purl.org/rss/1.0/modules/content/" xmlns:wfw="http://wellformedweb.org/CommentAPI/" xmlns:dc="http://purl.org/dc/elements/1.1/" xmlns:rssdatehelper="urn:rssdatehelper"><channel><title>Blog RSS feed</title><link></link><pubDate></pubDate><generator>umbraco</generator><description>Clan Gordon, The Regulated Edinburgh Letting Agent, provides personal service to all our clients. We specialise in letting property to professional tenants.</description><language>en</language><item><title>Congratulations to Citylets</title><description>Citylets published strong results for 2011 with visitor traffic up 22% on 2010.</description><link>/information-from-the-edinburgh-letting-agent/blog/2012/01/congratulations-to-citylets/</link><pubDate>Thu, 26 Jan 2012 00:00:00 GMT</pubDate><guid>/information-from-the-edinburgh-letting-agent/blog/2012/01/congratulations-to-citylets/</guid><content:encoded><![CDATA[ 
Citylets published strong results for 2011 with visitor traffic
up 22% on 2010 (source: Google Analytics) representing a full 200%
rise on 2007. Enquiries to agents also rose by 21% (source:
Citylets internal data). This supports their reputation as one of
the leading rental property portals.
                                                                                                             ... ]]></content:encoded></item><item><title>Scottish Government Consultations on TDS</title><description>Landlords and Letting Agents in Edinburgh - Scottish Government Consultations on the first two TDS schemes to be announced, attended by Jonathan Gordon.</description><link>/information-from-the-edinburgh-letting-agent/blog/2012/01/scottish-government-consultations-on-tds/</link><pubDate>Thu, 26 Jan 2012 00:00:00 GMT</pubDate><guid>/information-from-the-edinburgh-letting-agent/blog/2012/01/scottish-government-consultations-on-tds/</guid><content:encoded><![CDATA[ 
Last week I went to the Scottish Government Consultations on the
first two schemes to be announced (these were noted in my December
Blog).


The Letting Protection Service Scotland and 
SafeDepositsScotland both have schemes, which are
understandably similar because they must match the definitions in
the legislation.&nbsp;There is a good description for those
interested in how it works.

Our preference and the scheme we will probably use is the one
from SafeDepositsScotland. This is partly because it is backed by
the RICS - who regulate us - and partly because they have a
not-for-profit model. We believe&nbsp;that good landlords and good
agents, who have good inventories, have nothing to fear from
this.

Once a scheme has been approved by the Government, which is
assumed to happen within the next two to three months, all new
tenancies will have to have the deposits lodged with a scheme. All
landlords and letting agents will then also have 9 months to lodge
all the existing deposits with a scheme.

Clan Gordon ... ... ]]></content:encoded></item><item><title>Citylets Rental Report for Scotland - Q4 2011</title><description>Keep up to date with all the latest data on the rental market for property management in Edinburgh.</description><link>/information-from-the-edinburgh-letting-agent/blog/2012/01/citylets-rental-report-for-scotland-q4-2011/</link><pubDate>Thu, 19 Jan 2012 00:00:00 GMT</pubDate><guid>/information-from-the-edinburgh-letting-agent/blog/2012/01/citylets-rental-report-for-scotland-q4-2011/</guid><content:encoded><![CDATA[ 
According to latest Scottish Household Survey figures from
the Scottish Government an estimated 22% of all&nbsp;Edinburgh
households rent their homes privately, which is twice the rate for
Scotland.
 That will explain why Edinburgh letting agents are so
busy!

Dan Cookson, Citylets Market Analyst,
commented:

"After 20 consecutive quarterly publications, our latest
issue caps five full years of analysis of the private rental market
in Scotland and reveals a thriving market where the volume of
quality properties to let is higher than ever, rents are easing
upwards, yet landlords are resisting any urge to squeeze tenants.
It is true to say that the housing sector has seen some dramatic
changes since our first issue was published in Q1 2007. Volumes of
sales have more than halved and the number of private rental
properties let through Citylets have more than doubled.

Much of the evidence suggests that the Private Rented
Sector (PRS) will continue to expand and Citylets look forward to
providing you with the most detailed and comprehensive analysis ... ... ]]></content:encoded></item><item><title>Rise in reluctant landlords</title><description>ARLA survey sees an increase in reluctant landlords in some areas of the UK. Is this true for Edinburgh letting agents?</description><link>/information-from-the-edinburgh-letting-agent/blog/2012/01/rise-in-reluctant-landlords/</link><pubDate>Fri, 13 Jan 2012 00:00:00 GMT</pubDate><guid>/information-from-the-edinburgh-letting-agent/blog/2012/01/rise-in-reluctant-landlords/</guid><content:encoded><![CDATA[ 
Latest research (published 6 Jan 2012) from the Association of
Residential Lettings Agents (ARLA) indicates that the number of
homes coming onto the rental market because they cannot be sold is
increasing in some parts of the UK, causing a rise in the number of
'reluctant landlords.'

The question to ARLA letting agent members was: "Are you seeing
an increase in rental property coming onto the market because it
cannot be sold?"

The most positive response, only equalled by the North of
England, was for&nbsp;Scotland/Wales/NI where 65.3% said yes, an
increase from 62.6% in the previous quarter. It will be interesting
to see if this happens in Edinburgh this year in March to June,
which is usually the best time to sell.

The lowest positive response was 16.9% for Central london
members. The UK-wide result was 46.9%.

It will be important for prospective landlords to seek expert
advice before embarking on a rental arrangement. Clan Gordon, a
regulated letting agent in Edinburgh, can provide free expert
advice,
 and ... ... ]]></content:encoded></item><item><title>Tenancy Deposit Scheme Updates</title><description>Deposit schemes are here - if at least one of the schemes under consultation is approved, all landlords and letting agents in Edinburgh (and Scotland) will have to place all their deposits with a scheme.</description><link>/information-from-the-edinburgh-letting-agent/blog/2011/12/tenancy-deposit-scheme-updates/</link><pubDate>Mon, 05 Dec 2011 00:00:00 GMT</pubDate><guid>/information-from-the-edinburgh-letting-agent/blog/2011/12/tenancy-deposit-scheme-updates/</guid><content:encoded><![CDATA[ 
As mentioned previously in our blog,&nbsp;The Tenancy Deposit Schemes (Scotland) Regulations
2011 came into force in March this year. The
Regulations set out the conditions that tenancy deposit schemes
must meet before they can be approved.

A tenancy deposit scheme is an independent scheme designed to
protect tenant's deposits for the duration of the tenancy. Schemes
will also offer a dispute resolution service if tenants and
landlords cannot agree about the return of the deposit when the
tenancy ends. The scheme will be free to landlords and tenants.

All landlords and letting agents in Edinburgh will have to join
a scheme as soon as one is available. The key thing to note is that
this WILL be retrospective

The Scottish Government has announced that the
consultation paper on the terms of two proposed tenancy deposit
schemes in Scotland is now available.

A link to the consultation document is included
below.

Consultation

The consultation is being undertaken in accordance with
the requirements of the Housing (Scotland) Act 2006 and seeks ... ... ]]></content:encoded></item><item><title>Citylets Rental Report for Scotland - Q3 2011</title><description>Keep up to date with all the latest data on the rental market for letting agents in Edinburgh.</description><link>/information-from-the-edinburgh-letting-agent/blog/2011/11/citylets-rental-report-for-scotland-q3-2011/</link><pubDate>Wed, 30 Nov 2011 00:00:00 GMT</pubDate><guid>/information-from-the-edinburgh-letting-agent/blog/2011/11/citylets-rental-report-for-scotland-q3-2011/</guid><content:encoded><![CDATA[ 
Citylets.co.uk is still the market leader when it comes to
advertising flats from Edinburgh letting agents. This is where Clan
Gordon achieve their best results when searching for good tenants
for quality properties throughout Edinburgh. Letting agents rely on
them for good market data and this helps set appropriate rent
levels. Have a look at their reports.
                                                                                                   ... ]]></content:encoded></item><item><title>RICS Scotland and TDS make Submission for First Scottish Tenant Deposit Scheme</title><description>A new submission by the RICS and TDS to run a Tenancy Deposit Scheme; if approved, it may be used by letting agents in Edinburgh</description><link>/information-from-the-edinburgh-letting-agent/blog/2011/11/rics-scotland-and-tds-make-submission-for-first-scottish-tenant-deposit-scheme/</link><pubDate>Thu, 24 Nov 2011 00:00:00 GMT</pubDate><guid>/information-from-the-edinburgh-letting-agent/blog/2011/11/rics-scotland-and-tds-make-submission-for-first-scottish-tenant-deposit-scheme/</guid><content:encoded><![CDATA[ 
RICS Scotland is partnering a submission with
SafeDepositsScotland to run a tenancy deposit scheme in Scotland.
If successful, the scheme will have the backing of landlord, agent
and tenant groups. RICS Scotland will be represented on the board
of SafeDepositsScotland.

The Scottish Parliament has introduced new regulations which
require landlords and lettings agents to transfer the tenancy
deposits they hold to an Approved Tenancy Deposit Protection
Scheme. These schemes will hold the deposits until the end of the
tenancy and will repay it to the landlord and tenant and agents in
accordance with the agreement of the parties. If the parties can't
agree, then the Scheme will look at the evidence supplied by all
parties and the Scheme itself will decide how to allocate the
deposit.

SafeDepositsScotland will be a not-for-profit organisation and
any surpluses it makes will be gift aided to a new Charitable Trust
which will provide grants to promote education, training and best
practice in the private rented sector in Scotland.&nbsp;They are
using the services ... ... ]]></content:encoded></item><item><title>RICS to promote regulated letting agents in Scotland to landlords</title><description>When choosing a letting agent in Edinburgh, the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors (RICS) say it is essential to choose a properly Regulated agent to protect your money and your investment.</description><link>/information-from-the-edinburgh-letting-agent/blog/2011/11/rics-to-promote-regulated-letting-agents-in-scotland-to-landlords/</link><pubDate>Mon, 21 Nov 2011 00:00:00 GMT</pubDate><guid>/information-from-the-edinburgh-letting-agent/blog/2011/11/rics-to-promote-regulated-letting-agents-in-scotland-to-landlords/</guid><content:encoded><![CDATA[ 
Jonathan Gordon, Director of Clan Gordon Limited, has joined the
RICS (Royal
Institution of Chartered Surveyors) Scotland Residential
Property Professional Group Board. This board liaises with other
industry sectors and the Scottish Government to look at issues
affecting the areas where chartered surveyors in Scotland
operate.&nbsp;

One of the key areas is in residential letting agency.
Edinburgh, Glasgow, Aberdeen, Inverness and Dundee are thriving
areas for landlords and letting agents. It is essential that
consumers understand the importance of choosing a Regulated letting
agent. Although many letting agents are good and many are
accredited, it is only by using a REGULATED agent that landlords
and tenants can be sure they will be treated fairly and
appropriately.

Jonathan together with John Gell, a chartered surveyor and
letting agent in Inverness, have established a Lettings
Consultation Group to look at how the RICS can make the public more
aware of the importance of using a Regulated firm to manage any
aspect of property. The consultation is to run until early
2012.

Find out
more ... ... ]]></content:encoded></item><item><title>Why you MUST use a Regulated letting agent</title><description>A good reason why you should only work with a properly Regulated Firm of Surveyors when letting in Edinburgh</description><link>/information-from-the-edinburgh-letting-agent/blog/2011/09/why-you-must-use-a-regulated-letting-agent/</link><pubDate>Fri, 16 Sep 2011 00:00:00 GMT</pubDate><guid>/information-from-the-edinburgh-letting-agent/blog/2011/09/why-you-must-use-a-regulated-letting-agent/</guid><content:encoded><![CDATA[ 
Landlords and tenants should be made aware of why it is better
to use a properly regulated letting agent. Accreditation schemes
for letting agents&nbsp;cannot prevent a letting agent going out of
business or running off with the landlord's money and the tenants'
deposits. This happened in July when a major Glasgow letting agent
went bust, leaving many landlords and tenants significantly out of
pocket. Here is a clip from the Glasgow Evening Times:

"East End letting agent Access Properties disappeared, leaving
hundreds of landlords and tenants out of pocket and unable to claim
back their money."

"Landlords have launched a campaign to stop rogue
letting agents preying on people in Glasgow."

With over 120 unregulated letting agents in Edinburgh, it might
not be long before it happens here.

There are no laws in place to regulate letting agents, meaning
that anyone is free to trade and there is no protection for tenants
or landlords. Although there is no specific regulation of letting
agents in the UK, a ... ... ]]></content:encoded></item><item><title>Welcome to our new website</title><description>Welcome to the new Clan Gordon website, providing information for tenants and landlords in Edinburgh</description><link>/information-from-the-edinburgh-letting-agent/blog/2011/08/welcome-to-our-new-website/</link><pubDate>Tue, 30 Aug 2011 00:00:00 GMT</pubDate><guid>/information-from-the-edinburgh-letting-agent/blog/2011/08/welcome-to-our-new-website/</guid><content:encoded><![CDATA[ 
At last, the content is written and published. Although launched
today, it can take perhaps 24 hours for the site to be propagated
around the internet.

Having used a Content Management System (CMS) means that we can
update the content when required. This allows us to add to or
improve the information provided for our existing and potential
clients when necessary.
                                                                                                ... ]]></content:encoded></item></channel></rss>

