Renting and letting: Your questions

BBC Radio 4's Money Box Live
Wednesday 28 January 2009,
at 1502 GMT
On Radio 4 and Online

Programme transcript (19 pages)

On Wednesday's Money Box Live Vincent Duggleby took your questions about renting and letting and put them to a panel of expert guests.

Through the turmoil in Britain's housing market, one area which was thought to be bucking the trend was the rental market.

With would-be home buyers finding themselves unable to purchase, demand for rental property remains high.

But with unsold homes flooding the rental market, rents have been driven down at the fastest rate on record according to The Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors (Rics).

And landlords with buy-to-let mortgages are not immune to falling behind with their payments.

If this happens, their tenants are often not told what is happening and if it comes to repossession, they can face losing their home through no fault of their own.

So whether you are a tenant or a landlord, what rights, responsibilities and security do you have?

Are you aware of the new requirement for Energy Performance Certificates?

Maybe you want to know more about how tenancy deposit protection works.

Or perhaps you would like to find out how tenants and landlords can resolve disputes.

Whatever your concern, our panel of experts was here to give you advice.

Vincent Duggleby was joined by:

• John Socha, vice-chairman, National Landlords Association
• Hayley Rowley, Citizens Advice
• Vivien Gambling, of the Housing Law Practitioners Association and Lambeth Law Centre

Presenter: Vincent Duggleby
Producer: Diane Richardson