After a long 4 months, COVID restrictions are beginning to ease in Scotland and we’re beginning to see available rental stock levels reducing.

The latest figures show that there was a record number of applications received by the January deadline this year for students applying to study in the next academic year.

We closely monitor property sales data on Rightmove to understand the trends that are shaping Edinburgh’s property sales market and to help us and our customers consider what’s ahead.

March saw a 5th month in a row of slow and steady market conditions in the Edinburgh rental market but we expect the market to accelerate and stock levels to drop as we head into the summer. Change is coming.

Umega now covers all the bases by providing property sales in addition to our letting service for landlords, homeowners, prospective buyers or future tenants.

It was expected that councils would have time to identify areas to be proposed for Short-Term Lets Control and that timescales for licensing would kick off in Spring 2021.

In 2020, legislation was passed by The Scottish Government to implement minimum EPC standards required in rental properties.

The market is moving though, with more lets agreed in February 2021 compared to 2020. Rent prices are slightly lower than a year ago which is consistent with the larger number of properties on the market and tenants having more choice than in previous years.

Lockdown could be a great opportunity for you to carry out timely repairs or upgrades on your property to prepare for future tenancies.

Our sales service is now widely available, after we’ve spent the last 9 months testing and successfully completed a number of sales for Umega clients.

The COVID-era has created a lot of upheaval in the housing market in Scotland. Becoming a landlord in 2021 is much easier than you might think.

2021 is underway. The number of available rental properties on the Edinburgh market is at a record high for January.