All posts by Glenn Ackroyd
Can I see your waste carriers licence please Mr Landlord?
Did you know that if you carry waste in the course of your business (property letting) for profit, then you are likely to require a Waste Carriers License?
If you use contractors, they must have one.
Many landlords are not maintenance experts, however ….
One of the things that always scares me about property and, to be honest, stopped me from buying properties earlier was my lack of maintenance skills. I knew nothing about the causes of damp, how much...
What do you do when a tenant leaves and does not give you the...
You may get tenants who from time to time leave without giving you the keys. You know the ones… They have some arrears, have left the house, shall we say “lived in” (by prehistoric savages)...
Optimising your Rightmove Adverts...
Knowing that over 95% of people view properties online (with the majority using Rightmove),you may be interested in tips on optimising your Rightmove adverts.
The secret is understanding Rightmove’s...
How to avoid cannabis factories...
As promised, following my last article, I wanted to give you some tips on how to avoid cannabis factories.
A cannabis factory is simply changing part or all of a home to grow cannabis plants.
WARNING – Your landlords insurance may be invalid...
I wanted to share with you a recent ‘near miss’ with one of our landlord’s.
We had taken on a new portfolio and as part of procedure, we attempted to carry out an inspection by contacting...
Look after your Tenant...
One of the oft used business phrases is “look after your customers”, but should this be “look after your tenant”. In lettings it is easy to assume that once you have a tenant you...
Tenants Repairing Responsibilities...
Following on from my article about whether pest control is a landlords or a tenants responsibility, I’ve had a few people contact me about tenants repairing responsibilities.
A lot of landlords and...
Pest control, landlords or tenants responsibility?
At NPG, from time to time we get tenants calling about pest control. It can range from mice, to rats, ants, fleas, bed-bugs, cockroaches and even wasps nests. By the way, if you start scratching whilst...
Corporate Lets – 5 year deal with FTSE 100 company via...
At National Property Group we are working with a FTSE 100 company which has engaged us to source landlords wanting to let their properties for a mimimum period of five years on a Corporate Lets basis.
Tenant prospects and how we close them – revealed!
I thought I’d share with you how we manage to close so many of our tenant prospects. Our secret lies in understanding the barriers that most agents put in place to put off tenants!
First, they...
When tenants ask how much is the Council Tax...
Council Tax can be a deciding factor to some tenants. When you rent out a property, tenants often ask what the council tax band is. They also want to know much they will have to pay.
There can be a big...
Government handout of £10k per property for landlords...
As a landlord you can be forgiven for thinking that every bit of news from the government concerning the lettings sector is bad for the landlord – A new set of obligations which comes with the obligatory...
Inventories, the easy way...
If you ask 2 different letting agents how they do inventories and condition reports, you’ll probably get 3 different answers.
The systems in place range on one extreme from None! by many landlords...
Portfolio landlord reveals secret strategy to reduce voids...
Have you ever made the same mistake I did – and set the rent too high?
I remember when one of my first properties became vacant some years ago. I carefully researched the local rental levels on Rightmove...
A choice of two tenants...
If you had a choice of the two tenants below which would you choose?
A middle-aged couple (one working and earning minimum wage, one at home) with two school age daughters, who have rented their current...
The letting portals providing the best exposure...
All savvy landlords and letting agents know that Rightmove is the UK’s busiest property portal. Despite the fact that they’ve recently increased their prices significantly, you can’t...
Be wary of Letting Agents Pushing Rightmove Premium Listings...
Rightmove Premium Listings ‘Do they work?’
Rightmove themselves state that their own research indicates that properties with a “Premium Listing” banner generate 21% more enquiries. Of course...
A Tenant from Hell – And a Landlord’s Revenge!
I thought I’d share my recent experiences of a “Tenant From Hell”
We often take on properties from landlords who have problem tenants, usually leaving us the legacy of sorting them out.
How Sell and Rent Back Links Britain’s Most Wanted Man...
Recently, one of the properties managed by our portfolio management company, National Property Group, was subject to a legal challenge against the landlord.
Since selling the property, the original vendor...
Is Rent to Buy Just Another Dodgy Lease Option Scheme?
I listened to a programme on Radio 5 Live a few days ago that investigated how “Property Investor and Guru” Phil Martin had left a couple close to bankruptcy after agreeing a lease option on their...