Landlords Buy to Let Property Investment Strategy

Mark Alexander founder of Property118.com

It can be a lot less expensive and stressful to learn from other peoples experience than to learn by making your own mistakes. Sharing is caring 🙂

I do not profess to have a monopoly on good ideas for landlords and I still learn something new about buy to let property investment every day. The strategies explained in the linked articles below are based on over two decades of experience. I choose to look upon these strategies as maps across a minefield. I may or may not have found the shortest possible route but my strategy is now a tried and tested strategy – through two full market cycles.

I have been a landlord since 1989. In 2009 I decided to document my buy to let property investment strategy. This was then broken down into chapters which I consider to be the most important ingredients of a successful buy to let property investment strategy.

I update these articles regularly – last updated 17th December 2016

	Basic fundamentals of a buy to let property investment strategy This is a general overview of the roots of my buy to let property investment strategy. Many of the chapters below will not make sense unless you read them in order, this being the starting point. read this chapter
	Interest only vs repayment mortgages Have you ever wondered why most buy to let property investors opt for interest only as opposed to repayment mortgages? read this chapter
	Balancing high gearing risks with high liquidity High gearing effectively means borrowing as much as possible. In this article I will explain the pro’s and cons of high gearing and how to minimise risk. read this chapter
	Calculating rental yields and returns My Landlords Calculator allows you to analyse returns and other important numbers relating to any residential investment property deal with ease. read this chapter
	Buying property below market value and associated due diligence We all love a bargain don’t we, especially a property which is being sold below market value. However, just because something is cheap doesn’t mean it’s a good investment. read this chapter
	My first buy to let property investment We all have to start somewhere, for me it was just before interest rates soared to 15% as we entered the late 80’s and early 90’s property crash. This is the story of how and why I survived and went on to build my property portfolio. read this chapter
	Finding perfect tenants and minimising risk In the 25 years my family have been landlords we have only had to go to Court twice to seek possession, this is despite having granted over 1,000 tenancies. We have not had one single tenancy deposit dispute referred to arbitration or the small claims courts. read this chapter
	Capital Gains Tax on a property you have lived in Would you like to know how a £100,000 taxable capital gain can be structured to create a zero tax liability? read this chapter
	Financing beyond retirement age Most landlords believe that if/when they reach the age of 75 they will have to sell at least some of their properties to pay off all remaining mortgage balances. However, that needn’t be true. read this chapter
	Landlords life insurance strategy and calculator I created my landlords life insurance strategy and built a calculator to work out the minimum amount of life cover necessary to enable my family to retain my property portfolio when my final day of reckoning arrives. read this chapter
	10 tips for landlords before it’s too late Know when to stop investing and start living – Learn to delegate and empower. Review your portfolio and your financial position regularly – Stay informed – Succession planning and much more. read this chapter
	Being a Landlord can be a lonely business – is something bugging you? The more properties you own, the more problems you encounter. Unless you mix regularly with other landlords it is difficult to know who to talk to about challenges what to do for the best isn’t it? read this chapter