Page 248 – Property118

Setting up a Limited Company for a shared family holiday cottage?

29th January 2024

Hello, I am planning to set up a Limited Company to enable shared ownership of our family’s holiday cottage and would like some advice. I’ve set out the context first and then given a specific question. Any info is gratefully received! 1. CONTEXT My mum and her two siblings own a holiday cottage in the […]

Pic of mould problem in a leasehold flat landlord freeholder property118.com

How to avoid damp and mould in homes this winter

29th January 2024

It’s a common issue for landlords around the country – dealing with tenants who are reporting issues with damp and mould. Now researchers share eight tips for the 73% of Brits experiencing condensation on their windows and nearly half (45.1%) who suffer from mould outbreaks in their homes during winter. These problems are caused by […]

Smiling business professional sitting confidently in a modern office setting

Zoopla reports a rebound in the housing sales market

29th January 2024

Zoopla has revealed that the housing sales market has improved in 2024, despite a drop in prices last year. According to its House Price Index, annual UK house price falls have moderated again and stand at -0.8%, to the end of December, which is an improvement from the -1.4% low recorded in October 2023. House […]

Modern Scottish Parliament building in Edinburgh with Calton Hill in the background

Propertymark urges clarity as Scottish government ends emergency rent cap

29th January 2024

A leading industry body has criticised the Scottish government for not providing more information on the transition to end the emergency rent cap. Propertymark says more clarification is needed about Rent Service Scotland’s ability to assess market rents. The Scottish government announced last week that the emergency rent cap will end on the 1st of […]

Business professional in blue suit representing NRLA leadership on housing crisis.

Axe Stamp Duty Levy for more rental homes – NRLA

29th January 2024

The Chancellor should scrap the 3% Stamp Duty Levy on the purchase of additional properties in the Spring Budget to create more homes for rent and generate £10 billion for the Government, the National Residential Landlords Association (NRLA) says. It points to an independent analysis by Capital Economics that reveals the removal of the tax […]

Knight-themed Landlord Crusader logo symbolizing landlord advocacy

The consequence of Section 24 – bankrupt councils and countless homeless

26th January 2024

News this week that councils around the country are flagging up the prospect of going bankrupt because of the ever-growing homelessness bill they have to meet. Oh please, cry me a river. Not once will councils and the government accept that their short-sighted policies hurting landlords are to blame. It’s always the landlord’s fault. Council […]

Council tells landlords not to evict anti-social tenants or those with arrears

26th January 2024

A council has launched a campaign to prevent homelessness in its area – and it says tenants with arrears or who cause anti-social behaviour shouldn’t be evicted. Torbay council is appealing to landlords and tenants to get in touch with them for assistance and advice if they face any difficulties with their tenancy. The campaign […]

Home as office allowance – Any experience/advice?

26th January 2024

Hi, so for twenty-odd years I’ve been told by my accountants that I can claim 10% of my home expenses (Mortgage interest or rent/utility & council tax) as an allowable home as office expense to offset against my profit, so that’s what I’ve been submitting. Now a different accountant at the firm is only allowing […]

Pic of eviction letter to tenant s21 landlord won't leave

S21 issued, one tenant vacated not sure on the second tenant?

26th January 2024

Hello, I’m trying to help someone who has vacated a property that is on a joint AST. No notice has yet been served by the tenant who has vacated but the agents are aware of the situation. The tenant who remains wants to take on a single AST but has failed the checks and cannot […]

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Query over six month break clause

26th January 2024

Hello, we have rented out property for many years and our experience of 6-month break clauses has always been that they perform exactly as implied, ie the landlord or tenant can end the tenancy after 6 months have expired on the giving of at least 2 months notice. We have just negotiated a new tenancy […]

Illustration of houses with the word eviction, symbolising Section 21 rental evictions

Section 21 being disputed?

26th January 2024

Hello, I intend to issue an S21 on a tenant that lacks mental capacity and has a Deputy of the Court of Protection acting for him (his mother). This is because we have to sell the property and buy a bungalow instead, as one of the other tenants is now wheelchair bound and the property […]

Rents hit new highs but growth slows down

26th January 2024

Rents in the UK reached new records in 2023, but the pace of growth slowed down significantly compared to previous years, according to Rightmove. There are also signs that some areas are seeing the tenant affordability ceiling being reached. The property website reports that the average advertised rent for properties coming onto the market outside […]

Modern Scottish Parliament building in Edinburgh with Calton Hill in the background

Scottish government to finally end emergency rent cap

26th January 2024

The Scottish government has announced the end of the emergency rent cap. Introduced in 2022, the Cost of Living (Tenant Protection) (Scotland) Act, aimed to protect tenants from rent increases and ban evictions. The Scottish Parliament has confirmed from the 1st of April 2024, the legislation will no longer apply but one organisation claims the […]

The UK’s buy to let hotspots revealed

26th January 2024

The UK’s buy to let hotspot has been revealed after the city saw a 12% surge in the number of privately rented properties over the past year, a new report has revealed. The findings from Simply Business, which analysed more than 100,000 landlord insurance policies, have identified which cities have experienced the biggest growth in […]

How to tackle screaming noisy new neighbours?

26th January 2024

Hello, my tenants have messaged me with concerns about the new tenants in the flat below them. The building is a converted Edwardian property, eight flats. Ever since the new tenants, a man and a woman, moved in not quite a couple of months ago the man, more often than the woman, there has been […]

Landlords: it’s time to get 2024 off to a flying start

25th January 2024

You’re a landlord looking to sell, but last year was a challenge. In 2024, it’s time to get your portfolios and properties sold and get you moving on to your next projects. Why now? The biggest challenge for landlords wanting to sell is that they want to shift properties in bulk, want a single company […]

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Tenant gave notice then changed his mind?

25th January 2024

Hello, I am selling all my properties and planned to send the S21 to the tenant of the ‘next in line’ in early January as my mortgage fixed term ends in October. On the day I was going to start the process I was very happy to receive Notice from him, of 6 weeks (which […]

elegraph logo used in rebuttal to article on landlord tax structures

Daily Telegraph wants to speak to young landlords with lodgers

25th January 2024

Are you a young live-in landlord? Then, Eir Nolsøe, senior economics reporter, for the Telegraph would like to speak with you. Eir would like to speak to young live-in landlords who got on the property ladder with help from family and are now subsidising the mortgage by renting out one or multiple rooms to lodgers. […]

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Scotland’s property boom as the pandemic pushes prices up by £43k

25th January 2024

Scotland has seen an extraordinary surge in property prices since the pandemic, with average values rising by £43,381 in less than four years, according to a leading estate agency. DJ Alexander Ltd has analysed the latest data and found that between March 2020 and November 2023, average house prices in Scotland rose from £150,625 to […]

Property expert outdoors discussing rising UK rent prices

Tenants squeezed out in England’s holiday home hotspots

25th January 2024

Holiday homes are not only making it harder for homebuyers to buy, but also for tenants to rent in England’s most sought-after holiday destinations, a report reveals. The findings from Zero Deposit found that the average rent for a holiday home is 292% higher than for a regular rental property, and in some places, this […]

Andy Hulme of Hyde Housing Association responding to Housing Ombudsman report

Disabled tenants ignored by social landlords, report reveals

25th January 2024

A new report by the Housing Ombudsman has exposed the widespread failure of social landlords to make reasonable adjustments for their disabled tenants. The report, entitled Relationship of Equals, is based on more than 1,663 responses from social residents, landlords and advocacy services, such as Citizens Advice. It found 58% of respondents identified as having […]