Homeowners are nearly £500 better off a year than a renter, research from Halifax reveals It says that the monthly cost of owning a home for first-time buyers is now £971, on average. That is £42 or 4% cheaper than the cost of renting an equivalent property. Owning vs Renting Review looked at the housing […]

Hi everyone, We took our Freehold Landlord to the small claims court for £3k and then it was transferred to the first-tier tribunal The Freeholder lost and was made to refund us £2520 in service charge overpayments we had made. His solicitors made no application for costs, and neither did we, we just thought it […]

It was a Budget to forget after the Chancellor Jeremy Hunt appeared to have forgotten landlords, tenants and the private rented sector (PRS) in general. Despite hopes that there would be an announcement how the PRS is taxed – which might help the 30% of landlords who say they are planning to sell up in […]

The Chancellor of the Exchequer, Jeremy Hunt, let landlords sink or swim on their own with no direct assistance for landlords in his Budget announced today. Unlike £63 million of funds for swimming pools, but excluding the PM’s that required an upgrade for the local grid. The good news is the Office for Budget Responsibility […]

Hello – my tenant was served a section 21 and has now decided to defend it to gain time even though our grounds for serving the notice are to sell the property. We cannot remortgage because the rent is so low and the property has decreased in value and we cannot sell with the tenant […]

Thirty-nine of the country’s biggest housebuilders have signed up to the developer remediation contract – which will see the removal of dangerous cladding. The move will also bring relief for thousands of landlords, leaseholders and tenants as the developers have committed to fixing unsafe buildings they have developed or refurbished. The signatories represent a substantial […]

Generation Rent, the tenants’ activist group, says that plans for ‘Awaab’s Law’ to clamp down on poor living conditions in social housing should be extended to the private sector. The organisation says it has used Freedom of Information requests to ask 115 councils in England – representing 64% of the private tenant population – about […]

After the previous article published on Property 118 regarding Capital Allowances (LINK HERE), it has become apparent that many property owners are currently missing out on significant tax savings, by failing to claim capital allowances on embedded items within their commercial properties, which were purchased either before 2014 or within the last 2 years. This […]

Hello, Three weeks ago I instructed my managing agent to serve a Section 21 notice on my tenants. I have been emailed by my agent stating that the tenants have asked that no viewings go ahead until the move out date. The agent has emailed the tenants stating that their request is a breach of […]

Landlords and property investors will be watching Chancellor Jeremy Hunt to see what is in store for the private rented sector (PRS) in tomorrow’s Budget. Among those urging the Chancellor to help landlords is the National Residential Landlords’ Association (NRLA) which is calling for a tax review of how private rented housing is taxed. Its […]

Hello, My tenant has just sent me an email from Virgin Media asking for her to gain permission from the landlord to allow her to have internet set up at a flat. Virgin Media want me to sign a Wayleave Form. On the one hand its nice to be asked for a change – I’ve […]

Hello, does any one know the implications for myself and 4 fellow leaseholders of the freeholder of our lease being declared bankrupt and his affairs now being under administration by insolvency agents? Our buildings insurance is up for renewal in April. We have a management company, initially instructed by the freeholder, but they have not […]

As the cost-of-living crisis continues, it is causing a massive increase in people seeking bills included rental properties. In a study of Zoopla data, Money.co.uk has revealed the top 10 cities in England and Wales for bills included rentals. Areas in the UK with highest percentage of rental properties with bills included Preston was the […]

Two-thirds of tenants say they worry about the impact of rising interest rates on their rent – and whether they will have a home, a survey reveals. The findings from Finbri highlight another survey carried out by them revealed 53% of landlords are planning to raise rents if interest rates rise. And now 63% of […]

MPs have backed the National Residential Landlords Association’s Ben Beadle after the Guardian newspaper claimed he was ‘making up stories’ about a landlord exodus from the Private Rented Sector (PRS). In its report, the Guardian said Mr Beadle made the claim as part of a lobbying effort last September to change the tax rules for […]

A massive 72% of landlords believe the private rented sector is fit for purpose, according to a new survey. The findings from the Property Redress Scheme reveal that the main reasons for their satisfaction was that the private rented sector (PRS) provides a regular income, and the current regulations offer landlords protection. However, of the […]

Hi, I have an issue with a tenant who is refusing to leave after I served a section 21 notice. I am forced to sell as my mortgage has soared over £3,000 a month and rental income is only £1,600! I have sold the property at a massively reduced price for the same price I […]

One in five landlords (19%) feel negatively about their business and point to government interference, market uncertainty and negativity about landlords as the reasons why, a survey reveals. The findings from Landbay found that 46% of landlords remain positive about the future of their buy-to-let business and investments, while 35% are neutral. Of the landlords […]

Did you know, there are currently 15 countries where UK landlords can get a special visa to live for a year or more, pay no tax in those countries, and potentially benefit from significantly lower taxation in the UK? The above could be very appealing, especially if you can find a way to run your […]

I can’t say that I am surprised at the news that Labour Mayors, trade unions and rent activists are calling for a rent freeze – not on the grounds of saving tenants a few quid, but because landlords can afford it. The latest wheeze underlines my prediction that a rent freeze or a rent cap […]

Scotland’s moratorium on evictions has been branded as a ‘sham’ by critics after revelations that the number of tenants facing eviction is more than double the usual number. This week, the Scottish Government announced that a rent cap and a ban on evictions would remain until September. However, the number of eviction cases being listed […]