Landlords and letting agents are increasingly asking for guarantors from renters who earn between £25,000 and £75,000, research reveals. RentTech firm Goodlord analysed 220,000 tenancies between January 2020 and June this year and found that there has been a steady rise in requests for renters to provide a guarantor. The firm says that 5.8% of […]

Hi, my tenants phoned an ambulance and waited about 7 hours and because no ambulance turned up they left the property and took one of the tenants to the hospital themselves. When they came back to the house they found the police broke down the door left it damaged and boarded the house up. Who […]

The average asking price of new listings fell by 0.2% (-£905) in June, to £371,907 – when the market normally sees a 0% change for this time of year, data suggests. According to Rightmove, the price drop reflects a move by sellers to attract buyers after recent interest rate hikes and the affordability challenges that […]

10’s if not 100’s of thousands of landlords still haven’t incorporated their rental property business or even taken specialist advice on the feasibility of doing so. We struggle to understand this given that we offer a service to consider feasibility for a fixed fee of just £400. Many are at least contemplating restructuring their rental […]

In simple terms, a “Mixed Partnership” is a business whose owners comprise both individuals (people) and companies. Sometimes they are marketed as Hybrid structures. The two commonly found versions of mixed Partnerships are LLP and ordinary mixed Partnerships. One of the main differences between the two is that LLP’s have limited liability status and are […]

Labour appears to be flirting with the idea of rent controls or capping rent rises and tightening up on the Decent Homes Standard under its Renters’ Charter. The issue has raised its head again recently but for me this charter is a charter for disaster. So, let’s consider what might happen to landlords in England […]

Renters are being warned that if they start looking for somewhere to rent this summer in London, they should be prepared for a busy and competitive season. That’s according to the latest data from estate agency Chestertons, which says that June saw a surge in rental activity. There were 19% more tenants making offers, and […]

Hello, together with a majority of leaseholders we went through freehold enfranchisement. There is a total of ten flats. We also created the RTM company which has operated for about 10 years. The RTM prepares an annual budget and notifies leaseholders of works and schedules of payment. All the leaseholders share this and have made […]

Hello, my property is a BTL residential freehold property. I have been approached by a business owner through an intermediary who is willing to rent the property on an AST. My property has a selective licence. The business owner will be renting the property but his staff will stay at the property. Am I allowed […]

Houses in Multiple Occupation (HMOs) in Wales have emerged as the highest yielding properties in Britain, a survey reveals. According to Paragon Bank, Welsh HMOs produce an average yield of 9.01%, generated from an average £29,100 rental income and an average £322,000 valuation. The BTL specialist says that Yorkshire & Humber is second with landlords […]

Despite what Shelter and tenant activist groups say, only a small minority (4%) of renters are evicted or asked to leave by their landlord. The English Housing Survey Private Rented Sector report for 2021-2022 reveals the majority of renters (77%) ended their last tenancy because they wanted to move NOT because of eviction. According to […]

The rental market is facing a serious imbalance as more tenants are looking for properties than landlords are offering. According to the latest RICS UK Residential Survey, there were 40% of respondents that reported an increase in tenant demand than a decrease in June. However, 36% of respondents reported a drop in landlord instructions than […]

Foreign homeowners have £84.2bn worth of property across England and Wales, according to a new report. Letting agents Benham and Reeves reveal that there are an estimated 280,021 homes currently registered with an overseas correspondence address or to an overseas company across England and Wales. London is home to the highest number of foreign-owned homes […]

The Bank of England (BoE) is warning that higher buy to let mortgage rates could see landlords sell up and leave the private rented sector – or push rents up for tenants. In its latest Financial Stability Report, the BoE says that the average increase in BTL mortgage repayments by the end of 2025 will […]

MPs are calling on the government to turn empty buildings into affordable homes. The group of MPs believe turning commercial properties into residential spaces can help solve the housing crisis. According to government figures, there are currently 250,000 empty homes across England. Empty council buildings could create 20,000 more homes The group of MPs who […]

Hello, to help raise my BTL EPC rating I had external insulation put on my 2-bed Victorian terrace house. The system consisted of pipework alterations followed by expanded polystyrene sheets (EPS) mechanically fixed to the walls. This was then encased in a cement-based render with a top coat of self-coloured render. I duly informed my […]

BTL mortgage arrears are rocketing for landlords in the private rented sector (PRS), while they are falling for homeowners, a new study reveals. The research from Octane Capital, a specialist property lender, analysed industry data on the proportion of mortgages that are behind on payments by 2.5% or more of the loan balance and compared […]

Hi, my lease ground rent has a six-monthly payment schedule, from which the leaseholder should send an invoice for the amount due. They have missed the last 2 invoices ( I haven’t received them via post) and, the first I heard about it was that the debt collection agency PDC issued a demand for the […]

Lettings agents are being urged to contact their MPs over the Renters (Reform) Bill since it appears that the upcoming Parliamentary recess means there is no time to debate it until the autumn. The call is being made by payment platform PayProp after fears that some issues that aren’t in the current Bill will be […]

Hello, I have a tenancy signed by two tenants as a joint tenancy. The tenancy is due to renew in Feb next year. Tenant A has verbally confirmed that she is leaving this month. Tenant B said she wants to stay and plans to renew the tenancy next year in Feb. Could anyone advise what […]

Latent Gains occur when the total liabilities of a property rental business exceed the total acquisition costs of the business, also known as ‘Base Costs’ for CGT calculation purposes. This is why it is so important for Accountants of property rental business owners to maintain an accurate balance sheet in addition to profit and loss […]