Tenant just contacted me to say his younger brother is moving in for ‘a couple of months’ as his parents (whom he lives with) are being evicted and my tenant wants to give him some stability while the parents are in temp accommodation. How do I approach this? While I understand the position, this is […]

The news is currently full of talk about recession. In fact, it feels like we are talking ourselves into a recession. If we do go into a recession, what will this mean for you and your property investing? This is VERY important for you because the next 24 months could literally be make or break. […]

The latest Propertymark PRS report indicates properties available per branch are remaining static at 10, but demand from tenants is continuing to increase. In May there was an average of 113 new applicants registered per member branch. 79% of agents reported a rise in rental prices and the average void period between tenancies has dropped […]

Hi Everyone, I bought a dormer bungalow and an indemnity policy for a rear loft conversion (large single, box room & shower room) that received planning permission in 1981 but for which there is no Building Regulations Approval. The full survey detailed a slight slope in the floor of the corner bedroom of the loft […]

In 2009 my son-in-law got into financial difficulty and I repaid all debts and the mortgage on their property and took ownership of their home allowing them to remain in the property rent-free. At the time I paid 209k for this property. I now wish to get the property out of my estate and gift […]

Hi Everyone, I’ve just read in ‘The Daily Mail and The Telegraph’, that Gove (in all his wisdom!), is now proposing banning Landlords from using short-term holiday let web portals such as Airbnb. He is also considering implementing the minimum term for holiday lets to be 90 days or over! The Daily Mail “The amendment […]

With inflation at a 40-year high, interest rates are at a 13-year high with more increases predicted, and higher tax bills it’s getting tougher for landlords with mortgages to make an annual profit on their rental income. For many landlords, this leaves them in an asset-rich, cash flow poor situation when running and repair costs […]

Backed by £150 million of government funding, Help to Build will enable people to overcome prohibitive mortgage costs to build a home that is tailored to their needs and in a community of their choice, with just a 5% deposit towards land and building costs. Help to Build will open for applications on Monday, making […]

Over the past few weeks, I’ve been working on a petition to get RoPA actually implemented. After a bit of effort, it’s now live and ready for you to sign. It says … “Regulation of Property Agents has been requested by industry bodies for many years – and a Government working party investigated and reported […]

Hi Everyone, Has anyone received any information/feedback regarding what mortgage and Rental Guarantee Insurance (RGI) companies’ thoughts are with regards to the proposed new legislation, The Renters’ Reform Bill? I expect RGI insurance premiums will skyrocket and will certainly not cover ‘benefit tenants’ (as it currently does not). I also foresee mortgagees starting to leave […]

Hi everyone, I sent out a Section 8 notice (ground 1) on Monday 20th June using a tracked courier that does not require a signature on delivery. I was hoping it would have arrived yesterday or today. Unfortunately, it hasn’t arrived yet and will most likely arrive tomorrow, 23rd June. In the notice, I wrote […]

Along with my own portfolio, I look after a single property owned by my elderly mother. It is the last one of my late father’s portfolio, the others having been sold some years ago as they became vacant. This one, the tenant has been in for 25+ years on an AST. Occasional rent increases have […]

The Bank of England is giving you 100 days to use all your old paper Nifty Fifty £50 and £20 notes stashed away. Not that they will probably buy you a coffee at this rate of inflation by next year. After the 30th of September 2022 paper £20 and £50 banknotes will no longer be […]

The Homes for Ukraine scheme will allow children and minors under the age of 18 who have already applied through the Homes for Ukraine Scheme to come to the UK without a parent or guardian. After working closely with the Ukraine government, the changes will enable a child to apply for a visa if they […]

The long-awaited Government White Paper, ‘A Fairer Private Rented Sector’, has finally been released which, amongst other significant changes to the sector, confirms the abolition of Section 21 and starts to map out the future of evictions. Moving forward, landlords will always need to provide a reason for ending a tenancy, such as wishing to […]

The Government’s White Paper “A Fairer Private Rented Sector” sets out proposals to allow tenants in private rented properties to keep pets. As always, the devil will be in the detail but things do not look hopeful for landlords trying to protect the value of their property. The White Paper includes the following statements: [W]e […]

I lose a lot of time (especially being an HMO landlord) with referencing tenants. Both referencing companies and tenants seem to expect all this to be done for free! It costs landlords time and money, checking when the tenancy started, filling out the forms, and another interruption/job to do on top of all the others. […]

“We have had enough of experts” has become the mantra for poor policy decisions and the modus operandi for governments focused on ideology and process rather than well-informed and well-developed policy delivery, the outcome of which is measured against clear targets. The result is a slap-dash approach, repeated time and again by politicians who seem […]

New research has revealed the customer behaviours that tradespeople find most annoying, and being watched while they work tops the list. The study, conducted by IronmongeryDirect found that more than two in five (41%) tradespeople find it irritating when clients won’t leave them alone while working. Being constantly asked how they’re getting on is another […]

Our Hon. Legal Counsel, Mark Smith, Head of Chambers at Cotswold Barristers, will be presenting in person an overview of several landlord tax strategies at the pin Luton meeting Tuesday 28th June. The Luton pin Meeting has returned to its physical venue The Holiday Inn London-Luton Airport, Airport Way, Luton, LU2 9LF Hosted by James […]

The latest inflation figures released today by the Office of National Statistics indicate the Consumer Prices Index (CPI) rose by 9.1% in the 12 months to May 2022, up from 9.0% in April and monthly CPI increased by 0.7% in May 2022, compared with a rise of 0.6% in May 2021. Fortunately compared to the […]