Some of the more onerous restrictions which were imposed on landlords in Scotland in the first dark days of the pandemic are about to be rescinded at the end of the month, and it might be assumed that this would be a good thing for the private rental sector. But will it? Or will the […]

I’d be extremely grateful for the benefit of your expertise regarding: (a) the interpretation/enforceability of what is either a poorly or craftily worded ground rent review clause in a 999-year lease on a flat (b) the remit of the expert surveyor in dispute resolution (eg can they simply ignore the formula in the lease for […]

One of our tenants is 2 months in arrears and we have served the appropriate notices. However, there is a guarantor in place for this tenant. My question is at what point can we look to the guarantor to cover the rental payment arrears? Do we however have to wait until we have a Court […]

I’ve had a couple of tenancy applications recently each involving a couple where they’ve requested the tenancy be taken out in one of their names only. It transpires that in each case, the person they want to leave off the tenancy has poor credit history which explains a lot. The other applicant on each respective […]

If you want to become a more successful property investor, you need to get really good at finding great deals in your investing area.  This is the most important skill you need to learn. Most people search online, go to estate agents, or attend property auctions looking for potential property deals. Whilst there is nothing […]

It’s a theme that’s becoming ever more common, if you were in any doubt, now is the time for us to sell up our portfolios, cash in and retire while the market is still high, and before the window closes. Many of us have hit our fifties and sixties and have been in the landlord […]

The EPC on a top floor flat has recently been downgraded from an F to a G with a score of just 19! The three suggestions for improving that score are : 1. Increase loft insulation to 270 mm at a cost of £100 to £350 (Score 24 i.e. F) 2. Internal or external wall […]

The annual rough sleeping statistics, published 24 February 2022, show that rates have fallen for a fourth year in a row with a 9% reduction in rough sleeping compared to last year. Numbers have fallen in every region of England, taking levels to an 8-year low overall. The number of people in emergency accommodation has […]

Research Rentd, has found that the earnings of the average tenant sit below the rental affordability threshold in five of the nation’s nine regions.   The research looked at the current average income of a tenant and how it compared to the average level of rental affordability based on the benchmark of two and half times […]

I recently started to rent out a room in my home. At first, the person seemed reasonable, but sadly I came home from work one night and found she was smoking cannabis at the entrance to my property. I share this main entrance with two other properties in my block. I spoke to her and […]

Chancellor Rishi Sunak has just presented his Spring Statement to Parliament, focussing on the cost of living crisis and its exacerbation by immediately falling into another crisis, supporting global economic sanctions against the war in Ukraine. The Chancellor’s policies to relieve the cost of global inflation to households included: The threshold for paying National Insurance […]

As most Property118 readers will be aware, properties where there are three or more occupiers forming more than one ‘household’ will be classed as an HMO.  Making landlords liable for extra regulation. Properties, where there are five or more occupiers forming more than one household, will be subject to mandatory licensing. Other HMOs or indeed […]

Hello, there, I’m looking for some advice, please. I own a flat in a block of 160 flats where the Freeholder owned the management company that dealt with the service charge, after a battle for many years we eventually got the RTM. We found out that the Freeholder owns quite a few flats within the […]

Here we go again…another Council rubbing their hands with glee looking forward to a windfall of £’M’s which will improve absolutely…. NOTHING, but just serve to increase rents further. Click here The fact that Shabrana Hussain, believes a private Landlord will be expected to ALSO address issues that are decreed in the licence ranging from […]

Hi, Does anyone have the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) address for returning overpaid rental income? I have seen a phone number advertised, but I would much rather write to them and then be able to transfer the overpayments via bacs bank transfer to ensure my repayment goes through and have a clear record […]

Fifteen businesses that had bought freeh­olds from housing developer Countryside have now given formal commitments, known as undertakings, to the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) to remove terms that cause ground rents to double in price. These terms, which kick in every 10 or 15 years, mean people often struggle to sell or obtain a […]

This has been a very widely commented on topic with Mick Roberts’s article, Can I really house the Ukrainian People? I want to, however….., so the latest government FAQs have been included below: Click here For sponsors: Anyone registering online on Homes for Ukraine will be kept updated. Our guidance will include information on the […]

We have owned a particular 2-bedroom apartment for around 8 years. In September 2021 we took on some new tenants via our letting agent. A couple of months into the tenancy, we started to have some issues with mould. We found that the tenants were not ventilating the property, they had closed the window vents […]

Interesting article stating that social housing providers are having to divert money put aside for essential property maintenance to adhere to safety reforms: Click here Have they forgotten about private landlords here too? This is going to cripple the private sector without adding in the fear of heavy fines and prosecution (for which SHP’s seem […]

If a tenant leaves the property in a mess that requires cleaning and walls repainted, can you charge them rent whilst you get the flat ready for the next tenants? The flat was redecorated and professionally cleaned before tenants moved in, and they’ve only been in the flat 1 year – contract says return flat […]

There’s no doubt that this year is shaping up to be a difficult one for landlords, with almost every news source reporting yet another issue for our buy-to-let portfolios, it’s hard to find the silver lining to continuing to own so many properties. It’s left many of us questioning: are the looming bills, regulations and […]