The Levelling Up, Housing and Communities select committee is launching a probe into the Renters Reform White Paper and is asking for evidence to answer a list of questions they consider unanswered. The closing date for submissions is 19 August 2022. Click here The select committee inquiry is seeking answers to the following questions: Will […]

It is so important at the moment to keep up to date with the Property Market. On Wednesday 3rd August at 6 pm, the property investors network will be running their Virtual August National pin Meeting. There are three amazing speakers, and you will get the chance to network in breakout rooms with investors from […]

There is a gulf between the amount that landlords are willing to pay to meet proposed new EPC requirements and what it is actually likely to cost. A survey of landlords carried out on behalf of Paragon Bank has found that 77% of landlords are willing to spend up to £3,000 to upgrade each property […]

Has anyone had experience dealing with Legal Cover? I was sold the add-on extra as ‘if you need to evict a tenant then we will sort everything for you’. In reality, the insurance has wriggled out of perusing my claim by evaluating that there isn’t a more than 51% chance of winning the eviction. The […]

We are a block of eight Leasehold apartments. The Freeholder has always chosen the Managing Agent, changing every three years. Each agent has been a big blue chip agent and each has delegated the management to junior staff. Each has failed to enforce the no sharing / short letting rule resulting in vandalised common parts […]

Hindsight can be a wonderful thing, can’t it? When you look back at a smart decision you made and see how well it’s worked out for you. But it can also be painful when you look back at a decision that you regret and hasn’t worked out well at all. Hindsight is even better when […]

Handelsbanken has conducted new research among a small but niche panel of 120 professional landlords managing a total of 829 properties in the UK on their outlook for the industry, the challenges they faced during the pandemic, the impact of new EPC legislation on their portfolio and their succession plans. Click here for the full […]

Looking through the thousands of posts on this forum, you quickly get the impression that landlords are wicked scoundrels and tenants complain about them constantly. It’s the same in my world of block management. Long leaseholders complain about high service charges, a lack of timely repairs, soaring insurance premiums and managing agents who charge but […]

Help, after being four months in arrears the mother LEFT her 13-year-old daughter with three nasty dogs in our two-bedroomed flat and moved in with her boyfriend. (the lease was 12 months and ran out a few months ago) We were reported to the council because the daughter “got a shock from the electric supply”,  […]

Andrew Bailey, Bank of England Governor, gave a speech yesterday at the Mansion House Financial and Professional Services Dinner. Although he did not and could not give an indication of what the Monetary Policy Committee’s decision would be for the next Bank Base Rate vote on the 4th of August, he was preparing the way […]

Some fixed savings rates have more than doubled in the last year, but inflation continues to outpace cash interest returns. Moneyfacts.co.uk reveals the top rate deals available for liquid funds if you have to park any deposits. The Consumer Price Index (CPI) rose to 9.4% during June, from 9.1% in May. Unsurprisingly, there is not […]

Yesterday the UK saw record high temperatures, but it’s not just the weather settings records. House prices rose 14% in the year to June. The highest rate since 2004. House prices rose month-to-month 1.8% in June. The steepest monthly increase since 2007. All amid a threat of recession, political turmoil, war, and a once-in-a-generation cost […]

With the Renters’ Reform white paper making residential buy-to-lets less attractive, is it time to look at snapping up a country cottage holiday let? It may be, but be careful, warns Richard Reed. We’ve all probably dreamed of owning a cosy country cottage in an idyllic part of the country, let out for chunks of […]

Has anyone released their property to or entered into short-term lease arrangements with a managing agent who then goes on to organise the accommodation and support services for Exempt providers in the Birmingham area? Are you an Agent that provides properties for this purpose? I am keen to determine if the same Agents also take […]

Hi, Could I please ask for a specialist opinion? I have had a claim made on my Rent Guarantee Insurance. When I am now quoting for my Landlord Insurance (building only) I am asked about claims in the last 5 years. Different websites formulate the question in different ways. Mostly, it sounds as: “Have any […]

Hi everyone, A friend of mine who owns a small portfolio of let houses like me has asked me if I know anything about Reposit. As far as I can glean, this company instead of taking a deposit charges an extra week’s rent which is used to buy an insurance policy. Have any readers had […]

Structuring to protect your family’s Inheritance is crucial in your property business. Make sure you don’t lose 40p to HMRC for every pound you leave behind! In this video, I’m joined once again by Alex Norian, the tax specialist, from Property118 to discuss how smart company structures can be used to protect your family’s legacy.

Hi, I have several flats in conversions in two-storey buildings. Yes converted pre 1991 Building Act. On viewing properties to buy I notice several now have a wired fire alarm and emergency lighting to the common parts. However, in my opinion, as an experienced architect and chartered surveyor (retired) where the staircases/escape routes are very […]

We rent a recently refurbished a terraced cottage with upstairs windows at the back of the property opening outwards onto a neighbour’s shared courtyard. The neighbour who shares the courtyard with others has requested we either replace our windows with sash-opening windows or request our tenant keep the windows closed to prevent the windows from […]

When I tell people I’m the managing director of a property investment franchise specialising in HMOs, I’m often met with scepticism. Scummy, rogue landlords profiteering off younger generations, robbing them of an opportunity to buy their own home. Landlords are bad, greedy people, tenants are anti-social, destructive and will never pay… or at least that’s […]

The owner of a flat in a development where I also own a property has not paid any fees or ground rent for at least four years and current arrears are approaching £5000. I understand the flat, which was inherited by the current owner at that time, is in a poor state of repair and […]