Hi, There is a block of 12 residential flats in a small town in West Sussex. They had Ninety-Nine-year leases granted in 1979 with a ground rent of £15 pa, increased in 2009 to £30 pa with another increase in 2039 to £60 pa until the expiry of leases in 2078. 5 of the 12 […]

Research published by the National Residential Landlords Association (NRLA) highlights the rent arrears crisis which affected the Welsh private rented sector throughout the first half of 2021. The research findings, which are based on extensive surveys of English and Welsh landlords conducted by research consultancy BVA/BDRC in the first two quarters of 2021, suggests that […]

The government job retention scheme, better known as furlough, is due to end 30th September 2021. Whether you are in the bar and restaurant industry, travel, leisure or events, your industries have been hit hard by the pandemic. If you have been furloughed, what does this mean for your mortgage? Lenders want to reduce any […]

To ease the pressure on the NHS the Government is increasing National Insurance by 1.25%, which means that your contribution will actually increase by more than 10%. But how will you find the funds to pay for this? Recent research shows that more than a quarter of homeowners are currently on their lenders highest possible […]

Shelter are claiming that 45% of private tenants in England are victims of some form of illegal behaviour carried out by their landlord or letting agent. Research carried out on Shelter’s behalf by YouGov surveying 3,5000 PRS tenants reported 25% of tenants suffered landlords or letting agents entering a property without permission. The YouGov survey […]

My last tenant has vacated my property, which I now plan to sell off as soon as possible. The Gas Safety Certificate has expired today, and I am wondering if I get a new certificate would it make the property more attractive to any potential buyer and or investor rather than leaving it to the […]

A study by Horticulture.co.uk has indicated that over the last 5 years, cases of Japanese Knotweed have increased by a national average of 27.91%. They have also produced an interactive map searchable by postcode to show  live and resolved cases by area: Click here A YouGov survey of homeowners in July last year suggested 80% […]

There are funds available to LA’s to provide accommodation to Afghani refugees, but they have no properties of their own to offer. Many Social Housing providers (that the LA’s have no choice but to use) have said that incoming Afghans will NOT be treated as a priority over and above the already never-ending list of […]

An estate agent has refused to pay me half of the holding deposit of tenants who withdrew on the point of signing. Does he have the right to hold onto their full holding deposit? When this has happened before, other estate agents have always split it in half with me. Is it solely within the […]

My wife and I are looking to buy a larger more expensive home and let the one we currently live in. Barclays have offered us some great interest rates because we have a large deposit for the new property and a lot of equity in the existing one, which they will give us a Buy […]

It’s a painful time for Property Landlords, as many Landlords face a massive, painful property tax bill. Are you one of these Landlords? Well, here’s what you can do about it by incorporating your portfolio. Today I’m joined by Mark Alexander from Property 118 for an end of Summer update as we discuss all things […]

After having gained planning permission we recently carried out a renovation of a large house into a 7 bedroom HMO with all the rooms benefitting from their own en-suite, but still having to share kitchen and lounge facilities, and all services of electric, heating and Wi-fi included in the all-inclusive rent. When the rating officer […]

I’m hoping someone can point us in the right direction as Rent Smart Wales, NRLA or the council have been unable to help. We have a building in 3 flats, the top floor is rented to a tenant who has been there for about 18 months. On starting to refurbish the middle floor flat, we […]

Finding the solution to your Landlord Tax problem by reading the HMRC manuals can be a bit like finding a needle in a haystack and then threading that needle. You might seek advice from your Accountants, but most are General Practitioners in Tax. Even if your Accountants only deal with landlords, the chances of them […]

Tenant demand for homes to rent accelerated in August, with a net balance of +66% reporting a pick-up in enquires (up from the +58% in the previous month). However, a continuing decline in landlord instructions fuelled expectations among survey respondents (net balance of +64%) that rents will go up over the next three months given […]

I purchased a property with a sitting tenant. The vendor (previous landlord) set up an escrow account as insurance against rent arrears. For various reasons I decided to give the tenant the benefit of the doubt as I was aware of some issues that were in the process of being resolved. The tenant is now […]

Tory MP Andrew Rosindell sent a letter backed by Labour’s Andrew Gwynne, Green MP Caroline Lucas and Lib Dem leader Ed Davey to the Housing Secretary asking for the Tenants fees act Legislation to be amended and reduce unnecessarily obstacles to renters owning pets. Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government Minister Eddie Hughes confirmed […]

Hello, I used to use TenantReferencing.co.uk and was very happy with their application form and their 9-point checks. They left the market some time ago, and I still haven’t found a suitable replacement thorough referencing company. Paying for a link to be sent to a prospective tenant before I’ve assessed an application doesn’t work for […]

The latest Halifax House Price Index is reporting year-on-year inflation cooling slightly to 7.1% with monthly increases in August of 0.7% and the average house price in the UK now standing at £262,954. Russell Galley, Managing Director, Halifax, said: “Average house prices climbed again in August, with the cost of a property increasing by 0.7% […]

Hi, I am sure many landlords are probably in the same situation as myself, and I am looking to now sell a rental property. I know I have to give 4 months notice, but can I still get the property on the market before the tenant’s notice expires, and they vacate? Does my tenant have […]

Hi, I want to purchase a flat for cash, for my two boys (aged 15 & 13yrs). The income will take care of any maintenance and service charges as well, and the balance contributing to their ISA’s. It also gives them a place to live sometime in the future should they want to live in […]