Page 414 – Property118

BTL Mortgage Rates fall as product choice continues to expand

15th July 2021

Buy to Let mortgage rates have been falling as product choice continues to expand with increased market competition from lenders. However, as we have all found in the current exceptional climate, there are no guarantees that rates will continue to fall, or for how long these record-low deals may be available. Therefore, it would be […]

Property Price vs Property Value

15th July 2021

In this video, I explain why Property Prices and property values are different terminologies and why understanding the distinction between the two is so important. You’re also probably wondering what Ed Sheeran has to do with all of this. Take a watch and find out:

Universal credit repayment claim?

15th July 2021

I would be most grateful for any advice because Universal Credit are claiming back the last month’s rent for a tenant who was still residing in the property. It appears she has taken the tenancy of a social housing property and has given this information to UC. We received the last payment on Friday 2nd […]

Can I insist on Shower rather than a bath?

15th July 2021

I am buying a 2-bed house off-plan, which specifies that there will be a bath with an overhead shower in the bathroom (there is no en-suite). I plan to rent the house out for a couple of years and then sell another property to enable me to then use this one as my holiday home […]

Agency finding secure homes for families in temporary accommodation?

15th July 2021

I am considering renting my London property to an agency that ‘finds secure homes for councils in London, so families can move out of temporary accommodation or avoid becoming homeless.’ They seem to pay LHA (£1067 per month for my one-bedroom flat) rates which are slightly higher than private-sector market rates (£1025 per month) plus […]

PRS rents falling in real terms

15th July 2021

Rents paid by private tenants across the UK are falling in real terms according to official data published today. The figures from the Office for National Statistics show that private rents rose by 1.2% in the 12 months to June of this year. This increase remains well below all measurements of inflation with the smallest […]

Rogue Agent offering guaranteed rent exposed on – Evicted! Nightmare Tenants

14th July 2021

This week, on Channel 5’s ‘Evicted! Nightmare Tenants, Slum Landlords’ [Thursday 15 July, 10pm] I expose a rogue letting agent offering “guaranteed rent” and confront the agent at his office in Walthamstow. Landlords Suketu and Minesha Patel own a three-bedroom property in East London. They used a local letting agent to manage their property and signed […]

Loan to Values Increased on Buy to let Mortgages

11th July 2021

The choice of products in the Buy-to-Let market is increasing for landlords, property investors and when purchasing in a Limited Company. These latest BTL mortgages include deals with no product fees, deals with free/refunded legal fees, deals with free/refunded valuation fees and cashback deals. I have included an interesting selection of current Limited Company Rates: […]

Is the lack of building security doors an issue?

11th July 2021

Hi, I have purchased an apartment in a development by Fortis Group and is now being managed by Xenia Estates. Both main entrance doors to the building don’t have an automatic closing mechanism installed, and the door frames are jammed. This means anyone can gain unauthorised access to the building 24/7. This has been the […]

Ground Rent increase, Charges Register and fly-tipping?

10th July 2021

Question 1 – I look after a property (as agent for a family member-owner) and land to which attached, is a privately-owned flat. The deeds for this owned flat state that the lease is for 999 years from 1986 and rent is stated simply as ‘£10 rising as therein mentioned’ . There is no further […]

Have I been scammed into Leasehold?

9th July 2021

I have just purchased a house from an auction and the legal pack said the house was Freehold, even Land Registry right now says the house is Freehold However, only one day before the auction, the auctioneers put a document in the legal pack saying it has a 999 years Leasehold. How can I solve […]

Property expert warns landlords rushing Section 21 evictions before ban

To Self or not to Self-manage – The consequences of getting it wrong

9th July 2021

I have spent many years presenting seminars, tutorials and more recently online webinars about the Buy to Let business, but one of the most common questions I’m asked is ‘should I self-manage or not. I now have an online course aimed at the more inexperienced landlords who are unsure if they have the knowledge to […]

Who can I remortgage regulated tenancy with?

9th July 2021

Hi, I am interested in buying a regulated tenancy property that has had the same tenant since 1975. I am looking to take out a Buy to Let with a much higher interest rate to do this. However, what I would really need to know is if there are lenders out there that would entertain […]

elegraph logo used in rebuttal to article on landlord tax structures

Have you paid a problem tenant to leave?

8th July 2021

My name’s Melissa Lawford and I’m the property correspondent at The Telegraph. We’re running a story on a report which says that some landlords who are worried about the slow and restrictive eviction process have tried to pay problem tenants to leave their properties. I’m keen to talk to landlords who are in this situation […]

83% of PRS tenants are happy with their homes

8th July 2021

Figures from the English Housing Survey for 2019/20 report that 83% of private renters were satisfied with their current accommodation, a figure that has remained constant over the past 10 years. In comparison, the proportion of social renters satisfied with their accommodation stands at 78%, having fallen from 81% in 2018/19. The survey reports also […]

Are you a property voyeur?

8th July 2021

Research by viewings platform, U-See Homes, has indicated half of UK homebuyers admit to being virtual property voyeurs, viewing a property online without the intention of buying, with 16% going as far as viewing in person. However, more than half of homebuyers (51%) have taken this virtual viewing voyeurism one step further, opting to view […]

Average UK rent breaks £1000 barrier for the first time

8th July 2021

The HomeLet rental index for June is reporting the average rent in the UK is now at a record high of £1,007 pcm, up 5.9% on the same time last year, and up 9% on June 2019. Despite adversity, the London rental market has seen the first price increase for over a year, up 1.5% […]

RICS hopes Building Safety Bill is a step change

8th July 2021

RICS responded to the publication of the amended Building Safety Bill for England saying the Government’s proposals, alongside the publication of the Fire Safety Act earlier this year, should ensure that this country never allows a tragedy like Grenfell to occur again. RICS hopes that these new measures, described as a once in a generation […]

Sales (demand) still outstripping new stock (supply)

7th July 2021

As the stamp duty holiday price threshold drops in England, Northern Ireland and Wales, housing market demand remains above pre-pandemic levels and a record sale to stock ratio for agents has contributed to the 13.4% annual house price increase in June, the highest level since November 2004. Nicky Stevenson, MD of Fine & Country UK […]

Average house price inflation cools 0.5% as Stamp Duty holiday incentive eases

7th July 2021

The latest Halifax House Price Index reports annual price inflation of 8.8% compared to 9.6% in May and the average UK property price now stands at £260,358. Regions and nations house prices: Whilst the two Midlands regions and Greater London saw slightly slower annual price gains compared to May, all the other regions and nations […]