Buy-to-Let Newbie financing question?

27th July 2022

Hi all, I have a question related to starting a small property business. I own a 50% share of a house in the UK which is worth roughly £200,000. This house is currently being rented out and I receive 50% of the income per calendar month. I am hoping to purchase another house in the […]

Renters Reform Bill a ‘hand grenade’ for student let sector

26th July 2022

The controversial Renters Reform Bill could destroy the student-let sector. The ban on fixed-term tenancies will mean landlords can no longer guarantee spaces to new students at the start of the next academic year. Richard Reed reports. Fixed-term lets have been the norm for university students for decades. They move out at the end of […]

40% of PRS is likely to fall short of proposed minimum EPC reqiurements

25th July 2022

Propertymark has analysed data from the latest English Housing Survey and is warning the market that 40% of the English PRS are likely to fall short of EPC rating targets currently proposed to come into force later this decade. The forecast by Propertymark is predicting, based on the number of PRS properties with an EPC […]

Cladding repairs needed to remortgage?

25th July 2022

Has any leaseholder, coming to the end of their mortgage term, been able to re-mortgage with a B2 defective fire risk assessment applied to their building? Further, the landlord is still holding out ‘waiting’ for Government clarification as to who will pick up the bill on a building over 11m tall, but also over 30 […]

Have your say on the Renters Reform White Paper

22nd July 2022

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 […]

Keep yourself up to date at the next Virtual National pin Meeting

22nd July 2022

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 […]

Cost of EPC improvements exceed landlord pain thresholds

22nd July 2022

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 […]

Legal Cover – What cover?

22nd July 2022

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 […]

Service Charge Dispute – Multiple Managing Agents?

22nd July 2022

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 […]

Don’t look back in anger

22nd July 2022

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 […]

Portfolio landlords research by Handelsbanken

21st July 2022

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 […]

Tenants complain but won’t take action?

21st July 2022

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 […]

Mother left 13 year old daughter and three dogs?

21st July 2022

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”,  […]

Bank of England Governor prepares us for possibility of 0.5% base rate increase

20th July 2022

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 […]

Unsurprisingly not one standard savings account that can outpace inflation

20th July 2022

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 […]

House prices feeling the heat – Emergency Recession Webinar

19th July 2022

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 […]

Holiday lets – the dream solution?

19th July 2022

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 […]

Exempt accommodation providers – who are their agents?

19th July 2022

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 […]

Claims history declaration on rent guarantee insurance?

19th July 2022

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 […]

A laptop showing stacked coins

Charging an extra week’s rent to buy deposit insurance?

19th July 2022

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 […]