The coronavirus pandemic has changed the way we live our lives drastically and perhaps affected the way we live at home the most. Everyone spent more time at home and it gave us time to think about what we like and dislike, about our spaces. With some travel restrictions in place and outdoor activities put […]

Residents and building owners are set to benefit from a new code of practice for professionals assessing buildings’ external walls and cladding systems. As part of reform of the building sector, the government has commissioned the British Standards Institution (BSI) to draft a new code of practice for assessors when examining external walls and cladding. […]

Has anyone got a simple, easy to understand, easy to use Privacy Policy and GDPR that just refers to the control of data in electronic and paper format by a single sole trading Landlord please? I am baffled by the templates that even the NRLA have drafted. The whole thing is confusing as heck to […]

I have been asked many times over the last 10 years why we decided to call our website Property118 There have been many wrong guesses, and I have to admit several of them have been absolutely fascinating, so I decided to do a bit more research. I’ve added below extracts from a completely unrelated website […]

I have an apartment in a block of flats where the buildings insurance is paid for as part of the management charges. My tenant has accidentally put a hole into the side of the bath and a replacement bath, wall tiling is required. Who is responsible for the cost of replacement? As this is a […]

Hi Guys – My sister and I were left our mothers house several months ago and my sister is refusing to sell the house or pay the utility bills and is living in the house by her own choice and without my permission. I am now receiving threatening letters from the gas and electricity company […]

I am looking at purchasing a Grade 2 listed property that has already been converted into flats. The ground floor flat is small (22 sq m) BUT does have access to a private courtyard, a separate shower room and a separate bedroom. 1. As it is not a new build where 37 sqm is the […]

Research by Benham and Reeves, has found that rental affordability across London has actually improved during the pandemic where the percentage of income required to cover rental outgoings is concerned. Benham and Reeves analysed the rent to income ratio prior to the pandemic and found that across London, 64.4% of the average net monthly earnings […]

In the last week, there have been a smattering of cases where judges have agreed with Shergroup’s interpretation of the law – and that is commercial landlords can go ahead and sue their tenants for rent arrears and other charges arising under a lease. We are pleased to see this as over the last 12 […]

Today I’m on the outskirts of London, vlogging my Serviced Accommodation Deep Dive with specialist Dave Goodfellow. In this video, Dave and I discuss the viability of serviced apartments with London Property and the required changes to my studios, to make this a successful investing strategy.

In this video interview, Chartered Accountant Andrew Roberts discusses recent and possible new changes to the tax system affecting UK Private Rented Sector landlords with Mark Alexander, founder of the Property118 Tax team. Learn more about the extra Stamp Duty now payable payable by UK property buyers who reside overseas, including British ex-pats and any […]

New plans supported by over £150 million in new government funding will make it easier and more affordable for people to build their own homes, the Housing Secretary Robert Jenrick has announced today. The ‘Help to Build’ scheme will ensure that self and custom home building can become a realistic option to get onto the […]

I’m about to start a battle with Rosinca Mortgages. Today I woke up and opened a letter from Rosinca, and  I am incandescent because they’re threatening to repossess me. My calm response to my distressed daughter was “Sweetie – let them bring it on”. Why should we innocent customers suffer? As far as I am […]

A theoretical question for a hypothetical tenant living in an HMO. Let’s assume the tenancy agreement was for one year, commencing on 1st January 2021 and ending on 31st December 2021. The landlord’s HMO licence is a five-year licence and expires on 1st July 2021 (midway through the tenancy). I understand this would be an […]

Mark Alexander’s latest video interview on Ranjan Bhattararya’s “Succeed IN Property” YouTube channel has just been released and you can watch it right here. If you’ve watched one of their previous video’s, chances are that you will have watched them all. They really are quite addictive, probably because the content is so incredibly insightful, well […]

A quarter of young people making Buy Now Pay Later repayments haven’t been able to pay for food, rent or bills as a result, Citizens Advice has found. New research from Citizens Advice shows 45% of 18 to 34 year olds in the UK have used Buy Now Pay Later in the last 12 months. […]

New Permitted Development Rights will take effect from the 1st of August 2021. Class MA New Permitted Development Rights offer Commercial Property Investors new opportunities to profit from the commercial to residential strategy. We’re talking Class MA, an absolute game changer!  Savvy property investors in the know will be able to profit massively. In this […]

Is it illegal to deduct mortgage interest on someone else’s mortgage, or have I been badly advised? An experienced and mature tax adviser suggested that my unmarried partner should gift me 1% ownership of her HMO into a bare trust, in order that I may legitimately deduct all the interest on the HMO’s mortgage with […]

I already have a rental property in the UK let to one tenant. I am now considering buying a property in the town where my son will be studying in Scotland so that he can live with a couple of his friends. I know that buying and renting out a property for multiple occupation in […]

I own two flats in a small block of four flats. There is a Managing Agent for the Freeholder. They don’t do anything, there is no cleaning of the communal areas, no window cleaning, no gardens to maintain etc. However, last year they suddenly started to charge ‘Service Charges’ of over £500 per flat. We […]

Research from property management specialists, Keller Williams UK, has found that the majority of leasehold homeowners consider service charges unfair, with a lack of transparency around how they are spent also a prominent issue. Along with ground rents, service charges will be paid by some leaseholders to cover the cost of maintaining the building in […]