Page 426 – Property118

Shergroup Joins Property118 as a Sponsor

14th April 2021

Shergroup Limited is delighted to join Property118 as a sponsor in relation to Sheriffs, Bailiffs, and all things enforcement.  The invitation to join the Property118 community comes at a time when Sheriffs, Bailiffs, High Court Enforcement Officers, and High Court Enforcement Agents are going to be needed to manage the financial impact of the COVID […]

PM advertises prospective tenants with animals will be ‘considered’

13th April 2021

Dog loving Prime Minister, Boris Johnson, has advertised his Oxfordshire cottage for rent at £4,250 a month with the listing confirming prospective tenants with animals will be ‘considered’. It remains to be seen how ‘considered’ a pet-owning tenant will be in his £1.2 million Grade II-listed 4-bed family cottage. Although it has been specified as […]

Applications and criminal history questions?

13th April 2021

The NRLA’s sample tenant Application Form fails to ask any questions regarding criminal history. Why is this? I realise that any tenancy is based purely on affordability, but having tenants where the state pays the rent in its entirety, surely a Landlord can ask about criminal history and details of any unspent convictions etc? I […]

Unsatisfactory EICR is an absolute shower?

13th April 2021

The electrician who recently did an EICR for my property found the installation “Unsatisfactory”, one of the reasons being that the shower circuit (6mm twin and earth) is overrated with a 40A overcurrent device. In 2017 I had a new 18th edition consumer unit installed and that electrician provided a complete Domestic Electrical Installation Certificate […]

Business Asset Roll-over relief for residential BTL?

13th April 2021

Hi I am selling a property mainly due to the financial consequences of covid and like so many landlords we are classed as an ‘excluded’ group by the Gov’t so just have to take the financial hit. The property was my first investment property which I have improved significantly and let for over 10 yrs […]

Build costs for Apartment Block?

12th April 2021

I have just re-mortgaged my property and have taken out a substantial amount for investment and would like some advice about building apartment blocks from the ground up, please. I understand an architect is needed to draw detailed plans and the builder can give me a breakdown of all costs for labour and materials, but […]

Let your property to the Council for Emergency Accommodation?

12th April 2021

Interested to know if anyone lets their property to a Local Authority for use by them as Emergency Accommodation? One of the LA’s I deal with has no housing of their own and I have recently been made aware that a huge supplier they had has pulled out of providing the same as it couldn’t […]

New builds as a percentage of total market transactions

12th April 2021

StripeHomes, analysed the Land Registry Price Paid data records to see where the new-build sector was adding the most value to the national property market both in terms of the sum of new-build property sold, and as a percentage of total market values. 41,707 new-build transactions took place in 2020 across England as a whole, with […]

How much will it cost to solve my tax problem?

9th April 2021

My answer to this question is that a solution should save you money, not cost you money! Do you agree? Let’s look at this by way of an example: Just suppose that Mr & Mrs X discover that a complete overhaul of the ownership structure of their property rental business could save them £35,000 a […]

Rent controls make no sense with real terms costs falling in London

9th April 2021

Rent controls called for by Sadiq Khan would leave tenants across London worse off. Figures show that private rents have fallen every year in real terms throughout his time at City Hall and are now nearly 10% lower than five years ago when compared to the Retail Price Index. The analysis by the National Residential […]

Brentwood Council ‘Gatekeeping’ ordered onto the Naughty Step

9th April 2021

Brentwood Council ‘Gatekeeping’ have been found at fault by the Local Government Ombudsman for telling the tenant to remain in the property, after the court order, until the bailiffs evict them. The Landlord’s lost rent and bailiffs fees were ordered against the council, who must also issue ‘advice’ to their Housing Options staff, and go […]

Cladding Remediation: Cost of alternative accommodation?

8th April 2021

Sometime in the near future, the remediation of cladding issues will need to take place in several developments in which I own apartments. It is possible that complete external walls may have to be removed, such that my tenants would have to relocate for a period of time. I want to avoid having to foot […]

Smart Meter Installation – thoughts please?

8th April 2021

I had an email this morning from one of my tenants asking how I felt about granting permission for the installation of a smart meter. The tenant wasn’t concerned either way, but he was just reaching out to see how I felt about this. My initial thought was “fine by me”. However, I’d be interested […]

No confidence in legal advice from property experts?

8th April 2021

I own the freehold of a property consisting of two self-contained flats. I bought it at auction. There is no other title and there are no common areas in the property. I live in one flat and rent out the other. I have considered selling the property, but have been told that I couldn’t sell […]

Stuck with a student pod and no management company?

8th April 2021

I purchased our student pod in 2017, and it came with the on-site management company that offered a rental agreement stipulating that they would cover all the maintenance costs, would be in charge of letting the property out and would provide a regular fixed rental income on a quarterly basis. In October 2020, not only […]

Periodic tenancy estate agents fees response?

8th April 2021

After several years of paying renewal fees, and with the agreement of the tenant, I notified the agent that at the end of the fixed period we would be going down the statutory periodic tenancy route. THEIR RESPONSE: Terminate the contract following a successful letting of the property by us and the existing tenants remain […]

Staycations drive Holiday BTL choice

6th April 2021

The impact of the lockdown and lack of opportunity for international travel may well have incited consumers to consider staycations and, for those who are able to invest, a holiday let could seem appealing. The latest analysis by Moneyfacts.co.uk reveals a notable rise in the number of buy-to-let options for holiday let over the past […]

Ground Rent makes property an AST?

6th April 2021

I am selling a property with a lease of over 100 years Ground Rent of £175 pa with 10-year reviews related to inflation. My buyer has pointed that at some time in the future the GR will exceed £250 and the property will technically become an AST with rights of repossession by the freeholder if […]

Messaging app icons on a smartphone home screen relating to serving notices digitally

Lodger’s possessions abandoned in my property?

6th April 2021

I recently had to evict a lodger from my house. I gave them 28 days notice for causing a nuisance, but they did not leave, so I had to change the locks. Afterwards, I sent emails and Whatsapps to them explaining what had happened and that they had 2 weeks to collect their belongings. That […]

Returning expat CGT liability on selling main residence?

6th April 2021

Having lived in our main residence for three years my family relocated and moved abroad for my husband’s work. We are now back living in the UK and have been living in the previous main residence for the last twelve months. I was wondering what the CGT liability will be when we sell the house […]