I have a small one-bedroom upstairs flat (maisonette) which has a garden. I gave a six-month tenancy to a couple back in March. I normally specify clearly on the advert no pets as the flat isn’t suitable for pets, but didn’t this time around as I recalled reading that you cannot ban pets or children. […]

The new £50 note will start to become available in bank branches and at ATM’s in the coming days and weeks. The 30th September 2022 will be the last day you can use Bank of England paper £20 and £50 notes. After 30 September 2022, these paper notes will no longer be legal tender, so […]

Series six of Channel 5’s ‘Evicted! Nightmare Tenants’ (previously called Nightmare Tenants Slum Landlords) will return today [24 June] at the later time of 10pm, after a pause following the first episode which aired back in February. The series, filmed prior to COVID-19 restrictions, follows the frontline work of letting agents, eviction specialists and lawyers […]

The Right to rent ‘Landlord’s Guidance’ has been updated to reflect the change in legislation due to come into force on the 1st July 2021. The legislation will change the way landlords carry out right to rent checks on EEA citizens. The updated guidance is available on GOV.UK: Click here. Where checks are carried out […]

We moved from our main home in late 2019 to a new home, so we paid an additional 3% stamp duty for our new home, and we have rented out our previous home since then. Recently we have sold our previous home to a Limited company (we are the directors of the company, but the […]

You couldn’t make this up. The neighbour to one of my houses I’ve owned 22 years asked Nottingham Council to maintain their trees close to his house. Nottingham Council said Not our trees, they’re that Landlord Mr Roberts. I of course said Not mine, they’re the Council’s. Nottm Council went to Notts Council, and they […]

Hi, We are approaching the end of the Stamp duty holiday up to 500K and I have a property that is legally ready to exchange.  However, we are having an issue on the approach to exchange and completion. My challenge is that in case this moves to July, I won’t be doing it because of […]

As the rules came in, we all obviously had to have EICR’s done on all of our properties. Unfortunately, one of my properties failed its EICR. It was issued with a ‘Fail’ EICR … for context, the house was built in the early 1970’s and predictably needed a new consumer unit and a couple of […]

Hello, Can anyone advise the best course of action for me to take in this situation? I received a message from a tenant in arrears, and we are currently taking her to court for eviction. The message I received said: “I’ve been in hospital on morphine. I’ve been advised to stay till I get the […]

Hello, Could anyone help please, I have recently taken advantage of the excellent tax planning structure offered by Property118. I have started to remortgage some of my properties in the new structure, however, some of the conveyancing fees being charged seem on the high side. Would anyone have a recommendation for a reasonably priced and […]

Bailiffs arrive at Last! SO after serving notice for non-payment of rent on 1st November 2019 (Long before Covid-19 was even invented) and after a full year of waiting, a court date was finally set for 18 March 2021, at which the judge ruled for an eviction two weeks later on 1st April 2021 (AND […]

There are several ways to split rental income for tax planning purposes, the two most popular being a Declaration of Trust or one of many form of Partnership. The concept is to transfer rental profits to a lower rate tax-payer. For example, one spouse may pay tax at a higher rate than the other. This […]

Solutions for landlords with a Section 24 tax problem. First though, let’s take a look at what Section 24 tax is and why it’s so unfair. The following Case Study explains why so many property rental business owners are considering incorporation, by comparing the tax position of a private landlord vs that of a private […]

I have held the lease on my first floor flat for the past 21 years, extending it in 2013. The Freeholder owns and lets out the ground floor flat. I have struggled with the Freeholders approach to managing my Lease. Standing charges include a peppercorn rent, £100 paid toward the Maintenance Fund and 50% of […]

Hello, I have completed on the purchase of a property with the existing tenants still resident. Their first year is up next month, and they signed another 1 year AST some months back (they are students). Should l ask them to sign a new contract as the old one is in the past owner’s name […]

The NRLA is accusing the Chancellor of making landlords the scapegoats for the Covid-19 rent debt crisis as he turns his back on the support the sector needs. A new report published by the National Residential Landlords Association outlines the toll that COVID-19 has taken on the private rented sector. It warns that without financial […]

Businesses that have had to remain closed during the pandemic and are unable to pay rent on their commercial property will continue to be protected from eviction, giving them the breathing space they need and helping to protect jobs, the government has announced 16 June 2021. In order to give places such as nightclubs and […]

The latest house price data published on GOV.UK by HM Land Registry for April 2021 show that average house prices in the UK increased by 8.9% in the year to April 2021, down from 9.9% in the year to March 2021. Because of the impact of the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic on both the number and […]

An HMO licence application was submitted on 29th May 2020 on behalf of our landlord client and the 1st instalment of the licencing fee – £750 was paid. On 5th January 2021, the tenants surrendered their tenancy and returned keys. To deal with the unwelcome void period, the landlord decided to let for a period […]

A few days before the 1st June 2021 in preparation for S21 notice, I rang the NRLA regarding Form 6A and the new 4 months’ notice. I downloaded the form as per their advice from the govt web site. Filled it in ready with all relevant paperwork and I served the notice very early in […]

My tenant friend and work colleague fell and died on his Landlord’s Stairs. This is the letter that I propose sending to the local council. “During the Christmas week of 2020, T fell down the exterior iron stairs at Flat 35b **********, which gives access to a number of bedsits (usually termed as HMOs). He […]