Lambeth Council is consulting on the introduction of Additional HMO licences – deadline 12th March. There seem to be quite a few conditions that I would think are unenforceable/unmanageable and would like to know your views please so that I can respond to them. It seems the council don’t know the difference between an HMO […]

A single lady tenant was given an AST in 2005 and many years later her daughter moves in. Although she never asked permission we are aware she now lives there with her mum. No issues at all with them. Rent all on time, in fact, model tenants, they look after garden etc treat the place […]

How the Government’s so-called protection for renters is damaging decent tenants’ prospects and leading to empty properties. Enquiry 1: Hi, I’m John and i work as a sales assistant in Bristol, I would probably want the tenancy to start within the next month and go on for as long as possible really, also I don’t […]

Sefton council has reached a new low in cynical entrapment in its relentless war against landlords. Like many councils waging war against landlords, they do this in the single-minded pursuit of raising revenue from Landlords’ investments and pensions. So here is how it happened, blow-by-blow: Michelle Ball, the owner of the Cresta Hotel in Southport, […]

The FCA has now confirmed that all LIBOR settings will either cease to be provided or no longer be representative: – Immediately after 31 December 2021, in the case of all sterling, euro, Swiss franc and Japanese yen settings, and the 1-week and 2-month US dollar settings – Immediately after 30 June 2023, in the […]

The February Halifax House Price index is 0.1% lower on a monthly basis against January, but in the latest quarter (December to February) house prices were 0.5% higher than in the preceding three months. House prices were 5.2% higher annually than in February last year with the latest UK average property value now £251,697. Russell […]

Hi, I am a landlord for one property, which was my old house. The tenant is refusing to leave with no rent for nearly a year, and we went to court on the 24th of February under a section 8. The tenant now says she’s never had a tenancy agreement (expired May 2019) and no […]

Unpicking reality from requirement: Is it acceptable that an EICR is signed off by the company the electrician works for, or should it be signed off by the electrician undertaking the EICR complete with their EICR Certificate registration number? Interestingly the NICEIC, Stroma and generic forms from the previous EICRs that I have vary in […]

Manchester City Council has quietly announced that they are making a proposal for Selective Licence Schemes in areas of Manchester. They hail that it will: Make more people want to live in the area – Make people want to stay in the area for longer – Cut the length of time houses are empty increasing […]

Hello incorporated landlords! I have had a request from a journalist at the Telegraph, Melissa Lawford, to find portfolio landlords (with profits of over £50k a year) who will be affected by the corporation tax rises in the Budget. If you can pass your details [email protected] Neil will forward them to me, and she will […]

There are too few houses for tenants to rent and even those available for first-time buyers are too expensive. It’s all Landlords fault, or so the government and everyone else jumping on the bandwagon would have you believe. Apparently, Landlords are buying up so many houses that it’s increasing the price and level of rents. […]

The tenants renting our top floor flat are insisting that they have a right to use the roof space as storage and unfortunately the AST does not refer to the roof space in any way. Please can I ask if anyone has any advice on how I could legitimately stop them from using the roof […]

Chancellor Rishi Sunak announces his 2021 Budget. This is a budget aimed at recovery and rebuilding the economy as we come out of the Covid-19 crisis. In this video below, I look specifically at what this budget means for property investors. Where are the opportunities? Where are the threats? And what property investors should do […]

Responding to the Budget, Ben Beadle, Chief Executive of the National Residential Landlords Association, said: “The Chancellor’s pledge to do whatever it takes to support those affected by the pandemic will ring hollow for thousands of tenants and landlords across the country. “The Government has admitted that private tenants have been hardest hit by the […]

Chancellor Rishi Sunak has given his 2021 pandemic recovery Budget with no immediate fiscal tax shocks, but the economy will look to be balanced in the medium term. Tax measures will include: The Stamp Duty Holiday nil rate threshold of £500,000 to be extended to 30th June 2021 and then decreased to £250,00 until the […]

I’m selling a house set up as an HMO, that hasn’t been rented out to anyone. It has a ‘single private dwelling house’ restrictive covenant. We are/were ready to exchange & complete. The buyer has had the HMO licence guaranteed by the council 14 days post-completion, and it was a term of his mortgage that […]

Hi Landlords I’m looking for advice on a DPS deposit claim, brief outline is the tenant has rented for 4 years the kitchen was new at the start of the tenancy property decorated throughout and new carpets. Apart from being untidy and lived in we have had no cause for concern on inspections, during the […]

Some of you may remember the letter I published, written by Spanish property-owner, Pilar Damian, who had her home squatted. Well, I can now update you on what happened next. Pilar used eviction specialists, led by Dani Esteve and got possession of her property about a month ago. Click here for the article. It is […]

In January 2021, Reigate and Banstead Council declared a property to be a House in Multiple Occupation and served a Section 255 Notice under The Housing Act 2004, against one property. The Council correctly advised the Landlord that any appeal against the HMO Declaration must be made through an application to the First-tier Tribunal and […]

I am taking over the management of a house. The upper floors have 4 flats. 1 flat has been refurbished and is let at Market Rent (£850 pm). Another is being refurbished and the remaining 2 flats have very long term tenants paying £400 per month. Can I legally require them to move around as […]

Finding a mortgage lender who lends to Limited Companies for properties in Northern Ireland has always been a tricky one.  With the limited amount of advertising lenders do for each of their lending criteria, it means that advisers/brokers need to be on the ball and find solutions for their clients even if it’s a simple […]