The majority of private landlords helping tenants out during the pandemic by cutting their rent absorbed the losses from their savings according to new research. The research conducted by BVA/BDRC for the National Residential Landlords Association shows that sixty-one per cent of those landlords who, in the second quarter of the year, had offered at […]

Bonfire Night, with its accompanying fireworks display, continues to be one of the most widely-celebrated events in the calendar. Towns and cities, small and large, will be hosting public displays throughout the country, but with COVID-19 still a concern for some, more people than ever are expected to host their own celebrations at home. However, […]

There’s no doubt that house prices right now are not just high, they’re sky-high. Experts and Associations have agreed that, unlike previous property market highs, this year we’re experiencing a bumper rise. But what are the effects of this on landlords? And why are so many landlords keen to act before the year ends? The […]

I need to get possession of a flat from paying a tenant with whom I’m on good terms and rather than go to court to evict them, I think the money would be better spent making a cash offer to the tenant to vacate. I would rather the tenant got the money after vacating than […]

Hi, I wondered if you could help my wife. She has a commercial property with 2 x 2-bed flats above. She found out in August that a tenant from one of the flats had decided to store a flatbed truck and a small van in the backyard belonging to her, (these vehicles appear to have […]

The Doves in the Bank of England’s Monetary Policy Committee (MPC) voted by a majority of 7-2 to not increase the Bank Base Rate in the face of current inflationary pressures. They also voted not to alter the current Quantitative Easing program and maintain the level of monetary stimulus. This can only be a signal […]

Nightmare tenant evicted and finally gone last week. She’s tried every legal trick in the book to get the council to re-house her (she moved into the small house with her partner and very quickly produced three children) and is playing every single legal card she can try to get the council to re-house her […]

I own my property along with my mother and brother as Tenants in Common. I currently live in the property and so does my mum. In 2019, I allowed a family relative to move into the property, my mother and brother also agreed to this. At the time, since we were family, I only gave […]

The Nationwide House Price Index has just been released for October with the average property price breaking the quarter of a million barrier for the first time at £250,311. Annual house price growth remained high at 9.9%  and prices were up 0.7% month-on-month. Robert Gardner, Nationwide’s Chief Economist, said: “Annual house price growth remained elevated […]

Date of announcement: 03/11/2021 NOTE: The following applicants have completed the first stage of the process in becoming members of PEAS and are now in their six month probation period. During their probation period, anyone can submit objections or messages in support of their application. It is the responsibility of any person who submits an […]

Access to my property is via a very narrow private road. Turning space has always been limited, but previously, the adjoining unadopted road was accessible to use for 3-point turn etc. However, the neighbours in front of me have now bricked up that access to extend their rear garden. I don’t believe they have purchased […]

Figures from The Deposit Protection Service (The DPS) have suggested that students returned to university in greater numbers this year compared to 2020 with 25% more students registering deposits between 1 August and 26 October compared with the same period during 2020. Matt Trevett, Managing Director at The DPS, said: “The DPS registered significantly more […]

The popular TV show, Nightmare Tenants Slum Landlords, returned to Channel 5 last week with episode seven of the 12-part series after a pause in the programme’s airing. Showing at the later time of 10pm, series six continues to follow the frontline work of letting agents, eviction specialists and lawyers helping landlords chase rent arrears […]

Bonfire Night is almost here. As one of the most popular and widely-celebrated days of the year, towns and cities up and down the country will be hosting large, public displays. But, with COVID-19 still an underlying threat, more people than usual are choosing to hold their own fireworks displays at home. For homeowners, this […]

Rough sleepers will be helped into safe and warm accommodation and treatment services for drug and alcohol dependency this winter, supported by an extra £66 million the Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities announced. The support will help rough sleepers off the streets at a time of year when they face falling temperatures and […]

The latest London property market analysis by Benham and Reeves, has revealed that rental values across the capital have not only bounced back versus the pandemic dip experienced in 2020, but have also breached pre-pandemic levels in all but three areas. The research shows that between 2019 and the initial pandemic year of 2020, the […]

I have just purchased the roof space of a terraced house. The freeholder has given consent for the development of this space. However, one of the main issues is that there is no direct access to the roof other than going through one of the existing flats below. We would need to add an external […]

Hi, I have a 9-month fixed term AST with my tenant that includes a clause for the tenancy to become a contractual periodic tenancy after these 9 months. The question can I serve a section 13 notice to increase the rent after the initial 9-month fixed term? I note a section 13 can only be […]

The Bank of England Base Rate is currently at an all-time low at 0.1% and this has led to mortgage rates being at all-time lows. Interest rates change over time, just over 30 years ago the Base Rate was 14.88%, but for the last decade, it has been 0.5% or below. However, all of this […]

We are in a situation, where a dubious agent is advertising greenbelt land for sale on RightMove.com with a clause that says ‘Suitable for residential, commercial or agricultural subject to the necessary consents’. The local farmland was recently purchased, but the new owners are now subdividing into small plots which any new owners will have […]

We own or are responsible for several rental properties which are Listed Buildings or are Flats within a Listed Building. We have done all we can to mitigate the Energy Performance, but we have a couple that are never going to get above E because there is no gas in the building, and we cannot […]