Page 463 – Property118

Live in half a house and rent the other half as an HMO?

27th July 2020

I have 2 properties I share ownership of and both of which are run as HMO’s. It does take more work and I have become something of a social worker, but as a business, it definitely has its good points re yield even with a small turnover of tenants. I see live-in landlords and tbh […]

Can I use my own solicitors regarding builders breach of contract?

27th July 2020

Is it possible to insist upon using my own solicitors under house legal insurance for builders breach of contract? I employed builders to extend and renovate my house and in short it is a horror story, missing truss, incorrect specifications, leaking house, failing building control etc. I have house legal insurance for breach of contract. […]

Incorporating into our Ltd co and Higher Stamp Duty refund?

27th July 2020

Hi, We are looking at incorporating our buy to let property (purchased in 2016 as our primary residence and has been let out since 2019) into our Ltd company (set up in March 2020). The house we currently live in was purchased in Nov 2019 at a higher stamp duty and I was wondering if […]

What happens at the end of your Help to Buy?

27th July 2020

Like any loan, you’ll have to pay it back. However, with this loan, there’s no certain deadlines or tight time frames. You can choose to pay the loan back at any time, but the loan must be paid back after 25 years or when you sell your home – whichever comes first. You also have […]

New Permitted Development rights do not create worse quality homes

27th July 2020

The Government have announced great news this week regarding new permitted development (PD) rights for repurposing defunct commercial buildings. However, some leftie University Academics have put out a report (published in mainstream media) on how permitted development has resulted in worse quality housing. In this video below, I take apart the report point by point […]

I wasn’t worried until I tried to sell?

23rd July 2020

I purchased a buy-to-let property at Auction in 1996 which I believed to be freehold and was registered as such when my ownership was recorded with UK Gov Land Registry. The legal work involved was carried out by a solicitor with whom I had a long-standing association at the time. When I discovered it was […]

Landlords – Don’t complain!

22nd July 2020

Landlords: don’t complain when you pay more tax than everyone else; you are, in fact, receiving a gift from Government. There has been some controversy since the announcement of a Stamp Duty Land Tax (SDLT) ‘holiday’ a fortnight ago. In England and Northern Ireland, the house price point above which stamp duty is charged has […]

Dilemma – Rent to Rent/Company Lease contract basics?

22nd July 2020

I am looking to possibly move to another Agent in regard to a Rent to Rent/Company Lease arrangement for one of my properties. I’m not happy with the current company at all – dire call back response, never reply to emails etc among other things. They have conceded that I can have a new contract […]

Remortgaging? 5 things to consider

22nd July 2020

If you are currently thinking of remortgaging your property I have a list below of the top five things to consider first. 1. The value of your home: House prices can vary from place to place so get an accurate valuation of your home. You can do this by looking up similar properties Zoopla or […]

Is guarantor still liable for arrears if I allocate UC against current rent?

22nd July 2020

I have a tenant who has not paid any rent since late 2019. I obtained a possession order just before lockdown and was in the process of instructing county court bailiffs when Covid-19 caused everything to grind to a halt. I managed to get Universal Credits to commence direct payments in April so the arrears […]

144 days to sell a house in 2020

22nd July 2020

The latest research by GetAgent.co.uk, has revealed that so far this year, the time it takes to sell a property has increased by 14% when compared to last year. With an average time of 144 days or nearly five months, from listing to completing, homebuyers looking to take advantage of the recently announced stamp duty […]

Electrical Safety Certificate Costs?

22nd July 2020

I have properties in and around London and the Electrical Safety Certificate costs vary wildly. None of the London properties has needed a certificate until now. I have had a quote for £340 for a 2-bed flat in London. I think that’s a bit steep compared to the £180 for a 3-bed home which is […]

Leasehold reform recommendations published

21st July 2020

The Law Commission of England and Wales has published recommendations to transform home ownership. It has been estimated there are at least 4.3 million leasehold homes in England alone. If enacted our reforms would help those owners and pave the way for a system where flats are sold with freehold title (as part of a […]

How to Source Bargain Property Post-Covid – Wednesday 29th July

21st July 2020

This Month’s Theme – Online Networking Event How To Find Bargain Property Deals: Direct From Vendor & Through Auctions Live Stream with: Our Four Property Experts Jay Howard, Claire Norwood, Hanif Khan & host Ranjan Bhattacharya Don’t miss out. Join 1000+ property investors for this unique Live Stream networking event. Wed 29th July @7pm Register […]

Fast track to add 2 more storeys

21st July 2020

New laws laid in Parliament (21 July 2020) will deliver much-needed new homes and revitalise town centres across England, Housing Secretary Robert Jenrick has announced. The new rules, which will come into effect by September, will mean full planning applications will not be required to demolish and rebuild unused buildings as homes and commercial and […]

Electric meters for tenants – card pre-pay or smart?

21st July 2020

I’m renovating a five-bed, three-story flat into three separate flats (a floor each). I now need to determine what to fit in each flat: Prepay card meter – tenants know how much they have, top-ups when need to, better for budgeting, and as a Landlord no standing charges between tenancies Normal/smart billing meters – tenants […]

Shower pods – have you used them?

21st July 2020

We are completely fed up with tenants using in-shower baths and not taking care about over-spillage, creating a real mess on floors and ceilings below the bathroom. Therefore, we are thinking of using one of the Kinedo Constort Shower Pods, which claim to be leak proof. Has anyone installed these and are they as successful […]

Precise – Limited Company BTL 75% LTV 5 year fixed at 3.54%

20th July 2020

For a limited period and to take advantage of the Stamp Duty holiday for properties under £500,00, Precise Mortgages has launched a new 5 year fixed rate Buy to Let mortgage for Limited Companies at 3.54% to a maximum of 75% Loan to Value. The product is specifically for single dwelling residential properties purchased through […]

Red F1 help button on Keyboard

Help please and tenant’s surname spelt wrong?

20th July 2020

Hi, So basically my tenant’s AST runs out Aug 17th and I have served the 3 months notice during the lockdown, but the agent I used has spelt one of the tenant’s surname wrong looking at this? (Sidepoint), I have told my tenant late Jan this year before the lockdown that I want the property […]

Other Landlords refusing to pay for common repairs?

20th July 2020

I recently invested in a BTL property in Scotland (Renfrewshire) which is in a building containing 8 flats. 5 of these flats are privately owned and 3 are still under council control. 4 of the flats (including mine) being let by their owners. The council are not the factors for this building. There is currently […]