The Nationwide House Price index for June has been released and is showing annual house price growth has ground to a halt as the impact of the pandemic filters through with prices down 0.1%. This is the first negative annual growth since 2012 and prices also fell 1.4% month-on-month, after taking account of seasonal factors. […]

Generation Rent is wrong to argue that homelessness will treble due to rent arrears built as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. The analysis it has produced today wrongly assumes that landlords are doing nothing to support tenants to stay in their homes where rent arrears are building. Independent polling for the National Residential Landlords […]

Tenant’s Benefit Assessment Period (BAP) is 12 – 11th of the month, paid on the 18th. As I have issued a S21, she has ‘retaliated’ with emailing me her own ‘Notice to Quit’: “I Give you notice that I intend to quit and deliver possession of the premises at XXX On the 17th July 2020 […]

Build Build Build: Boris Johnson says he will make the most radical reforms to the planning system since the Second World War, making it easier to build where people want to live. New regulations will give greater freedom for buildings and land in our town centres to change use without planning permission and create new […]

ARLA Propertymark have written to Robert Buckland QC Secretary of State for Justice voicing concerns over how the massive possessions backlog will be handled when/if the eviction ban is lifted on the 23/08/2020 and is calling for government to urgently develop a “robust and co-ordinated strategy to ensure no one is denied or delayed the right […]

The velocity of savings rate cuts on variable rate deals during the first six months of 2020 is officially the worst in over a decade for savers. Due to these relentless rate cuts, savers are being urged to act and switch if they are getting a poor return on their hard-earned cash. Indeed, the latest […]

My freeholder is responsible for building insurance for a flat that I own in a building with 8 flats. The insurance premium is 3 times (£450) what I pay for a similar flat about 200 yards away (£175). When I challenged this, the freeholder refuses to disclose any other quotes obtained due to “sensitive 3rd […]

I own two little cottages at the end of a terrace accessed by a shared doorway to road (historically an open alley). Normal for Cornwall! The neighbour holds the freehold of the two dwellings roadside (but only owns one flat) so we have shared responsibility for the front door and shared hallway.  My end of […]

New government measures to ensure access to social housing is improved for members of the Armed Forces, veterans and their families have been announced this Armed Forces Day (27 June 2020) by Housing Minister Christopher Pincher. The government has today set out how councils should ensure members of the Armed Forces and veterans who need […]

Hi I moved into temp accommodation in Nov 2019 (self catering holiday home) as waiting to purchase a house. House purchase fell through and had to look for new place (due to move mid July). The owner of the holiday home changed the use of the property to a normal tenancy from the 1st April […]

Video explaining the Truth About Lease Options: I am joined by Simon Zutshi and together we explain how lease options are such a valuable tool in today’s market and how to make them work when investing in UK property. Please click below: A very powerful video for all looking to invest in UK property. 

I would like to invite you to join me, live online on Wednesday 1st July, as part of a virtual property exhibition, which has been organised by the property investors network (pin) and Your Property Network (YPN) magazine. This is going to be a full day of online presentations, from 9.15am to 5.30pm, with various […]

Landlords are being rallied to lobby their Members of Parliament to highlight the consequence of the five month ban on repossessions, due to end on 23 August. The National Residential Landlords Association and Landlord Action are joining forces to encourage landlords affected to tell their MPs about the impact it is having and the need […]

Shelter have highlighted Office for National Statistics figures for workforce data showing the number of people claiming employment related benefits reaching 2.8 million in May. This is a 125.5% rise since March and includes those employed with low income or hours and those who are unemployed. More than 600,000 people droped off the payroll in […]

Is this correct? I just spoke to the DWP and apparently even if a tenant has been capped, the cap has been removed for the next 9 months. I’m guessing this is a result of some landlords upping their rent to meet the increased LHA rates? I’ve been checking to see if my tenants are […]

66% of letting agents in England anticipate they will still be using the Government’s job retention scheme beyond July. That’s according to the results of the Property Redress Scheme’s COVID-19 back to work letting agent survey. The findings of the survey, released by the Property Redress Scheme today, also show that 26% of letting agents […]

I have a number of 1 bed and 2 bed properties in rather ‘challenging’ areas in Devon. Moreover my tenant base is very ‘interesting’! I do not get the private professional tenants and never will, I know this already. I’m getting to the point where I am seriously considering letting another company essentially manage my […]

The government expects to fund just a dozen extra staff to inspect and enforce fire safety in more than 2 million homes after Grenfell, new analysis reveals, in a “gross underestimate” of the resources needed to tackle the building safety crisis in England. The revelations have prompted calls from the Fire Brigades Union (FBU) for […]

I thought that I would share the following link from the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) providing guidance for landlords, gas engineers and the clinically vulnerable during the Coronavirus outbreak: Click here  “Landlords: You have a legal duty to repair and maintain gas pipework, flues and appliances, do annual gas safety checks and keep a […]

Housing Benefit sent me a direct rent payment for my tenant for 13 April – 10 May. The tenant (unbeknown to me) applies to Universal Credit and gets payment for 16 April – 15 May. I then start receiving MPTL for rent from UC ,the first one for period 16 May – 15 June. Who […]

The last two weeks has been hectic and here are some of the things I have covered. These cases are all landlords just like you. Covid-19 has meant much more enforcement action against landlords and not because of the virus, but because the council enforcement staff are spending more time at their home desks processing […]