Andy Haldane, the Bank of England’s chief economist, has told the Sunday Telegraph that negative interest rates could be considered in an effort to combat economic effects of the coronavirus lockdown measures. Haldane indicated the Bank of England is currently reviewing a number of monetary options it could take in its response to the global […]

In the wake of last week’s ease of property market restrictions, the number of rental properties hitting the market surged by as much as +44% in some UK cities as landlords returned and letting agents were able to resume business. Howsy’s research analysed the number of available rental properties listed across the major portals the […]

Hey all, in February I signed a rent guarantee agreement with an agency for 18 months. I have a 7 bedroom HMO which I have only just finished the refurbishment on. Unfortunately, Covid-19 came along and the lockdown was enforced before they could fill all the rooms. She rang me asking for help as in […]

Just before the pandemic we had an offer for a Leasehold Maisonette which we advertised and we accepted a reduced offer. Since then he has asked for a further reduction of 5K due to the uncertainty of the current market promising to exchange contracts without any delay. We had the boiler replaced in 2013 for […]

I am planning on inserting a phone cable in a property before putting the carpet down, but am still some weeks off completion of the property. Does anyone know the current recommended cable to go in for a phone? I Want to do it myself as do not want to start paying for phone services […]

I signed Terms Of Business with firm of 1 man band accountants and paid initial deposit of circa £2150. I never met this accountant face to face only transacted over the phone, email and once video call. After signing terms of business the only job he has done was to complete simple 1 page HMRC […]

Hi, I’m in the middle of getting paperwork ready for when evictions restart and have a couple of queries regarding the accelerated eviction form ( claim for possession of property). I served notification well before lockdown began. 1. I was aware I had to send a copy of the gas certificate that I gave the […]

Mark Alexander of Property118 talks to Ranjan Bhattacharya about options for landlords to plan for business continuity and protecting their legacy for their bloodline from inheritance tax and other risks such as divorce. The video below also includes: Essential inheritance tax advice Property investors tax advice and buy to let landlords tax advice 

Damien Gayle at The Guardian reports this morning that “Activists urge Tenants hit by Corona Virus Crisis to stop paying Rent” Click here I have just sent this reply: Dear Damien, I read your article with interest as I am a small landlord currently coping with the Corona Virus outbreak impact on my business and […]

London’s City Hall today released their latest house building statistics for the 2019- 2020 financial year and Mayor Sadiq Khan swiftly grabbed the opportunity to take to Twitter to congratulate himself with the following message to his 3.2million followers: “Last year was a record-breaking year for building new affordable homes in London” he said. Except […]

With the market having been effectively closed for business, 80% of the April RICS UK Residential survey’s contributors saw both buyers and sellers pulling out of transactions, resulting in the newly agreed sales balance for April falling to -92%, down from -68% in March. In April, the survey sought views on the potential support measure […]

The Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) has now launched a new online system to allow rent payments, from tenants in receipt of Universal Credit, to be paid directly to Private Rented Sector (PRS) landlords.  The new system for arranging these Alternative Payment Arrangements replaces the two existing UC47 forms cutting the processing time down […]

Rental deposit replacement scheme, Ome, has brought forward the launch of their free to use Rental Wellbeing Helpline this week, as the company’s latest research highlights the sharp increase in the affordability of renting for many UK tenants who now find themselves on furlough due to the spread of the Coronavirus. Coronavirus and its subsequent […]

In this episode Mark Alexander is joined by Mark Smith, Head of Chambers at Cotswold Barristers, to discuss how HMRC’s manuals might be perceived to contradict themselves in relation to definitions on whether or not rental property owners are regarded as running a business. There is no need to reach for your credit card, the Property118 […]

My tenant, under a Periodic Tenancy for her room and communal areas of the flat, is saying “I do have the means in which to be able to give you vacant possession by removal of my furniture and personal possessions.” She hasn’t yet qualified exactly what she means though. BUT she is on lockdown in […]

Hi, I own (leasehold) a flat in a block of 30 flats. Each year the freeholder charges each owner for the insurance on the block, each flat being charged one thirtieth. Over the years the insurance has increased which is reasonable, however it now stands at approx £800pa for each flat. The insurance includes things […]

The government has amended the coronavirus regulations to make clear that people who wish to move home can do so. The guidance provides important public health information to ensure that moving home and key activities around this, such as viewing property, can happen safely. Click here to view the full guidance One of the simplest […]

The government has relaxed emergency Covid-19 rules to allow the housing market to reopen. From today anyone in England can move home if they follow new guidance published by Housing Secretary Robert Jenrick. With immediate effect Estate and Letting agent offices can open, viewings are permitted, show homes can open and removal companies and the […]

Generation Rent is wrong to claim that the majority of landlords are failing to support tenants needing help during the COVID-19 pandemic. A yet to be published survey by the National Residential Landlords Association of over 4,500 landlords has found that 90% of landlords who had received a request for support from a tenant responded […]

Our last video on the Bounce Back Loan Scheme and how property businesses are eligible, has given rise to a lot of discussion on Property118 and elsewhere on social media. In this video Andrew Roberts and I return to give an important update including: – Which banks have paid out to property businesses – Clarifying […]

For many years, Property118 and H D Consultants have worked very closely together. The Team at H D Consultants has provided experienced, qualified and fully insured mortgage, life cover and estate planning advice. At this time, whilst more and more people are worried about their current jobs and businesses, and as a consequence, their long […]