I am also self-employed and completed the “Am I Eligible” for the Covid-19 self-employment grant. Got turned down as the profit from property over the last 3 years (even though I got a £1 tax rebate for 2018-19) was more than the profit from self-employment for the last 3 years. Grossly unfair as this “income […]

Leading Landlord and Tenant Solicitors firm, Landlord Action, says that any extension to the ban on evictions, as called for by Labour, could cause financial ruin to landlords who already had possession cases for rent arrears going through the courts prior to the ban.  Some landlords with pre Covid-19 possession cases will find themselves trying […]

New figures from Shelter reveal private renters could face a £55 million a month gap in their rent without extra support from the government during the current coronavirus emergency. The research shows the deficit between people’s rents and the welfare support available to them during the pandemic. The press release goes on to say: Despite […]

I have received a letter from BM Mortgages asking very intrusive questions about how I will repay an interest-only BTL mortgage I have with them and gently threatening to put me on a repayment mortgage (‘ask’ is the way they put it) if I cannot satisfy them that I have an adequate repayment plan in […]

Hi All, I paid £972 for my flat’s annual service charge for 2019 in full last year (as stated in my invoice. This year, the service charge went up to £1300, which I already paid 50%. Now, I just received another invoice of £880 from the managing agent stating it is the service charge balance […]

Our Hon. Legal Counsel, Mark Smith, Head of Chambers at Cotswold Barristers will be presenting an overview of several landlords tax strategies at the Unity Property Professionals Group Thursday the 14th May at 4pm. Property118 Readers are invited to the group Zoom meeting by registering in advance using the link below. Register: Click Here After […]

Labour has set out a five point emergency coronavirus action plan for renters in their press release below: Most people in rented accommodation have no savings and when the current freeze on evictions expires in June, an estimated 2.6 million people are likely to be in rent arrears, according to Citizens Advice. Labour’s measures would […]

Hello, I would appreciate any advice or information about letting a property using definition of C3 (c) please. Let to a small group who don’t fall within C4 use nor meet criteria for C3 (a) or C3(b) any pointers toward relevant noted legal cases would be very welcome? Thanks all, Steve Notes: From planning Portal […]

The Property Ombudsman (TPO) has released its 2019 annual report reflecting continued demand from consumers for dispute resolution services. The report reveals TPO received 30,356 enquiries in 2019, up only 4% on 2018. Of these, 5,106 went on to be formal complaints, a rise of 20%. Despite a significant increase in complaints, compensatory awards paid […]

Whilst researching for my latest article ‘Government’s destructive path‘I asked specialist litigation solicitor, and Partner at Helix Law, Alex Cook, what he thinks about the Government proposing to introduce a new ‘pre-action protocol’ to the private rented sector. I already had some knowledge of ‘post-eviction’ mediation, which led me to believe that this would be […]

On this webinar Weds 13th May at 10:45am you’ll be able to get Barrister’s thoughts on HMO issues for free. We’ll be asking the Legal Questions that landlords need answering to Julian Hunt MA (Cantab), a very experienced lawyer in the world of HMOs and author of the only book on HMO proceedings. This promises […]

Property118 TV has launched on YouTube. An 8 minute introductory video explains what the Property118 TV channel is all about and how to receive notifications whenever new programmes are released. 12 programmes have already been pre-recorded and will be released over the next few days. Each short programme ranges from 5 to 15 minutes in […]

The Government’s plans for the PRS continue on a destructive path as far as private landlords are concerned. Their ban on evictions – whilst offering landlords no recompense for having to keep on non-paying tenants (it would be very different if they underwrote the rent of non-payers and damage by rogue tenants) – is nothing […]

Once lock down ends, we will enter a recession, but recessions are times when fortunes are made. In this video I explain whats likely to happen and what strategies you should follow to maximise the market opportunity. Property Investing tips for anyone serious about investing. Register For this months FREE Livestream property networking event https://bakerstreetpropertymeet.com

The Bank of England Monetary Policy Committee (MPC) voted unanimously yesterday to hold the Bank Base Rate at 0.1% . They also voted 7-2 for the Bank of England to continue with the programme of £200 billion quantitative easing. CPI inflation fell below the medium term target of 2% to 1.5% in March and is […]

ARLA Propertymark has made its submission to the inquiry for the impact of Coronavirus on homelessness and the PRS. Click here Of Particular concern to Property118 readers is the still planned introduction of mandatory electrical safety checks starting 1st July with ARLA calling for the government to suspend their introduction. ARLA said: “With the added […]

I’ve received several additional service charge demands for a walking watch where there is, as yet, uncertainty as to the fire safety compliance of the blocks in which I have flats. These are already running into the hundreds of pounds per apartment. I feel really frustrated about it as it appears the whole charges are […]

The Scottish Association of Landlords (SAL) has welcomed a new £5 million fund set up by the Scottish government offering interest-free loans to landlords whose tenants are having difficulty paying rent during the coronavirus crisis. The Private Rent Sector Landlord COVID-19 Loan Scheme will offer landlords up to 100% of lost rental income for a single […]

The Bounce Back Loan Scheme (BBLS) applies to buy to let landlords! In this video Andrew Roberts and I take a look at the eligibility criteria and how you can apply for up to £50,000 as an interest free loan for your buy to let property rental business. Register For this months FREE livestream property […]

My tenants have now moved on. I have had the flat refurbished and I am wondering whether to try and find a new tenant now, or leave it until the Covid-19 Lockdown measures are eased. What should I do? I can manage the flat mortgage and expenses from savings so is it best to wait […]

I rent my home to my daughter and live elsewhere. The house has been in my family’s ownership since around 2003.  On purchasing the property we had a survey completed and witnessed our deeds along with land Registered details so we knew what we were buying. However, increasingly a neighbour was instructing a workman to […]