New regulations raise the prospect of the highest risk rental properties not being covered by a legally binding electrical safety regime for a prolonged period of time. The changes, due to come into force from June this year, will immediately remove the obligation for landlords to carry out electrical safety checks in Houses of Multiple […]

The Nottingham Selective Licensing Fee is £780.00 for 5 years. I paid £460 in October 2018 and was due to pay the final £320.00 in 2021, but after 15 months I sold my property (tenant in huge arrears, UC messed up payments). The total cost per year for the license is £156.00. I am therefore […]

I own and rent out the downstairs of 2 leasehold flats located in Woodford Green, Essex. The owner of each flat insures their part of the building separately as per the conditions of the leases. The water tank servicing the downstairs flat is located in the loft connected to the upstairs flat. It was recently […]

One of my tenants was in rent arrears, then he complained to the council that the house did not have an HMO license. The council inspected the property but everything was fine. In the end I served on the tenant a section 21 notice and he was saying that he will pay the rent. On […]

I have had discussion with my new accountant in relation to Mortgage Product fees which had been incurred both during purchase and remortgage. My understanding is that, Mortgage Product fees forms part of phased Mortgage Interest Relief and should be input in same section on Tax return where you input your total Mortgage Interest costs […]

This week, the final episode of the BBC2’s “Universal Credit: Inside the Welfare State” aired. Amid mounting criticism, DWP opened the door to BBC cameras. Among the various topics on the final episode, the problems associated with advance payments took centre stage. The final episode took place in Bolton, which has unusually high levels of […]

TaxPayers’ Alliance analysis reveals how ministers, officials and ‘Quangocrats’ are wasting taxpayers’ cash funding organisations that lobby the government. From 2017-19, organisations that lobby for changes in public policy received at least £39,584,172. The Report shows Shelter received £15,204,000 between 2017-18 from multiple local authorities, government departments, public bodies and the London Councils Association. This […]

Are there any legal beagles that could help me deal with a deposit dispute? From advice I received a long time ago, I have my limited company give what I thought are lodgers agreement and therefore no need to insure the deposit. As my company is the tenant for the downstairs bar, I was advised […]

The latest research by rental deposit replacement scheme, Ome, has looked at the total sum used as rental deposits and how this compares to the levels of investment pumped into the economy, both at the top line and in various sectors.   Ome’s research shows that last year just over £5.2bn was held in rental […]

Following on from the webinar we held on the 20th November 2019, we have compiled some further questions that were asked by attendees. The webinar was presented by Matt Carter here at The Sheriffs Office and Yezdan Isset from Bolt Burdon solicitors. Is having an EPC mandatory? An Energy Performance Certificate (EPC) became mandatory for […]

My live in tenants break clause occurs on the 21st of march 2020, he served 1 month notice 5 days early on the 16th Feb (in writing), stating that he wants to move out on the 16th of March. Although slightly disappointed, we accepted the notice and began our hunt for a new tenant. We […]

Maybe I have over-complicated things in my head, so can anyone help me sleep easier, please? Under the most popular s24-mitigation options, properties are transferred from personal ownership into a company structure, and HMRC now considers that the company now has “beneficial ownership” of the properties instead of the former individual(s). HMRC applies corporate taxation […]

Hamptons International’s monthly lettings index shows that the number of landlords in the private rental sector (PRS) has fallen to a seven-year low. Over the last two years the rental sector in Great Britain has shrunk with the total number of privately rented homes falling by 156,410 since its peak in 2017. Yet the number […]

The National Landlord Investment Show are celebrating their 70th show to date with a return to Olympia, London on 19th March 2020 with Andrew Neil and Michael Portillo.  FROM kickstarting their journey at their very first show in Croydon, South London in 2013, the National Landlord Investment Show team have made tremendous waves within the […]

The question involves a trust set up by my father on his home. Please bear with me I do think it is important to put the background to the story in as it is quite complex. My father set up a trust about 10 years ago. The purpose of this trust was to provide a […]

UK expats often rent out their primary residence when they relocate overseas. It is also the case that some individuals relocate for the primary purpose of limiting their UK tax bill. HMRC is undertaking a sustained campaign to ensure that overseas landlords are paying the tax they owe in full. Powerful investigation tools HMRC is […]

Hi everyone, I’d appreciate any input that the members might have with my predicament. I am currently the defendant in a case that one of my tenants has brought through the small claims court. The tenant is claiming in excess of 10k against me and has listed the following reasons. – The tenant paid a […]

The Chancellor must use his first Budget to take immediate action to reverse the decline in the supply of rented housing, say landlords. With landlords selling more properties than they are buying and others switching to short-term holiday lets for tax reasons, unless action is taken tenants are going to find it increasingly hard to […]

In the wake of Britain’s exit from Europe, a Belvoir survey reveals that almost three quarters of franchisees anticipate rental increases throughout 2020. “Belvoir commissioned media property expert Kate Faulkner to survey a representative cross-section of Belvoir franchisees in England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland,” says Belvoir CEO Dorian Gonsalves. “The results show an overwhelming […]

I haven’t increased the rent on a flat in over 7 years as there have been no issues with the tenant and he is very settled. However, to be in line with flats in the rest of the block I’m going to have to increase the rent a little (£50 a month) but it will […]

Kevin Humphrey has started a Change.org petition for Councils and government to review Council Tax rules for Houses of Multiple occupancy (HMO). Click here to sign the petition. “Some local councils are starting to charge by the room for houses of multiple occupancy (HMO), so the bills for tenants are increasing by 20% plus. “A […]