Our Hon. Legal Counsel, Mark Smith, Head of Chambers at Cotswold Barristers will be presenting an overview of several landlords tax strategies at the pin Kent Meeting property networking event Thursday 6th February 2020. The event will be held at Village Hotel Club, Castle View, Forstal Road, Sandling, Maidstone, ME14 3AQ The Event hosts are […]

On Monday night, I watched BBC Inside Out London which, following the tragic death of Danny Butcher who took his own life, has been investigating London based company, Property Investors. The company tells its customers they can make a fortune if they sign up to their training course. It’s a two-day free course where attendees […]

So much for being impartial, unbiased and acting as a third party. The AIIC clerk who did the check out report with the tenant present noted as he carried out the inspection that items from the original inventory were missing (eg washer/dryer and bedroom furniture). There was a large bulky item (a huge workbench) left […]

The suggestion (eg Jenrick) that landlords should be utterly relaxed about pets is shortsighted and another threat and attempt to provide council housing terms on the cheap by private landlords. Landlords should insist on a certificate of responsible dog/pet ownership by a recognised body, periodically updated as required, and tenants should have passed this course […]

MPs should back proposals to prevent EU citizens with settled status facing severe difficulties accessing healthcare, housing, and employment a coalition of groups representing EU citizens, immigrants and landlords argue. The House of Commons will today vote on an amendment passed in the House of Lords to the EU Withdrawal Bill that would require EU […]

I have a few properties full managed with previous agreements agreed and signed for each property. I sign a new agreement laying out management and other fees with them for every new AST even on the same properties, and have been doing this for years. However, since tenant fee ban, they have increased their management […]

After tenant fee ban, when a letting agent charges potential tenants one week rent before putting offers to me, WHO does this reservation fee belong to, me the landlord or my letting agent, in case the offer defaults on tenant side? What I find is: 1. after an offer didn’t reach a new AST e.g. […]

I have a tenant asking to add another person to her existing tenancy. 1. Is there any way other than a new AST along with reference check, right to rent check etc, just like setting up a new tenancy with entirely new tenants? 2. Do I need to have a check out of the old […]

The slow pace of improving building safety standards will not be tolerated, the Housing Secretary Robert Jenrick warned, as he announced measures that go further and faster to ensure residents are safe in their homes. To give effective oversight of the design, construction and occupation of high-risk buildings a regulator will be at the heart […]

I have just pulled out, again, from the purchase of a new-build flat due to the onerous Ground Rent increases in the lease. In the first lease, which was for 2 flats in Birmingham, the ground rent of £250 increases every 10 years linked to RPI. In the second lease, which was for a flat […]

I’m posting an email a fellow landlord sent to Nottingham Council which highlights one of many issues of their scheme. Dear Whoever, I have received a lot of paperwork from you (draft Landlord License, Proposal to grant a licence, legal documents, notes) plus a request for the second payment. However, within all this paperwork there […]

I have been a landlord for over 20 years and I generally manage my properties without using an agent. We currently have a property empty and have been approached by a prospective tenant who works full time. The only problem is that she has informed me that she has a poor credit rating. I appreciate […]

I am increasingly having potential tenants come to me with requests for housing, but with ‘assistance’ dogs in tow. I have had requests for accommodation for a registered blind person with a guide dog, – no problem here as we had a ground floor flat and a full history of no issues with the working […]

The Rightmove House Price index has reported a post election election surge this month in the average price of property coming to market by 2.3% or up£6,785 to £306,810. Click here for full report. This 2.3% rise in new seller asking prices is the largest that Rightmove has recorded at this time of year since […]

Hi, I have read several threads on property 118 forum and found very helpful and informative. I have bought a flat in 2017 in my sole name for our main residence. I lived there for one year with my wife and two daughters. Due to my job change, I have moved out from this property […]

The rent to rent arrangement that I have (as the property owner) works very well and has done for almost 5 years. My particular thanks to this website for the R2R agreement which I have used successfully during this time. I will be seeking to renew the lease agreement with the renter within the next […]

You may well have seen this story on the BBC website and also in The Telegraph. There have also been several links to them on Facebook and other Social Media over the last few days. The story has certainly prompted a lot of discussion. Some of what I am about to say here is extremely […]

This is PART TWO of the video we launched this time last week. In this video, Ranjan Bhattacharya and Mark Smith discuss a number of  strategies you can read about in greater detail by clicking on the cards at the bottom of this page, including:- Washing out CGT to enable better strategic decisions to be […]

If you have children or grandchildren over 13 years of age and it is your intention to leave your property business as a legacy for them, why not consider involving them now? There are certainly inheritance tax planning advantages of doing so and if they are over the age of 18 there could also be […]

Following the General Election result, the UK housing market has seen a lift in sentiment, according to the December 2019 RICS Residential Market Survey. Sales expectations have risen sharply, and a number of other key activity metrics have turned positive for the first time in several months. In the lettings market, tenant demand (non-seasonally adjusted […]

Is Class 4 NIC due on a UK property tax return? I know this question was asked only last year by Benj, and in spite of having read all the replies (and links), I cannot understand why I cannot seem to remove the class 4 contribution calculation from my tax assessment this year. It was […]