Page 495 – Property118

Nottingham Selective Licensing payment upfront!

21st January 2020

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 […]

Rent guarantor service – Should I proceed?

20th January 2020

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 […]

Assistance dog increase?

20th January 2020

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 […]

Record increase in seller asking prices post election

20th January 2020

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 […]

Rental Income – Sole Owner’s main residence?

20th January 2020

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 […]

R2R lease agreement – 5 or 7 years ?

20th January 2020

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 […]

Soldier On Property Training Course Committed Suicide

19th January 2020

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 […]

Advanced tax planning benefits for incorporated landlords

17th January 2020

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 […]

A new TAX PLANNING angle for landlords to consider

17th January 2020

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 […]

Landlord supply stuck in negative territory – RICS

16th January 2020

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 […]

Class 4 NIC automatically generated on Tax Return?

16th January 2020

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 […]

Do I pay CGT if I sell to a friend at minimum value

16th January 2020

I know that if I sell a property (never lived in it) to my son for what I paid for which was £49k and it is worth £175k that it will be treated as a gift and as such Capital Gains Tax (CGT) will be payable and IHT will also come into it. However, if […]

Declaration of Trust and Allowable Expenses

15th January 2020

Hello, I am the legal owner of a buy-to-let property with a mortgage. We have just welcomed a child and my wife is no longer employed and I would therefore like to submit a declaration of trust such that she will have to submit a tax return and pay tax on the profits from the […]

How should I best dispose of portfolio held in a UK ltd co?

15th January 2020

I am selling a portfolio of seven houses, some split into flats. The portfolio has been recently valued at around three million. It is held in a limited company that is owned by two shareholders who have held the shares since the eighties and now are looking to dispose of the asset for tax planning […]

Top tips for new student landlords

15th January 2020

Whether you are new to the industry or an experienced operator, the issues faced are often similar, particularly when letting to student tenants living away from home for the first time. Bill-splitting service Glide has created a simple guide that helps outline the responsibilities of landlords – and help ensure you are able to deal […]

Average claim to repossession order takes 30 weeks in London

15th January 2020

Courts across London are failing to cope with the volume of landlord repossession cases they are hearing. New figures show the average length of time from a claim from a landlord in London to a court issuing an order for a property to be repossessed for legitimate reasons is 30 weeks. This is up from […]

Is size everything?

15th January 2020

If you rent out a house as a whole (and not by room) is there an ‘official’/universal minimum agreement on size of a bedroom? Does a bedroom have to be upstairs ? (ie of there is a second reception room that could be used as a bedroom, can this be classed as one – so […]

New electrical checks and safety standards for Landlords

15th January 2020

The Ministry of Housing Communities and local government has written draft legislation proposed to come into force 1st June 2020 titled ‘The Electrical Safety Standards in the Private Rented Sector (England) Regulations 2020’ Click here. Landlords will need to ensure that the electrical safety standards are met  and ensure every electrical installation is inspected and […]

Shelter research playing on fears

15th January 2020

Responding to new research published by Shelter today, the Residential Landlords Association (RLA) says that no one should feel ill or stressed as a result of their housing situation, whether that it is in the private or social rented sectors or in the home ownership market. The RLA however urges caution on groups claiming to […]

FOI request to Scottish courts shows eviction takes 312 days!

14th January 2020

Is this what landlords in the rest of the UK have to look forward to post the ban on Section 21? The Times  has reported on a Freedom of Information request made by Scottish law firm and lettings experts Aberdein Considine to the Scottish Courts and Tribunal Service. In 2017 all rent and repair issues […]

Court Case re HMO rooms being deemed to be Band A Council Tax Dwellings

14th January 2020

CAN YOU HELP? A HMO landlord friend of mine is in court on Friday challenging the VOA ruling on a HMO rooms. He has:- NO ENSUITE ROOMS NO KITCHENETTES 100% SHARED FACILITIES BASIC ROOM FURNITURE ONLY IN ROOMS The VOA claim the re-banding increase tax by factor of six is because the rooms are individual […]