Page 502 – Property118

Walter Mitty top flat owner?

3rd December 2019

Converted into 2 flats a Victorian semi detached large house. I purchased the ground floor flat which came with the freehold and peppercorn rent of £10 pa is due from top flat. I have right to see his insurance. All repairs up to top of ground floor windows are my responsibility and from top of […]

Pivotal landlord votes

3rd December 2019

Votes of private landlords could be pivotal in deciding the outcome in over 100 constituencies. Analysis of data obtained by The Times from HMRC has found that in 124 constituencies across the UK, the number of people declaring income from property in 2017/18 was the same as or larger than the overall majorities of those […]

Bumper winter for rats and mice!

2nd December 2019

Rentokil Pest Control have released figures indicating the recent wet weather has driven large numbers of rodents indoors, and that Britain could witness a bumper winter for rats and mice. The flooding experienced in large areas of the country at the end of October and throughout November may have contributed to increased enquiry levels. New […]

Renting HMO via verbal agreement?

2nd December 2019

I rent a property from a private landlord, via a verbal agreement, no contract. I am subletting 4 rooms out, which makes 5 of us in the property. The landlord is happy with this as long as I don’t over crowd the house. He has also made the rent very cheap so he doesn’t have […]

Large family moved in when father died?

2nd December 2019

A tenancy doesn’t automatically end when a sole tenant dies. When the son of a long term tenant informed us that the tenant had died we assumed that in due course the property would be cleared and the tenancy surrendered. What we weren’t prepared for was for the son to move in with his large […]

Right to buy council flat – is it a good idea?

2nd December 2019

I am in the process of obtaining a mortgage for my current council flat. I have a large tenant discount so only need a mortgage of £64k. The council valued the property at £170k, but I had an estate agent value the property at £200k. The agent also mentioned that with home improvement other flats […]

3 bed 2 bath houses for only £138,000 – Hull

29th November 2019

PIP is delighted to launch 3 bed, 2 bath new build houses in Hull for the discounted price of only £138,000. These properties have been discounted by 11% off current list prices and include flooring, turf and fencing included in the price. According to letting agents, Leef Property Management, these properties are in a high […]

Complying with regulations and still penalised by Freeholder?

29th November 2019

I have a couple of units in an old block – the Freeholder went on a blitz a couple of years ago and checked all flats against their lease floor plan and imposed large costs for retrospective consent (wooden floors, open plan kitchens etc). They also imposed ‘fines’ on those who had installed new boilers […]

Rental industry giant, Hamilton Fraser, to launch deposit alternative product

28th November 2019

UK lettings and landlord insurance industry giant, Hamilton Fraser, has announced the launch of its own in-house deposit alternative brand, Ome. Having previously highlighted the problems surrounding the increasing trend for such schemes, Hamilton Fraser has decided to tackle these issues head-on itself, providing a transparent product aimed at delivering complete market choice for UK […]

Founder of Landlord Action, Paul Shamplina, wins Best Seminar Speaker

28th November 2019

Founder of Landlord Action and Brand Ambassador for Hamilton Fraser, Paul Shamplina, has won ‘Best Seminar Speaker’ at The National Landlord Investment Show Awards, after receiving nearly 40% of the overall votes. The National LIS Awards took place on 21st November 2019 at the Grosvenor House Hotel, Park Lane. The evening brought together more than […]

The cost of an ASBO hotspot

28th November 2019

Research by Springbok Properties, has looked at the property cost of living in one of the nation’s most anti-social areas based on the average house price in locations with the largest number of ASBOs issued compared to the wider area. Springbok Properties looked at the average yearly number of ASBOs issued across criminal justice areas […]

Housing market performance – Labour v Conservative

28th November 2019

House Price Growth Higher under Labour: From 1974-2019, house price growth (taking inflation into account) from all four Labour prime ministers’ terms in office, added together (119%), significantly outstripped that of Conservative prime ministers (5%). Only one region of the UK/Northern Ireland saw higher house price growth under Conservative governments. This challenges two commonly held […]

SNP Manifesto – PRS Lite

28th November 2019

The SNP have released their 2019 general election manifesto. This has been very briefly summarised with the key points of interest for Landlords and the PRS industry. Download the full manifesto here After wading through 50 pages the below was all that could be found on first read that affected the housing market. Again I […]

Leasehold risk for over 55s

28th November 2019

More than half of older homeowners who own one of the 2.3 million leasehold properties in England and Wales would consider buying the freehold or extending the lease suggests new research* from independent equity release adviser Key. Homes owned on a leasehold basis account for around one in four sales a year and once a […]

Nationwide, Crisis, and Generation Rent support scrapping Section 21

27th November 2019

The Nationwide Building Society has reported on an event held by players in the rental and housing sector, with the main outcome being that organisations must work more closely together in order to effect meaningful change. The industry roundtable was attended by representatives from across the private rented sector including Nationwide Building Society, Fair Housing […]

Cut through the noise to landlord issues

27th November 2019

On 12th December the British people will once again vote for who should lead our country and break the Brexit deadlock, which has dominated the headlines for the best part of three years. However, as one of the most unpredictable elections in recent history, it is important for us to cut through the Brexit noise […]

Tenant asking not to extend S21?

27th November 2019

I have served a Section 21, giving the statutory two months notice, on my tenant who has been on a periodic tenancy for 7 or more years. She is now asking me to write a letter/email which she can pass on to the council, saying that “I cannot extend the tenancy beyond the date I […]

Professional landlords increasingly comprise the core investors in the PRS

27th November 2019

Paragon revealed a sharp increase in specialist landlord business, up from 79% to 89% of buy-to-let mortgage completions as it reported full year results today. Specialist business also increased from 88% to 91% of the buy-to-let pipeline, as Paragon’s strategy of focusing on landlords operating in corporate structures and with larger portfolios delivered positive results. […]

My campaign against Labour’s housing policies

26th November 2019

I have set up a Facebook campaign defending property rights and attacking Corbyn’s housing policy. I am worried that: – Colossal borrowing will push up interest rates, making mortgages unaffordable for ordinary people – Rent caps will destroy the private rented market – Increases in inheritance tax will mean many people can no longer pass […]

FCA to ban promotion of mini-bonds to retail consumers

26th November 2019

The Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) has today announced it will ban the mass marketing of speculative mini-bonds to retail customers. This affects property developers who will no longer be able to directly raise finance by issuing/promoting mini-bonds to Retail Consumers (the general public). These bonds offered a way of investing into a property company rather […]

Brexit Party Contract

25th November 2019

In the interests of impartiality we have included the Brexit Party Contract in our series of manifestos for the major parties. Click here to download the Contract. Details of policies that directly affect the Private Rental Sector are a bit thin on the ground, but this is probably a good thing these days. Taxation: Exempt […]