Are you bored and fed up, stuck at home during the Coronavirus lockdown? If so – why not join our Lockdown Learning Project. Every week we will be featuring a free (or very low cost) training course: Some will be online video courses. Some will be primarily text based perhaps with a few videos or […]

Right to rent checks have been adapted to make it easier for landlords to carry them out during the coronavirus outbreak, the Home Secretary announced Monday 30th March. Effective immediately, the temporary changes will mean the Home Office will not require landlords  to see original documents and will allow checks to be undertaken over video […]

The Good News Brooklands Commercial Finance is fully operational and assisting Property 118 clients in these unprecedented times. We are currently working with lenders that have replaced their requirement for physical valuations with remote valuations plus they are passing on the full 0.65% base rate drop on their variable rates. Maximum LTVs on owner occupied […]

Janet and John have spent their time in isolation considering the impact of Covid-19 on their rental property business. They are predicting that in the 2020/21 tax year their rental income will reduce by approximately one third. This has already started happening with the inability to rent properties recently vacated and which they had been […]

Contrary to the FT front-page headline “Banks seek to freeze property market as credit and virus fears hinder moves” (March 27), banks have not been pressurising the government to freeze the housing market. However there is no doubt that with the land registries in Scotland and Northern Ireland currently closed and valuations and viewings unable […]

The Cabinet Secretary, with the approval of the Prime Minister, has approved the appointment of Jeremy Pocklington as the new Permanent Secretary at the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government (MHCLG). Jeremy succeeds Dame Melanie Dawes who left the Civil Service in February, and has been acting Permanent Secretary since her departure. Secretary of […]

The Scottish Government has announced that they have taken the decision not to introduce the Energy Efficiency (Domestic Private Rented Property) (Scotland) Regulations 2020, which had been due to come into force on 1 April 2020. SLE wrote an open letter to Kevin Stewart, the Scottish Government’s Minister for Local Government, Housing and Planning, expressing […]

What are lodgers’ rights at the moment? Can their landlords give them a weeks notice as usual, and throw them out onto the streets with nowhere to go? The council isn’t even open! Can someone who knows please clarify this? Thank you. Marie

Hi. I’m sure this is a problem faced by many student let landlords, caused by the current climate. Many universities with on campus accommodation have released students from their contracts 3 months early as Unis are closed, so a lot of the students moved back home to study online. However, students who have signed contracts […]

The Government has finally released on Saturday its full pieced together non-statutory guidance for landlords and tenants during the Coronavirus emergency. Click here for the full 21 page document from MHCLG. The Coronavirus Act 2020 is confirmed to remain in force until 30th September. 1. Rent, mortgage payments and notices seeking possession The purpose of […]

I think the latest TV advert for Shelter is disgusting. Once again giving the impression that they provide housing and once again having a pop at landlords. This time saying a tenant had called and said their landlord had asked them to leave the property in case they got Corona Virus. They really do make […]

Open for new business and with Rent Guarantee Insurance that WILL pay out! Today I have been speaking with Chris Sheldon, the Managing Director of LettingSupermarket.com, to review the company’s business model during these difficult and worrying times for many. We stripped out all new letting income for the rest of the year, together with […]

To help home movers impacted by Covid-19, mortgage providers will give customers who have exchanged contracts the option to extend their mortgage offer for up to three months to enable them to move at a later date. Stephen Jones, Chief Executive of UK Finance, said: “Lenders recognise that many people looking to move into their […]

The Chancellor, announced a new Self-employment Income Support Scheme to support self-employed people who have been adversely affected by COVID-19. GOV‌.UK has further details about who is eligible for the scheme and how it will work. Self-employed people do not need to get in touch with HMRC as the scheme isn’t yet open for applications. […]

In the latest step to protect individuals and businesses, Rishi Sunak has set out plans that will see the self-employed receive up to £2,500 per month in grants for at least 3 months. Millions of people across the UK could benefit from the new Self-Employed Income Support Scheme, with those eligible receiving a cash grant […]

The government has brought forward a package of measures to protect renters affected by coronavirus (COVID-19). With these in force, no renter in either social or private accommodation will be forced out of their home. To ensure all renters are clear on the full package of support that is currently available to them, we are […]

This guidance applies to people buying or selling private residential homes which they intend to live in. Buying and Selling Homes during this stay-at-home period Given the situation in the UK with regard to the outbreak of coronavirus (COVID-19), we urge parties involved in home moving to adapt and be flexible to alter their usual […]

Following Chancellor Rishi Sunak’s announcements about the self employed able to access a taxable grant worth 80% of their average profits over 3 years tax returns – Properties are emptying as tenants/guests are leaving due to the COVID 19 outbreak. What landlords can be classed as self employed? Some landlords perform a trade and pay […]

I have a student HMO. The tenants are still on a fxed term joint and several AST for 10 months commencing 9th Sept 2019. One of the tenants who is Polish has asked to be able to terminate his tenancy early in April subject to travel availability to return to Poland. Is he permitted to […]

I wonder if anyone has any ideas about this. My tenant has been in the house for over 5 years, she has been paying well under the market rate for this time, last year after some complaints of her behaviour from the neighbour I went to see her with the rental agent. I overhauled a […]

I’ve just had a proactive call from a tenant asking if her friend can move into her flat. She is already worried about her job situation and ditto for friend so they want to move in together into my property. Do I simply issue a new contract with both names now on the agreement? Would […]