Page 508 – Property118

Tenancy Deposit Scheme award short of costs?

9th December 2019

I have over a £650.00 repair bill but I have only been awarded £65.00 by the Tenancy deposit scheme. My agent advised me that there is nothing I can do. However, I have spoken to TDS who advised me that if the agent sends in certain details. They can advise me how they came to […]

Hand reaching toward a house-shaped safe representing secure rental deposits

Average tenant deposit set to drop for first time since 2015

9th December 2019

Research by Hamilton Fraser’s deposit alternative scheme Ome, has revealed the current cost of the average deposit facing UK’s tenants and how this has changed since 2015. The data shows that so far in 2019, the current tenant is paying an average rental deposit of £1,299, with an estimated 1.5m new deposits paid this year […]

Benefits of a family partnership we had not previously considered

6th December 2019

When my twins turned 18 years old I made them both partners in my property rental business and gifted 1% of the beneficial interest in my properties to each of them. We then registered a Partnership with HMRC, which meant I could allocate profits disproportionately to ownership by granting ‘Partners Salaries to each of my […]

Halifax House Price Index up 2.1%

6th December 2019

The latest Halifax House Price Index report has been released.  House prices in November were 2.1% higher than in the same month a year earlier with the average house price now £234,625. However, on a monthly basis, house prices rose by 1.0% and in the latest quarter (September to November) house prices were 0.2% higher […]

New Tenant Fees laws = new problems for landlords?

6th December 2019

Something has come up and I am a tad worried about it, as I am not sure that I have correctly complied with the new laws. Prior to the new legislation, I always asked the tenant to pay the small fee (only £20) for their reference checks, making it clear that I wouldn’t entertain renting […]

Selective Licencing – 1 room is 10cm too small?

6th December 2019

Hello fellow landlords, I have a small portfolio of properties in Tower Hamlets. They introduced an Additional Licencing scheme throughout the borough in April. I’m just now starting to get the notices back and find that 3 of my 3-bed properties are only licence-able as 2-bed properties. 2 are with rooms 6square meters (51cm squared […]

Tips for Overseas investor partnership?

5th December 2019

Hello everyone. My name’s Riccardo and I’d love to ask a few questions and hopefully get some good guidelines! A little introduction of me (better say us) We are 4 newbies on our early 30′ sharing the dream and goal of running our own business and become entrepreneurs on the property business.We def want to […]

Scotland is home to the highest rental yields

5th December 2019

Lettings management platform, Howsy, has revealed the most appealing markets for UK landlords based on the annual rental return available as a percentage of the property investment cost. Across the UK the current annual rent of £11,436 accounts for 4.9% of the average UK house price (£234,370). But where in the UK sits way above […]

Christmas is not the time to find New Build bargains

5th December 2019

The latest research by new homes specialist, Stone Real Estate, has revealed that the level of new build properties being sold accelerates as we head into December, while sales across the regular market drop a gear in the run-up to Christmas. The research shows that on average over the last five years, the number of […]

2019 Property Investors Awards recognise sector’s most outstanding individuals

4th December 2019

The Property Investors Awards is delighted to announce the winners for 2019. The annual event, celebrating excellence in property investing, included a glittering evening of fine dining and entertainment, with the winners receiving the much coveted awards themselves. Property Investors nationwide celebrated their success throughout the year at the ceremony on Saturday 30 November at the […]

Join Shelter’s Facebook page and be polite?

4th December 2019

I would suggest it is a good idea to join Shelter’s Facebook page. It gives us the chance to comment and question them. Please be polite and ask simple questions like how many homes do they provide? How much cash reserves do they hold? What do they do to bring needing tenants together with good […]

AML rules to include landlords and tenants involved in rental transactions over €10,000

4th December 2019

Although the upcoming general election has grabbed all the headlines, letting agencies should not forget the important changes to Anti-Money Laundering (AML) rules that come into force on January 10th 2020. PayProp says that while the political future remains unsettled, with a raft of new rented sector policies put forward, agencies should instead focus on […]

No surprise tenants have suffered intense rent increases this year

4th December 2019

As we near the end of 2019, Propertymark has analysed its sales and lettings data to reveal trends from the year. ARLA Propertymark’s overview of the private rented sector: – The supply of rental accommodation increased in 2019, from 187 on average per branch in 2018, to 197 this year. It reached an annual high […]

Crisis Christmas appeal for £28.87 very different to Shelter

4th December 2019

The Crisis Christmas appeal is for donations of £28.87 to reserve someone a place for their support package this Christmas and introduce them to the education, training and support to help end their homelessness for good through Crisis’ year-round services. Click here The Crisis plan for this Christmas and the year ahead: A Welcome with […]

Lack of focus on elderly housing could cost billions

3rd December 2019

Lord Best, Chair of the Parliamentary Group on Housing and Care for Older People, warns a lack of political action is opening the UK to an unforeseen crisis. In an interview with the Elder Magazine, the cross-bench peer opened up on how the lack of focus on elderly housing could cost the UK billions if […]

Swirling smoke against a dark background, symbolizing fire safety concerns in housing.

38% of battery powered fire alarms failed

3rd December 2019

The Local Government Association is encouraging all home owners, landlords and residents to test smoke alarms and replace batteries if required amid worrying failure rates and Christmas being a high risk time of year. Figures show 38% of battery powered smoke alarms failed to activate in residential fires in England in the past year. This […]

Next year Rodney we’ll all be miwwionaires

3rd December 2019

Christmas is a time to collapse on the sofa and watch your favourite TV shows after eating yourself into a coma and GetAgent.co.uk, the estate agent comparison website, has looked at the cost of some of the more memorable properties featured on our screens at Christmas. When looking at TV properties they don’t come much […]

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 […]