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 […]

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 […]

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 […]

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 […]

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 […]

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 […]

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 […]

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 […]

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 […]

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 […]

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 […]

We are building a Network of Promoters. If you are active on Social Media, such as LinkedIn and/or Facebook, we are inviting you to consider working with us. The tasks are simple,  but we will pay you handsomely for results. WHAT IS REQUIRED? All we ask of our Promoters is that they post tracked links […]

The attempt by Liverpool city council to impose their city wide licensing scheme on Liverpool landlords for a further 5 years has been struck down by the Secretary of State. Full credit to the government and full credit to Brandon Lewis who changed the law after this greedy authority originally foisted their rotten scheme on […]

The latest figures from the HomeLet Rental Index indicate that the rental sector is set to see the sustained growth of rental values observed throughout 2019 continue into the new decade. The headlines from December 2019’s HomeLet Rental Index are: – The average rent in the UK is now £953, this is up by 3.5% […]

Nottingham City Council Press Release: £100,000 to help improve renting standards in Nottingham Nottingham City Council has been awarded £100,000 by the Government to help private landlords improve housing standards across the city. The council is one of more than 100 local authorities across England awarded a share of over £4 million. Councils will use […]

From the 28th January 2020 a new Article 4 Direction comes into force in Croydon Borough. The effect of the Article 4 Direction will mean that the conversion of houses to a small HMO (up to 6 people) will require planning permission across the Borough. This means that all types of newly created HMO in Croydon will […]

Plans to end the freeze on housing benefits will still leave many tenants unable to afford their rent say landlords. Following the announcement today that from April the Local Housing Allowance (LHA) will increase by inflation as measured by the Consumer Price Index, the Residential Landlords Association says that as the Allowance has been frozen […]