Foreign Investors will be rubbing their hands with glee. The pound has dropped 14% since 2016 against the US dollar. What does that mean for British house owners? Initially your house remains the same price, but for foreign buyers the house in Britain is 14% cheaper! That is it at Face Value. We can expect […]

Can Millenials use the phone? When we advertise a property through an online agent we are sent email addresses/phone numbers of those who express an interest. We get many, and I need to qualify them before showing them the property. Otherwise it can be a waste of their time and mine. The best and most […]

My two sons look after my properties whilst I am on holiday. If I make a payment to each of them of £1000 each for this service can I declare this as an expense on my tax return? In addition can they take the money and not declare it under the trader’s allowance? “Trading allowance […]

The Bank of England’s Monetary Policy Committee (MPC) today voted unanimously to hold the Bank Base rate at 0.75%. Volatile data surrounding Brexit uncertainty and corresponding falls in Sterling would mean a reduction in rate could put the Pound under even more pressure and an increase to counter exchange rate related inflation could dampen slowing […]

New figures released today by leading flat and house share site SpareRoom, reveal that the Rent a Room Scheme tax threshold increase, introduced in 2016 to encourage more people to let out their spare rooms to lodgers, has actually done more to boost the short term lets market. The Rent a Room Scheme tax threshold was […]

How can you legally find out where a tenant now lives? In my case I had a tenant not only do a bunk owing rent but she decided to remove the washing machine we left in the property for her use, but dragging it all through the flat slicing the carpet in ever room as […]

I am confused as to whether or not the costs of mowing the grass, tidying garden and also cleaning the house to check-in standards (with receipts supplied) as per tenancy agreement is still deductible from the deposit for agreements signed after June 1st 2019. I am assuming any damage will still be deductible from the […]

This week sees the launch of 15 year fixed rates for residential mortgages. Launched by Virgin Money, this long term fixed rate is a great option for rate security against an uncertain backdrop, and clearly for those who have no intention to move in that time frame.  Of course this won’t be the right solution […]

David Cox, ARLA Propertymark Chief Executive, said: “Unsurprisingly, rent costs hit a record high in June as tenants suffered the impact of the tenant fee ban. Ever since the Government proposed the ban, we warned that tenants would continue to pay the same amount, but the cost would be passed onto tenants through increased rents, […]

This is an extremely niche BTL mortgage product, but I am sharing the details on behalf of a broker friend who specialises in this market. It isn’t easy to get a BTL mortgage if you’re over the age of 75, let alone one that is on an interest only basis for an indefinite term, i.e. […]

I’m seeing quite few auction properties at the moment that are really interesting which are being sold with with tenants on a rolling AST. The properties look good (some even have internal photos which suggest at least access can be gained) but all the advice I’ve read says stay away from these at all costs. […]

Recent legislation prohibits the applying of fees to tenants. Our AST clearly sets out the exact nature of the tenants responsibilities during their day to day occupation of the property. For example if a light bulb fails it is their contractual obligation to replace it, likewise If the sink blocks, they damage internal fittings etc. […]

Jacob Rees-Mogg has co-authored a paper for the Institute of Economic Affairs titled ‘Raising the Roof – How to solve the United Kingdom’s housing crisis.’ The Paper draws on some of the entries for the second Richard Koch Breakthrough Prize to find free-market solutions to the United Kingdom’s housing crisis. The £50,000 prize is awarded […]

Nearly 60% of all adults say they have no Will *  That’s a surprising statistic when you consider the implications on those that we love. Not having a Will means that your next of kin will be faced with additional responsibilities after your death, including the potentially onerous task of managing the responsibility of obtaining […]

With all the adverse legislation now surrounding Tenant Deposit Protection I like to give my tenants another choice. Guess which one they pick given this pitch? “You need to pay one month of rent up front plus five weeks deposit. However, I can waive the deposit if you agree to pay an extra £20 a […]

NAEA Propertymark is issuing its June Housing Report with Mark Hayward, Chief Executive, commenting: “Although we’ve seen a slight drop in supply and demand, the housing market is still stronger than expected, showing signs of resilience amid political uncertainty. The warmer months can often result in the market quietening down, but we’re not yet experiencing […]

SafeDeposits Scotland, which protects more than 60% of all Scottish tenancy deposits, has revealed where owners of Scottish residential property using the scheme are based. Consulting its own, substantial database, SafeDeposits Scotland has created a top 10 list and found that overseas landlords come from far and wide. Australia tops the table by a considerable […]

Forget Predictions. Investors want hard facts. I met with a Mortgage Broker in Ashford yesterday. He told me he is doing wonderfully well with mortgages for “owner occupiers” but had not done a Buy To Let Mortgage for over a year! He put this down to the fact that most of his business is at […]

I have written an article published yesterday by conservative home titled ‘The Government’s war on landlords will only make the housing crisis worse for the lowest-paid.’ The article is concerning the proposed scrapping of Section 21, and I comment: “Clearly, there are far more rogue tenants than there are rogue landlords. However, one would imagine […]

Caridon Landlord Solutions calls on Boris Johnson to review the Benefit Assessment Period (BAP) of Universal Credit which is catching landlords and tenants out. Landlords and tenants who do not understand the implications of coordinating the Benefit Assessment Period (BAP) of Universal Credit with the dates of their tenancy agreement are, in some cases, missing […]

Reasons for obtaining property valuations for tax planning purposes include:- Transferring properties into a Limited Company April 2015 valuations for non-residents to establish base values for CGT calculations Establishing revaluation reserves when properties are transferred into an LLP HMRC can open an ‘aspect enquiry’ into any tax declaration so it is important to have documentation […]