Page 531 – Property118

New national model for shared ownership

18th October 2019

A package of measures to help people on lower incomes get onto the housing ladder have been confirmed by Housing Secretary Robert Jenrick. The government is reviewing a new national model for shared ownership to make it easier for people to buy more of their own home, including allowing them to buy in 1% increments. […]

Section 8 hearing adjourned due to hospitalisation?

17th October 2019

I have a tenant in arrears for more than 6 months and a court hearing was scheduled this Monday based on Section 8. The tenant called the court the morning of the hearing to say he’s in hospital so the hearing was adjourned. I’m wondering if anyone has had to deal with a similar issue […]

Housing possession court duty scheme

17th October 2019

The Government is holding a consultation covering additional legal support for those facing eviction or repossession. Currently, the Housing Possession Court Duty Scheme (HPCDS) offers free advice on the day to anyone at risk of eviction or repossession, this service is not means tested and is therefore available to anyone who finds themselves in this […]

Who needs a guarantor agreement?

17th October 2019

A guarantor is an individual who is agreeing to pay the rent if the tenant defaults on payments. Guarantors can often be necessary when renting to students or those in part time or low paid work, but any landlord can ask for a guarantor agreement if they feel there might be an element of increased […]

Oliver Knights used for money laundering fraudulent rental payments

17th October 2019

Three London criminals have been sentenced after pleading guilty to money laundering in April 2019. Two criminals were sentenced on 27th June 2019 and the third was sentenced on 21st September with all the sentences were handed down at Snaresbrook Crown Court. The sentences follow an investigation spearheaded by the National Trading Standards eCrime Team, […]

Landlords selling up in frustration – Rightmove

17th October 2019

New Rightmove research indicates 24% of landlords are planning to sell at least one property from their current portfolio, 13% will be selling more than one and 11% report they wish to sell their entire portfolio.  This is despite rents being at record levels having increased by 2% in the last year. Rightmove figures show […]

Top 25 UK Buy to Let postcodes

17th October 2019

Liverpool’s L1 boasts a strong 10% profit margin, smashing the 3% yield many of the UK’s postcodes offer. In L1, landlords snap up a property for an average of £90,000 and support their investment with a significant asking rent of £750 per month. But it’s not just Liverpool that’s doing well. Landlords may want to […]

Advanced rent leads to higher net tax?

16th October 2019

I am helping a relative complete her tax return. She owns a property, run as an HMO, with a group of four tenants who have separate rooms. The rental agreements require rent one month in advance, but in August 2018, in addition to the regular monthly rent, all four paid 6 months rent in advance […]

Landlords beware – cannabis farming on the increase

16th October 2019

New analysis by Direct Line for Business reveals a surge in the number of police investigations into the theft of electricity, where people have tampered with a gas or electricity meter, so it doesn’t properly record the energy used in England & Wales and its use in cannabis farming.  Analysis of 2019 data reveals that […]

DPS reveals most bizarre items left by students!

16th October 2019

Giant glow-in-the-dark swear words, a sex toy and a pet python are among some of the items that students left in their accommodation when they moved out over the summer, according to The Deposit Protection Service (The DPS). Part of The DPS’ role is processing landlords’ requests for deductions from their tenants’ deposits, and among […]

Rents rising at 2% but affordability has improved

16th October 2019

The inaugural Zoopla Rental Market Report, which records trends in the private rented sector has now been released and it indicates that being a renter is becoming more affordable with rents rising at half of the level of earnings growth during the past year UK rents have increased by 2% in the year to the […]

Caridon Landlord Solutions shortlisted ‘Best Property Education Provider’

16th October 2019

Caridon Landlord Solutions is delighted to have been shortlisted in the category of ‘Best Property Education Provider’ at this year’s National  Landlord Investment Show Awards. The awards celebrate companies working at the top of their game in the private rented sector (PRS), bringing together over 400 major players from the worlds of finance, law, tax, […]

Forced sale of family trust property under Labour plans?

15th October 2019

I am trustee of a family discretionary Trust, providing rental income to various beneficiaries. Under Labour’s proposed plan to allow tenants to buy the property they are renting, will the trustees of this Trust have to agree to the rental property being sold to the tenant. Which as far as the Trustees are concerned is […]

Deposits and Disputes training for Glasgow landlords

15th October 2019

In the last year, 543 disputes have arisen between landlords and tenants in the Glasgow postcode area according to the latest research from SafeDeposits Scotland. The deposit protection provider found that the average amount that tenants and landlords in Glasgow disagreed over deductions to the deposit at the end of a tenancy was £370.23 and […]

Are all LA Bond Deposits the same?

15th October 2019

I can’t seem to find out if the Local Authority Bond deposit system is a nationally applied guideline, or if each LA has their own rules coming off from the guidelines. Anyone have any knowledge in this field? My question refers really to claiming against the Bond at the end of a tenancy. Can I […]

Goodbye letter from Mortgage Express?

15th October 2019

Mortgage Express didn’t provide me with a Notice of Assignment of my portfolio mortgage to Jasper Mortgages pursuant to s136 (1) of the Law of Property Act 1925 in February 2018. When I asked them for a copy of the Goodbye letter, they have stated that they do not have one on file and have […]

Message To ALL Mortgage Brokers

14th October 2019

Dear Mortgage Broker If you have seen the level of your new Buy-to-Let mortgage and remortgage applications reducing, this is probably due to the fact that your clients are concerned about the changes to finance cost relief. Many landlords are either selling up or burying their heads in the sand, but they don’t need to. […]

Mixed LLP Case Study = Huge Tax Benefits For Landlords

14th October 2019

If you own some properties in your own name and others within a Limited Company, please read this Case Study and share it with any other landlords who might be in a similar position. Mr X owns UK rental properties in both his own name and a Limited Company. They are all residential. His daughter […]

Licensing needs to go back to the drawing board

14th October 2019

Research for safeagent conducted by London Property Licensing has recently uncovered over 130,000 unlicensed properties in London which should be licensed under either selective, additional or mandatory HMO licensing schemes. FOI requests indicated there are over 310,000 private rented properties in London that require licensing under mandatory HMO, additional and selective licensing schemes implemented under […]

Ever wonder why you’ve had a run in with a Local Authority?

14th October 2019

Its like that Council hasn’t got anything better to do! I know its not a Housing issue, but I thought it relevant to show the inadequacies of L.A’s as they relate to Landlords for Housing matters like Licensing. They should spend their time enforcing against the Really rogue Agents and Landlords, or perhaps they don’t […]

Rents grow as housing market slows

14th October 2019

HOMELET’s Rental Index figures for September 2019 have been released. The headlines from this month’s report are: The average rent in the UK is now £967, up by 2.5% on the same time last year When London is excluded, the average rent in the UK is now £797, this is up by 2.2% on last […]