Page 551 – Property118

Joining of houses by purchasing next-door?

21st January 2019

I have recently purchased my neighbours house with the hope of one day connecting them together. Our son is wheelchair bound and needs tremendous additional support and equipment hence the future plan. However, after using up just about all funds I can access the work on joining the houses will probably not happen for at […]

Will you pay tax on your finance costs this year?

19th January 2019

If you are due to pay tax on your finance costs by 31st January 2019 I have some very bad news for you, and some potentially very good news. I will begin with the bad news. Unless you make some changes, it is highly likely that you will pay twice as much tax on your […]

Make Landlording Great Again

18th January 2019

Eddie Hooker, CEO of award winning Hamilton Fraser Total Landlord Insurance and Paul Shamplina, Founder of Landlord Action and Brand Ambassador at Hamilton Fraser, are back for a new year property podcast. The podcast is part of a series and features episodes offering practical tips for landlords and letting agents on how to better manage […]

Newly converted flat has 1 inch gaps?

18th January 2019

I’m hoping someone may be able to provide some guidance. I purchased a newly converted ground floor flat over a year ago. It was previously a large Victorian house that has been split into a number of flats. Shortly after moving in I noticed a gap between the flooring and skirting board alongside one wall […]

Social landlord generates £2bn for Scottish economy

18th January 2019

So they are building Social Housing somewhere in the country. The complete transformation of social housing in Scotland’s largest city under Glasgow Housing Association (GHA) has boosted the Scottish economy by £2 billion and supported thousands of jobs, a new report has revealed. The study, by the Fraser of Allander Institute (FAI), reviewed the impact […]

Selling property without paying CGT

17th January 2019

Two scenarios regularly pitched to me during tax planning consultations are:- 1) We want to sell some of our properties which are low yielding and replace them with higher yielding properties. 2) We have been considering selling some of our properties and using the net sale proceeds to pay down other mortgages to improve the […]

Evicting an intermitant paying tenant now on SPT?

17th January 2019

I’m a newbie to the letting game and would welcome advice from some seasoned members. I have a tenant who has run up non payment of rent to the tune of over a £1200. She was a no problem for 6 months of her short hold tenancy agreement, but once it changed to a periodic, […]

Freezing housing market looking negative or flat – RICS

17th January 2019

The UK housing market ended 2018 on a weak note with uncertainty still biting, alongside continuing lack of stock and affordability issues, according to the December 2018 UK Residential Market Survey. Key activity indicators continued to slip in December with sales volumes dwindling, although beneath this national headline figure some areas of the UK saw […]

Nottingham to use data modelling to target ‘rogue’ landlords

17th January 2019

Nottingham council and its controversial selective licensing scheme, which our own Mick Roberts is battling, are to introduce a data modelling system targeting and prioritising unlicensed landlords to penalise. With the chaotic, expensive, complicated, error ridden and heavy handed way selective licencing has been implemented in Nottingham any new system when the existing is far […]

Your Invitation to Brentwood Property Investment Seminar 20th Feb

16th January 2019

We are delighted to be holding our next Property Investment Seminar on Wednesday 20th February 2019 in Brentwood, Essex. We would really love to have you join us! The seminar will be presented by one of the Directors of PIP, both of whom are experienced property investors in their own right, successfully having used property to build and create wealth and […]

BEST PRACTICE – letter template to go with eviction notices

16th January 2019

Did you know that legislation exists to ensure that tenants are treated by Council’s as being at risk of homelessness when a valid Section 21 notice is served, NOT when a court order is made, and certainly before bailiffs are appointed? On this basis, advice given to tenants by Council’s and other organisations like Shelter, to […]

Access after section 8/abandonment

16th January 2019

Hi, My tenant stopped paying rent and didn’t respond when I chased this. I served both a s8 notice and a s21 notice. The s8 notice period passed. The tenant then confirmed that she would pay but subsequently didn’t. The tenant then said that she would leave within two weeks and clear the arrears. This […]

Brexit uncertainty good news for landlords??

16th January 2019

HOMELET, the country’s leading tenant referencing and specialist insurance provider, holds the UK’s largest and most up-to-date pool of data on agreed rental price trends, based on newly agreed tenancies. Chief executive Martin Totty sets out his views on what Brexit – deal or no-deal may mean for the private rental sector. In times of […]

Landlords continue to prosper in 2019 with increased incentives

16th January 2019

Happy New Year, we have great news to start  2019 as it is set to be a prosperous year for those landlords that are interested in dealing with Councils.  The councils are increasing their budgets to further tempt landlords into housing their tenants. Lettingsupermarket.com have already worked with hundreds of landlords assisting them with tens […]

HS2 Compulsory Purchase – Have you received your payment?

16th January 2019

As most of you may know, HS2 has compulsory purchased many properties in London and the surrounding areas in which the new rail line is to be built. We have a property that we have sold to them under the compulsory purchase demand however, it has been over 3 months since we sold it to […]

Ban on Lettings Fees to commence June 1st

16th January 2019

The Tenants Fees Bill 2017 – 2019, click here, has been confirmed by government to commence on June 1st this year. Bill sponsor Lord Bourne of Aberystwyth (image right) announced the start date at the third reading in the House of Lords and said: “It has been clear throughout that this is a Bill that […]

Is Class 4 NIC due on a UK property tax return?

15th January 2019

Completing a self assessment tax return for filing this January with only the UK Property page, no employment, no self employment. The summary tax calculation is now including Class 4 NICs at 9% of the profit on the tax calculation summary page. I’ve seen various articles if this is, or is not, due to be […]

£2.4m for government crackdown on irresposible landlords

15th January 2019

More than 50 councils across the country will share nearly £2.4 million of extra funding to crack down on rogue landlords, Housing Minister Heather Wheeler has announced in the government press release below: Whilst the majority of landlords provide decent homes for their tenants, the cash boost will enable local councils to step up action […]

Only £100 compensation offered by Redress scheme?

15th January 2019

I have let my flat via a London letting agent. They produced a very good Reference Report on a tenant through a Referencing Agent. The tenant paid for 6 months and then lost employment and hasn’t paid since. We are taking the tenant to possession Court shortly. It turns out that the reference report was […]

New Government economic crime taskforce

14th January 2019

Mark Hayward, Chief Executive, NAEA Propertymark comments on joining the Home Office and Treasury’s new Economic Crime Strategic Board, which launches today. “The Economic Crime Strategic Board is significant in that for the first time, all the relevant industries and Government departments are coming together to tackle economic crime by agreeing strategic priorities and ensuring […]

My life is finite – Fergus Wilson

14th January 2019

What has become clear is tenants, Councils, and Journalists expect Landlords to live forever! The reality is that they get older and die! At that point Councils have to house tenants who cannot find alternative accommodation. Private Sector Landlords (PSL) were encouraged to buy more and more houses to ease the Housing Shortage in the […]