Data from Accommodation for Students (AFS) analysing the cost of student accommodation* in 2019 has found that the average rents across many cities are close to the 20-year average of £79 per week. This is good news for students indicating that there is value to be had, but may mean that landlords have to work […]

Conservative Party leadership contender, Boris Johnson, has confirmed his interest in switching Stamp Duty liability from the house buyer to the seller as proposed by Association of Accounting Technicians (AAT). Last year Johnson stated Stamp Duty was “absurdly high” and last month he suggested he would consider scrapping it for homes worth £500,000 or less. […]

The private rented sector in England is not fit for purpose, failing both landlords and tenants according to some left wing reports. The general thrust appears to be that Private Sector Landlords should evict perfectly good tenants who have been in their house for years and re-let to tenants on benefits because they need a […]

It’s been heavily publicised that a large percentage of the UK’s retirees are struggling to live off their pension, so it’s no surprise that some over 65s have turned to renting out rooms in their home, or other properties they may have, to boost their income.  However, in this week’s episode of Nightmare Tenants Slum […]

My wife and I bought a property on 28th September 2009 (cash £170,000) to live in. We moved out from this property on 16th November 2013 and it has been let out continuously from December 2013 until today. My wife and I have been managing this property ourselves. The letting relief and Private Residence Relief […]

We currently live in a home worth £95000 and we intend to rent this out and purchase a home for £165000. We don’t own any other property. Does anyone know how much Stamp Duty we have to pay on our new home as we are getting conflicting answers? The new mortgage will be the first […]

Property Investor Partnership is delighted to have secured four, 2 bedroom houses in Leeds, for the discounted price of £152,995.  These properties have been discounted by 10% off current list prices and also include flooring, turf and white goods in our discounted price. According to our rental partner, Leef Property Management, these properties will achieve fantastic rental […]

Hi, I have a sitting tenant who is willing to renew this tenancy, at the moment I am using full management service from a local estate agency. However, this local estate agency is pushing to raise their fees in light of this renewal (keeping the same tenant). Can I refuse the fee increase? Can I […]

The Government urgently needs to provide tenants with better information on their rights and responsibilities if it is to avoid a breakdown of trust between renters and their landlords, the National Landlords Association warns. New research, commissioned by the NLA, found that over three quarters (79%) of tenants need better information about what they should […]

As a landlord I have recently discovered that the agent we have been using was taken over by another over 12 months ago. Neither I as the landlord nor the tenants have been advised of this change and there are other landlords saying the same. We have discovered this by looking back at bank statements […]

The Halifax House Price Index shows June’s annual change figure of 5.7% growth coming against the backdrop of a particularly low growth rate in the corresponding period in 2018, which has had an impact on year-on-year comparisons. The average house price now stands at £237,110. On a monthly basis, house prices fell by 0.3% In […]

During the last 18 months more than 200 landlords from across Scotland have been found in breach of a law designed to protect tenants’ deposits, according to research carried out by SafeDeposits Scotland. Since 2012, landlords in Scotland that take a deposit from their tenant have been required, by law, to lodge the deposit with […]

I have been an avid reader of this site and you kindly helped me before, so perhaps I can ask again for some advice? I have a 3 bed semi in Pegswood, near Morpeth, Northumberland, which used to be my home. In 2011 my mother had a stroke, which meant I had to drop everything […]

THE latest data from HomeLet shows demand for rental properties remaining high and in examining the data from the last five years, HomeLet has found that the UK as a whole has experienced a 13.9% growth in rental values (12.5% when London is excluded). Headlines from June 2019’s HomeLet Rental Index are: The average rent […]

In 2012, a change in law made squatting in residential property a criminal offence. The inevitable consequence of this was an increase in the number of cases of squatting in commercial premises.  Squatting has now become a real issue for commercial landlords and property managers, who need to make sure that they remove any squatters […]

Derby is an often-overlooked area when it comes to property investment. However, with the arrival of HS2 it will soon come into the limelight. Much of Derby’s property is undervalued but it is expected that the arrival of HS2 will push prices up significantly.  Between 2017 and 2018 property prices in Derby rose by 4.1% […]

Moneyfacts UK Mortgage Trends Treasury Report reveals that the average two-year fixed rate in July 2017 was 2.26% and the current average standard variable rate (SVR), is currently 4.90%. These figures mean that this month, the average difference between the rates that existing borrowers have been paying on their maturing two-year fixed deals and the […]

A recent study exploring the risks and impacts on the reliability of Energy Performance Certificates (EPCs) has uncovered a staggering amount of properties across the UK may be unwittingly let illegally. An extensive study using Spec technology has estimated that poor measurement standards currently used by the property sector has led to approximately 2.5 million […]

Landlords will have a major role to play in a court case considering the future of the government’s Right to Rent scheme. The government has decided to appeal against a damning criticism by the High Court earlier this year that the Right to Rent breaches human rights law because it causes racial discrimination that otherwise […]

Death is an unfortunate fact of life and occasionally a tenant passes away. Common sense dictates the Utility Company should just write off the bill, but no it puts the bill into the name of the Landlord. There then follows correspondence with threats of reporting to Credit Reference agencies. I have two current, with two […]

May Bank Holiday 2018 there was a large hailstorm in our area which caused damage to a number of conservatory roofs including my sister-in-law and mother-in-law’s. They successfully claimed and have new roofs. At the time I contacted my letting agent to ask them to contact the tenant in the property to have a look […]