4 years ago, we bought a first and second-floor maisonette with a huge loft bedroom, listed as a bedroom by the estate agent, referred to as a bedroom by the valuer, and not queried by our conveyancer. I recently found out, though, that Building Control have no record of any loft work there. I asked […]

Lord Bourne of Aberystwyth Conservative Peer and Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Housing, Communities and Local Government), was speaking in the 2nd reading in the House of Lords on Friday the 23rd of November. He would seem to have used very inciting and populist language that while directed at criminal landlords certainly does not help stop or ease […]

Following on from my 5½ year legal case I have invested in a Body Worn Camera at a cost of £75.00. I suggest a Body Worn Video is very necessary these days for Landlords. Police Officers have BWV and always say as they arrive “I have my Body Worn Camera switched on is that alright?” […]

The Big Issue has picked up on the campaign to boycott Shelter supporting businesses in their article “Landlords are boycotting companies that support homelessness charity Shelter” Click here. The tone of this Big Issue article was quite interesting as it gave plenty of copy space for reporting on Dr Rosalind Beck’s justification for the call […]

Freezer shares provide an opportunity for owners of property companies to cap the value of the shares for IHT planning purposes by transferring future growth in value of the company outside their estate. Chances are you expect the net value of your company’s rental properties to appreciate before you die? This increase in net value […]

Landlords who have incorporated their rental property business using the BICT structure have done so in order to retain competitive mortgages terms and/or avoid or defer the costs of refinancing. However, it is almost inevitable that refinancing will need to be considered at some point for the following reasons: Exiting mortgage term coming to an end A desire […]

This is a fantastic investment opportunity to purchase one of these beautiful build complete 3 & 4 bed houses within a lovely new development in Kirkby, Liverpool. We have managed to secure exclusive discounts for our clients with prices starting from only £148,000 for a 3 bed house and £170,000 for a 4 bed house.  Investors will enjoy incredible investment yields […]

I am a private landlord and have always managed my property and tenants’ needs. I have always been a good and fair landlord. In September I advertised my 3 bedroom flat on flatshare website. I was advertising the property to be let as a whole with a single 1 year AST ( joint tenancy for […]

The Landlords Alliance campaign to stop B&Q supporting anti-private landlord charity Shelter and to get them to instead support a homelessness charity which provides actual shelter has gathered pace this week. Landlords and other property professionals have been hugely supportive of the campaign. As one commentator said about Shelter on Property Industry Eye: “It constantly […]

The assured shorthold tenancy (AST) that was introduced three decades ago allows people to let properties for a fixed-period. Section 21 of the Housing Act 1988 allows the landlord to give two months’ notice to end the tenancy after the fixed period without stating a reason. Section 21 notices were labeled “no fault” evictions, because […]

That’s what Ken Loach called for 10 years ago, because Shelter’s CEO Adam Sampson wanted employees to do unpaid overtime to win a government contract. What, you thought Shelter was a charity that housed the homeless? That stopped 40 years ago! “Ever since Ken Loach’s classic Cathy Come Home highlighted the plight of the homeless, […]

I planned an internal remodel of a flat that I own that included removing load bearing walls, chimney breasts etc and generally making the flat more open plan. The flat is U shaped around a central communal stairwell, such that you enter through a hall, then into the kitchen, then into the sitting room, then […]

Why isn’t Shelter campaigning against the law that allows local authorities and housing associations to use “Introductory Tenancies”, which give tenants even less certainty of a home than an AST with any private landlord? Housing Act 1996 – section 124 “Introductory Tenancies” Click here Any why can’t PRS landlords use something like this too, especially […]

Is Shelter somehow liable for the criminal activities activities it encourages? If Shelter encourage and facilitate tenants staying in properties without paying rent (and those sorts of activities), are they not encouraging criminal behavior? Are they not then accomplices and can be held accountable? Could they then be taken to court in some capacity? A […]

I have been thinking of investing my money in Manchester, but I don’t fancy traveling all the way there. My question to you all would be: Have you ever purchased a Buy to Let (or any type of property) without physically going to see it in person? If anyone has can I ask what gave […]

On 6 December 2018, there will be a Westminster Hall debate on the Use of section 21 evictions in the private rented sector. The debate is scheduled to start at 1.30pm and the Member sponsoring this debate is Karen Buck MP. The Library will produce a briefing or material for the debate and this page […]

The Work and Pensions Commons select committee have issued a statement titled “Government must address housing ‘blacklist’ created by lenders’ no DSS policy.” The Committee published correspondence with Ross McEwan, CEO of RBS, on concerns about restrictions on mortgage lending to landlords whose tenants are in receipt of housing benefit and Universal Credit. Letter from […]

I sold a property and the tenants Bond is still in my name with the DPS, the new landlord / Agent hasn’t asked for it to be transferred to him, what should I do ? Return it to the Tenant ? or contact the Landlord / Agent to see if he wants it transferred to […]

May I please ask for an advise with relation to an issue we are facing with tenants from the flat above ours? Our tenants who moved in in Jun are now looking to move out due to the noise from the flat upstairs who is also tenanted. Our tenants had a discussion with the tenants […]

For the eighth consecutive year, less than 1% (0.85%) of all tenancies ended in a dispute over the tenancy deposit according to new figures released by Tenancy Deposit Scheme (TDS). Published every year, TDS’s Statistical Briefings pull together information from a variety of sources including Freedom of Information (FOI) data and statistics gathered by the […]

“It is the introduction in 2008 of the Local Housing Allowance (LHA) as a means of calculating Housing Benefit payments, and subsequent changes to LHA rates, that is driving the increase in homelessness from the private rented sector.” Research commissioned by the RLA into the causes of homelessness in the PRS has been carried out […]