I run a small letting agency and am almost certain to exit the market when the fee ban comes in as it is income we cannot in all good conscience replace. I plan to go into commercial property and sales instead, run my own portfolio and get a life! It occurred to me that since […]

The Chancellor Philip Hammond has called an early, 29th of October, budget this year to cater for final Brexit negotiations. The National Landlords Association (NLA) has submitted a shopping list of recommendations it would like the government to take up in the Autumn Budget on behalf of its members. Click Here to see the full […]

Thought I send you my recent observation on H&S with fire prevention awareness week coming up shortly. I manage my properties and have been doing my pre-winter and H&S checks. I managed to see 6 tenants the other day so have now acquired few repair jobs (deep joy). What really surprised me was that out […]

My tenant wishes to move her 22 year old son into the accommodation on a permanent basis which on the face of it, I have no objections. My management agent has suggested that this could be done by them drawing up a simple Licensee document and carry out checks on his ID. They also state […]

My mother-in-law has passed away leaving her house worth about £360,000. There is an outstanding equity release loan probably in the region of £180,000. She has no other cash/assets. She has left everything (so just house and about £1000 in cash) bar a small sum to each grandchild (25k to be taken out of house […]

A friend who lives in South London is separating from his partner after a considerable time and although he is a middle-class, educated and solvent man in his fifties he is finding it difficult to secure a decent Flat against young couples with dual income etc. He picked my brains and it occurred to me […]

Seems like the council bosses want to implement another area for selective licensing without doing a proper consultation as far as I know. * I’m not a landlord yet 😉 Thought I give a heads up to other Landlords. Click Here for the link to the local TeesideLive article. “A scheme credited with boosting house […]

A skyline filled with cranes greets you on the approach to Birmingham.  This is a very real and exciting indication of the scale of rejuvenation taking place in the city, and the potential it holds.  This past Saturday, Property Investor Partnership teamed up with the developer Prosperity to host our ‘Meet The Developer’ event in Birmingham – […]

In August, the number of tenants experiencing rent hikes increased to 40%, from 31% in July. This is the highest figure recorded since records began in January 2015 and the highest level every in August. Year on year, this figure has increased from 35% in August 2017 and 27% in August 2016. ARLA Propertymark is […]

On 1st October 2018, changes to the Section 21 Notice come into force for letting agents and landlords. This will require all Assured Shorthold Tenancies (ASTs), regardless of their start date, to comply with guidelines as to when and how a landlord can serve a Section 21 Notice, which enables them to terminate a tenancy […]

Thank you very much to Malcolm and his team at Brooklands Commercial Finance along with Shawbrook Bank for running the seminar and using the Shawbrook offices in the heart of the City. We started with a Mortgage and Lender Market Update in particular discussing rental stress testing and the amount you can borrow by using […]

Bod has a dilemma. He is a portfolio landlord who is badly affected by the Section 24 restrictions on finance cost relief. We have been friends on Facebook for a long while and Bod messages me regularly. As you can probably guess, Bod is a made up name because my friend wants to retain anonymity. This […]

I desperately need help with what to do with my shop that has self contained flats above re s157. I have drawn a blank with anyone who can help me ascertain 1991 Building Reg compliance so I’m exempt from licensing. Therefore I need to consult a legal expert with what I do with 1 week […]

Our 90 year lease requires us to obtain a licence to underlet each time we get a tenant. The managing agent charges about 250 pounds and the lessor insists using their solicitor for a further £400 plus vat. Can this be challenged? If so can I recover my own legal expenses for doing so? Many […]

Hi, A general question which I am sure has a simple answer but I would like to seek a range of views. I currently have a few BTL’s on an interest only basis with mortgages currently running up to retirement age. I do not intend selling the properties as I wish to pass them onto […]

I’m looking for some advice on how to re-finance 3 properties I have inherited. My father passed away, leaving me a house and two flats. The lenders are looking for redemption. My only option if I would like to keep these properties with a view to BTL, is to refinance. The two flats are an […]

Hi – just wanted to check if there are any laws in this area. I am the leaseholder in a small group of flats (own share of freehold as well). It seems one or two flats have not been paying their share of freeholder fee e.g. ground rent, insurance, some monthly fee etc. So it […]

I am a licence holder in the Liverpool Landlord Licensing Scheme/Scam. I have received an email from the Council reminding landlords about the new legislation regarding HMO’s. That is fine and councils should be contacting landlords about such matters, however, it was the final paragraph that alarmed me, and I quote:- ‘Anti-social behaviour during Freshers’ […]

New research shows a staggering 64% increase in the amount of Londoners moving overseas, according to leading home moving company AnyVan.com. How many of these include Landlords heading for countries with no CGT such as Malta, Portugal and Cyprus? The latest statistics show migration demand from the capital since the start of 2018. The figures […]

We own 3 apartments in a building, the only 3. The landlord owns the freehold and the estate agency below. Only our tenants use the entrance door/hallway, theoretically* (I will come onto that later) We have a Service Charge agreement/split of 42% him, 58% us. Simple. So the first question: is the Freeholder liable for […]

With an extension of the rules bringing a wider range of houses in multiple occupation (HMO) into the mandatory licensing regime coming into effect on 1 October, landlords have just one week to apply for a licence. This licensing requirement applies to all properties that meet the following criteria: is occupied by five or more […]