One of the best kept secrets? – The SSAS “Loanback”

27th August 2019

My personal pension was originally from a high street provider – I transferred my pension fund pot across to my newly created SSAS Pension. My wife and I created a Limited Company a few years ago specifically for property investment (buy and retain). If this is your strategy then please make sure you set up […]

Police blamed for allowing Anarchy to rule in the PRS

24th August 2019

On another Property118 forum thread I stated … “We are all agreed that if somebody hasn’t got money they will not suddenly find some if you successfully sue them. What’s even worse though is feeling there is no justice. If Anarchy ruled in the UK most people would leave. It is a perception of safety […]

PRA stress tests and the benefits of incorporation – With Kate Faulkner

23rd August 2019

Further to our previous discussions around the withdrawal of interest relief, the additional 3% stamp duty and the impact of Brexit, we take a look at the effect of the Prudential Regulation Authority’s (PRA) stress tests and the benefits of incorporation. Prudential regulation Authority Stress Tests Since 2017, lenders have tougher rental cover tests, plus […]

Tenants in Common v Declaration of Trust

23rd August 2019

Hi, I know there are lots of questions and answers on this topic but just trying to find the right solution for me. I am married and me and my wife have our own joint home Before marriage I bought a BTL property, both the property deeds and the mortgage is in my name only. […]

The Alliance position on Section 21

22nd August 2019

The landlords Alliance as part of the Fair Possession Coalition met Lord Lytton in London some time back. We have carefully examined proposals to abolish Section 21 and have listened carefully to our members. We have concluded that the abolition of s21 is nothing more than a sop to organisations such as Shelter. Before we […]

Sold after 28 years

22nd August 2019

I purchased my first Buy To Let in Paddock Wood Kent on 5th July,1991 and completed on the sale yesterday (21st August, 2019). Basically, it has gone up in value 10 times in 30 years. The house was a regulated tenancy and became a de-regulated tenancy (an Assured Shorthold Tenancy) prior to sale with vacant […]

Mortgage with a council grant?

22nd August 2019

Does anyone have any experience with grants from the council, and subsequently, getting a mortgaging on a property? I own a long term empty property which is eligible for a £25k grant from the council to bring the property back into rentable condition. The main condition surrounding the grant is that you must rent the […]

New Paragon 80% BTL products for individuals Ltd co and LLPs

21st August 2019

Paragon has refreshed its buy-to-let switch and further advance product range for portfolio and non-portfolio landlords, with a range of two- and five-year fixes available at 75% and 80% LTV for individuals, limited companies and limited liability partnerships. Paragon’s portfolio range is designed for landlords with four or more mortgaged properties, as well as those […]

Increase housing benefit and build 3 million social homes

21st August 2019

Shelter’s press release responds to The Children’s Commissioner’s Bleak Houses report on homeless children in England: Polly Neate, chief executive of Shelter, said: “This report is a damning indictment of the catastrophic failure to address the housing emergency. It should act as a sharp wake-up call to the new government that spiralling homelessness is now […]

Citizens Advice response – Landlords and tenants need clearer standards

21st August 2019

The second Citizens Advice article can be viewed if you click here: “Landlords and tenants need clearer standards Why we’re calling for a national housing body for the private rented sector” Below is a breakdown of what I believe to be errors and misinformation in the above-named report, of which you may not be aware, […]

Shortage of brickies is the problem!

21st August 2019

The Children’s Commissioner for England reports that over 200,000 Children are Homeless and presumably one or both parents. The only answer us to build more houses and quickly! However, Developers report an acute shortage of construction workers. The planning process has rapidly speeded up, but the Developers cannot find sufficient staff to build the houses […]

Crowd Justice appeal: Gas Safety Certificate and Section 21

21st August 2019

Landlord Trecarrell House Limited is being supported by the RLA and has launched a Crowd Justice appeal: “Protecting Landlords Rights: Gas Safety and Section 21” Click Here The Court of Appeal has now granted the landlord the right to appeal. The case centres around the lack of a remedy for being able to gain possession […]

Barking and Dagenham charge £900 per property for a Selective License!

21st August 2019

Barking and Dagenham have increased their selective license fee 78% to a massive £900 per property from the 1st September 2019. No early fee discount either! This has got to be the highest charge in the UK to date? Surely this can not be justified or legal? This is a perfect example of illegal profiteering […]

Citizens Advice articles and my responses – the full articles

21st August 2019

The first Citizens Advice article can be viewed if you click here: “3 things we know about how private landlords work Key findings from the government’s first survey of landlords in 8 years” There are some important discrepancies in the above-mentioned article, which appear to be drawn from data provided by the English Private Landlords […]

Another reason not to accept tenants on benefits: a case study

21st August 2019

I was surprised to see that Shelter still hasn’t given up on its campaign to prevent private landlords from using the phrase ‘no DSS,’ and that it is continuing to spend its considerable financial resources on this. This is despite the overwhelming evidence in research by Openrent that 90% of tenants on benefits want to […]

Multi-faceted Tax implications?

21st August 2019

We have decided to extend the Leases on 3 of our properties – Using our savings. Leases are short and will cost circa £50,000 apiece. We are Husband & Wife Joint Owners) Buying/extending the Lease now, and having everything in readiness for a sale in the latter half of 2020 is the nimblest way as […]

How do we select the best tenants for us?

20th August 2019

We are first time landlords so looking for some advise on selection of tenants. We put up our property in Cardiff for lettings, and went through 6-7 viewings on 1 day. Out of these, there have been 2 parties interested, details below. 1. Two mates currently living in shared accommodation. They live and work locally. […]

The Guild claim Section 21 ban won’t be retrospective

20th August 2019

In an article written by The Guild of Property Professionals on the 16th August (click here to view the article) concerning the proposed Section 21 ban, The Guild claim to have had confirmation from government that it will not be retrospective. Iain McKenzie, CEO of The Guild of Property Professionals said: “What this means is […]

Stamp on 50% inheritance buy out?

19th August 2019

I have been left 50% of a property in a Will with the other half to my brother. We both own our own homes. I want to buy him out and he is happy to gift my wife his half for now to get out of paying any stamp duty (this gets the property into […]

Disrepair Claims Farmers should concern us all

19th August 2019

This post originally appeared on the Nearly Legal website. Disrepair Claim Farming is something I’ve been mulling over for a while, and have sounded off about in conversations, but the ongoing proliferation of housing disrepair claims farmers (and associated solicitors) has pushed me to go public with something of a rant. A justified one, I […]

Rate watch: Five-year fix drops four basis points

19th August 2019

The average five-year fixed rate has fallen by four basis points, dropping from 2.83% to 2.79%, according to data collected by Moneyfacts. Looking at the average two-year fixed rate, it has fallen for the first time since the start of July, dropping to 2.47%. This time last year the average two-year fixed rate was seven […]