My wife and I own 2 properties in Australia and have been filing tax returns to the Australian Tax Office for the past 10 years. We are in credit with the ATO for A$100K each and have paid no tax. Unfortunately we did not realise that we should have filed returns with the UK tax […]

The restrictive covenant found against my property: Not to use or allow or cause the property to be used for any purpose other than that of a single private dwelling house. I would like to know exactly what this covenant states and means in practice. I am looking to put another dwelling onto my land […]

OneSavings Bank, trading under Kent Reliance and InterBay for Buy to Let, is one of the first lenders to include in its criteria compliance under Minimum Energy Efficiency Standards (MEES) rules. All new Buy to Let mortgage applications must prove the property which security is being taken over has a minimum efficiency rating of E […]

After a smooth successful pilot project, the LIP (litigant in person) portal is set to go to public beta mode as soon as next Monday 26th March This will mean that the service will be available to all litigants in person to use. The litigant in person online court portal is specifically for claims of […]

Questions from webinar on rapid eviction of tenants from residential property on 22nd Feb 2018. What are your costs for obtaining possession (other than court fees) and how does it compare with the county court? The court fee for the writ of possession is £66, whereas the warrant of possession through the County Court is […]

Far too many landlords have been guilty of focusing on problems than solutions when it comes to optimising their rental profits. In many cases, changing the ownership structure can prove to be far more effective than refinancing or increasing rent. EXAMPLE Mr Patel enjoys a £50,000 salary from his ‘day-job’. He also owns two properties […]

PLANS to cap security deposits for private rented housing to six weeks rent risk creating a charter for rent cheats warns the country’s leading landlord body. Research by the Residential Landlords Association’s (RLA) has found that 40% of private landlords have faced tenants not paying their final month’s rent in the past three years. The […]

The financial year end is almost upon us so I phoned HMRC and asked the question in claiming interest do I do the calculation myself – input 75% of my interest paid or do I input all the interest I have paid and their system will do the calculation. Apparently its the former. So where […]

If you wish for your tenants Housing Cost Element (Rent) to be paid direct to you, as a Landlord you can make a request for a Managed Payment (APA) by completing a UC47 form, this form can be found on Gov.uk. This form has recently been updated on 21/03/18 and the wording to support the […]

Buy, Sell or Remortgage with our online conveyancing service We understand that purchasing or selling a property can be one of life’s most stressful experiences. That’s why we promise to make sure your home move is as quick, straightforward and stress-free as possible. How? An Internet, email, telephone and post based service. Clear and independent […]

North Staffs Landlord Association (NSLA) have started a 38 Degrees petition “We urge Stoke-On-Trent City Council to reject Selective Licensing.” The NSLA have reported that: “Every rental property in the designated streets will have to have a licence, be inspected and satisfy many conditions. The license will last for 5 years. The City Council have […]

I have a buy to let property where the tenant asked the Council to assess the house using the Housing Health and Safety Rating System (HHSRS). She had not raised, with me, any concerns about the condition of the house beforehand. The Council raised a few minor points, like broken light switch, down pipe leaking […]

I’ve received two notices from the council, one is ‘Housing Act 2004 – Disrepair to private rented property’, and the other is a ‘Drainage Notice Building Act 1984 , Section 59’ The disrepair lists nearly 20 points, almost all very minor e.g. light switch not working! Half the points such as ‘missing downstairs smoke alarm’, […]

Six months after the Bank of England’s (BoE) latest attempt to cool the buy to let market, almost two thirds of landlords (63%) who are aware of the changes say it is now harder to get a mortgage. The changes, which come from BoE’s Prudential Regulatory Authority (PRA), were introduced in two stages last year. […]

My 12 month tenancy is coming to an end once again. Last time it ended one of the tenants moved out and the other remained (moving a partner in, under a re-signed agreement). A new agreement was drawn up and any changes within the new agreement were initialed by the remaining tenant, but notably the […]

I took out a mortgage in 2007 using a broker for a property, which at the time was our residential property. In 2008 I took another mortgage to buy a second property which then became our residence , with our first property being rented. During the process of obtaining our second mortgage, we contacted our […]

I currently have 2 buy to let flats in Reading. Each brings in £9800 per annum. I have a total of £125000 mortgage lending on these and they have a value of £410000. I work earning £21,900 and have a pension of £18800. My wife earns £10300. I am considering buying another flat in Newbury […]

TV’s property expert Phil Spencer was joined by robot Pepper on official opening day at The Ideal Home Show 2018 sponsored by Zoopla: the longest running exhibition in history. Phil may have cut the ribbon to the 110th year of Britain’s famous lifestyle show, but it was Pepper who fascinated visitors as she demonstrated her […]

It’s an absolute Joke – Unfair and UNJUST LEGISLATION on the Private Sector. The same as the Deposit Protection Service – I had £2,000 of repairs to address burned / damaged carpets / Ripped wallpaper / cleaning / etc. All the carpets were brand new as was the wallpaper. I put in a claim against […]

I’m in the process of converting a 2 bed terraced house into a 5 bed student, all with ensuite shower rooms. I have kicked off an enquiry with Western Power to look at upgrading the electricity supply to a 3 phase supply which will give me enough capacity for 4 electric showers plus an additional […]

Am I going mad? I can replace a tap washer to fix a dripping tap, but I can’t renew an aging tap that it is at the end of it’s useful life because that would be an improvement … even if it is cheaper and the most economically sensible route? Taps come in pairs. Do […]