Philip Hammond the Chancellor of Exchequer has announced the summer budget today, detailing some changes in the controversial flagship benefit Universal Credit. Some, but not all of the concerns that have been highlighted in the press were addressed such as the wait for the claimants first payment will be cut from six weeks. An additional […]

The key headlines affecting UK landlords are:- RESTRICTIONS ON FINANCE COST RELIEF Disappointingly, there where no amendments suggested to the legislation which restricts finance cost relief for private landlords under Section 24 of the Finance (No.2) Act 2015, which remains in place and will continue to be phased in until the 2020/21 tax year, at […]

More than 1 in 7 Councillors in the boroughs with the highest levels of privately rented homes are landlords themselves. This is more than ironic considering the attitude local authorities have to the PRS and landlords with many stories of councils telling tenants not to move out until they are physically evicted regardless of the […]

On 19th October we hosted a webinar on commercial property, we had over 170 people attend. We’ve compiled the second part of the Q&A for you here. If CRAR has taken place with control of goods on premises and rent still not paid and goods worth less then what do you do?  Who would bear […]

I had a property sold by my lender for what I believe was undervalued. It comprised of a house converted with consent into 4 x 2 bed flats producing £5200 per month on ASTs. The lender kept the property for 1.5 yrs systematically vacating each flat thus reducing income. I believe each flat should have […]

This act was introduced, as although most tenants are happy with their accommodation, there are still some who have what might be termed rouge or criminal landlords who repeatedly fail to carry out basic repairs. This legislation was introduced to protect these tenants from eviction by their landlord after requesting repairs. From October 1st 2015 […]

Can anyone advise on how to stop an ex-tenant using our address? We evicted him 8 months ago for non-payment of rent. He owes us over £10,000. Obviously we weren’t able to get a forwarding address from him. Having paid for a trace it turns out he is still using our address. He has a […]

A friend of mine was compulsorily sectioned under the mental health act two days ago following a failed suicide attempt. This followed an incident at the beginning of the week where he had an alcohol related mental breakdown and caused criminal damage to a neighbour’s car. As a result, the landlady demanded he leave his […]

This is about a tenant who claims a a Section 21 notice constitutes illegal eviction because he can’t return to the property during rebuilding work. I made a mutual agreement with my AST tenant to vacate my house temporarily for 3-4 months during rebuilding in lieu of rent, and he agreed. He left as planned […]

I am the agent responsible for the letter warning my tenants of the impending Universal Credit that was coupled with their s.21 notice and a reminder that if rent is not paid on time then I will have no option but to evict, that was read out by Jeremy Corbyn at PMQs last Wednesday. I, […]

I’m a small landlord, 4 BTL properties acquired over the last 13 years. 3 are in a limited company (no mortgages), 1 is owned privately. The privately owned one was re-mortgaged to fund the last property purchased, which I managed to slide into the company just prior to all the changes. My original intention was […]

An increasing amount of student tenants are becoming attracted to the idea of an all-inclusive rent package because it allows them to forecast their outgoings more precisely, and it makes their life simpler. If you’re a landlord who’s considering an all-inclusive rent offer for the 18/19 academic cycle (or even to young professionals in a […]

This is a copy of an email I sent to Mr Rhodes under the advice of ICE, as they said that way I would get a decision. Guess what no reply. This was then sent to my MP who contacted U/C who answered him, but not to address any of my complaints. He has now […]

Protect your rental property and ensure tenants are happy and warm this winter with 12 simple steps from the experts at Belvoir. 1) Avoid the big freeze “As we enter the colder months it’s important to remind tenants that if they are planning to be away from a property for a few days they should […]

In 2015 the Office for National Statistics (ONS) decided that Housing Associations were under such direct levels of control by the government they could no longer be classified as charities or private businesses and so added their debt to government borrowing. However, new regulations going through Parliament mean the government have a sufficiently ‘hands off’ […]

I’ve a tax question concerning furnished holiday lets and personal occupation In 2016 I bought a flat and spent £20k on renovating it, with a view to making it a furnished holiday let (FHL) in the short term. I also had in mind that in the long term the flat might make a home for […]

Finally the DWP announce that they are launching an inquiry into whether Universal Credit (UC) is pushing claimants into rent arrears. This was revealed by Caroline Dineage, Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Work and Pensions),  in the House of Commons and I’m sure we as landlords will be very interested to see this report. Speaking in […]

Jeremy Corbyn used one of his 5 questions to the Prime Minister in the House of Commons PMQs to read out a letter from GAP Property saying it was giving every single one of its Universal Credit (UC) tenants two months’ notice ahead of the roll-out of UC in the area. The letter said: “GAP […]

Housing will take centre stage in the forthcoming Budget, with the emphasis on building more homes and on increasing the number of owner-occupiers. If, however, the Government wants a country which works for everyone, it also needs to address the needs of those who will never be able to buy. With 16 million British people […]

My partner and I own 10 rental properties. All the title deeds and mortgages are in her name as I was made bankrupt some years ago. I have managed these properties alone since we purchased them. In the event of her death what happens ? Can I still operate this business, even though all banking […]

Did you know; if you become non-resident for tax purposes you only pay CGT on capital appreciation since April 2015 on your rental properties? A few weeks ago I shared a tax planning strategy based on this (link here) and since then I have already been contacted by four landlords who are now residing in […]