SAFEagent, the Kitemark scheme for letting agents, has written to, Alok Sharma MP, the housing minister, reminding him of government plans to make Client Money Protection (CMP) insurance compulsory for letting agents. This is part forms part of the commitments to regulate the lettings and management industry and SAFEagent are asking that CMP forms a compulsory […]

Q1 If we sign and return the contract (completion date left blank on it) to the solicitor, can he proceed with exchange of contracts without any further instructions/agreement from us? Can he wait until we have a completion date agreed before we return it? Q2 If we sign and return the contract, can we still […]

The Independent Chief Inspector of Borders and Immigration (ICIBI) has announced the start of an official inspection of the Right to Rent legislation implementation. This controversial legislation places the responsibility for checking, proving and recording a potential tenant’s right to live in the country onto landlords and letting agents. The ICIBI is going to inspect […]

Why purchase a property yourself when you can rent out someone else’s residence? The benefits seem to be obvious: Less money-down. Less risk, Higher Return on Income Shorter-term commitment. However, what are the downsides to subletting, or Rent-to-Rent as it’s been coined? Does anyone have any experience of this model and how well it works? […]

This luxury retirement development is located in the Torbay area of Devon, otherwise known as the English Riviera. High demand is anticipated due to the area having one of the highest percentages of over 65s in the UK. Purchase prices start from £79,950 and 10% net returns are available on a 10 year commercial lease. […]

Question: Why is Equity release such an attractive option for Homeowners? Answer: Because it can be the solution to many quandaries Equity Release is a means of retaining your home, whilst obtaining a lump sum or a steady stream of income and boosting retirement income. It is available if you are over the age of […]

I’ve read many bad reports about the tactics of Mortgage Express to call in loans so when the Divorce Courts ruled that two properties mortgaged to them had to be transferred into my name only and that my husbands name had to be removed from the mortgages I was naturally concerned. The mortgage rates are […]

The following article is credited to Ross Martin, a firm which provides “practical tax resources for accountants and advisers” and has been copied verbatim from their website. HMRC appears to have changed its long held views on the availability of tax relief on interest charged on new borrowings by property business owners who remortgage their […]

As from today, we have direct access to Blue Zest, the new lender offering 85% Loan to Value Buy to Let mortgages. (85% for London and the South East, 80% for the rest of the UK) Blue Zest comment: “Our advanced technology provides us with the capability to deliver a mortgage within 60 minutes. However, […]

James O’Brian of LBC interviews an emotional Landlord on the heartbreaking hell Of Universal Credit. LBC said: “Dan rents out a series of properties around the country, many of whom are on Universal Credit, putting him in a perfect position to see how the new system affects the lives of people who are struggling. And […]

Section 24 will make me bankrupt. I consider myself patriotic. I am proud to be British and have fought for my country, serving twelve years in the Royal Air Force flying on Nimrods. I served in the Gulf War and Yugoslavia conflicts and spent many hours, days and months away from my young family flying […]

Hi Folks A tenant living in my BTL has left the property without telling me and so now I want the council tax bill to come in my name. However, the council tax office want proof that the tenant is no longer living in my BTL. Can someone be kind enough to advice how to […]

I’ve had a long drawn out problem with one particular tenant hopefully I’m getting possession on the 25th as bailiffs are booked for that date, but any tips on how I might recoup some of the arrears ? The judge gave a money judgement for £4700 in August and with the daily rent we are […]

I complete on my first commercial property purchase tomorrow which has 2 shops let out on leases. One is fine with no arrears, but equally no security deposit held. However the second has 3 months security deposit which has being assigned to myself along with a raft of arrears which has also being assigned to […]

About 3 years ago as a total novice in the letting business I requested that an agent manage my property. The Letting agent did not give me a brochure when I met him at my property nor did he send me one. All my communications with the Letting Agent were subsequently done by email. I […]

I am an assured or sitting tenant without a fixed rent since 1989. Although the rent has always been extremely reasonable. The landlord died recently and the letting agents are asking to ‘inspect’ the property for 5-10 minutes. I have always maintained the property where I can myself, but there is chronic damp that worsens […]

I bought a freehold property partially converted to flats, which doesn’t meet building regs, but action as a result is unenforceable due to the elapsed time since works were undertaken. I have let the flats individually and am in the process of splitting services and upgrading the conversion. I believe that this will allow me […]

Since the roll out of Universal Credit many flaws have been identified in the new Benefit. We have heard of claimants experiences along with landlords all been effected by the new welfare reform. Just last week a call handler spoke to The Independent Newspaper of the trials and tribulations she has faced in her job with […]

Hi, hope someone can advise on this. I am a leaseholder in a block of six flats owning a top floor one. With this flat comes the front garden. Back in the middle of the year the housing association fitted a new condensing boiler to the flat below us (ground floor) and installed the pipe […]

This is a case study of how a couple are able to convert a massive tax headache into a £5,000,000 tax planning opportunity. You can read about a similar structure being used by UK resident investors via this link. When landlords become non-resident for UK tax purposes the base costs of their rental properties for […]

I’m about to sell a house which is still tenanted. We have Exchanged and Complete in three weeks. Out of the blue, my tenant has said he has to move because of his job, two months before the end of his tenancy agreement. (There are three months left to run.) He would like me to […]