The final outcome was that the 1st Tier Property Tribunal Quashed the Notice. This has now finally come to an end when the 1st Tier Property Chamber gave its final  decision. It may be of interest to many landlords. It was a total Quash! Not a variation of the Notice! Mr M### was with me […]

The surveillance state is something which we associate with Communist Soviet union, North Korea or East Germany. The Uk however, now has more CCTV cameras per head of population than any Western democracy. That is only part of the story. This Tory government has made the error of going down the devolution route, giving Useless […]

The Birmingham story is one that continues to get more and more compelling, and this is why so many investors are looking away from London and toward Birmingham, to achieve long term capital growth, whilst also generating good levels of income. 1. A very ‘Big City Masterplan’ –The 20-year Big City Plan for Birmingham is the most ambitious, far-reaching development […]

Shelter’s campaign with Rosie featured in a BBC News article back in February.  I quoted this at length, and linked to it, last week: Click Here Today I looked at the comments that had been put under the BBC’s article. The only comment from a landlord was by Frank from Stratford-Upon-Avon who said: “Housing Benefit is […]

We believe in the growth and power of an off-plan investment and therefore we have teamed up with one of Birmingham’s leading developers to bring our investors four incredible ‘early bird’, off-plan opportunities in prime locations of Birmingham. Investing at this early stage enables you, as the investor, to secure a property in a growing and buoyant property market for […]

With the introduction of mandatory client money protection from April 2019, Hamilton Fraser is annoucing a joined up approach to its group companies; the Property Redress Scheme (PRS) and CMProtect (CMP). With the mounting commercial pressures on letting agents, the partnership will deliver a more effective and convenient solution for client reassurance. In particular the […]

I became a landlord in May 2018 as I moved in with my partner into Central London. I own a 1 bed flat in Buckinghamshire which has a lounge/kitchen, bedroom and bathroom. The property is situated on a corner by a shop and a business park and is a terraced property (ground floor) with no […]

Stoke-on-Trent City Council carried out a consultation exercise earlier this year considering the introduction of Selective Licensing in 14 areas of the city to “tackle problems in areas with high levels of privately-rented housing and improve property conditions and the health and wellbeing of residents.” The Council have published the results of the consultation and […]

Last week Shelter issued a document in partnership with the National Housing Federation (NHF) called “Stop DSS discrimination” Click Here Their argument is on Page 6, with the heading “What does the law say – is a blanket ‘No DSS’ policy unlawful?”  (The answer is No, it is not unlawful, but they claim it might […]

A Tenant of mine who is in substantial arrears has agreed to give up the property via Deed of Surrender a few days before a Section 8 / PCOL hearing is due. I would like to proceed with the hearing as Section 8 hearings also lead to money orders – and it would also rubber […]

If we, the only leaseholders (fyi) and the landlord have a 60/40 split on service charge items should the landlord contribute towards 40% of the communal lighting bills/electricity, and also the property bank account? He does/should on work being carried out, but not sure about the rest. He contributes towards fire extinguishers etc in communal […]

We have a portfolio of nine properties all over UK, bought in 2007, interest only mortgages. Half are nice little earners, no problem tenants, but a couple have been nightmares with one in particular costing us a fortune. Everything has gone wrong with the house itself. We’ve had to evict every tenant, and the house […]

I have recently let out a flat through an agent. The agreement was to charge an all in fee which would include the rent collection. The fee will be paid on a monthly basis, deducted from the rent. The tenant has moved in about 11 days ago, but the agent would not pay me the […]

As a BTL investor I have turned recent attention to refurbishment and development. The aim has been to generate more cash to buy more BTL. I have just finished a 2 storey extension to my main residence and reaped the financial benefits of this. During my search, I have recently viewed a Victorian semi detached […]

On 22 August Shelter issued its press release about the mystery shopping, which had notes for editors.  The first note said detailed research can be found in ‘Stop DSS Discrimination: Ending prejudice against renters on benefits’ – copies available from Shelter’s press office. The conclusion of that document included this paragraph: “The widespread prejudice towards housing benefit […]

Famous for its two Premier League football clubs, world-renowned music scene and important industrial history, the city of Liverpool situated in the north-west of England has benefited from a major overhaul triggered largely by its success as the European City of Culture in 2008. Regeneration in the city is ongoing as its population continues to […]

One of my rentals is a leasehold flat, there are 18 in the building, which is run by its Co-owners, as a shared Freehold. But one of the Directors and owner of 4 flats is a self elected dictator and megalomaniac, having been on the management as a director for 20 years. He and I […]

Hope I can get some advice, which is always appreciated from the 118 community Briefly, our freeholder took us to First Tier Tribunal in July over numerous issues and lost on all counts. The main issue was service charges. He charged us in advance, does NOT issue any service demands which do not comply with […]

Last week Shelter published the results of their mystery shopper exercise, in partnership with  National Housing Federation (NHF).  The latter is in the social sector so it is a mystery in itself why they are involved, except that by attacking the PRS they can deflect attention away from the defects in their own sector, examples […]

We have secured beautiful properties within the St John’s Presbyterian Church conversion, as well as stunning, new-build, semi-detached properties within the grounds. St John’s Gardens is situated in a highly sought-after area in Runcorn, benefitting from excellent transport links and an abundance of great primary and secondary schools very close by. There is no time like today to […]

My wife and I  have had our offered on a property accepted by the vendor. The problem lies in the fact that at the bottom of the garden are a row of adjoining terraced houses with the foundations of the end terrace alleging to have been affected by the tree planted at the bottom of […]