Page 628 – Property118

Fined £173,000 for renting an illegally converted garage

1st August 2017

Amir Golesorkhi turned his garage into two small, substandard flats and had been letting them out to tenants for seven years while he was living in the main house with his wife in Colindale, North London. Harrow Crown Court has found landlord Amit Golesorkhi guilty of breaching a planning enforcement notice served by Brent council […]

Does the deposit have to be physically returned ?

31st July 2017

I have a tenant in arrears. The deposit was unprotected (i.e. not re-protected at renewal due to an admin error) I offered the tenant the chance to use the deposit against the arrears, we agreed and he signed a letter stating the deposit had been returned. (This was around 2 years ago) We are in […]

Who hijacked the JRF project “Poverty, evictions and forced moves”?

31st July 2017

Four people from the Cambridge Centre for Housing and Planning Research (CCHPR) wrote the report, and a summary, for the Joseph Rowntree Foundation (JRF).  That is to say, four of its members are credited with writing it.  But it looks as though Generation Rent has had a hand in it as well.  Statistics about one […]

Section 8 and Joint Tenants

31st July 2017

Section 8 and Joint Tenants I rented a property to joint tenants (couple) who are now in a statutory periodic tenancy. Approximately about two months ago one of them was arrested and ordered not to go anywhere near the property or to have and links with the remaining tenant in the property. More recently, the […]

JRF spin on eviction data is disgraceful

30th July 2017

I read the RLA’s response to the JRF report on evictions and went on to read the full JRF report. Given it is built on interviews with 145 tenants who were Shelter clients it was never going to be unbiased was it? This is just one example of the spin in the report: Reasons reported […]

AIRBNB Management Feedback Request

30th July 2017

AIRBNB Management seems to be a big growth sector, particularly in London, Birmingham, Edinburgh and other big cities. I haven’t been able to find a National operator yet but I suspect it is only a matter of time before we see them launching. I have looked into this in some detail and many of the […]

A Game Changer For Landlords

29th July 2017

Many years ago I did a management training course with a human behavioral psychologist and an also an accomplished author. You may have heard of him or read some of his books. His name is Dr Ken Blanchard, author of ‘The One Minute Manager’, ‘Whale Done’, Gung Ho! and many other best sellers. One of […]

National Landlord Investment Show sparks lobbying by Iain Duncan Smith

28th July 2017

The UK’s leading property investment show has brought the controversial subject of landlord licensing and laws into the national press by its Expert Property Panel, including Iain Duncan Smith MP and David Smith, the Economics Editor of the Sunday Times. The Property Panel and the coverage around it sparked interest from The Times, The Telegraph […]

TPO act on agents who did not pass rent on to Landlords

28th July 2017

There have been recent articles in Property118 from readers regarding lack of support for landlord complaints against agents. However, The Property Ombudsman (TPO) redress scheme have expelled three agents for two or more years for failing to pay complaint compensation awarded to landlords by the TPO. The three companies expelled were Blackhorse Property Management Limited […]

Residents association seems to have taken against students

28th July 2017

I have a Buy to Let flat which is part of a complex which is currently let to two international students. However the residents association seems to have taken against students being able to rent these flats and is quoting the below clause in the lease: – “Not to use the Demised Premises or permit […]

Rent Guarantee Insurance From Property118

28th July 2017

You can now buy top level Rent Guarantee Insurance through Property 118, offering high level cover with no excess at all. Click Here Rent Guarantee Insurance protects landlords from tenants defaulting on rent payments. It takes over and pays the rent when the tenant fails to do so. Benefits Up to £6250 rent covered per […]

HMRC Internal Manuals – Landlord Incorporation

28th July 2017

Did you know that HMRC’s internal manuals relating to Landlord Incorporation are published online and can be viewed by the general public? Below I have published links to these manuals, which can be very insightful for both landlords and their accountants, but they are no replacement for the Consultancy Services provided by Property118 Limited. This […]

Feedback on our new website design please

27th July 2017

This time last week we unveiled a fresh Property118 website design and new functionality to improve Navigation, searching and the general user experience. One of the new features we have added is a ‘hover-over’ function which appears when your mouse cursor is placed over a members name or Avatar. The date of when the member joined […]

Shelter and their abandonment of social tenants

26th July 2017

If there is one thing that Grenfell Tower has taught us it is that it often takes a catastrophic event for people’s serious concerns to be listened to; before the Grenfell fire, the tenants’ were forced to dice with death on a daily basis while their reports of the danger they were in went unheeded by […]

Record Month For Number of Landlords Incorporated

26th July 2017

July 2017 has seen Property118 Limited help more landlords using the Beneficial Interest Company Transfer “BICT” incorporation structure to obtain HMRC non-statutory clearance for relief under s162 TCGA 1992 than ever before. Non-statutory clearance for using the BICT incorporation structure provides ‘peace-of-mind’ to landlords who want to be certain of being able to roll capital gains […]

Rent to Rent Operator Prosecuted and Fined

26th July 2017

A Rent-to-Rent operator called Arthur Zurvskij has been found guilty by Willesden Magistrates Court of illegally sub-letting a five bedroom house to seven tenants. The owner of the property, who lived in the United States and had legally handed over control of his property to Ludlow Thompson, believed that the property was being rented out […]

Magnifying glass highlighting tax inspection in relation to HMRC scrutiny of landlord incorporation strategies

BUSINESS hallmarks – how many does yours have?

25th July 2017

If you are hoping to incorporate your rental property portfolio you will probably want to be certain that you can roll capital gains in your properties into shares in the company you are incorporating into. To achieve this you will need to qualify for relief under s162 TCGA 1992. The main qualifying criteria for this […]

Tenant blackmailing to allow viewings?

25th July 2017

We have rented out our apartment for just over a year now, the tenants have been an absolute nightmare and we have spent a small fortune on redecorating, installing fans, plastering walls etc etc, so we have decided to serve the tenants notice. We have instructed a new agency as we feel the old agent’s […]

Landlord liability for water leak in tenement building with DSS tenant?

25th July 2017

I have owned a first floor flat in an Aberdeen tenement building for 10 years with no problems but this year we had two leaks within a week both affecting the two properties below ours and the communal areas. The first leak was caused by the washing machine and the second by a tap left […]

Car Leasing – What can I claim?

25th July 2017

I’ve searched all the threads and can’t seem to find an answer regarding cars? I am a Landlord paying tax by self assessment and I am about to buy or lease a new car. I have set up a new company and according to HMRC I can pay myself 15% of total rental income as […]

Landlord Action calls for unregulated eviction companies to join a redress scheme

25th July 2017

Over the years, Landlord Action has been instructed to take on several cases following the malpractice of other eviction firms. With repossessions for landlords now taking on average 43 weeks*, Landlord Action says landlords simply cannot afford to restart the process due to compliance errors. It is calling for unregulated eviction companies to become part […]