The Communities and Local Government Committee has this week launched an inquiry into whether councils have adequate powers to tackle ‘rogue landlords’. The brief of the inquiry into the Private Rental Sector (PRS) is detailed the committee below: To examine the role of local authorities in the PRS focusing on the provision by councils of […]

We are in the process of downsizing, selling our principle residence and buying a smaller one . We will have to sell before we buy so there is no question of us owning two houses at the same time . We also have one small rental property- a flat . I have been told 1) […]

Located in a county with one of the highest percentage of over 65s. This luxury retirement home investment in St Austell attracts self-paying residents which are shown to be the most profitable. A 10% net rental income is guaranteed for ten years with a buy back option in year 10 for 125%. Units start from […]

Claire Perry, the Energy Minister, has said Stamp Duty could be used as the ‘carrot and stick’ in order to meet targets on climate change laws and cut fuel bills and increase energy efficiency for households reducing carbon emissions. Stamp Duty rates could be used as incentives or punishment depending on the efficiency of the […]

Education is key to showing the construction industry is no longer regarded as a ‘man’s job’ – according to a female associate director at Birmingham’s Building Services Design (BSD). Jo Jones has been promoted to associate director at the mechanical and engineering (M&E) company – the first woman in the business to take on the […]

Mortgages for Business Quarter 3 figures show that post Section 24 mortgage interest relief restrictions for individual purchasers that 79% of Buy to Let purchases by value are now in the name of a Limited Company. This is up from 73% of purchases in Quarter 2 of this year. For all landlord Buy to Let […]

We own a commercial property (2 properties side by side) which is currently split for lease between 3 tenants as follows: 2 downstairs shops/units leased as food outlets (tenants 1 & 2) 1 HMO – all of the upstairs with 9 studios (tenant 3) Tenant 3 (HMO) would like to buy the upstairs. What is […]

I have a friend whose relationship with her partner has broken down. They never married, but have a couple of kids and bought their buy to let houses in joint names with mortgages. There is about 5-10% equity across the properties. They want to split the portfolio and transfer them equally into the respective parties […]

I’m suffering because of my local Council and the Local Government Ombudsman. I’m sure you will find my story shocking! My case/story: My treatment from Stevenage Borough Council’s Environmental Department & the LGO has been unfair, unjust and appalling! Moreover, they have violated my human and civil rights. I’m a 70-year-old and been fighting with […]

#47 is a new student property development  located in the heart of Leicester’s city. According to recent figures, there are 6.4 students to every dedicated room within the city centre, so demand is expected to be high. This is an ideal opportunity for investors looking to achieve high rental yields. Units in #47 start from […]

IF you own more than one let property then you could save money and improve cover by buying a landlord portfolio of insurance. If you own multiple properties, there are benefits to buying the insurance all together as discounts can be applied that single properties do not attract. In purely practical terms, it also means […]

I’ve not been able to find an article on this in the forums. I have a few properties and I’ve unfortunately had to claim on one or two insurance policies in the past, usually for malicious damage done to them. I’ve just had one of the properties vandalised whilst trying to find a tenant for […]

I am interested in buying an auction property which is currently let. It appears that the tenancy was the result of a private buy and rent back agreement but according to the auction pack there is no evidence of any formal documentation supporting it. I can see the risks to the tenant in this situation. […]

This is more a ‘watch out for’ rather than a question, having said that if anyone has a fix I would truly appreciate it! In brief, I set out to purchase two buy to lets within a limited company that currently has one buy to let with a Kent Reliance mortgage. We decided on Paragon […]

The local press in Bristol have picked up on a Gumtree advert offering a parked van to live in for £220 per month. The advert said the LDV Convoy van (a yellow minibus) comes with all the facilities required for winter living on a city street with a fire burner, cooker, oven, sink, tap, double […]

I have received an invitation from my local council to attend a PACE interview regarding an allegation of running an unlicensed HMO. A few weeks ago, there was an ‘inspection’ but I would call it a raid conducted by the police, immigration authorities, and environmental health officer at my property. Several doors were kicked in […]

I have a tenant who is late with their rent every month and only pays after a lot of calls/emails/text etc. I told him last time was his last warning and he promised to set up a direct debit. Well one month was fine, and we are now back to no payment and I have […]

Moneyfacts UK Mortgage Trends Treasury Report data, not yet published, highlights that as SWAP rates have seen a steep increase due to base rate speculation, the average two-year fixed rate mortgage is also starting to rise. Charlotte Nelson, Finance Expert at Moneyfacts, said: “While month-on-month figures show that the average two-year fixed mortgage rate has […]

Although Airbnb collected more than £675 million in rental payments last year their total payment to HMRC for corporation tax was £188,000. The commissions earned by Airbnb are booked through it’s subsidiary in Ireland, but they also have two British subsidiaries. It is one of these subsidiaries that made a pre-tax profit of £960,000, Airbnb […]

In 2012 I bought a flat in Manchester as an investment and I have rented out the flat for the last five years however I recently received a letter from the management company stating they were introducing a new annual charge of £126 to “Provide a notice and registration fee upon granting of a shorthold […]

I am curious about what happens if a tenant knowingly lies to get the tenancy, such as claiming they have a job when they don’t and or agrees to pay a rent they could never realistically expect to afford. Would that then be grounds for eviction? If so on the later would that what councils […]