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 […]

The new law for landlords has been enforced from 6th April 2017, allowing councils to impose fines of up to £30,000 as an alternative to prosecution. However, how many of those cases have been found? Are the people found living in such houses evicted? what’s their future? did the council give them alternative accommodations or […]

I am a landlord who is trying to help 4 students one of whom is a family friend. Two of the students had been renting the property the previous year. In June 2017 they took out a new tenancy for the house with two other students from 1st July 2017 to 30th June 2018. As […]

The State Bank of India is carving a niche for itself in the Buy to Let mortgage market with competitive 75% Loan to Value rates and criteria. The Bank will accept applications from first time landlords. They also allow Multiple Units, ie freehold houses which have been converted into multiple flats are acceptable security subject […]

Hi all, I’m a tenant looking for advice. I have signed a fixed term AST and paid the associated deposit and first month’s rent. The contract began on the 18th of October. The letting agent called on the morning of the 18th to delay my getting the keys until the afternoon. At 12pm I was […]

MPs have voted 299 to 0 for Labour’s motion to ‘pause and fix’ Universal Credit before further roll out after the majority of Conservative MPs decided to abstain and some voted with Labour. John Bercow, the speaker of the House of Commons, said: “If you choose not to take part and vote you can’t say, […]

Just two in 10 landlords say they are willing to let to tenants in receipt of housing benefit or universal credit, according to latest research from the National Landlords Association (NLA). The findings come on the day the House of Commons Work and Pensions Committee questions the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions about […]

Purpose Built Student Accommodation (PBSA) is nothing new to student property owners or any student letting agent in Sheffield. But nobody can ignore it. The tuition fee hikes, tougher graduate job competition and Brexit have all changed the landscape and demographic of higher education in the last five years or so.  Tighter restrictions around BTL […]

I have had to request possession of a rented property using a S21. The Magistrate had given my tenants 14 days on top of the court hearing date to vacate. Is a Magistrate allowed to add this extension on as possession is mandatory from the date of the possession order? Bearing in mind I have […]