Good afternoon. Has anyone come across any non-bias impact analysis of an article 4 directive going live in any of the London boroughs? Did rents go up? Did standards go up? Interested in selective licensing too, seems to me that this will accelerate gentrification but given a number of London boroughs are further along with […]

I currently own a rental property in the NE that I’m looking to sell. I am a serving member of the UK armed forces and posted overseas. The new property that I’m looking to buy would, in all likelihood, be rented (initially) until I’m posted back to the UK. What stamp duty would the HMRC […]

Some Property118 Readers will know that I built my dream home at Hart Lake Hill, Winter Haven in Florida. A few years ago I decided to let the property long term. I have many friends in the area too and just received the email below from my best friend and neighbour in the area. It’s […]

This is the 12th post in my 2017 Legal Update series. One of the chief complaints made by tenants against landlords is the poor condition of their rented property and the difficulties they face in getting anything done about it. And one of the chief problems for both landlords and tenants is the multiplicity of […]

A few months back the freeholder of our building wrote to all the leaseholders (via his solicitor) giving us ‘Section 5B’ Notice of his intention to sell the Freehold via auction with a deadline for the majority of qualifying leaseholders to make him an offer. So the first thing we leaseholders did was make sure […]

This is the 11th post in my 2017 Legal Update series. In most landlord & tenant situations where the landlord is a freeholder it is comparatively simple. You have a landlord. And a tenant. However, if the landlord is himself a tenant under a long lease, it gets a bit more complicated. You will also […]

The House of Commons debate held this morning was organised by Kevin Hollinrake, MP for Thirsk and Malton, and co-founder of Hunters Estate Agency was to look at the proposed lettings fees ban. The proposed bill also includes capping security deposits at one month’s rent and holding deposits at one week’s rent. The majority of […]

Ocean View is a luxury retreat for the over 50s situated on Sandown Bay on the Isle of Wight. Due to the Isle of Wight being such a popular destination for older holidaymakers, a 10% net rental income for 10 years is guaranteed. Residents can fully relax and enjoy fine dining experiences, a heated swimming […]

Banks are still offering rock-bottom interest rates Investors in the UK and EU, who are thinking of keeping their money in a savings account will be hard-pressed to find banks offering more than 2.5% interest according to the latest figures from moneysupermarket.com. Obviously, this will be a disappointing return for those who have worked hard […]

This is the 10th post in my 2017 Legal Update series. On the morning of Wednesday 14th June, I was due to travel down to London for a meeting. I got up early to do some admin, and then turned to the online version of the Guardian website. I was transfixed by the horrific picture […]

The Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) is looking to allow the reinstatement of Retirement interest only mortgages on main residences by excluding them from the definition of a lifetime mortgage. In a consultation paper the FCA plans to class Retirement interest only mortgages  as a separate interest only mortgage for older consumers where, assuming there is […]

All Good Landlords detest the phrase “rogue landlords” but we have to accept they exist, just as rogue Police Officers and rogue Vicars do. The difference is that the Police and the Church take responsibility for their rogues, as do many other organisations. What prompted me to write this post is that a “rogue landlord” was […]

Kevin Hollinrake, MP for Thirsk and Malton, and co-founder of Hunters Estate Agency has called for a debate on the lettings fees ban in the House of Commons this morning. The Fees ban was announced in last Autumns Statement and is expected to come into force in the next year, but as yet without a […]

This is the 9th post in my 2017 Legal Update series. All tenancies should have a tenancy agreement. It is legally possible to create a tenancy without one but you would be foolish to do so. For example, I was contacted a while ago by a landlord who had allowed his tenant into the property […]

Everyone knows that rogue landlords bring down standards and should be rooted out, but have recent buy-to-let changes gone too far in punishing the good landlords who provide an excellent service and high-quality accommodation, as well as people who actively choose to rent not buy? In the past eighteen months, the Government appears to have […]

Student landlords who fail to properly invest in technology may well be losing out on significant income, according to a new study commissioned by Currys PC World Business. The findings reveal that technology can make all the difference when it comes to renting, with nearly half of students (44 per cent) willing to pay more […]

Around 20% of the landlords who consult me regarding tax ask about the “Hybrid strategy” or the “LLP to Incorporation Strategy”. The reason I am so worried is that these structures are scheming to abuse the tax system, and it is only a matter of time before HMRC react to that or HM Treasury influences […]

Truro based letting agent Prmier Property Management was banned from operating by The Property Ombudsman (TPO) for 2 year last November. However, as the subject of a BBC investigation they were found to still be trading this February and the TPO received a further seven client complaints resulting in additional awards against the agents totaling […]

This is the 8th post in my 2017 Legal Update series. Ever since 1 February 2016 (or 1 December 2014 for landlords around Birmingham) landlords and agents in England have had to check whether the people who will be occupying their properties have a ‘right to rent’ in the UK. It has caused a lot […]

Press release from Pass the Keys: Pass the Keys, a fast-growing property tech start-up, completed their second round of funding led by London-based VC, Talis Capital. The funding will support further platform improvements and expand the service offering to more cities in the UK and internationally. The company closed its seed round back in October […]

Belvoir has reported on the completion of 12 franchisee-led acquisitions in 2017, and confirms that further acquisitions are in the pipeline. Dorian Gonsalves, CEO of Belvoir says: “Business development via our Assisted Acquisitions Programme has been a major growth strategy for the Belvoir Group throughout 2017. “Earlier this year we embarked on a series of […]