Page 646 – Property118

An attractive new address for resurgent East Manchester

27th March 2017

A Buy to Let opportunity in a unique urban village on the doorstep of Manchester city centre is now available.  The development with 127 high quality homes is in an appealing urban village landscape, complete with courtyards, public square, orchard, play area, car parking and community facilities. Victoria Gardens is an attractive new address for […]

Am I in my legal right to demand rent be paid directly to me?

27th March 2017

I have a dispute with the letting agent which is being handled by the Ombudsman. I have written to the letting agent to inform the manager that I am terminating business with them and releasing the agency from all management duties. I wrote to the tenant to ask him to pay the rent directly to […]

Am I responsible for Council Tax if agent can’t provide records?

27th March 2017

I have had a full property management contract with a property company. They have recently sold the business to another company and the local council have issued me with a bill for unpaid council tax covering a large period when I have been receiving rent from the properties. The agent insists that they gave the […]

Finance Bill 2017 brings foreign owners into IHT net

24th March 2017

The provisions of the Finance Bill 2017 seem to mean non-UK domiciled people and companies are brought into the IHT net to the extent that they own UK residential property (directly or through a trust structure). So the estate of a French or Chinese investor would suffer 40% IHT on death (with no reduction for […]

Wall hung letter box in corridor disallowed?

24th March 2017

I have just bought a leasehold flat and fitted a wall hung letterbox on the wall in the corridor right outside the front door, after sealing the letter box hole in the front door. I have been told I am not allowed to do so without much more information. I don’t see any specific terms […]

Council car parking rip off for HMO – Help!

24th March 2017

I’ve just been informed by my local council that I need on street parking permit for each tenant in my HMO at a cost of £350 per permit instead of the £5 a year the tenants could get for there own vehicle. The tenants for my property are all contractors working in the local area […]

AIIC recommends Landlords allow tenants to decorate and make improvements

23rd March 2017

The Association of Independent Inventory Clerks (AIIC) has recommended that Landlords and agents allow tenants to personalise, decorate and make improvements to their homes. This is following a survey by online home improvement platform Plentific showing that: 73% of tenants have carried out their own DIY 23% of tennats have spent more than £500 on […]

Popular central Birmingham Buy to Let opportunity

23rd March 2017

A Buy to Let opportunity in the popular city of Birmingham is now available. Prices start from £149,995, which are extremely competitive value for the city centre location and an  attractive payment plan is also available. The development is situated in a prime location, with major attractions such as the Bull Ring shopping centre and […]

Does renting my property to a SPV avoid liability?

23rd March 2017

I believe that by letting out properties in my own name I am potentially subject to unlimited liability lawsuits from tenants (apparently very unlikely but not impossible). Would I be able to restrict the limit of my liability by renting out my property to a SPV (Single Purpose Vehicle limited company) for market rent. The […]

On the other side – Benefit Capped tenants and affected landlords

23rd March 2017

Did anyone watch Dispatches: Benefit Families on Channel 4 on Monday Night? The programme started off with single mother Karen, with 5 young children living in a two bedroom council flat in Lewisham South East London, the benefit cap has affected her by £90.00 per week. This amount is taken from her Housing Benefit award […]

Landlord training partnership launched by North Tyneside Council

22nd March 2017

North Tyneside Council and the National Landlords Association (NLA) have announced a new partnership that aims to bring professional practice to the private rented sector (PRS). The partnership – the first of its kind between a local council and a landlord body – will see North Tyneside Council encourage local landlords to sign up as […]

Property Tech Company Raises A Further £8 million of Venture Capital

22nd March 2017

It has been reported that the founder of GoCardless (the direct debit service used by many landlords and letting agents) has raised a further £8 million to fund his latest property tech business. I have taken a quick look at the website and it appears to be a property based hybrid of WeBuyAnyCar and a traditional estate agency. […]

Article 50 and the UK Property Market

21st March 2017

The UK’s Prime Minister, Theresa May, finally confirmed March 29 as the day when the country will officially trigger Article 50 and therefore kick off the process to leave the EU for good. After the date had been confirmed yesterday, the Sterling experienced a minor decline in value against the US Dollar and the Euro. […]

From April 6th Landlords could be fined £30,000 without a court prosecution

21st March 2017

Two Changes under the Housing and Planning act will come into force from April 6th with the widening of Rent Repayment Orders and new Fixed Penalty notices. The concern is landlords could be fined £30,000 without a court prosecution, be made to repay rent without a prosecution, but still have to wait to evict while […]

The truth about the roll out of Universal Credit

20th March 2017

Many landlords and tenants alike have experienced some sort of issue since the roll out of Universal Credit. Claimants are often left with no money for a long period of time during the assessment period, this delay causes a lot of other issues for the claimant such as debt, rent arrears and risk of eviction. […]

71% of Landlords to stand by their agents post fees ban

20th March 2017

71% of landlords who use a letting agent will continue to do so even if they see their premiums rise following a ban on tenant fees, according to a recent survey.* The research, from UKALA, shows 79% of landlords think their letting agent will increase their fees as a result of the proposal to ban […]

Selling a share of my Buy to Let property?

20th March 2017

I am thinking of selling a share in my Buy to Let house as there seem to be some obvious benefits e.g. CGT reduction, resident who will look after the property, freeing up cash etc. I’d be grateful for any advice or opinions at all! The property is free of mortgage and I’m thinking I […]

When JVs go wrong but don’t go bad

20th March 2017

If you are involved in property you will know that things do go wrong! You can plan, plan, plan, and check, check, check, but in property things DO and WILL go wrong. We are dealing with bricks and mortar at the end of the day. We are also in an industry which requires multiple skilled […]