I am hoping for clarification on this as it seems many in the profession are acting on conflicting assumptions/understandings. If landlord uses the Form 6A on a tenancy which commenced pre-01/10/15 did he need to comply with the changes under the the DRA2015; i.e. serve Gas Cert, EPC & How to rent guide? Or can […]

When it comes to running a commercial property, whether that’s being a landlord, or managing another kind of commercial property, you can find yourself in need of an energy performance certificate. The EPC was part of a green EU initiative designed to diagnose and document various buildings energy efficiency and CO2 emissions, and therefore, their […]

Date: 7th March Time: 7pm. Location: 20 Wolverhampton Road West, Walsall. WS2 0BS Tickets via: THIS LINK  Organiser:  www.uklandlordsnetwork.co.uk Event Overview Come along to UK Landlords Property meet where you will engage, learn and succeed in the property world. Everyone is here for the same thing and that is the ”LOVE” and ”PASSION” for property, so […]

I have been using DPS for my deposits until now and find it hard going. Their “prescribed information” is not very clear and I find it hard to negotiate their website. “Tenancy Deposit scheme” seems clearer and I have just signed up to them, although not used them yet. Perhaps other 118 members could share […]

Tory MP for Peterborough, Stewart Jackson, went on an excoriating attack against slum landlords and the local council for a scheme to help them with the cost of repairs. The local authority will temporarily lease the properties from the landlords before making repairs. Jackson wrote in the Peterborugh Telegragh that he did not know what […]

I have spoken to my accountant in relation to Digital Tax Returns and he has advised me that, Landlords will be required to do Digital Tax Returns every quarter. In other words 3 times over the course of 9 months and then final Annual Self Assessment by 31 January. He has told me that, 3 […]

Over the last 5 months 41 landlords have completed a vigorous accreditation scheme in Somerset, which they believe will protect good tenants and enable their local authority to effectively target ‘rogue’ landlords. Since the first National Landlords Code of Excellence training day took place in November 2016 over 50 local landlords and letting agents have joined the scheme, with 11 more becoming […]

It has been reported that Blackstone Group LP and Prudential Plc have been selected as the preferred buyers of Bradford and Bingley, which includes Mortgage Express, by the government owned UK Asset Resolution (UKAR). The acquisition by Balckstone and the Pru insurers is for £12.5 billion of mortgage lending of which 70% is Buy to […]

Lloyds Bank has produced a report on the affordability of homes in UK cities showing the average price of a house in a city is now 6.9 times the average annual salary. These are the least affordable home figures since 2008! Since 2012 the average city house price has risen 32% from £169,966 to £224,926 […]

We are seriously looking into adding an events calendar to Property118 and want to trial this before investing too heavily into additional software. Message To Landlord Event Organisers If you host landlord events and want to reach more landlords there is no better online exposure available than via Property118. Just look at our growth of unique […]

Mark Procter, director of Kirby Property in Cambourne, Cambridgeshire, was sentenced to three years and four months for fraud at Cambridge Crown Court on Friday. Procter gradually siphoned off tenants’ £140,000 of tenants deposits throughout 2014 and 2015 to pay for divorce proceedings and luxury holidays, the court heard. Since the case it has been […]

Purchasing a holiday let can be a very rewarding and enjoyable endeavour. In this article we outline five things to consider when purchasing a holiday let, that will increase both bookings and your potential rental income. 1. What Makes a Great Holiday Let UK Holiday lets are becoming an increasingly popular choice for families and […]

Below is the full response from HM Treasury and Housing Minister,Gavin Barwell, to my MP Emma Reynolds who raised concerns on my behalf concerning Section 24 and the ban on Agents fees:   HM Treasury, 1 Horse Guards Road, London, SW1A 2HQ Dear Emma, 3 JAN 2017 Thank you for your email of 16 December […]

I read the following article last week and wanted to share it and hear your views. The former Welfare Minister Lord Freud has identified that one in four low income tenants are in rent arrears under the Universal Credit Scheme as a result of DWP administrative problems: http://www.insidehousing.co.uk/policy/welfare-reform/universal-credit/freud-one-in-four-universal-credit-tenants-in-arrears/7018719.article Increasingly, over the last few months we […]

Dear All, I live in London and have my property investments in London and I also work in London. Given the current property market in London is going through difficult times especially with low yields and high prices and strict BTL lending criteria, I am tempted to look North (Liverpool/Manchester etc.), where the prices are […]

Hi, I have adapted another rent increase letter I have seen on this forum. I would rather not make it to lengthy so I have tried to make it short whilst still making relevant points. Advice/Comments please before I send them out. Dear ………………(Tenant) We are having to review your current rent. It’s a decision […]

I am thinking of starting the process of incorporation for my property portfolio and in doing so I am aware of the potential SDLT and capital gains tax implications involved. A number of my properties, as you would expect, have risen in value. However, I have a couple that have not shown any increase in […]

Hello, the landlord installed the cctv cameras around whole house and gave the access to the material to one of the neighbors who can see us 24 hours a day on the TVs. We have been informed only about one camera on the front side of the house. Is something like that legal and what […]

I managed a block of 15 apartments in Wirral which fell into one of the designated selective licensing areas. Although we had this block up for sale at the time we were advised by the selective licensing department that we would still need to pay in full for the five year license at around £450.00 […]

It is now clear that the Treasury, under George Osborne’s stewardship, made some catastrophically bad decisions with the twin aims of courting popular opinion by appearing to go for the ‘nobs’ and also of raising money towards his manic deficit reduction quest. As part of this he imposed a large extra burden of stamp duty […]

Can anyone help? I am looking to purchase an apartment in Edinburgh for £200k and have been surprised at the stamp duty I must pay. Is there a way to lessen this? A contact has suggested this could be classed as a commercial transaction as its a business property. Many thanks Paul