I have a flat which I have let out for the past few years. The last tenancy change was last summer (2016). I let it fully managed using a local letting agent – I am very hands off. Both my management company and freehold owner know I do not live at the property (all correspondence […]

Dear Mr Barwell, I noticed in your appearance on Newsnight last night that you said the main cause of homelessness was the ending of a private tenancy. In fact, it is important to keep explaining to people who say this (you have clearly picked this up from the anti-landlord rhetoric of Shelter and the like) […]

I apologise now for the length of this article but its a bit complex: I have a dispute with a tenant who has just left my property after 3.5 years. There are two bright pink tennis ball sized stains in the centre of the living room carpet (quality wool mix 6 years old). Professional cleaning […]

Both myself and my partner decided the time was right to move in together in the summer, the decision was made that we would move into my property as it is in a more desirable area and fits into our plans for the future. She decided, instead of selling, to rent the property out, and […]

My husband and I own our BTL’s jointly. Say I wanted to retire to Cyprus or Malta permanently, could we transfer beneficial interest so we each owned half the properties individually, and then I sell my share largely free of CGT whilst living abroad for at least 6 or 7 years. We are not splitting […]

Government keep banging the same old drum about longer term tenancies but nbody really want one; tenant don’t want to commit long term and it causes funding problems for landlords. There is a far better alternative and Government know it. Perhaps if it had the Legal and General badge on it then Government, Shelter and […]

Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, Sajid Javid,  has released the Housing White Paper and spoken in the House of Commons. Javid said “The government recognises the housing market is broken.” He went on to say it was one of the biggest barriers to social progress. The emphasis will be placed more on […]

If a tenant refuses to supply a forwarding address when leaving a property how do I inform the relevant authorities? Jo

Hi I have decided BTL is no longer for me. I wish to sell ahead of the upcoming accountancy changes (I.e. mortgage no longer deductible etc). Before I enlist an estate agent to sell the property, I have a few hurdles to overcome: – Council has served an improvement notice with 2 mo this for […]

I have two flats in a block of around 120. The block is undergoing a programme of refurbishment – long over due and has a history, unknown to me of taking ‘extraordinary service charge’ and not carrying out the work, a number of years ago residents took the block management (not these) to a tribunal […]

My parents have transferred the ownership of their home to myself and brother. There is no mortgage on the property and no rent is to be paid. Are we now landlords? I am aware that we need to get the buildings insurance in our names. Are there any other things that we should be aware […]

I am in the process of splitting my buy to let property which I currently own 100% to my wife with 99% to her as she is a NIL taxpayer and 1% to me via tenants in common. I am currently re-mortgaging the property as my current deal is coming to an end. I have […]

My wife has a commercial property(convenience store) with 2 X 2 bedroom flats above. This complete unit is unencumbered by any mortgage. The 3 units are all rented out. Does the new tax rules being fazed in from this April affect all of these units or, is, as I think I might have read somewhere, […]

I have been renting out my house for 20 months and am on my second set of tenants. I have been happy with the estate agents who deal with sourcing and checking tenants and collecting rent as I manage the property myself. Two of the four tenants are moving out and the remaining two have […]

I have recently replaced a boiler in my rented property, I have a letter from the plumber that states that the boiler has been operated incorrectly and run without having the pressure topped up, even though the plumber went through all of the process with the tenants. Who will be liable for the cost of […]

Many of us have tenants who receive housing benefit, even though HB is being slowly being replaced by universal credit. I’ve published a free guide explaining in plain English the rules that councils *should* apply when deciding whether to pay private landlords directly. The guide is free and written in plain English, and can be […]

In a U-turn on previous Cameron policy to promote home ownership above all else, the new May administration, under the housing Minister Gavin Barwell, is due to place more of the emphasis on helping people in the rental sector with its new Housing White Paper. The Government will seek to assist and encourage, with the […]

The housing charity, Crisis, has recently launched a campaign called ‘Home No Less Will Do.’ I have often written to Crisis since the campaign was launched against Section 24 of the Finance (no.2) Act 2015. Unhappily, I have never received an answer before now. They want our help now though. Specifically, they want private landlords […]

Over the last few years there’s been countless of posts, questions, public disputes, new gurus etc etc openly debated, discussed and outed. There’s no doubt that people pay thousands of pounds and get or do sweet FA! There is no doubt that people ‘sell’ or ‘promise’ the dream in a #getrichquick style of way! Right […]

An excellent opportunity to invest in Buy to Let apartments and houses in Mansfield, Nottinghamshire has arisen. Due to its proximity to Nottingham, Derby and Sheffield and popularity with commuters, good growth prospects are forecast. Prices start at a low entry point of £78,280 and staged payment plans are available for investors who do not […]

We own a leasehold flat and the landlords are a well known Housing Trust. Ever since 2012, we have suffered from blocked drains, few times reversing into our flat, and in June 2016 we were forced to move our tenants out of the flat into hotels. The landlords had the pipes repaired and Insurers settled […]