Mark Carney, the Governor of the Bank of England, said in a speech titled A Fine Balance that he did not think now was the time to increase interest rates. This is after the last Monetary Policy Committee (MPC) voted 5 – 3 to hold the Bank Base Rate at 0.25%. This was the narrowest […]

Today Property118 Limited sent the following open letter to HMRC.  To Whom It May Concern Property118 Limited is an online UK forum for private housing providers (landlords). Last year, our forums facilitated over 5,000,000 unique user sessions and this year that figure is expected to almost double. Our mission is to facilitate the sharing of […]

A few weeks ago Bill Irvine wrote to Director General Neil Couling requesting answers on Universal Credit APA Scheme. See Article >> An open letter to DWP Neil Couling regarding Universal Credit 15/05/2017 Many landlords are experiencing issues with Universal Credit. The communication is poor, landlords are putting in APAs, but unable to communicate with […]

The head lease on a 2-bedroom flat that I rent out says: ‘Not to use or suffer to be used the Demised Premises for any purpose whatsoever other than as a private residence for occupation by a single household . . . ‘ Due to problem with some lettings, particularly those involving students, the management […]

My landlord owns the freehold of the building and he also owns the estate agents on the ground. He insisted that the flats are insured via his insurance supplier, and it’s not expensive.. Should the insurance docs at least mention us that we own them etc.? I worry that they think he owns them and […]

I recently had to seek an eviction order to repossess a property on grounds of Section 8, ( substantial rent arrears) and dereliction of the property. The order was granted and as tenant failed to leave, bailiffs were booked to call. This was due to done on Wed 14th, 2017. On Monday the 12th, June, […]

I am a private Landlord with a modest sized portfolio. I was able to have all my properties clad with external wall insulation with the help of Green Deal grants. I kept a sample of the foam insulation used. In view of the Grenfell Towers tragedy I decided to take a sample of the foam […]

I’m after some advice on a current (no pun) situation where it appears the tenants have dangerously rewired the Consumer Unit and tapped off the electricity before the meter, forfeiting all RCD safety. The situation came to light when they complained that a gas engineer must have damaged something when he serviced the boiler “because […]

If I get consent to let from my current residential mortgage provider and buy a new home for me to live in under a new residential mortgage… any ideas if I can temporarily move back into the consent to let property DURING the consent to let period? e.g. if I need to re-do the kitchen […]

We have a particularly complex situation even though we have only two rentals. The timeline is important so I am setting this out first. 2002 – I purchased a flat to live in for £60K 2005 – My partner moved in (not married at this time) 2008 – We moved out to a rented house […]

I have a mid terraced property in London which I have been renting out for several years, the last three to excellent tenants (single family with small child) who keep the property in good order, have never missed a rent payment, and apart from the odd request to carry out a small repair or replace […]

In May this year, Brentwood in Essex suffered a number of unlawful traveller encampments. In the encampment on Wates Way in Brentwood, the travelers posted a notice threatening to prosecute anyone who tried to remove them: “We live at this property, it is our home and we intend to stay here. “Any entry or attempt […]

Following the recent appointment of another new Housing and Planning minister, Belvoir, which has over 300 High Street Offices in the UK, is suggesting the appointment of a cross-party housing tsar to work with industry experts, social housing providers and all housing stake holders to create a stable property market with long-term vision. Former Foreign […]

The Bank of England’s Monetary Policy Committee (MPC) have voted 5 to 3 to hold the Bank of England base rate at 0.25%. This victory by the Doves over the Hawks was closer than expected even with inflation reaching a recent high of 2.9%. Current levels of inflation were not perceived by many to be […]

You may have read about the problems I’ve been having with a property I own in Halifax – LINK. Here’s an update  The local agents who it’s been let with for years still haven’t been able to get it rented. Despite owning a stake in LettingSupermarket.com and the fact that they manage most of my […]

Once again our great capital was struck by tragedy last night. At the time of writing there are 12 confirmed fatalities, 79 in hospital and 18 critical in this horrific tragedy. There are still residents unaccounted for, and this death toll may well rise. These deaths and injuries resulted from a catastrophic fire which engulfed […]

As a landlord, someone very much involved in housing, I could not fail to be affected by the Grenfell Tower disaster in West London. It raises questions to be answered including the old chestnut myself and many other private landlords raise: why do local authorities not always maintain their own housing to the same standards […]

This is a query best suited for members of this site who understand the state housing sector better than I. Do councils or housing associations operate HMOs? I’ve never heard of one, but perhaps there are a few scattered around. If the answer is no, why don’t they? Is there some legal restriction, or is […]

A Property118/YPN/Cotswold Barristers joint webinar will take place at 8pm on Thursday 22nd June 2017. The webinar will be hosted by Ant Lyons, founder of YPN and guest experts will be Mark Smith, Head of Chambers at Cotswold Barristers and Mark Alexander, founder of Property118 “The Landlords Union” Topics covered will include:   Who are […]

We have a tenant who, as of today, owes almost £2000 in rent. He has been on a monthly periodic tenancy since the end of his six month AST. Payment has been erratic, but with reminders, he had been keeping up until a few months ago. We could serve him with two months notice (presumably […]

Alok Sharma, MP for Reading West has replaced Gavin Barwell as the new Minister of State for Housing and Planning. However, this role is not deemed important enough under Theresa May to be a Cabinet position. Alok Sharma under the DCLG will now be responsible for: Housing supply policy Home ownership policy Planning policy Planning […]