It was announced in the Chancellor of Exchequer autumn budget that there would be some changes to the Welfare Reform. Universal Credit replaces legacy payments with a single monthly payment – merging six benefits into one, although, Universal Credit is being introduced gradually. As Universal Credit is being rolled out DWP state that they are […]

A short series from landlord & tenant lawyer Tessa Shepperson on things you need to watch out for. GDPR stands for General Data Protection Regulation and is a new set of considerably more onerous data protection laws which are coming into force on 25 May 2018. Why the GDPR applies to YOU Now you may […]

The Department for Business, Energy & Industrial Strategy (DBEIS) has launched a new consultation to consider removing the ‘no cost to landlords’ criteria for improving the energy efficiency of rental property to the minimum E rating. At the moment improvements are not compulsory where cost neutral green funding is unavailable, however the DBEIS are considering […]

General information about DWP Christmas payments, Jobcentre Opening Times and Freephone numbers change. Opening hours Details of when DWP will be open and closed during the Christmas and New Year period: DWP offices (see chart below) Date Arrangement Monday 18 to Friday 22 December All of our offices will be open as normal Saturday 23 […]

A short series from landlord & tenant lawyer Tessa Shepperson on things you need to watch out for. 1 – Do you rent out property on an assured shorthold tenancy? If you rent out property it will almost certainly be an AST.  Even you think it is a license it may not be. 2  – […]

Peterborough Council have scrapped their discount scheme for landlords belonging to the National Landlords Association (NLA) or the Residential Landlords Association (RLA). The scheme previously charged members of both associations £50 for a 5 year licence to rent property in the borough. Now all landlords regardless of membership will have to pay £600 per property […]

With the Self Assessment tax deadline for 2016-17 looming, I would like to know, as a portfolio landlord subject to making payments on account, whether the S24 switch from taxing turnover as opposed to profits could restrict my personal allowance entitlement already based on the income (turnover) declared on my 2016-17 tax return? I have […]

A recent survey by the Residential Landlords Association (RLA) of almost 2,800 landlords has found that 42% were reluctant to rent to anyone except those with a UK passport and 49% are less likely to rent to someone who has permission to stay in the UK for only a limited time. RLA Policy Director David […]

I am looking to buy a property with my partner. He is a first time buyer however, I already own a flat that I’m currently living in. I’m not planning to sell my property as I want to rent it out once I move out. I am aware that new purchase will be subject to […]

There are some elderly flats which I have seen for sale. They have an energy efficiency of only F and they are Grade 2 listed. From April it will be unlawful to rent them out in their current condition and energy efficiency rating. What is the mortgage markets point of view and criteria currently for […]

I own and rent several properties around Coventry and London and was thinking about starting to rent to students to increase occupancy and reduce taxes. Now, I don’t have any prior experience with renting to students myself, so would like to hear from any members here who have experience in this field as I’ve heard […]

The introduction of Universal Credit has been a hot topic for the various landlord forums over the past few months. Universal Credit is replacing the myriad of benefits currently available and replacing it with one single all-encompassing payment. This Universal Credit payment will incorporate the current system of payment of various benefits including Housing Benefit, […]

We rented our property to tenants when moving overseas six years ago and have never missed a payment. Intelligent Finance, our mortgage provider, charged an extra 1% on our mortgage as a risk premium under the terms of our mortgage. As a percentage of the overall margin IF charge as their mortgage rate this ‘risk […]

I just received my service charge demand/invoice, where there is “Annual Notice of Subletting Fee” of £90+VAT, without any communication or my request. The management company does know that I’m letting out the flat, which is fair enough. But: 1. Are they legally allowed to add such fee to service charge invoice without communicating or […]

A landlord can concurrently apply for a possession order and leave to transfer up to the High Court for enforcement. This can and should be done if you feel your property is at risk from tenants who may wish to destroy or damage your property as there can be a long wait for a County […]

Westminster Council in London is looking to crack down on property owners unlawfully letting their homes on a nightly basis using platforms such as Airbnb for more than 90 days per year. Airbnb lettings in Westminster have more than doubled in the last two years to over 3,600 and rising with nearly 1,500 of these […]

The Monetary Policy Committee (MPC) today unanimously voted to keep the Bank of England Base Rate at 0.50% and maintain the current levels of Quantitative easing. Good news at least for borrowers. With inflation now at 3.1% it remains to be seen how long it will take for the fall in the Sterling exchange rate […]

Portico London estate agents recently put on a sell-out investment seminar, where a host of industry experts gathered to share their insight on some hot property topics. One of the first experts to speak was Carla Sateriale, Senior Policy Advisor for UK Finance. Carla and her team represent the first charge mortgage market, and as part […]

I read an article yesterday where an MP suggested restricting the number of properties that are available for non UK residents to purchase. The idea being that if wealthy foreigners didn’t buy the properties then they would be available for UK residents and hence the housing shortage would be lessened. This got me thinking – […]

Some say that each Bitcoin might be worth $5,000,000 in years to come! Well if they are right I will settle for owning just one thank you very much 🙂 Some say it’s the modern economic version of ‘Tulip Mania‘ The truth is, I have absolutely no idea whether the recent growth in popularity of […]

ARLA Propertymark Predictions for 2018 As we approach the new year, there are a number of hurdles on the horizon but scope to remain hopeful. With further interest rate rises expected, Brexit negotiations to overcome and the cost of living escalating, the property market could see significant changes. Almost three in five 59% of letting […]