If you have ever wondered why I so openly help other #landlords, many of whom I will never know or meet or even get a thank you from, this short story might give you a clue.  There was a farmer who won an award every year for the best quality corn. One year a newspaper reporter interviewed […]

I am very new to the idea of buying a property to rent so please excuse me if my questions are somewhat naive.  I am aware of the extra stamp duty payable on second homes and was wondering if the following is actually ‘allowed’/ possible. I currently own a family home with my wife. I, […]

You may have noticed that in the last week or so our articles regarding tax changes affecting landlords have shifted slightly away from campaigning towards highlighting solutions. We continue to vigorously support the various campaigns of course, and pictured below you will see Steve Bolton who co-founded the “Axe The Tenant Tax” campaign with Chris Cooper […]

Our target for this year of 5 million page views seemed very ambitious when we first set it. However, we have smashed through it already and our stats over the last week are higher than ever. Is this a sign that the PRS is one step closer to coming together? See the stats below showing annual growth and another […]

I’ve recently completed on a flat with an 87 year lease; I want to extend this lease, but should I wait for the 2 years (giving me the right to extend), or try and appeal to the freeholder and get him to agree to extend before the 2 years? Are there pros and cons? And […]

I currently have 4 Mortgages with one of High Street Leading Bank on Buy To Let basis. The LTV has always been below 60% as such I always qualified for best possible deals on my properties with them due to low LTV. However, recently, instead of taking further advance, due to their stringent criteria, I […]

If you ever did business with any of the following agents you will now be regretting having ever met them.  Belgravia Property Group, Carlton Residential, Park Lane Residential Ltd and Mayfair Residential were all fake agencies operating from serviced offices in London, Birmingham and Bristol. The scam affected both landlords and tenants. With a rental demand booming […]

For the first time in eight decades, home buying will be outstripped by the property rental market next year. This is as a result of home buyers continuing to struggle to find affordable properties. Since the EU referendum in June, activity in the sales market has slowed. A lack of property for sale partnered with […]

The last remaining unit is available to investors in a refurbished period building located in Bradford city centre. Market Place benefits from being within easy reach of many of Bradford’s amenities, including The Broadway shopping centre, Bradford’s shopping district and transport links. The apartments have been refurbished to a high standard, perfect for the young […]

I’d be grateful for ideas on the pros and cons of immediately pursuing a separate and simultaneous small claims application for recovery of rent arrears whilst an accelerated property possession order (not standard) is going through the court against a tenant who (on the advice of local council staff) has failed to move out of […]

I am a British National currently living and working in the GCC.  I am looking to purchase my second buy to let property in the UK and am doing so through a British Virgin Islands company that I am setting up. I work full time for a global company and I have a decent deposit […]

Poor old Dave! He has a property rental business with 22 terraced houses in the North East. Cashflow is fine for now but he’s far from rich. He makes around £44,000 a year of profit at the moment which is split between himself and his ex-wife. On top of that he has a small private […]

Sometimes ignorance is bliss, at other times it is very expensive!  About a year ago I spoke with a very established landlord who, together with her partner, were in the process of selling many of their properties to pay down mortgages. She was furious with the tax changes introduced by George Osborne and had decided […]

How private landlords can avoid finance cost restrictions Research conducted by Property118, “The Landlords Union” into new landlord tax legislation by has revealed that, with proper planning, many more of the worst affected private landlords will be in a position avoid the effects of restrictions on finance cost relief than previously thought. What’s more, they […]

We have 4 properties on BTL mortgages, all being in joint personal names with partner and high street lenders. Our LTV is ~60% on all properties, mostly because of higher value as being in London. The median rates is 1.8% with most on 2 year tracker. I wonder if we should go for portfolio mortgages? […]

I discovered that if you rent your property and the tenant is running a legitimate small business from there (with or without your permission) like a hairdresser or architects practice from the bedroom converted to small office the tenant can obtain a life time tenancy. The rules are something to do with the landlord and […]

The Government has proposed a minimum room size of 6.5 sq metres (70 sq feet) for a rented room in an HMO. This is in an effort to stop tenants from being crammed into overcrowded properties and to set minimum standards creating a level playing field for good landlords. This proposal will only relate to […]

Property118 Action Group is changing its name to “The Landlords Union”. New member logo’s will be provided to existing members in due course. The reason for the change is that we feel the new brand better describes what we do and will be significantly more powerful for media purposes. For example …. “Research conducted by […]

In 2009 the Irish government disallowed 25% of the interest cost in calculating a landlord’s taxable profit.  This was retroactive because it applied to properties that were already owned, not just future purchases. This was partly amended as from 1 January 2016 because of the shortage of accommodation for tenants in receipt of certain social […]

With reference to retainers and deposits, if a Landlord puts his/her property in the hands of a letting agent on a fully managed service, when the fees are all calculated for the prospective tenant to pay, can the Landlord ask for a £200 retainer on top of the deposit and all the agents fees and […]

My 3 tenants have a joint AST agreement. Unfortunately, 2 want/need to leave (been offered better job outside London/ having year out traveling). The remaining tenant wants to stay but doesn’t know 2 others to share with. I absolutely do not want my lovely flat turned into an HMO, so I am now having to […]