I have recently been to court to enforce a section 21 after the tenant didn’t move out on the required date. At the hearing I was told it would be dismissed due to the proceedings being done on line through pcol and the fact that I had put it all down to arrears. Ii asked […]

We are considering turning a Holiday Let into a BTL. No mortgage, so no Clause 24 problem, but we are concerned about the CGT implications. Can someone please compare the CGT calculations for selling a BTL and a Holiday Let? Many thanks, Lou

A fellow landlord found themselves in the unenviable position of landing a tenant whose history was hidden but rapidly caught up with them after only 6 weeks in the property. The paperwork was fine and the prospective tenant had a backstory worthy of Harry Pearce himself. Now, with 8 weeks hindsight the clues are there; […]

Just suppose you only had to pay corporation tax on your retained rental profits. This is currently just 20% and is due to be reduced. Just suppose you could restructure your rental property business so that it becomes unaffected by restrictions on finance cost relief. Just suppose you achieve the above for a total cost of […]

If you are already aware of the problem and can’t be bothered to read this entire article please feel free to skip to the bottom to read our “plan of action”.  It is all very well that media are recognising the Government experiment to introduce the 3% Stamp Duty levy on second homes is failing […]

I have been billed for council tax for a void period. The tenant left on 31 August and a new one moved in on 9th September. I was charged for the void period as 31 Aug to 8th September. I believe I should have been charged for the period 1-8 September. Although the amount involved […]

The Royal institute of Chartered Surveyors (RICS) has highlighted the risks in continuing to discourage the provision of new rental property by the Private Rental Sector (PRS). Reported findings from PWC show that there will be demand for an extra 1.8million new properties to rent rather than purchase by 2025. Recent Statistics suggest 86% of […]

A letting agent has just told me that there are new tax implications to having one’s student offspring living in a student property that I own in a university town. Has anyone come across this? Many thanks. Deepak

I have been looking to take on another property for a few months, and am struggling to find something suitable. Previous properties I took on in 2012 and 2015, have made 12-14%+ return per annum (Captial gains excluded). Now I am struggling to find anything that will give me 10% return – and those that […]

I’m researching whether the referendum decision to leave the EU is affecting landlords. In particular whether landlords are a bit jittery about renting to people from EU countries while there is uncertainty about whether EU tenants will have to, or choose to, go back to their home countries at some point. Would be interested to […]

My first Mortgage Express mortgage comes to an the end of its term September 2018 (it had a 20 year term from 1998). Then there is a batch due to come to term in 2022, 2023 etc. What worries me now and then is whether MEx can say when this one comes to an end […]

I have a client who has today received a letter from his mortgagee stating they are enforcing power of sale on his buy to let flats as he has breached his mortgage conditions. The breaches it appears have been caused by non payment of service charge which were being disputed and more bizarrely by the […]

The Prudential Regulation Authority (PRA) have now confirmed to lenders what they expect the minimum standards of Buy to Let underwriting to be. These standards will have to be in place by 1st January 2017 for rental stress testing and by 30th September for other minimum affordability and risk checks. The PRA have confirmed the […]

Our search for a low-budget super model is over. Pictured above is Neil Patterson, Managing Director of Property118.com, showcasing our bright orange promo T-Shirts for our big publicity stunt. We are looking forward to meeting as many of our members as possible at the Property Investor Show at the ExCel Conference Centre on 8th October. We […]

This is a query about whether this particular tenancy can become periodic. We have a flat which have let to the same tenant for two, consecutive, 12 month tenancies. In each case, the rent for the whole 12 months has been paid in advance. The tenant is a single mother but with some sort of […]

Local authorities (LA) have traditionally used a possession order from the County Court to remove travellers, but many are now obtaining an eviction order from a Magistrates Court and using their own staff for service. Under exceptional circumstances, such as a substantial risk of public disturbance, the application may be started in the High Court. […]

In his Keynote speech to close the Labour Party conference in Liverpool,  the leader of the Labour Party Jeremy Corbyn, accused the government of subsidising private landlords spending £9bn of housing benefits in the sector. A sum double that of 10 years ago. Despite the Private Rented Sector (PRS) now accounting for over half of […]

I rent a small studio to a chap that I have discovered is in prison. He was obviously expecting it (apparently breached a restraining order with his ex) and has left a friend living in the flat, to look after it, including all his belongings and 2 cats, until he gets released. The housing benefit […]

I have a tenant that has continually been in arrears and despite me coming to arrangements to assist , the arrears have simply increased as a result of several holidays. I served a s21 and tomorrow they are instructed to move out. (a few days over 2 months notice provided) I have sent them 3 […]

My letting agents are telling me that I need to comply with new rules relating to safety by the end of the year – is this a national thing or just in Scotland? Despite not having a legionnaires check, EICR, PAT test, two smoke detectors (if on one floor) and an interlinked heat shield in […]

I recently sublet from a tenant with the consent of the landlord and sublet contract. A £1300 deposit was paid direct to tenant on request of the landlord. Following moving out of the property a scrape on the wooden floor was noticed. The landlord has asked tenant to withhold entire deposit to pay for scrape. […]