Steve is on of my Consultancy clients. He will now be £47,454 better off in tax terms over the next 5 years with just a few simple tweaks to the ownership structure of his property portfolio. Not a bad return on two hours of Consultancy costing £400 including VAT is it? He owns 4 properties […]

There has been a lot of uniformed commentary, both on forums and in the National media, with regards to incorporation of property rental businesses and Beneficial Interest Company Trusts. This is inevitable given that landlords are so concerned with tax changes to mortgage interest relief and the popularity of tax planning solutions being promoted here […]

I was going to build my portfolio and make it a full time job being a landlord, at least that was goal. Now I don’t know and need your advice. Then the budget stopped me in my tracks. I’d love to expand my portfolio, but I’m now unsure if it will be worth the effort. […]

After 2 problem free years, my tenant has stopped paying the rent. I phoned, only to find the phone had been cut off. I emailed without reply. I went down there and it looks like the tenant has gone. The house seems empty although I am not 100% sure. I tried my key only to […]

I have a property in Kent and have been having issues with my letting agent so I decided to change agent. The new letting agent doesn’t seem better. It took them a month to send me their Terms of Business and has started to charge their fees before I could see their terms. There are […]

I created my property rental business back in March this year and currently only have 1 property in the business (I have one in my own name, but that’s irrelevant for now). I’ll be buying another 8 to 10 in the foreseeable future. I have an accountant and have followed all correct procedures etc. and […]

If you pay more than £20,000 a year in mortgage interest we DEFINITELY need to talk. We also need to talk if your mortgage interest plus your rental profits and any other taxable income including salary and/or dividends exceeds £45,000 a year. Why? Because you are going to be paying more tax, possibly A LOT MORE […]

The Institute for Fiscal Studies (IFS) report written in February 2016 titled “The Effects of Taxes and Charges on Saving Incentives in the UK” countered the arguments used by the then Chancellor George Osborne to justify the introduction of Section 24 of the finance act 2015. Paul Johnson of The Institute of Fiscal Studies said […]

One of my tenanted properties is occupied by my son and his wife. The property is conservatively valued at £250,000. He would like to buy it from my wife and me, but can get a mortgage for only £100,000. We are thinking of gifting the remaining £150,000 to them. How should we structure the ‘sale’ […]

I think it’s fair to say that the general consensus amongst mortgage professionals is that lenders still aren’t doing enough for older borrowers. At first glance you might look at most lenders looking to lend until age 80 as being quite accommodating, but as we start to work longer, live longer and need to borrow […]

My boyfriend and I have just moved to London and have found a room to rent in a flatshare. Being new to England I’m not sure of the legalities. We are dealing with a live out landlord, however he has given us a lodgers agreement to sign. From what I understand as he does not […]

I have a tenant on housing benefit that has handed in notice of 4 weeks even though she has 5 months to run on her fixed 6 months AST. If she moves out were do I stand. At the moment the council pays the benefit direct to me. Many thanks George

I recently sold my property a share in a freehold. When I moved to the property I undertook a lot of maintenance and repair. Prior to this it would appear people left things to the last moment rather than fixings things in a timely manner. Now almost near completion of sale the other freeholders raised […]

I have made an offer for neighboring property that is a flat in a block of 4. I have a right of way across their car park & have identified some development potential that I have previously discussed with the freeholders. I set up an SPV (Single Purpose Vehicle Ltd Co.) with a partner and […]

Client money protection (CMP) should be made compulsory four out of five buy-to-let landlords believe. A majority of landlords feel CMP should be compulsory when they use a letting agent to rent a property out, according to new research. Of 85% of landlords that use letting agents, a significant 81% believe that CMP should be […]

Hi Property118 readers, I occasionally hear about FREE services for landlords, and I’m now in contact with a company that provides two free services that could benefit many landlords: Room in roof insulation Free central heating boilers The room in roof insulation is for properties with an attic room.  The company will come and insulate the […]

My tenant who is on benefits is in arrears and the guarantor is not paying the rent. Do I take legal action against,the tenant or guarantor? I have been granted order of possession by the court and the council have told tenant not to move out until a bailiff knocks on the door. I have […]

Partnerships operating a property rental business can convert to a Limited Company status (“incorporation”) and claim tax relief to offset both capital gains tax and Stamp Duty that would otherwise be payable. The benefit of incorporation is that it allows landlords to retain profits at corporation tax rates of 20% and falling, and continue to offset 100% […]

Mohammed Ali, not the boxer but a landlord from Birmingham, has already done the necessary tax planning to nullify the effects of the tax changes that will increase the tax bills for over 500,000 landlords from April 2017.  He and his wife manage their property rental business full time and don’t have any other income from any other […]

National campaign kicks off in Swansea and Dorset to improve industry compliance and raise awareness among consumers so more landlords and tenants ask about fees when they shop for an agent. The Property Ombudsman Scheme (TPO) has launched a new national campaign with the Chartered Trading Standards Institute (CTSI) to tackle lettings agents that are […]

I read this wonderful website and it’s so helpful half of my knowledge as landlord is coming from here. So thank you to all of who contribute to this place. I need urged advice and opinion from everyone regarding a situation in which I am at this point. I have two properties one BTL and […]