Page 696 – Property118

The curse of laminate flooring!

16th May 2016

I purchased a new purpose built flat 6 years ago. The lease states that the floors should be covered with wall to wall carpet or such alternative means of floor covering as approved by the manager whose approval should not be unreasonably withheld or delayed. At the point of purchase the developers showroom was full […]

Deposit lost or stolen by previous liquidated agent – am I liable?

16th May 2016

I purchased an HMO in 2011 with about 12 current tenancies, from a variety of agents. These agents held on to the deposits until last year when I decided to self manage and they have thus unprotected all the deposits, paid them over to me, and I have now paid to protect them with My-Deposits. […]

Can I rent the house I am buying?

16th May 2016

We’ve had a offer excepted on a property and have sold ours. We are purchasing from the next of kin so they are going through probate at the same time as selling the house! We’re 10 weeks in with no end in sight . I’ve found out today that probate hasn’t even started yet and […]

Can I get out of a 6month sublet tenancy due to worrying behaviour?

16th May 2016

A tenant of a landlord is subletting a room to me. I don’t know if the actual landlord is aware. At first she was nice to live with, but very quickly it appeared she has severe depression and behaves weirdly. She uses all of my things, she comes in to my room, eats all of […]

Liverpool landlord licensing ruled in breach of Data Protection Act

16th May 2016

I would like to preface this piece by saying that I, like the majority of decent landlords I know would fully support true Selective landlord licensing in Liverpool. It is the politically motivated ‘blanket’ licensing, which after 13 months has not improved the situation of a single tenant in Liverpool, that we object to. In […]

Update – clause 24 Judicial Review campaign

15th May 2016

We are currently processing all ticket requests for the Tenant Tax Summit on June 9th and you should have started receiving email registration details if you have pledged the minimum £100 required and emailed us to claim your ticket. IMPORTANT: Please remember that you must email [email protected] with a copy of your pledge receipt to […]

Quest report BTL survey instructions down by 40% on February

13th May 2016

The Quest Survey and Valuation reporting systems are the most widely used by surveying firms across the UK reporting back to lenders and customers. They are therefore in one of the best positions to report on activity in the Buy to Let market as a valuation survey is only instructed once a mortgage has been […]

Can I remove tenant with no agreement or money taken?

13th May 2016

My tenant moved in before I had time to check his references as he told me it was his only day off. I then found out he had a criminal record. I have not taken any money off him and he has not sign a tenancy agreement. I need him out for the sake of […]

New interest rate predictions revised down by Bank of England

12th May 2016

The Bank of England have released their latest Inflation Report and have revised future predicted interest rates down based on reduced growth and inflationary pressure. This is being partially blamed by the Bank of England on the destabilising effect of a possible Brexit vote on the economy. See Table 5A below showing predicted Bank Base […]

Tenancy agreement now void or is it?

12th May 2016

Hi all tricky one for me but hope someone out there has an answer. I have a tenancy agreement now periodic, but the agency managing the flat have been dissolved voluntary strike off confirmed it via companies house. Is the tenancy agreement now null and void and what happens next. Many thanks Ashley

Declaring purchase price when buying house from in-laws?

12th May 2016

My wife and I are looking to buy my in-laws home as they are looking to downsize. Is it possible to pay them less than their asking price for the house (thus reducing stamp duty) and pay the rest as a cash lump sum? If so what would be the tax implications for them in […]

Landlord obligations whilst waiting for Possession Order?

11th May 2016

I have served a S21 on my Tenants and when they failed to leave the property, I have applied for a Possession Order with local courts. This has been served and the 14 days allowed for the Tenant to put in a defence expires on Friday. My question is – the washing machine has broken, […]

Extending a lease when freeholder as possessory title?

11th May 2016

I own a flat with low lease 62 years on an Absolute title. However, the freehold deeds were lost and the freeholder now has a Possessory title a year ago (in 12 years they can upgrade to absolute). I have paid for two surveyors and legal fees and negotiated a premium to extend the lease. […]

Time between exchange and completion?

11th May 2016

My grandparents are downsizing to a flat and are able to purchase a new property without selling their current family home and without needing a mortgage (they have also paid off the mortgage on their house). My husband and I would like to buy their house and they are happy to sell it to us […]

Can I use deposit against arrears court fees and costs?

11th May 2016

By way of a Court judgement for possession only I am informed by my letting agent that the tenant’s deposit cannot be used against the £4,000 rent arrears plus Court fees, solicitor’s and bailiff’s costs. Is this right ? The tenant willfully stayed on after legal notices were served in order to cause me financial […]

UKAR sale of Northern Rock mortgages to Cerebus for £13bn – What does this mean?

11th May 2016

UKAR has now completed a sale of mortgages originated by Northern Rock to US private equity giant Cerebus. This reflects a ground breaking deal for UKAR and provides clear evidence that they do not intend to be medium or long term holders of the lending institutions they are now responsible for (e.g. Northern Rock, Bradford […]

Risks to novice landlords revealed

11th May 2016

Paul Shamplina, Founder of Landlord Action, is due to appear in three separate stories in this week’s episode (Wednesday 11th May, Ep10) of ‘Nightmare Tenants Slum Landlord’ on Channel Five. The landlords in all three cases have little or no experience of the buy-to-let industry and this week the show shines the spotlight on just […]

Government may look to ban Gazumping

10th May 2016

Around 200,000 or 18% of house purchase transactions fall through every year with the Telegraph reporting that the Department for Business Innovation and Skills have been in talks with the National Association of Estate Agents (NAEA). The discussions were to consider the idea of introducing the Scottish system which is also used in other countries […]

Zoopla figures show property prices being more heavily discounted

10th May 2016

New figures from Zoopla show that the average discount on asking price for property has increased to £25,265 (up £4,000 on January) and that 29% of all properties on the website have had their asking price cut at least once since they were listed. Popular press are calling this the property bubble bursting. The Halifax […]

Buy to Let in Ltd Company name – New specialist lender

10th May 2016

New lender, Foundation Home Loans, has launched into the Buy to Let market specialising in criteria for investing in the name of a Limited Company post clause 24. This niche will in particular allow new investors to start by avoiding the mortgage interest relief penalties of borrowing in a personal capacity without a mark up […]

Joint borrower sole proprietor mortgage to avoid extra stamp?

10th May 2016

I have a property that I rent out on a consent to let basis with my bank due to it being in negative equity. I have lived with my girlfriend for around 18 months in her house and we would like to buy a house together. As everyone is aware the SDLT has now kicked […]