Page 698 – Property118

Shares to go on open sale next week

22nd April 2016

Next week the share offer in LettingSupermarket.com will go live to the general public via the Seedrs crowdfunding website. The crowdfunded share offer was restricted to Property118 members for an initial two week period, but this will soon come to an end. Well over a hundred Property118 members completed the “Expression of Interest” form and […]

Clause 24 loophole?

22nd April 2016

Is a potential loophole to Clause 24 a mortgage company giving mortgages at 0% (no interest to offset against tax) but charging an up front arrangement fee equating to the mortgage interest that would be charged over the fixed rate term? The arrangement fee could be added to the mortgage. Technically cost neutral to the […]

Buy to let income essential for many retirees

21st April 2016

According to a poll conducted by Responsible Equity Release ….  72% of pensioners who have an investment property said they would struggle to make ends meet if they did not have the income from their buy to let. 81% of pensioners aged over 65 admit their buy to let properties provide a crucial boost to […]

Enforcing a county court warrant

21st April 2016

Hi Guys  Does anyone know what evidence, if any, a county court judge would expect one to provide (as claimant) as the basis for rejecting a derisory payment offered by a former tenant debtor against whom a CCJ has been secured? The debtor in question has offered to pay £20 per month for a debt […]

Right to Rent rules may change

21st April 2016

Right to Rent checks became a legal requirement for landlords to carry out on tenants from February this year. This controversial requirement has been seen by many landlords as an unnecessary extra responsibility carrying out checks that should be made by customs and immigration. However the RLA have reported that the Government is planning to […]

Equifax report BTL sales down 26% in March

20th April 2016

The Credit reference agency Equifax have reported that Buy to Let sales were down in March by £1.04billion which equates to 26.2% month on month. This is rather surprisingly despite the predicted last minute rush for property investors to purchase before the 3% surcharge in stamp duty came into effect for second homes on the […]

HMO investing in Shepperton?

20th April 2016

I am looking to invest in HMO for professional in Shepperton borough, Staines/Stanwell/Ashford/Egham. I would be most grateful for advice from anyone investing in the area or has good local knowledge. 1. Good location for HMO? 2. Important factors for professional tenants i.e, being close to Station or good bus links to airport? 3. Any […]

My mother would like to gift her flat to my 2 brothers and I?

20th April 2016

I wonder if you can help please. My mother would like gift her current flat where she lives at present to my 2 brothers and I. We are all adults, she has no mortgage on the property and owns it outright. She would still like to live there for the time being, just hand over […]

Controlling heating via smart thermostats and smart TRVs?

20th April 2016

I have a property that I rent out with all bills included. However much like other landlords i find the heating is left on coupled with windows left open and hefty bills. At the moment I’m sprucing the property up and have installed thermoboards to rooms where there are exterior facing walls, to help insulate […]

Amended Localism Act 2012 re late deposit registration

20th April 2016

I have an ex tenant who has a No Win No Fee company writing to me asking for compensation for late registration of his deposit or they will take me to court. Having read a few articles on the site about this I thought I would share my experience so far. My tenant moved in […]

Am I liable for new TV?

19th April 2016

I have quite a difficult tenant. Last week I received a call that the electrics in the property had gone off. Luckily I have British gas homecare so the tenants contacted them and an engineer attended the property and resolved the problem. He left a note that there was damp in the kitchen area which […]

Stuck letting out a property as HMO with a BTL Mortgage

19th April 2016

Hi, I currently have a BTL mortgage with Natwest for a property I purchased last year. However I have decided to apply for a HMO license, which I believe is outside the scope of my mortgage. My purchase price was 170K with the deposit being 35%. My HMO application requires me to inform the mortgage […]

Airbnb phenomenon is a growing issue for landlords

19th April 2016

Airbnb model poses a growing threat to landlords. Over the last 12 months, the number of cases Landlord Action has received, where tenants have sub-let properties without their landlord’s permission, has trebled. Aside from breach of tenancy agreement and additional wear and tear to the property, landlords are left exposed to being in breach of […]

Lettingsupermarket.com shares on Sale now

18th April 2016

Regular Property118 readers are likely to be aware that our founders acquired a 26% stake in Letting Supermarket three years ago when they were a start-up business. Since then we have been referring Property118 landlords to them and moving the management of our own properties across too.  They now have 465 properties under management and […]

Marijuana in the post!

18th April 2016

I have 3 flats, one with a bad Tenant awaiting eviction, S8 issued. I have intercepted a quantity of marijuana in the post, no name on the package, but I know it’s for this Tenant. Am I under an obligation to report this to the Police? Many thanks Peter

Letting my residential home whilst working overseas for 2 years?

18th April 2016

I work overseas and have a home in the UK. My youngest son will leave home this Summer, so the property will then be vacant for 10~11 months of the year. I will be in breach of the mortgage term if I leave the property empty for more than 45 days, but when I asked […]

Tenant not paid utility bill and fraudulently altered agreement!

18th April 2016

My tenant has built up a huge electricity bill and the company has finally caught up with her. She claims to have been living in the property for just a few months (having fraudulently altered her tenancy agreement) but she has actually been there two and a half years. Both the lettings agent and I […]

Best Place for Landlords to buy a Washing Machines and other White Goods

15th April 2016

. Most landlords like me already know that Amazon.com is a great place to buy books but have you ever checked out their prices for washing machines and other white goods?  What’s more, if you buy from Amazon via Property118 you will also be helping to fund the running costs of our forums. You pay no more than you […]

Property118 Bookstore

15th April 2016

. You will find the Property118 Bookstore between discussion comments which are below articles. Here’s an initial selection of best sellers your consideration. It gets better! Anything you can buy on Amazon you can buy via Property118 at exactly the same price. When you make a purchase from Amazon via Property118 we receive a small […]

Permission to let – can I get bank to change their mind?

15th April 2016

I live in a 2 bed flat with my partner and 2 kids and I want to rent the property out so we can then rent a large house for 2 years. I am a landlord myself and I own other flats on BTLs. I don’t want to sell it as its in a good […]

Should I evict or renew?

15th April 2016

I have a three bedroom house in nice condition, but not right on transport links. In September 2015 I rented it out on a 6 month tenancy. I was told that it was a man and his girlfriend, her 10 year old boy, and the baby which she just had, and her cousin. So I […]