I have had the same tenant for four years. The tenancy agreement stated that no locks be changed without the landlords permission, but they have been changed and although I was promised that spare keys would be given to us, this has not happened. Originally this was in the hands of an agent, but they […]

Landlords are being urged to carry out mid-tenancy inspections of their rental property, with February being the optimum time to do so, according to the Association of Independent Inventory Clerks (AIIC). This is because it is currently the time of year when many homes will be suffering from mould, generally caused by condensation problems. Landlords […]

Firstly keep up the good work to all of you ! I own a garden flat and Hounslow Holmes the local authority are my freeholder. They or the one person I correspond with have declined my enquiry regarding proposal of removing a window into my garden and replacing the window with french doors. All works […]

Research by The House Crowd shows that buy-to-let investors are predicting a stormy ride in 2016, with nearly three quarters (72%) reporting that legal changes to the sector this year will have a negative effect on their investments. A fifth of investors plan to sell their buy-to-let properties in 2016.   Previously viewing their investments […]

Aldermore have reduced their 5 year fixed Buy to Let rate to 3.99% for single residential units in the name of individuals or limited companies up to a maximum of 80% Loan to Value. Aldermore do not credit score and every case is individually assessed by the underwriting team. You can use all of the […]

I have 3 properties. 2 BTL’s which are mortgage free, and my current private accomodation. I have had an offer accepted and in the early stages to moving forward with the legal and mortgage applications for this new property. After the purchase I will have 4 properties. I plan on renting out the property that […]

One of my tenants is having problems with dog fouling on the grassed areas at the front of the property. It’s the type of estate that has no fencing to front of the property as they are all open and I am not sure if fencing can be put up. Any ideas or tricks to […]

Does anyone use electronic signatures for tenancy agreements or prescribed information? Thanks in advance Bob

I received a newsletter today from Mortgages for Business, with an article about the new regulations to protect “accidental” landlords taking out BTL mortgages. Sounds as if it will just make it more difficult for ordinary people to invest in just one property towards their pension or to help them move house if they can’t […]

Fish “n” Chips was my most recent blog. I’m not attempting to promote my business, I simply want to share my observations. Please see the link below >> https://rentproperty-moray-and-inverness.co.uk/blog.html We do need to ensure, in my view, that the we continue to challenge the lack of housing provision and, more importantly, highlight the value of […]

we are renting out our family home in London,having recently moved abroad. Unfortunately there has been a leak at the property (water mains, not our liability) which has caused damp issues in the lower ground floor. We are actively pursuing the matter with our insurers and have promised to the tenants to make good, but […]

Clare Foges was the speech writer for David Cameron between 2011 and 2015. This weekend I read her “readers letter” in The Times. If you saw it then you’d probably have been as rattled by it as I was. In fact, I was so annoyed that I decided to write and publish a rebuttal here in the […]

I bought a new house in Cornwall from a developer, it has been established that they have built an unoccupied office over my boundary, they accept they are in the wrong.  What price should I be asking as they want to buy this land? It is only about 5 sq m, and we wouldn’t use […]

Unfortunately a tenant of mine suddenly died yesterday.  He was a protected single tenant living on his own and his rent was paid in full by housing benefits. I understand the council will cease paying his rent with immediate effect but I would like to give his family time to manage his affairs. Please could […]

Dear all, Firstly may I just say how helpful i’ve found this site and all the contributions from it’s members. It’s a hugely useful resource for a fairly inexperienced landlord like myself, and I’m very grateful for it’s existence! I currently have BTL mortgages on 2 flats and a residential mortgage on my own home, […]

I don’t suppose too many landlords have regulated tenancies but as one that does, registered (so called ‘fair’) rents are becoming increasingly pathetic, representing maybe only 40% of open market rental value or less. Of course, when it comes to repairs, tradesmen expect to be paid in full and will not accept 40% of their […]

Hello.. my sole income is from the rental of one property, I receive enough to live on however do not pay NI Contributions. I WANT TO pay NI voluntarily.  As the income is from an investment, and in my sole income, can I voluntarily pay class 2 (cheaper rate)? It says in the .GOV web […]

Not having had experience with evicting a tenant I would really appreciate some advice –  Briefly, I have a tenant who missed his £700pm rent payment in December 2015 – when (eventually) I made contact with him, he said he was leaving the flat at the end of the month and I should take the […]

I have been issued with an Environmental Repair Notice on a block of flats we own the freehold of, in addition to 4 units in the 9 unit block.  The council officer is clearly on a ‘witch hunt’. We have been making progress on the repairs highlighted although outside the stated time scales, caused mainly […]

Over the last few weeks I’ve been growing increasingly nervous about the prospect of sending out the inevitable rent rise letters to my tenants. Additional tax levies are always passed onto the consumer, e.g. when Government announces in the Budget that another few pence of tax will be added to the cost of petrol the price […]

If for nothing else, George Osborne will certainly be known for shaking up the property market with his attack on landlords through Clause 24 and the increase of SDLT. Many of the British public have completely accepted the ‘spin’ about it all helping to level the playing field and think it is going to be […]