Sometimes ignorance is bliss, at other times it is very expensive!  About a year ago I spoke with a very established landlord who, together with her partner, were in the process of selling many of their properties to pay down mortgages. She was furious with the tax changes introduced by George Osborne and had decided […]

How private landlords can avoid finance cost restrictions Research conducted by Property118, “The Landlords Union” into new landlord tax legislation by has revealed that, with proper planning, many more of the worst affected private landlords will be in a position avoid the effects of restrictions on finance cost relief than previously thought. What’s more, they […]

We have 4 properties on BTL mortgages, all being in joint personal names with partner and high street lenders. Our LTV is ~60% on all properties, mostly because of higher value as being in London. The median rates is 1.8% with most on 2 year tracker. I wonder if we should go for portfolio mortgages? […]

I discovered that if you rent your property and the tenant is running a legitimate small business from there (with or without your permission) like a hairdresser or architects practice from the bedroom converted to small office the tenant can obtain a life time tenancy. The rules are something to do with the landlord and […]

The Government has proposed a minimum room size of 6.5 sq metres (70 sq feet) for a rented room in an HMO. This is in an effort to stop tenants from being crammed into overcrowded properties and to set minimum standards creating a level playing field for good landlords. This proposal will only relate to […]

Property118 Action Group is changing its name to “The Landlords Union”. New member logo’s will be provided to existing members in due course. The reason for the change is that we feel the new brand better describes what we do and will be significantly more powerful for media purposes. For example …. “Research conducted by […]

In 2009 the Irish government disallowed 25% of the interest cost in calculating a landlord’s taxable profit.  This was retroactive because it applied to properties that were already owned, not just future purchases. This was partly amended as from 1 January 2016 because of the shortage of accommodation for tenants in receipt of certain social […]

With reference to retainers and deposits, if a Landlord puts his/her property in the hands of a letting agent on a fully managed service, when the fees are all calculated for the prospective tenant to pay, can the Landlord ask for a £200 retainer on top of the deposit and all the agents fees and […]

My 3 tenants have a joint AST agreement. Unfortunately, 2 want/need to leave (been offered better job outside London/ having year out traveling). The remaining tenant wants to stay but doesn’t know 2 others to share with. I absolutely do not want my lovely flat turned into an HMO, so I am now having to […]

Hi, I would like to clarify something to do with the disposal/cease of an Furnished Holiday Letting (FHL) property business with relation to the Annual Investment Allowance (AIA) I intend to claim at the outset of the business. If I have only one FHL and I’m told that the AIA I can claim would amount […]

The benefit of becoming a corporate landlord is that it allows you to retain profits at corporation tax rates of 20% and falling, and continue to offset 100% of finance costs against income despite George Osborne’s tax changes for individual landlords being phased in from April 2017. It works best for portfolios where mortgage debt is in excess […]

I am close to completing the purchase of an investment property that has been mortgaged on a buy to let mortgage. As a first time landlord I am seeking some guidance on the responsibilities of the landlord for self managed Assured Shorthold tenancies. Here is how I see the workflow… 1. Advertise on property renting […]

I am new to the forum so apologies if asking questions that have previously been answered.  I have 4 BTL’s all under my name and my wife’s name. I’m aware of the tax changes (although don’t necessarily understand all of them) for landlord’s coming into effect next year and I’ve heard of the various implications this […]

Last August, after many years of searching, I found a house that I would love to live in, but the solicitor did not send me the papers to fill in until the end of August. I heard no more until the end of Sept when I was informed that the probate had not been signed. […]

I am a regular reader of Property118 Newsletters and I also find the discussion forums very informative. Last Friday, after reading an article on Property118, I contacted LettingSupermarket.com regarding their 4% letting and management fees offering. At first it appeared too good to be true and I was expecting there to be a catch. Other […]

Does anyone know whether unpaid service charges fall to a new owner? My solicitor says I should not have to pay the previous owners service charges because there was no way knowing these were outstanding. Whatever the reason I need to know whether I am on the hook, or whether I should resist demands for […]

I recently began investing in property after I received a large inheritance and I have some friends who are very successful property investors in the North who have found me 2 properties so far. I am wanting to grow my portfolio quickly and begin sourcing for myself and have read that it is much better […]

Interested to understand what measures people use to assess their investment decisions both at point of purchase and in retrospect? Many thanks Richard

I seek suggestions on how to get a rental deposit returned after the agency has been liquidated. My letting agency often delayed rental payments for months and always had to be chased to hand over the rental income so I moved the letting to another agency. This transfer happened 5 years ago and at the […]

There is a rising number of parent landlords letting second properties to their children, according to new research. 250,000 parents are already letting properties to their offspring and a further 1.4 million would be willing to let their properties to their children. 50% of landlords let to their children because they are struggling to see […]

I currently have a tenant who shares a property with three other people, four in total on a single tenancy agreement and the tenancy is currently periodic One of the tenants wishes to leave and has served notice on the whole property. As the tenancy is periodic I know they can do that. My questions […]