I was wondering if anybody can offer me some guidance. I left the UK for work just over 3 years ago, and it is most likely that I will return to London sometime in 2020 once my current employment contract ends. I have 2 properties back home in the UK – one BTL, and one […]

Has anyone else received an invitation from Conservative Campaign Headquarters, asking for your support? I received an email and felt compelled to respond (see below). If you are receiving similar emails from the Conservative Party, you might like to send a similar response so that they start to get the message. Dear Mr. Mabbutt, I […]

We have a PLC in which we bought land, developed it into a camp site and now run it. We jointly own our residence.  I want to buy a property for investment. A new build for rent. Is the extra 3% stamp duty a tax deductible cost? And, as a PLC can we claim interest […]

If I go back 5 years in my property journey I couldn’t understand why anybody would pay people to do things that they could do themselves? Why pay cleaners, workmen, agents, accountants etc. I thought I was unique in my stance of doing everything myself and that this gave me an advantage over anyone, as I […]

The proportion of landlords in central London who intend to sell property has quadrupled since last year’s Budget, according to new research from the National Landlords Association (NLA). Just 4% of landlords in central London had plans to sell property when surveyed before last year’s Budget. However, the figure has almost quadrupled, rising to 19% […]

I have a BTL property with a share of freehold. This BTL property has two other properties below it which consist of one whole building. The freehold for the whole building is held within a company (to which I am a shareholder and director) and the two other landlords of the properties below (freeholders) are […]

I would appreciate any help or advice on how I should demand ground rent. I currently own the freehold for my 1st floor maisonette and the ground-floor maisonette which is owned by someone else. I am now entitled to demand ground rent from the owner of the ground-floor flat however I don’t know if there […]

I am looking to grow my portfolio, but only have experience in Bath and London, I would like to expand my area search as neither are within my price range anymore, and yields are coming down. How do you gain knowledge on other areas, has anybody had any really good mentors who have helped them […]

We have a rental property that was rented out on an initial 3 months short term assured tenancy. That period ended and the tenant has been there for nearly 2 years. We now need to increase the rent and she has said it must be done in accordance with the contract which says it will […]

I have a client doing a re-mortgage on an existing let; lender is Skipton Building Society. They stipulate the tenants must not be in receipt of DSS. They’re not, but it raises the question: “What if a tenant goes on to claim benefits, including housing, after the tenancy has commenced?” Logically thinking, this must cause […]

We have 3 properties with an agent for the last 12 years. We are generally ok with the service of the agent but now realise that the fees that we are paying for their services are too high, compared to other agents. Their site states 18% but we are paying 12%. Having phoned a few […]

Not good news for all, but helpful for those in Scotland wishing to move their property into a ltd company. Hopefully the UK government will follow suit and help landlords survive the changes. Deputy first minister John Swinney said “Our priority is to make sure first time buyers have the greatest possible chance to get […]

If a property is bought (as a family home) with a buy to let mortgage, and has always been more than 40% occupied as a dwelling by the borrower and their relatives. Does the mortgage contract then become regulated? I have checked the FCA handbook and PERG section 4.1 seems to confirm the above (the […]

I am trying to find out if there is a minimum time the paperwork from previous tenants has to be stored by the landlord in case a legal challenge is brought out against them. Once the tenants has moved out and paperwork destroyed there will be no proof that the landlord has followed procedures and […]

Paul Shamplina is co-hosting a new radio show ‘The Property Hour’ alongside Clive Bull on LBC (97.3 FM). The show will discuss the latest housing issues/trends, and listeners will be invited to phone into the show as well as join in the debate online using #LBCPropertyHour. The Property Hour will be broadcast every Thursday for […]

X1 The Gateway is situated right in the heart of Salford Quays, overlooking the area’s stunning waterfront and neighbours four incredibly successful sold-out projects. The success of these highly sought-after developments is testament to the triumph of Salford Quays as a prime residential area. Since the creation of MediaCityUK (Europe’s leading digital hub), the city […]

The last Prime apartments are available at Bentley Court, Keighley West Yorkshire, centrally located, with excellent transport links, providing massive rental appeal. These investments can be offered with a unique 50-50 easy payment plan with no requirement for a mortgage. The above product allows the opportunity to purchase prime UK stock at utilising a range […]

We are about to buy a residential house to live in, partly financed by taking out a new residential mortgage, and partly financed by taking out a Let-to-Buy mortgage on our existing home and releasing equity from it. The house we are buying is in very poor condition and is not habitable until some essential […]

In January 2015 I bought two properties and contacted a letting and management agency to help in marketing the properties. They also offered a service to manage refurbishment works for a fee. Part of that service was to get competitive quotes etc. After they arranged an initial meet with a builder to initially spec the […]

I’ve just been on a health and safety course through my employer and a part of the course covered civil claims by individuals against their employers and other employees. This got me thinking about what would happen if this situation should ever arise in the future. Is there a way to protect your assets in […]

Dear Mrs H… The Government has recently consulted on the higher rates of stamp duty land tax for purchases of additional residential property. The consultation can be found at https://www.gov.uk/government/consultations/consultation-on-higher-rates-of-stamp-duty-land-tax-sdlt-on-purchases-of-additional-residential-properties/higher-rates-of-stamp-duty-land-tax-sdlt-on-purchases-of-additional-residential-properties and contains examples of how the higher rates apply in different cases, which you should find useful. The Government is now carefully analysing the consultation […]