Page 729 – Property118

Potential separation and 99% to 1% Declaration of trust

29th September 2015

I have read some of the articles that sound similar to mine but not sure they answer my specific question! In 2010 I sold a business and raised a nice amount of cash. With this I paid off my wife’s mortgage on her house we rented out and over time we purchased some more BTL […]

Shadow Chancellor John McDonnell anti Buy to Let but said very little

29th September 2015

During his first speech as Shadow Chancellor John McDonnell hinted at his views on introducing rent controls and stopping tax breaks for Buy to Let landlords without actually giving much away in detail. The Labour party have estimated that tax breaks to Buy to Let investors are worth £13billion per annum and it is understood […]

Is purchase of freehold fair value?

28th September 2015

I’d really appreciate some help on whether or not I should buy the freehold of my flat which has recently become available. The property is a converted house consisting of an upstairs flat which I own and a downstairs flat which the freeholder currently owns. The lease has 74 years to run, the ground rent […]

Does a cellar count towards a floor making an HMO?

28th September 2015

In a unlicensed HMO I understand that a cellar counts as a story. If however a lock was fitted to the cellar so no access for tenants, would it then be ruled out as a story? Making just the 2 story/5 tenant or less not requiring licence, or is there some law to saying otherwise. […]

Forced into signing a Fixed term contract

28th September 2015

My partner and myself entered a letting agreement were we signed a fixed term 6 month contract via a letting agency. We were advised on signing the contract that at the end of the contract we would have 3 options; 1. to sign a further 6 months 2. to sign for 12 months 3. to […]

Leak from the flat above not repaired and now flat below is suing me?

28th September 2015

I am a private land lord and have 4 tenants living in one of the properties. About 6 months ago, a tenant in flat no 6 rang me and said that there was water leaking into our bathroom from the ceiling. This flat is on the first floor in a 4 story council block. I […]

Pension reforms are only planned to be used by 5% of landlords to build portfolios

24th September 2015

The National Landlords Association (NLA) has found that the majority of landlords don’t plan to take advantage of pension freedoms to invest in property. The latest research* by the UK’s largest landlord association revealed that, of those with a pension in place, just five per cent are planning on withdrawing a lump sum to invest […]

Tax relief on sale costs of rented property?

24th September 2015

I was wondering if anybody knew the answer to the following scenario: I will be selling my only rental property (thank you for this George Osbourne!). I will at first try to sell through this website with tenants in situ, but failing this I have read on the government website that in the dwell period […]

Rent-owing tenant did a runner – How soon can I access?

24th September 2015

He owed three months (£1000+), I served a section 21, and a couple of weeks after that neighbours tell me they saw him moving furniture out. Shopkeeper below no longer hears footsteps above. Tenant won’t answer phone or email. On advice of letting agent (tenant find service only), put a 14 day Notice of Abandonment […]

Has Regulated Tenancy turned into an HMO subletting rooms?

24th September 2015

We run a shop and were able to buy the building in 2010. A protected/regulated tenant has been there since 1987, who we know, and so paid a price that reflected the situation. Somewhere in the distant past, the previous LL gave them permission to rent out a room to help with the rent. The […]

Complicated rent in advance AST written by agent?

23rd September 2015

My agent created following clause in the AST where one of the tenant pays some rent in advance and other one monthly: 1.10 Rent : £400.00 exclusive of Water Rates and other Utilities (subject nevertheless as hereinafter provided for) per calendar month of the Term Payable: in advance by standing order or bank transfer due […]

Deposit stolen by agent and I do not want to renew AST

23rd September 2015

I have a serious potential headache and would welcome your advice. In July 2009 I rented a house to a married couple and their family. The agents took the deposit (788 pounds) and placed it with My Deposits.Co . The agents subsequently closed down and stole the money. This happened in 2011. I contacted the […]

West Bromwich letter asking what repayment plan I have for the mortgage

23rd September 2015

I have heard that West Bromwich can indulge in dodgy practices (like UKAR etc) and I have just received a letter I would like advice about before I answer it. It states that I have 10 years remaining on ‘elements 1 and 99’ of my mortgage term (I don’t know what these ‘elements’ are) and […]

Number of UK tenants in arrears rises

23rd September 2015

The number of residential tenants significantly behind on their rent in the first quarter of the year was up 4% compared to this time last year, according to latest figures. There were 70,900 UK tenants with two months of unpaid rent in the first three months of 2015, some 1,500 more households than during the […]

Joint Freeholders Tenants not abiding by the lease

23rd September 2015

I have a 3 floors of a house and the ground is owned by the other joint Freeholder. He has been renting his flat out for a few years now and his tenants insist on making the communal areas look like a cheap shoe shop. I have informed tenants and their landlord (ie the other […]

Newquay Buy to Let – AST or holiday rental?

22nd September 2015

Newquay Apartment Sale in TR7 is a fantastic buy-to-let investment property in Cornwall. Fully tenanted with a Net Yield of 7.7% on a purchase price of £67,000 provides an attractive all year income. However with the rising popularity of holiday lets and several popular websites such as AirBnB, Homeaway and Ownersdirect that are allowing buy-to-let […]

What do the regulations really require for smoke alarms in Scotland?

22nd September 2015

Ive spent hours pouring over the legal requirements for smoke alarms in privately let homes in Scotland and what this means practically for landlords. My take on it is that a mains wired alarm on each floor is legally required, if the alarm was fitted after August 2007. More recently ‘statutory guidance’ has been issued […]

How best to cleanly and amicably remove tenant after 6 month AST?

22nd September 2015

I have two tenants (a retired old lady and her son) in my flat with 3 months left on an AST, who I kept from a BTL purchase three months ago. We had a new AST shortly after the purchase completion, but only leaving his mum on the contract, as he claimed he didn’t live […]

Inventory and missing items issue in student property

21st September 2015

My daughter is just about to move into a shared house with some friends for her second year of university. The friends have already moved in & discovered some issues – a broken window in a bedroom, TV & toaster missing & “extreme” mould in the bathroom. At first they thought that the house had […]

Right to Rent start date and tenant applying for residence permit

21st September 2015

I have a prospective tenant from Turkey on a tourist visa (up to end of November) who is applying for a residence permit and will be self employed as a translator (they say there is a program which helps Turkish citizens setting up businesses). They are looking to move in before the end of September, […]