I have always tried to keep my rents low, and like many other full-time ‘professional’ landlords I have the ethos that I don’t increase rents on tenants in situ.  In recent years this has been relatively easy as interest rates have been low (though my HMOs have seen utility bills rise significantly).  Clause 24 has […]

As the Ides of March grow ever closer, George Osborne’s political capital seems to be finally running out and the knives are drawn. His Rt Honourable Conservative friend Andrew Tyrie seems to be one of the first in line to sink in the dagger. Former Head of the FSA/FCA Tyrie is now Chairman of the Cross […]

I put down a holding deposit (non refundable) with a well respected high street agent for a property at £780, which included admin fees + first week of rent. Three hours later, I sat down to order broadband for my new address and discovered that the speed was far too detrimental for my lifestyle and profession […]

One of my properties which is a 50 year old plus mid-terraced cottage has a front garden which has an unusual layout in that it extends all the way across the front of the house next door thereby leaving next door with no front garden since it all belongs to my property as indicated in […]

Does anyone think that the changes to SDLT and LBTT are being rushed through without much, if any, thought to the consequences to the wider market? If yes, please read the following: First Time Buyers The Primary Driver for the proposed legislation is to: a) give first time buyers the greatest chance of home ownership […]

Is it possible that corporate landlords could have ‘moles’ in The House of Commons? Politicians with a vested interest? Surely not! The MP for South Suffolk has set about framing working and middle class buy-to-let landlords as mass property-hoarding despots, in place of institutional investors obtaining and letting properties on a truly industrial scale. Were his […]

The following letter template has been drafted by a member of the Property118 campaign committee. Please feel free to copy/paste and send it to your local council officers, who have responsibility for housing the homeless.  Dear Councillor Would you mind forwarding this email to your fellow councillors and council officers who have responsibility for housing the homeless in your constituency […]

I just received the following email – and have submitted a fake application which took about 2 minutes The job of chief executive at HMRC is up for grabs. After letting the bank HSBC get away scott-free with helping hundreds of wealthy customers evade tax, HMRC’s top boss is stepping down. Chancellor George Osborne is […]

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 […]