I am currently renovating a property in a view to rent it out & I’m paying 150% per month council tax on it (this includes a 50% penalty for the property being unoccupied for 2 years even though I’ve only owned it 1 year) Can I offset this against my tax at the end of […]

My brother and I have recently inherited a 45 year old property which was completely owned outright, it is in a nice area with good schools. The local estate agent say’s he has a waiting list of families waiting to rent or buy, he suggested some improvement tips to prepare the house which are estimated […]

Hi veterans! I am preparing my first HMO property. There are plenty of options in the market for smoke and heat alarms. I was wondering if the veterans here can share information on which smoke and heat alarms you use in your HMOs? Cardiff Council gave me the information that the property will need a […]

3 person HMO on an AST. 1 tenant is moving out on the 11th March and another tenant is taking his place. Rent is currently due at the end of the month (preferred). Is it possible to amend the current agreement and ask the incoming and outgoing tenant to pay a pro-rata share of the […]

Recently I just received a council tax bill for £407, addressed to me with a secondary address reference to a recent buy to let, at first I assumed they had sent it me and was the tenant’s bill. The dates on bill related to the purchase date and tenant start over a 4 month period. […]

I have been an investor in the student HMO sector for over 10 years. My properties are all 100 yr + Victorian terraced houses. I invest a large amount of money each year on maintenance. Looking at the future and the slow but significant influx of purpose build student accommodation, should I be concerned? My […]

I know that you cannot have an open vented gas appliance in a room used as a bedroom, but can you have an open fireplace? I have a three bedroom house with two reception rooms, and my tenant has asked if they can use the one reception room as a fourth bedroom, but as there […]

Property118 contains literally thousands of discussions, Q&A’s and news reports relevant to anybody with an interest in property, regardless of whether they are a landlord, tenant, developer or professional adviser. Searching our archives for these articles and discussions is very easy. Let’s say, for example, that you want to read articles and discussions about freehold […]

Some time ago I asked for your views about purchasing the freehold of the development where we live. Your comments were very helpful. On the 21st December the solicitors, acting on behalf of the bank, served a notice pursuant to section 5 of the landlord and tenant act 1987, prior to the property being sent […]

My tenant has not paid any rent since Aug 15 and their AST expired on 31st October 2015. A Section 21 Notice was also provided to the Tenant in August to inform them that they must vacate the premises. The tenant then decided not to vacate at the end of their tenancy and until today, […]

I currently have 3 x 10 bed HMOs in Liverpool obtained via purchase or leased, I am doing a little self management as well as using an Agent (inc 10% fee) and Gumtree. have any landlords used Virtual Assistants VAs to get tenants and save time? Many thanks Richard

My partner is freeholder to a building – a shop and 2 flats. The flats are both owned by leaseholders and are both sub let. The flats have access to a shared bin store. A neighbour has been complaining that bin bags are left in the store and never put out for collection. They smell, […]

Myself and my fiancee rent in London and due to the astronomical property prices here, we decided in Dec 2014 to purchase a buy-to-let residential investment in Northern Ireland. It completed in April 2015. We’re now in the process of buying our first residential home together in NI also with a view of moving back […]

Buy to let hotspots by location start at £75,000 with good investment opportunities and capital gains available to landlords despite the impending changes to legislation. These are our top locations popular with renters where house prices are soaring above average. • Carmarthen, Wales – Budget: £75,000 In this county town, it is possible to buy […]

I would like some advice on a tenant landlord issue, the property has a key card lock on the flat door which has been deactivated and has not been in operation for several years. Some how the tenant managed to get himself locked into the flat by this lock over the weekend. He had to […]

I have a HMO that I provide the internet for. I have a tenant who wants to take out her own separate internet bundle with TV etc. Can anyone see any problems with this? Many thanks Sharon

Mark Carney, Governor of the Bank of England, was today speaking at a Treasury Select Committee hearing. He indicated that interest rates were more than likely not to rise in the medium term and that if the economy needed further stimulation the Bank could consider a further drop in rates towards zero, but ruled out […]

With just a few weeks to go to the in/out referendum I’d be interested to learn of any thoughts as to the likely effect on BTL and property prices in general. Google the subject and there are as many different opinions as articles but the one thing that does become clear is that no-one seems […]

I have in the back of my mind that it is possible to get information on the number of a police call outs to a property. This is potentially of interest to those considering purchasing a property and want some peace of mind concerning the vulnerability of the property to intruders/criminals. Has anyone heard of […]

I have just found out that my tenants has left their property 6 months early, have cancelled their direct debit and claim the property is covered in damp/condensation. I took an independent person (estate agent) with me for my first viewing as the tenants couldn’t or wouldn’t go. There are several things wrong, large items […]

We are having our wills renewed, as they where written 26yrs ago, and our situations have changed. Our children are now old enough to be executors of our will and we now own some rented properties, which I don’t know if it makes things more confusing. My main concern is can rent be collected on […]