Dear all, Firstly may I just say how helpful i’ve found this site and all the contributions from it’s members. It’s a hugely useful resource for a fairly inexperienced landlord like myself, and I’m very grateful for it’s existence! I currently have BTL mortgages on 2 flats and a residential mortgage on my own home, […]

I don’t suppose too many landlords have regulated tenancies but as one that does, registered (so called ‘fair’) rents are becoming increasingly pathetic, representing maybe only 40% of open market rental value or less. Of course, when it comes to repairs, tradesmen expect to be paid in full and will not accept 40% of their […]

Hello.. my sole income is from the rental of one property, I receive enough to live on however do not pay NI Contributions. I WANT TO pay NI voluntarily.  As the income is from an investment, and in my sole income, can I voluntarily pay class 2 (cheaper rate)? It says in the .GOV web […]

Not having had experience with evicting a tenant I would really appreciate some advice –  Briefly, I have a tenant who missed his £700pm rent payment in December 2015 – when (eventually) I made contact with him, he said he was leaving the flat at the end of the month and I should take the […]

I have been issued with an Environmental Repair Notice on a block of flats we own the freehold of, in addition to 4 units in the 9 unit block.  The council officer is clearly on a ‘witch hunt’. We have been making progress on the repairs highlighted although outside the stated time scales, caused mainly […]

Over the last few weeks I’ve been growing increasingly nervous about the prospect of sending out the inevitable rent rise letters to my tenants. Additional tax levies are always passed onto the consumer, e.g. when Government announces in the Budget that another few pence of tax will be added to the cost of petrol the price […]

If for nothing else, George Osborne will certainly be known for shaking up the property market with his attack on landlords through Clause 24 and the increase of SDLT. Many of the British public have completely accepted the ‘spin’ about it all helping to level the playing field and think it is going to be […]

The Sheriffs Office asks you to join our complimentary CPD accredited webinar which covers all you need to know about squatter and activist eviction under a High Court writ of possession. Thursday 25th February, 12.30 to 13.30 Squatting in commercial property is on the increase, particularly since squatting in residential premises was made a criminal […]

I own a 2 bed rental property that I would like to raise capital from by taking out a buy to let mortgage. I have a good tenant who appears to be a long term prospect.  This is new territory for me and I’m not sure the best way to go about arranging a buy […]

Research conducted by Property118 members has revealed how up to 4.6 million tenants could be affected by George Osborne’s tax attacks on buy-to-let landlords.  In spite of ever-mounting criticism of the Clause 24 tax-grab from various quarters of the United Kingdom’s private rental sector, constituency MPs persist in replying with the following two points, duplicated […]

My Estate Agents are saying they will be charging me £25 to tell the Tenants Deposit Scheme I am moving over to a Periodic tenancy.  I have self-managed and never had to do this! Do they have to do this or do they only contact them again when they want the tenants deposit returned? I […]

Am I landlord in the legal sense if I allow my daughter and granddaughter to live in a second home that I own outright, and although they pay no rent, they pay for the upkeep of the property?  If I am a landlord, then can I assume I have a responsibility for their health and […]

An article by Alex Caravello – MK Landlords Association  Is Help to Buy just a Government con? To answer this question I thought I’d compare the true cost of the ‘Help to Buy Equity Loan’ scheme with the cost of renting a similar property long term. INTRODUCTION The ‘Help to Buy Equity Loan’ scheme only […]

I currently live in a three bedroom house that I have a normal residential mortgage on. It has been my only residence since 2010.  However, due to changes in circumstances, I will be living on my own and no longer be needing the extra space within a couple of months. One option I had in […]

My tenants boyfriend has been living in the house share for 11 months breaching the terms of the ASTA, can I claim from her deposit for him living there and not paying rent?  We have plenty of proof as other house-mates and neighbours are willing to confirm he was living in the house. I bought […]

I have some savings and I’m looking to make my first investment in Manchester.  I am hoping to buy 2 apartments around £60k-70k each. Since I don’t know Manchester and it is very difficult for me to visit often, I am looking for an estate letting agent who can advise me on properties and then […]

Hi all,  I’m in need of some advise. I have a mortgage which was taken out through Keystone mortgages. I also took out 6 mortgages with Mortgage Express. The Keystone mortgage was then taken over by MX. Keystones wording is identical to MX on the consolidation side. As all the mortgages are with MX/UKAR, can […]

Demand for rented homes will rise by more than one million households over the next five years, according to analysis from Savills. The latest findings have been revealed despite the government’s efforts to help ‘generation rent’ become ‘generation buy’. The Government has set a target of building 400,000 new affordable homes for sale over the […]

I am a landlord and purchased a two bedroom flat in 2012. The Ground rent doubles every 10 years from 2011 linked to RPI. Ground Rent is currently a manageable £250 and in 50 years it will be around £4000 Ground Rent. The Net yield on the property is very good indeed and make around […]

We are now in the process of purchasing property no 6 all individual family buy to lets. We don’t fancy HMO’s but obviously know that is where the money is, we will be looking at doing some flips along with a neighbour who is a builder. My question is, we have now re-financed some of […]

I want to buy in Milton Keynes it’s a great city. I want to give back to my home (concrete cows and roundabout it may be) and make a profit here. How big bad and ugly is the Planning Department? I know 3 storey conversions are pretty much out of the question, but how about […]