Page 742 – Property118

Freehold value when linked to RPI

24th June 2015

I have a small one bed property, which is currently on a 70 year lease and I need to sell quickly. I’m in the process of negotiating a lease extension deal with my Freeholder. The deal as a whole seems quite fair at a premium of £5750 and ground rent set to £200 pa, but […]

Health and safety when planning evictions

24th June 2015

I know that many think we live in a world where “elf ‘n’ safety” has gone mad, but when you are removing large numbers of activists from a building, you’d be mad not to consider it!  We undertook a squatter / activist eviction recently from a former hospital building full of asbestos. The feedback from […]

Luxury residential Buy to Let apartments in Manchester

24th June 2015

Investors are extremely keen on rental properties based in and around Manchester due to the high rental yields available in the city, which saw it named as HSBC’s second buy-to-let hotspot in 2014. Property investors are drawn to the high returns offered by prime city centre residential apartments in regional cities like Manchester, and these […]

Are your properties meeting the requirements for smoke and carbon monoxide alarms?

24th June 2015

Over the last 18 months the private rental sector has been under increased scrutiny as a result of new legislation and demands for transparency. An announcement made by Housing Minister Brandon Lewis in March of this year means that private landlords will have a legal obligation to install working smoke and carbon monoxide alarms in […]

Using a vehicle as a ‘deposit’?

23rd June 2015

I should perhaps start by saying that I operate in one of the poorest areas of the country and what goes on in the middle class rental market of the south of the country cannot be applied to how the market operates where I am.  I am renting to the bottom of the socio-economic scale […]

My favourite short term lender

23rd June 2015

No broker fees!  That’s always a good starter for 10 isn’t it? You can’t deal directly with this lender but we have a small panel of “strategic partner” brokers who don’t charge arrangement fees (*conditions apply). What makes them special? They lend to private individuals, partnerships, companies, LLP’s, trusts and ex-pats Their short term loans […]

Getting Finance for a Refurb when Non Resident

23rd June 2015

I am a UK citizen now based In Singapore looking for help getting finance when I am non-resident in the UK.  I have one BTL property in London and a family home which is let out at the moment (both on mortgages via HSBC). I am looking to step up my investment & involvement levels […]

First time landlord : Buying a council tenanted property

22nd June 2015

I am first time landlord looking to buy freehold property around Luton. The property is currently rented to young lady (aged 25-30) with her 2 children aged below 10. As far as I am aware, she is on council benefit but the property is rented on basis of periodic tenancy.  So far I’ve managed to […]

Missed Bailiff appointment query

22nd June 2015

Hello all, I have a quick question. I am a landlord and have gone through the eviction process. I had a warrant of posession which was due to be executed today. I was at the property at the appointed time but the bailiff never showed up. I rang up after 20 minutes (initially thinking bailiff […]

Do all tenants have to sign the same tenancy agreement?

22nd June 2015

Hi All Question – Lease Agreements and Holding Bond  I send out to my tenants the AT5 form and lease agreements by Email. As is the case with students these days, they appoint a scout to secure a property because the other co tenants are exploring the world. I offer Single Household Assured Tenancies on […]

Sub-letting scam exposed by Channel 5 in first of six-part series with Landlord Action

22nd June 2015

On Wednesday 24th June 2015 at 9pm, Channel 5 will air the first episode of ‘Nightmare Tenants, Slum Landlords’, a six-part series following leading eviction specialists, Landlord Action, and council teams from across Britain, as they deal with the gritty side of the UK’s buy-to-let industry, exposing problematic tenants and dishonest landlords. With 8 million […]

More advice on Section 21, damages and arrears needed please

22nd June 2015

Well my first ever eviction process has started, I’ve lasted 8 years in property without ever having to do this!  My tenant has done (and admitted to) several thousands of pounds worth of damage to the property. A section 21 has been served (using NLA form) and the expiry date is near end of July. […]

Too Good to be True?

22nd June 2015

Letting supermarket.com 4% full management fee.  Is this too good to be true – how can they deliver quality, local service? Does anyone have experience of using them? Thanks John

Estate agent wants a bung!

22nd June 2015

I’m in a slight state of shock. An estate agent at a small, independent chain indicated to me at a viewing that if I were to ‘scratch his back’, so to speak he would help me to secure the property I went to see.  The market is fiendishly competitive. I’m not sure how taboo this […]

Multiple tenants on a single AST

22nd June 2015

I have a young family interested in renting a property, 2 brothers and 2 sisters.  After the death of their father they decided to move house and find a new property. They are all working. Local council, local supermarket, one brother works for a builder, one sister at a children’s nursery. My question is would it […]

Mark Alexander

Mortgage Express / UKAR calling in instant remortgages

21st June 2015

I am aware of two Mortgage Express / UKAR borrowers who received a letter this weekend calling in their loans, an extract of the letters, which are both identical, can be found below. In both cases the properties had been purchased using instant remortgages, i.e. the property had been purchased for cash or with bridging […]

Mixed Use Property Legal Status

20th June 2015

I purchased a mixed use property (residential flat upstairs and a hairdressers downstairs) at auction. The deposit held was passed to me by the vendor as part of the exchange. I inherited an existing commercial lease which leases the whole property to the two tenants.  Questions; Do I need to register the deposit with a […]

New legislation for compulsory purchase orders

19th June 2015

A Government technical consultation on improvements to compulsory purchase processes has just closed (9th June 2015). These are proposals to make the process clearer, faster and fairer and the aim is to bring forward more brownfield land for development.  Section One: Improving guidance The guidance will be improved and provided online. It will be divided […]

New owner of downstairs flat saying I can’t let out property

18th June 2015

I own a 1st floor London flat in a 2 story purpose built maisonette in a residential street where the majority of flats are let out. It is share of freehold with a shared garden.  Recently the ground floor flat was sold and the new owner wanted me to exclude my tenants (4 people) from […]

Selling a property that has a restriction

18th June 2015

I am trying to get advice about selling a property when there is a restriction by an ex partner. Scenario is this; I own a home, bought in my sole name and mortgage has always been in my sole name. An ex partner lived there for a few years and took me to Tribunal in […]

AST or resident landlord?

18th June 2015

I live in a detached house with a 1 bedroom annexe attached. I am looking to let it out. I have access to the annexe through an adjoining door which remains locked but only I have a key and access. It is not a separate address and all mail would come to the main house. […]