I have had a tenant for 12 years and currently each 12 months issue a new AST contract raising the rent on average 4%. I am told that I should just let the contract continue without raising anew one each year. Can you tell me the pros and cons of doing this please? Trevor

I have a few queries which I need to iron out as I am receiving different advice all the time. Earlier this year me and my brother decided to invest in the BTL market and now have 4 properties we jointly own. The issue we have now is whether to setup a limited company and […]

I currently have a case with the Sheriffs but the ex-tenant is being evasive and has defaulted on the last 2 payments. Does anyone know if it is possible to trace employment with a National Insurance number and go for attachment to earnings, or is this a backward step once the case has moved up […]

I am a private landlady. My tenants have signed a 6-month Shorthold tenancy agreement and have now been renting my property for 8 months. We are now on a mutual two-month notice rolling agreement which suits us all very well. I need to make some minor adjustments to the tenancy agreement relating to using the […]

I have my property under full management with a well known national letting agency. They have just re-let it on a 6 month AST with all the rent paid in advance because the tenants failed the financial check due to the length of their work contracts. This happened without my knowledge despite my having informed […]

I own a leasehold flat and which I presently Let. The property is a conversion 1930’s standard build split into two flats with own entrance. As the lessee I have an obligation to pay the ground rent due. Over the past 5 years I have submitted my payment by cheque posting it through the freeholders […]

I have a dilema here and I would like your advice. Property Rented to Tenants (Estate Agency) – March 2012 Tenancy Agreement (TA) – Assured Shorhold – 6 months reverted to periodic Landlord took over management – March 2013 New TA (same copy just dates change and rent amount) signed by same Tenants (Husband and […]

We recently held a webinar on rapid tenant eviction via HCEO (High Court Enforcement Officer) which included a particular focus on the various eviction notices that need to be served. Some great questions were raised so in this article we are going to focus on providing the answers to those questions relating to the changes […]

Just wondering what people’s views would be about tenants in a shared house (all on individual room contracts) putting religious symbols in communal areas? The religious symbols in question being Catholic symbols. No-one has complained about this (except someone viewing the property who asked lots of questions about them, and clearly was very uncomfortable with […]

No Fault Fire in the house – I paid for alternative accommodation while the house repaired and re-decorated. Tenants are now demanding I also refund the rent for the period. The alternative accommodation cost more than the rent I received for the period. I used a standard RLA tenancy agreement. Anyone have any ideas how […]

My house is let to four people who jointly signed a 12 month fixed term AST last June. One of them now wishes to leave and will find a suitable replacement tenant – subject to references being checked by my agent. The agent wants to tear up the existing contract and make a new 12 […]

Not sure how controversial this is but with all the changes to protect tenants which I don’t think is wrong, maybe there should be a tenants record in an aim to help protect landlords?  The idea is this would be kind of like a criminal record whereby any evictions and the reason for the eviction […]

I became an accidental landlord in October 2014. I bought myself a one bed property in Surrey in December 2012, and had no intention of ever making property a business. However, when I approached my mortgage broker last year to discuss a switching deal after my fixed rate came to an end, he mentioned that […]

How does Clause 24 impact on Sharia mortgages where interest isn’t paid?  Are Sharia mortgages exempt from clause 24? If so is there a case for transferring to this type of mortgage or does this bring the proposed legislation into a religious and/or racial discrimination area? Thanks for sharing your thoughts Peter

The latest statement from my letting agent had a fee of £35 for ” HMRC tax assessment”.  When I queried what this was for her reply was; “the HMRC requested information from me under new Agent Regulations that have ‘just’ been enforced, and I had to provide to them a detailed spreadsheet of all landlords […]

First Post so be gentle! I have a periodic AST where the rent is payable 4 weekly, so on serving a s21 notice do I give 2 months notice? If so what dates do I need to match up to make it work. OR do I give 8 weeks notice which is 2 rent cycles? […]

We have just purchased a house with attached land recently for future development. The house was already let and we have retained the existing tenants and is being managed by a local letting agency. We have signed up with them for 6 months with a view to handling the tenancy directly ourselves or perhaps just […]

We are pleased to report that week, a member of the House of Lords had the intelligence and nerve to speak out against the anti-landlord ‘tax grab.’ Property118 landlord, Dr Rosalind Beck, has written to him to express our thanks. The extract and letter are below: In the Lords debate on the Finance Bill, Lord […]

I say: what about supporting the tenants? Labour, by supporting Clause 24, in effect, continues to support the Government’s attack on landlords who have borrowed to purchase properties. This is despite the fact that it is now generally agreed, the decision will lead to rents rising across the board in the private rented sector. This […]

Landlords have the responsibility of keeping their tenants safe and electrical safety is a big part of this. In order to avoid fines and protect your tenants, be aware of changes to the latest legislation. Failure to keep electrical equipment such as light switches, microwaves and fuse boxes safe and in good condition can lead […]

I have now found a Housing Benefit tenant and done all the credit checks/ references etc and all is good. They are currently receiving HB in another London borough, but will be moving to my properties London borough so wanted I wanted to know if anyone could briefly outline the procedure I would need to […]