Page 752 – Property118

Freeholder playing dirty tricks

30th March 2015

I have a dispute around ground rent with the property management company and desperately need some advice.  I am the owner of flat and as per the lease agreement there is a £200 ground rent charge that I am liable to pay annually. As per the agreed procedure, they send me a letter demanding ground […]

Liverpool Licensing scheme concessions gained by NLA

30th March 2015

The National Landlords Association (NLA) is claiming a victory for landlords in Liverpool after gaining two significant concessions from Liverpool City Council (LCC) in the run up to the launch of their city wide licensing scheme. Although the Council has refused the NLA’s request to postpone the launch of the scheme – due to go […]

Opt-out insurance add-ons to be banned

30th March 2015

Property118 is in favour of new Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) proposals where insurance companies may be banned from automatically opting customers in to purchasing extra add-on insurance policies. ‘Opt-out’ selling is the practice of defaulting the consumer into buying an add-on insurance product on top of their main policy, using pre-ticked boxes. Common insurance add-ons […]

Tenant ignoring section 13 notice – HELP!

30th March 2015

I have issued a Section 13 notice to increase the rent on my rental property – tenant has been in situ for over 4 years. In that time I have never increased the rent and have worked with her during difficult times she has had. However, I am now getting £100 per month LESS than […]

Borrowing/gearing to expand BTL portfolio

30th March 2015

I’m on the verge of rapidly expanding my BTL portfolio. I’ve had one on the go since 2011, bought my second in 2013 and am just about to exchange contracts on a 3rd property. However, this time I’ve borrowed some of the deposit.  I’m up in Yorkshire and the returns on 2 bed houses/flats are […]

Landlords rejoice as Superstrike problems are no more!!

29th March 2015

Landlords up and down the country will (or should) be celebrating the demise of the ridiculous rules we have all had to put up with following the Court of Appeal decision in the Superstrike case.  This is due to the amendments in the Deregulation Act 2015 which received the Royal Assent on 26 March, and […]

Low re-valuation on refurb project

29th March 2015

Last February I purchased my first buy to let property, a 2 bedroom mid terrace house in Lowestoft. The house had been owned by a lady for the last 58 years and was practically uninhabitable. Nevertheless, The Mortgage Works valued it at £67,500 and agreed to a 75% mortgage with no conditions of repair.  I […]

Rent to rent on BTL mortgaged property

29th March 2015

I have a friend who would like to rent me their buy to let property with a view to me using it as a small HMO.  I purchased the Property118 rent to rent lease agreement and it’s fantastic and I have used it on deals where the owner owns the property outright. However, the latest […]

How to stop the freeholder from building another floor on top of our block?

29th March 2015

I bought my lovely flat because it’s on the top floor so there’s no one thundering around on top of us and because it’s quiet so I can sleep during the day, (I work shifts).  Now the freeholders, in a staggering display of greed and profiteering over the well-being of the people who actually live […]

Has a new tenancy been created?

29th March 2015

Has a new tenancy been created? If so should the deposit have been re-registered? My tenants were on periodic tenancy following 12 month AST. They served notice via my agent as they had found them a better house. Their last day would have been 15 Nov 2014. However, the new house fell through and as […]

When do Landlords need to provide an EPC?

29th March 2015

I had previously thought I only needed to provide an EPC to prospective tenants for a property which I was letting.  But Bury MBC have now told me that as a result of new Regulations introduced in 2013, I must now supply an EPC to all my tenants, irrespective of the date in which they […]

No ASTs but Lodgers Agreements on new HMO purchased?

27th March 2015

I have just completed on my fourth HMO. It comes complete with six tenants all professionals and all paying rent happily. However, no ASTs , only a “Lodger’s Agreement” which is a single sheet of A4, and explicitly states on it that no tenancy has been formed by this document. I am not sure if […]

What percentage can you charge tenants for damages?

27th March 2015

I have had a tenant living in one of my properties for the last 18 months. The tenant has now vacated without giving the notice period required so will be charged the notice period rent as stated in the AST. The tenant has taken the carpet in the hall and underlay and has completely destroyed […]

Has the conveyancer made a mistake

27th March 2015

I purchased a property nearly 2 years ago as a btl. All has been fine. 9 months ago I had my first service charge bill with arrears from the previous leaseholder. I queried this (obviously) as it was a large sum of money – and was a bit puzzled as I knew that I had […]

Evictions carried out by HCEOs – the MoJ finally issue guidance

27th March 2015

According to the Ministry of Justice (MoJ) there have been times when county court bailiffs and High Court Enforcement Officers (HCEOs) have turned up at the same address to evict a tenant, causing confusion over who has jurisdiction. I have to say that in all my years at The Sheriffs Office I have never come […]

Permitted Occupier’s rights?

26th March 2015

My tenant has given his notice after being 3 months in arrears with his rent. However his partner [now ex-partner], who is named as Permitted Occupier, is refusing to leave the property. What rights does this PO have or can I just go and change the locks after the tenants notice expires? Many thanks John

BTL individually owned, let through a LTD Company?

25th March 2015

It seems we may have set up a method of working that is incorrect and seek your opinion. We own several properties in husband and wife names, we then set up a Limited Company and lease these to the company for a peppercorn rent. The Limited company then lets the properties and manages them to […]

NLA demands licensing delay in Liverpool as council criminalises Landlords

25th March 2015

The National Landlords Association (NLA) is demanding that Liverpool City Council (LCC) postpones the launch of its city-wide licensing scheme – due to go live on 1 April – because its current application process would put every landlord in Liverpool in breach of the law. The NLA claims that the current online application process provided […]

First buy to let offer accepted- what’s next?

25th March 2015

Finally I have managed to secure a property as my first buy to let. I had posted previous discussions which have helped me in making an informed decision. As I have now my offer accepted, I have to send my solicitor details and start with all the formalities. But before I could dive in this […]

Probate dispute can I rent out property from the estate?

25th March 2015

My husband is the executor of my late mother’s estate (her only asset was her home), and I was her only beneficiary. My niece has now placed a caveat on the will so probate cannot be granted until the dispute has been resolved. As executor can he rent this property out? We had no intention […]

Allowing sub-letting could create havoc in the Private Rented Sector, say insurance experts

25th March 2015

Property118’s Landlord Insurance experts have expressed concerns over the Government’s plans to allow private tenants to sub-let properties. Included in last week’s Budget small print, under the title “Support for the sharing economy”, was a clause seemingly giving the green light to sub-letting. See what readers think here. The wording said that the government intended […]