Recently bought Taylor Wimpey 2 bed apartment. Built in 2007 on 150 year lease. Poorly advised by solicitor. Ground rent doubles every 10 years until 2057. Presently £250, 2017 £500, 2027 £1000, 2037 £2000, 2047 £4000, £2057 £8000. I planned to keep the properly long term eventually gifting to grandchildren. Anyone any idea how much […]

Like many of us, I have often thought about moving to a better climate. The reasons I haven’t done so are much the same as many others; ageing parents, friends, family, hobbies, business interests etc.  However, it now seems I have no choice. The restrictions on finance cost relief proposed in the Budget will render my […]

One of my properties is a flat in a large converted detached house in Dewsbury, W. Yorks. I also happen to be the MD of the ‘Right-To-Manage’ company that manages maintenance, landscaping and buildings insurance for the entire block hence I send requests for service charges to the other flat owners. I recently received a […]

A managing agent I contracted to let out and manage my flat still, four days later, has not sent me notification that tenants moved into my flat on 4th August. They have not sent me copies of the signed tenancy agreement, or the inventory. After much chasing on the phone, with my phone calls not […]

If I buy a property and it turns out that the property was fraudulently sold without the owners knowledge ie. son impersonating as father or tenant impersonating as the owner with a fake passport and driving licence do I lose my money for purchasing such a property? I asked my solicitor about this and it […]

CGT has been introduced on UK property for non-residents from April 2015. This will apply to the increase in value from April 2015, not from the whole time of ownership. It is possible for a UK citizen, currently UK resident, to become non-resident, fully in accord with HMRC criteria for non-residence, for the tax year […]

Do you have relevant expertise and experience or a special interest in the Finance Bill which is currently passing through Parliament?  If so, you can submit your views in writing to the House of Commons Public Bill Committee which is going to consider this Bill. Finance Bill 2015-16 Summary of the Finance Bill A Bill […]

I am very pleased to inform all members and readers that Mark Alexander (founder of Property118) has been invited to consult with advisers to the Treasury Select Committee on the 24th of August in regards to Budget changes. The Invitation Letter Subject: RE: Summer Budget Property Measures Consultation Dear Mark, As I am sure you will be […]

I had a tenant on an AST and he had his girlfriend subsequently move in. He has since moved out (they have split up) without letting me know, but she remained in the property and has not paid any rent and it has been approximately 3 months now! What are my options? Opinions appreciated! Rob

When you search for properties for sale via our tenanted property portal you will now get even better results.  The first thing you might notice is that every property listed now has details of the cheapest available buy to let mortgage displayed, together with the monthly interest only cost. This links through to a full […]

This is direct from Megan Shaw Product Owner HMRC, contact details are on the bottom so this can be confirmed very quickly should you feel it is incorrect. Observations from this very simple example below we can see that : 1. A 20% tax rate payer is pushed into the 40% band with the new […]

After a year long battle, I have finally managed to get my flat back from the council tenants. Now my agent is recommending me to give my flat to London Housing Trust. He speaks highly about them as it is the guaranteed rent and they give property back in the same state as the take. […]

This is what you have to do to become an LPA Receiver as copied from the IPA website: Thinking of Becoming a Registered Property Receiver? Application for scheme membership is generally by examination, for which a fee is payable, comprising… – experience certification; through a declaration within the exam application form – a written paper; […]

We are asking all Property118 members to forward this Press Release to five business/finance editors of Newspapers, preferably one or two to Nationals and the the rest to locals. By all means send to Newspapers outside your area. If some editors receive multiple copies from several members that’s not a bad thing, it might even help them […]

Before we present a very simple solution to the Immigration Checks issue it is important that you truly understand the problem, and why so many landlords have are so stressed about it. Tenant immigration checks for landlords has been all over the news this last week and become a hot political topic for the government to […]

Aunt Sally has a full time job earning £55,000 per annum. She is a 40% rate tax payer and has a buy to let landlord portfolio comprising 20 properties. She started investing in property 10 years ago.  Aunt Sally is in a quandary. She has heard about the budget proposal to change the way that […]

It was mentioned recently in another discussion that re-mortgage arrangement and broker fees are not allowable expenses , but are instead treated as capital costs. This clearly has some relevance to the ongoing debate on tax relief of loan interest changes in the budget. My research ( and personal experience) points that they should be […]

I signed a lease a couple of months ago for a property in London with my ex-partner, and after breaking up (which was essentially in the first week of moving in in the new flat – great timing I know). I contacted the landlord to let him know if I could move out as this […]

One of our thankfully soon to be former tenant is a “protected person” under the OPG (Office of the Public Guardian) and is in receipt of substantial medical negligence claim income under the supervision of a solicitor. Unfortunately the tenant has both allowed and caused substantial damage by both carelessness and deliberate act from broken […]

Neil Mukherjee, landlord, kindly shared with us his step by step experience of using High Court enforcement to repossess his property from tenants who had ignored a court order to move out. We were able to evict the tenant quickly and hope Neil’s experience will help other landlords to consider transferring their possession order up […]

I am just about to buy a property and I had my mortgage in place through TMW (The Mortgage Works). While reading through the Standard BTL Mortgage Conditions:2012 booklet they sent me I noticed right at the back a tiny little clause which I think could have serious consequences for me (and anyone else with […]