Page 758 – Property118

Warrant for possession taking too long

19th March 2015

I obtained a possession order for 2nd January 2015 and applied for warrant for possession immediately as tenants refused to leave. I have been waiting for the bailiffs to carry this out since then, and have had no messages from them despite emailing them and calling(no answer). The court says it can take 8 weeks!! […]

Prepaid water meter problems, whose responsibility?

18th March 2015

In our flat we have a card that we have to top up for heating our water which is provided by a third party service called Insite Energy.   We top the card up £25 at a time which usually last just under 2 months but since the new year we have noticed that it […]

Tenant not handing back keys

18th March 2015

I have a tenant who text me on 17th March to say she would be moving out by the weekend as she couldn’t afford the rent any more. I told her she had to give one months notice. She said she didn’t have any money. I said I could take it out of the deposit. […]

Buy flat in old building with no reserve fund

18th March 2015

I am planning to buy a buy to let property for the first time and need advice. I have found a 1 bed flat at a decent price (£5k less than similar properties). It is a converted flat in an old 1910 built house, which has 7 more flats. All flats are on leasehold and […]

Reaching out to landlords in Luton LU3

18th March 2015

We are a family of 3, working professionals in the Luton LU3 area.  We have to move in a rush because the long term let we signed up to with an agent 18 months ago has been rudely and abruptly ended before we have had the chance of even finishing unpacking. The agency did not […]

Landlords can insure against being gazumped

18th March 2015

YOU can now insure against being gazumped for just £59.99, Home Buyers Protection Insurance repays any fees or expenses incurred if your buyer pulls out of a sale.  Anyone who has ever been gazunmped or had a purchase fall through on them for reasons out of their control will know how frustrating and expensive it […]

landlord action

Landlord Action against more court fee rises

17th March 2015

The Ministry of Justice has proposed to charge 5% of the value of the claim to all court cases worth more than £10,000, which it estimates will bring in an extra £120m a year. A further consultation has also opened on extra charges for possession claims and general applications in civil proceedings. Possession claim fees […]

Property Battlefield Podcasts

17th March 2015

A few weeks ago I was invited by estate agent John Savage to record a series of podcasts as bonus editions to his Property Battlefield project.  If you don’t know what a podcast is, three examples of my ramblings highly professional insights can be found below, just click the play buttons. I have to apologise […]

Lied to by letting agent

17th March 2015

I am contacting you on behalf of my in-laws. They have recently signed a tenancy agreement with an estates agent who at the time of the interview was verbally advised that pets were allowed. They have a jack russell and a cat. On moving in they have heard from their neighbours that there is a […]

Selling with or without tenants in situ?

17th March 2015

I have some properties with tenants that will need to be sold in next couple years.  My thinking is if I sell with tenants in situ I will be selling to a small subset of aggressive investors. If I have empty properties, sure there is no rent coming in but I then can appeal to […]

Effect of Pension Release on the BTL Market

17th March 2015

The new rules that come into force regarding the ability to release cash from pension funds will have a huge effect on the BTL market. A rush of first time novice investors wanting buy up anything within budget will push prices up even higher and certain sectors ie flips, will be even harder to come […]

Tenants Unpaid Insurance Claim

17th March 2015

Following water damage at my rented property and a subsequent permanent relocation, I have still not been paid for the substantial amount of oil and electricity used to dry the house out. This is covered by the landlord’s insurance but despite several emails to both him and the insurance company I have still not been […]

Best Way to Raise Capital and Expand Portfolio

17th March 2015

I have a conundrum, with the property market bouncing back it has encouraged more investors to snap up property in the hope of its value rising. I have a portfolio of six fully paid up (No mortgage) 3/4 bedroom houses in Harborne and Mosely in Birmingham and these areas are the most affluent of the […]

Legal Structure for Joint Purchase

17th March 2015

I currently have a small property portfolio with two investment properties in West London as well as a residential home. My overall strategy is to build more aggressively the number of property’s I own to create a steady income and reduce the need to work in my current career. I have a wife and two […]

Glasgow/Leeds/Manchester or save for a year to buy in London?

16th March 2015

I would like to invest some savings that I’ve got into a property through buy to let (min 25% LTV). Unfortunately my savings are not big enough to purchase even a small property in London for now. So I have a choice:  – save for another year and hopefully get small property in London – […]

Debt collection for service charges

16th March 2015

I am a new Company Secretary for a block of 12 flats where each owner has a share of the freehold.  One of the owners has never paid any service charges since moving in despite reminders, emails and a telephone conversation. He now owes about £2,500. What is the best option for chasing debt? Small […]

Lodger giving me grief

16th March 2015

My lodger asked me if her Mum could stay here for 2 weeks when she comes to visit from South Africa. I said no as I rent the room out to her and nobody else….the room is not big enough for 2 people … and when she and myself go to work her Mum would […]

Buying with tenant but want vacant possession

16th March 2015

I’m currently in the middle of purchasing a property but the current tenant is refusing to move till they have found a place.  They’ve had months of warning, is there anything I can do? Thanks Terry  

Disabled tenants

16th March 2015

I am both a landlord and due to having had a stroke recently became a disabled tenant in a private flat that I can get around in a wheelchair. The disability was disclosed at the outset. I have nothing but issues with the flat that the landlord does not remedy.  I have been without a […]

No win no fee barrister?

16th March 2015

As anybody had dealings with Barristers regarding ( no win no fee) on large damages cases against Lenders?  Thanks Peter EDITORS NOTE – this “readers Question” and discussion thread is no doubt linked to another discussion entitled “Lenders hidden trick of capitalised arrears“

BTL South Norwood?

15th March 2015

Currently I am looking for a BTL property in South East London, budget is between 300¬350k. First I started to look at Peckham, New Cross area, Deptford (Zone2), which is my budget only allow 2-3 bed ex local flat. Yield would be high with this property. Then I found if I purchased one in South […]