Last April, landlords had to endure a 150% increase on court fee rises on section 8 claims from £100 to £250, in addition to the increased placed on the Accelerated Possession fee from £175 to £280. Now the Ministry of Justice has announced plans to increase court fees again, by another £75 per claim, for […]

The freeholders of the property my flat is in have neglected the building for years and deceived at every opportunity. I purchased a two bed leasehold flat last year with a lease of 61 years for 75K it was in need of total refurbishment, 16K worth. I will use it as a holiday let which […]

I’m new to the site and fairly new to property investment and with a wealth of knowledge and information on this excellent site I am looking for a bit of advice. I have two properties (one that I live in and one on BTL) but I’m looking to purchase another within the next 24 months. […]

I need advice on the best way to split 1 title into 3 and keep hold of the split units. As far as I’m aware, I cannot be the freeholder and leaseholder at the same time. The property was granted permission to be set up as 2 x 1 bed self contained units, and 2 […]

I have a bought 200 year commercial shop lease for £90,000. At the time of purchase it was tenanted. I have split the shop into two and let it separately. The freeholder wrote me saying that I have breached the covenants of lease and that I should bring back to its old state within reasonable […]

I am about to purchase a house which would allow me to rent out 5 rooms separately, with a shared kitchen, bathroom and communal/dining area. One of the tenants living there would be a close friend. I am considering one of these two options… 1) Rent out each room separately, give them all separate tenancy […]

We are looking for Estate Agents to explain to Property118 readers (nearly 200,000 subscribers) why their area is a good place to invest into property.  What is in demand and why? What are other buy to let landlords buying and why? What are the areas to avoid? The blogs themselves are to be for information […]

I have a 2 bedroom flat on a lease with 77 years remaining. I have it up for sale (and its in excellent condition) but the problem seems to be the duration of the lease (feedback from estate agent). I would like to extend back to the original term of 99 years, and the nightmare […]

Are there any issues I should be aware of as I plan to split the freehold of a shop and flat (separate entrance) into two leases. The aim is to immediately remortgage the flat as a B2L and get it rented out. I complete the purchase on 25th Feb and need to get loans paid […]

I have a periodic tenancy in a property that is currently managed by a Letting Agent.  Should I wish to terminate my contract with the agent and manage the property myself, would I be able to retain the tenant on the same periodic agreement? I have read the terms and conditions of the Letting Agent […]

My tenant has advised me that his neighbour came around to say that a tile has fallen from my house and damaged the neighbours shed.  Please can someone clarify whose liability and what the best course of action would be. I live in London, my property is in Wales What shall I do? Am I […]

Hi all Your help would be greatly appreciated. I am currently an owner occupier and own one property only which I have owned for almost 3 years. I bought the property when I was single and I have since become married. I still own the property in my own name. My spouse and I put […]

Letting a property on a 3 of even 5 year contract to the local authority may seem like an attractive idea for some landlords. As well as helping to ease the chronic public sector housing shortage, the landlord benefits from a guaranteed rent paid into their account every month without fail for the period of […]

Under permitted development rules there are clear defined guidelines for side and rear extensions. Front extensions are normally NOT allowed, except where the dwelling does not front a highway or is a substantial distance from the highway. Our local planning dept has refused our application quoting in their opinion we are not a substantial distance […]

I have a tenant who has just moved into my property. When I agreed to let her have the house, she said that her boss would act as guarantor. I sent her boss the guarantor paperwork to sign and he has asked that the paperwork be addressed to his company and that his name should […]

I have decided to take my old letting agency to court and really needing peoples advice and opinions. I moved into a property October 2012 at that point I was heavily pregnant. As soon as I moved into the property issues with the boiler began. Each time I phoned the agency they promised to get […]

Nooooo, here we go again! Not another mis-selling scandal aimed at Mortgage Advisers!!! Following the loss of a case in the High Court against West Bromwich Mortgage Company it appears that it is now perfectly legal for mortgage lenders to increase their Tracker Mortgage margins, despite Offer Letters and KFI’s stating the margin applies “to […]

I have a tenant who is now more than 3 months rent in arrears. AST start date 6th August 2013. I issued a S8 AND S21 (and delivered and witnessed) on 5th November 2014 – he now owes more than he did – do I need to reissue the S8 ? He will not respond […]

I’m about to rent a commercial property to run an out of school club. Who is responsible for the fire safety equipment, eg, fire alarm, fire exits and smoke alarms. There is a rented flat over the premises that someone else rents at present. Any answers or where to go for answers would be much […]

I have just purchased a 2-bed terrace house with a tenant in place. There is one bathroom on the first floor and a kitchen on the ground floor. The tenant needs just the ground floor. Can I put a shower room in ground floor and rent this to him and fit a small kitchenette on […]

My flat in 2001 cost £190k. It has been rented most of the last 12 years and yields about £900pcm. I still owe £40k on a variable rate interest-only mortgage which is due in August 2015. Market value is £300k. Keeping the flat was meant to provide retirement income instead of committing to a pension […]