I own and live in a flat based in central London. A separate company manages the building and ground rent payments. Over a period of twenty months up to November 2014, this company regularly issued me with monthly statements saying that I have a zero balance with them (i.e. stating that I owe no ground […]

I have a buy to let which was originally purchased for £200,000 with a silent partner 50:50 who now wishes to release their equity in the property. The property has been valued by local estate agents in a walk around of the property at £225,000. My questions is this, both sides wish for the split […]

The Mortgage Works (TMW) have recently released the only Buy to Let 10 year fixed rate currently in the market. The product is a 10 year 4.99% fixed until 30/04/2025 with a maximum 75% Loan to Value Stress tested at 4.99% notional rate and 125% interest cover. That means for every £1 of rental income […]

There is a great deal of entrepreneurship, in Sheffield, which is leading to job creation and inward migration. A new business bank, which has been backed by the European Commission, will create 100 new jobs. Marks & Spencer, the clothing and food retailer, has taken warehouse space (In Sheffield) totalling 647,000 sq ft will create […]

Isn’t it odd how we all want more and less choice at exactly the same time? Take an evening spent at the local restaurant. How often have we picked up the menu and unfolded it so many times that the sheer magnitude of choice suddenly becomes overwhelming? As a result it becomes almost impossible to […]

1. Supply and demand. The current housing shortage is at the highest level for decades. There is a demand for over 260,000 houses to be built each year. The current level of new builds is at less than half this and the demand is increasing with the increasing population. We live on an island that […]

Dear 118 Community, first of all, a happy and prosperous new year to you all. One of our friends parents are in the following situation. They are an elderly married couple . He is 83 and in poor health, but just about managing on his own at home (this could change for the worse any […]

As readers are probably aware, Sections 1 and 2 of the Tenancies (Reform) Bill have been proposed as an amendment to the Deregulation Bill As all major political parties support the principle behind the Tenancies (Reform) Bill. One way or another legislation will be introduced to (attempt to) protect vulnerable tenants from bad landlords who […]

The Deposit Protection Service (DPS) have reported that 18% of landlords and 23% of tenants missed deadlines for evidence during deposit disputes during 2014. The DPS provides a separate independent adjudication service for the adjudication of deposit disputes and says that 17.63% of landlords required to submit evidence after agreeing to dispute resolution either missed […]

My daughter rents a room in a 2 bed flat in Hove, the other room is the landlady’s room. My daughter is a teacher and although fun loving does like some sleep ideally between 11:30pm & 6:30am at least Sunday-Thursday! Her landlady has on more than 20 occasions brought a man back, been very noisy, […]

I am looking to add more properties to my very small portfolio. There are not that many freehold houses on the market in my price range within East London and I am considering buying flats. However with flats there is always the tie in with lease period and also the annual rental that has to […]

As a HMO Landlord I am seriously considering not providing Broadband services anymore or at least changing my current provider. This service is included in the rent but regularly the tenants complain that the service is too slow and is inconsistent. It can be very time consuming sorting out any problems. When I call Talk […]

The Bank of England Monetary Policy Committee (MPC) have voted to hold the Base Rate for another month at 0.5%. It has been at this level since March 2009. This is after inflation fell to a 12 year low recently to under 1% with predictions for it to fall even lower after the price of […]

Please has anyone got any advice for me on how to get permission to clear out a property. One of my tenants has died and her adopted son has found out he is not next of kin and may only be fostered now and has been told he can’t authorise anything to be done. The […]

I am interested in investing in parking spaces and garages as I have been told by my solicitor that one of her friend is making a good living of renting out parking spaces and garages. I tried to research the web on the subject but it is very limited and I was wondering if anybody […]

I have a converted one bedroom, reception room, kitchen and bathroom flat which has been occupied since the early 1980s by a statutory tenant (SPT). The flat was renovated in the 1980s and provided with a new hot water tank (modern insulated tank with an immersion heater). The tenant in 1997, without consent, installed a […]

I have just bought a nice little Victorian terraced house in a good area, to let out. It has been owner occupied until now, and it has a solid fuel stove installed in the living room fire place. What do people think … is it madness to leave this there, should I pay to have […]

Make 2015 the year that you no longer take known risks without first taking full consideration of the pros and cons, and by making sure that you’re implementing the appropriate upfront actions. In particular, as we move into a New Year, why would you choose to leave problems for your beneficiaries and families which can […]

My tenants have been in since February 2012, the tenancy became periodic in August 2012. The deposit was correctly protected and the prescribed information given. The house is in England. They have since started to default on the rent and a S21 was served and I am confident that all the dates on the S21 […]

I had been letting a property for over five years with no problems whatsoever so when I moved in with my partner we decided to also rent out my home I’d been living in rather than sell it. I placed an advert to test the water as it’s quite a large house and didn’t know […]

The mortgage market has opened the year with a bang, including the launch of a new Buy to Let lender, Fleet Mortgages. Chief executive of Fleet Mortgages Bob Young said “we have brought this lender to market in record time and are lending at what is a very exciting time for a growing and developing […]