I am not actually a landlord, but I own my mother’s house. She is 85 years old, and my brother and his wife moved in a year ago to care for her. There is no formal agreement, or tenancy of any kind.  I offered my brother and his wife a year rent-free as they were […]

In August I explained I was renting out a fairly top end property for the area. The agents successfully referenced some new tenants and I asked if I could visit them in their current home. This was the first time I had suggested this – read it on here somewhere. But they said they weren’t […]

Our previous tenant was evicted back in 11th October 2014 for non-payment of rent leaving four thousand pounds repair bill, and no forwarding address. The property was repaired and a new tenant moved in 22nd September. The new tenant has just informed me that the previous tenant has visited the property demanding their letters, and […]

I have a tenant in possession of tenancy agreement which was signed by an estate agent. However, this company ceased trading and the property is managed by a new estate agent. Rents are regularly being paid. However, I would like to evict the tenant for maintenance purposes. Can I issue a Section 21 Notice and […]

I have a friend who has let her property for 10 years to a tenant who has now not paid the rent for over 6 months. My friend is worried about issuing the tenant with an eviction notice as the tenant’s deposit was never paid into a deposit scheme when it was introduced. My friend […]

We are using a letting agent to rent out our property. The tenants have been in for around a year and we pay for full management of the property which suits us. However the tenants are not happy with the letting agency – they have specifically asked to deal with ourselves as they have been […]

I have a protected tenant and “Southend’s Private Sector Housing Enforcement Office” are trying to get me to install fixed heating. My feeling is that this was not a requirement when the “Protected tenancy” was agreed some 30 years ago and it did not form part of the original contract. Contract Law states that they […]

I am just in the process of agreeing a mortgage on a BTL property, and had been heading for a 5 year fixed rate, as these seem such incredibly good value at the moment. But thinking of the principle of frequent refinancing to release equity, I wonder if this is a false move to fix […]

Hi all This is a problem which occurs quite regularly; we do some work in a house and the tenants ask for a rent reduction while it is going on. The current scenario is this: We are changing a 4-bed, 1 bathroom house into a 6-bedroom, 2 bathroom house. Phase 1 is converting a large, […]

If you have a website or a blog which uses WordPress I would really appreciate you getting in touch.  We have already developed one plugin – the UK Property Research Tool and we’re looking into two others; 1) A Stamp Duty Calculator based on recent changes 2) A Buy to Let Mortgage Quotation plugin. If […]

We are delighted to announce a new joint venture with Hawkins Ryan Solicitors.  Lots of the questions posted on Property118 are about buying, selling and owning properties in the most tax efficient manner. It appears to be quite rare for conveyancing solicitors to advise their clients on the most tax efficient property ownership structure and […]

I’ve worked out that if I’d have had the Platinum version of Landlord Emergency Cover I’ve just taken out on two of my properties over the last 12 months it would have cost me £139.98 and saved me £1,100 and a whole load of stress. The Housing Charity “Shelter” seem to believe that whenever a […]

I currently own a Buy-to-Let house in which I have a tenant. This property has a BTL mortgage on it. I have just been offered the option to purchase a more attractive property in the same village and wish to do this, also on a BTL basis. However, I will need to sell the current […]

I have registered the same contract with MyDeposits for several years. It’s four sharers in a jointly & severally liable 12 month contract. Each year I pay to renew the deposit registration covering four named sharers for 12 months in line with the contract even though no sharer moves out at this point. During the […]

HMRC has released proposals detailing the Capital Gains Tax on non-residents expected to be confirmed during tomorrow’s Autumn Statement. Initially announced in 2013’s Finance Bill to apply from April 2015, the changes will be introduced in a spirit of ‘fairness’, while providing a much needed tax boost to the Exchequer. The Government are also cracking […]

What if………… An individual buys one property, tidies it up and lets it. Then, after only about a year decides they need to sell the property. The property has increased in value, lets say +40%, mostly due to the work done to prepare it for letting. Would HMRC be satisfied that it was simply a […]

The Scottish Government is in the process of consulting on a new Private Rented Sector (PRS) tenancy system, which also canvasses opinion on whether a system of rent controls is necessary, whilst Labour argue that a system of rent controls are necessary to remove excessive rises. The trade membership body for letting agents in Scotland, […]

I moved into my current (rented) home 4 months ago. I recently contacted the agent I rent from to report the presence of mould (as required by the agreement) and to ask for help. The initial response was “not our problem. If you don’t like it then move”. The next day (Saturday) a section 21 […]

Although I am a private landlord, I now find myself with the boot on the other foot. I have been asked to be a guarantor for my daughter who is trying to rent a house with two friends. The contract is for 12 months with a break clause at any point after 6 months. Two […]

I run and HMO, I have to it’s the only way I can pay my mortgage. I have been told that as my wife myself and my son live there we count as three people for the purposes of occupancy so that the change from C3 to C4 occupancy occurs with three people to give […]

I’m a landlord with two BTL, which are well maintained and let at £20 less than market rent. House number two has been let to a couple with a young child since day 1 back in May 2012. They are long term tenants who have maintained the house and generally open to communication. Rent has […]