I’m sure you’re all already aware, but there’s a bit crack down at the moment on CO alarms and it’s currently up for discussion whether landlords should be providing these to tenants by law.  For those of you who don’t know, every year in the UK, more than 200 people go to hospital with suspected […]

If your mortgage is with any of the following lenders you may be in a position to increase your gearing to 85% LTV ……….. and best of all, WITHOUT refinancing!  The Mortgage Works BM Solutions Leeds Building Society Godiva Platform Mortgage Trust Kent Reliance Keystone Virgin Money Shawbrook Bank Woolwich Nat West Kensington There may […]

One landlord got hot under the collar when he received a call from his young tenants to say his property had burnt to the ground, because they had enjoyed an amorous evening. They had been enjoying a romantic evening and once they had adjourned for ‘desert’ they forgot about the candles they had lit for […]

Enfield – the selective licensing judgement given in the High Court is to be appealed by Mr Regas  To quote him “we are still challenging the selective licensing scheme for non-HMOs.” Enfield Landlords and interested parties should note ………. We are organising a meeting for landlords and managing agents for a more detailed update, question […]

We bought a newly built flat in October 2012 and rented it from November 2012. Problems with the drainage appeared immediately.   The tenant decided to stop paying the rent in February of this year because of a sewage smell in the flat. Since this is a new build, the problem is covered by the […]

Much has been said recently regarding the so called ‘Speedy Evictions’ offered by High Court Enforcement Officers (HCEO) and I thought it sensible to give you an honest insight of this service.  OK, first things first is why would you need to use an HCEO? Unfortunately, due to significant cuts in the Court Service the […]

Just suppose that taking tenants with pets was an insurable risk! Would pet owners pay for the policy? I met with our insurance partners yesterday and discussed the dilemma’s that many landlords have over whether to accept tenants with pets or not. We reckon that if demand is high enough we persuade a major insurer to create […]

Having been a landlord for over 25 years, as you can probably guess I’ve read more than my fair share of guides written to help landlords to understand buy-to-let, I’ve even written a few of my own!  From time to time I am invited to review guides written by other people, the latest coming from […]

I have been updating the Quote Engine and Calculator with the latest products for readers, and thought it would be useful to give an update on niche areas of the Buy to Let Market, starting with higher Loan to Value products at 80-85%. Buy to Let market products and criteria are like a set of […]

Background: One of my rental flats has a shared freehold. There are only 4 flats and 4 leaseholders/joint freeholders, including myself. All four flats are currently let to tenants under ASTs. No ground rent is payable. As leaseholders, we are all supposed to pay a £500 pa maintenance charge. One of the leaseholders/joint freeholders has […]

I have just bought a large freehold flat which is basically the first floor of a converted semi detached house. I own the rights to the large loft space and wondered if anyone has any experience of whether I would get planning permission to build a self contained flat in the loft? The property is […]

I have a dispute with a previous tenant on the return of deposit (in DPS) and the difference in our positions is quite large. At the end of the tenancy I had to do over £3000 worth of work to make it lettable again. Much of this was due to neglect and lack of cleanliness […]

A friend lives in a building which at one time would have been flats say above a carpet shop. Now for two years the landlord as been saying that they will put new windows in, there is no double glazing in the windows that are there and she as said it is freezing in the […]

I am currently proceeding through the county court process of obtaining a possession order, following service of a section 21 notice.  The reasons for this are that the tenant has gone off the rails through using drugs and rent arrears are building up. I have no concerns about obtaining the possession order, however, the question […]

I am creating a 6 bedroom HMO, with ensuite to most rooms, part of the work is adding a loft conversion hence I cannot avoid building control. I have been told by building control, “it is considered that the bedrooms do meet the definition of rooms for residential purposes in that the residents are likely […]

I purchased a house last year which had a tenant on a 6 month AST living in the property. I agreed for the tenant to stay (this suited me as it was to be an investment property anyway) and issued my own AST. She has recently given notice and now moved out. The tenant left […]

My daughter, who rents a flat, has just presented us with a form to witness for her in relation to the flat. It would appear that the flat in question is actually owned by a local community housing company who in turn is leasing it on too her landlord.  She has been asked to sign […]

I recently sold a BTL which whilst it generated good net profit when occupied (mainly due to low tracker rate mortgage), was always a problem property. Tenants not paying, wrecking the property, I suppose we all have them. So I decided to let go. The property had an 85% mortgage on it with BMS and […]

Once we have exchanged contracts are there any feasible reasons why we won’t then complete the sale of our house? When sold I intend to move in to rented accommodation. I have found a place I like but can’t commit until the sale of my house is confirmed. Therefore what I am really asking is, […]

I wondered if you could give me your thoughts on my situation although I have only 2 properties!  BTL was bought 1987 for £82k now worth £450k it was my principal private residence (PPR)until 2000. £90K mortgage due to be repaid in full 2025 – variable rate 2% currently producing £16,200 PA rent My PPR […]

Does anyone have any advice for a woman soon to be divorced.   I may get a dozen properties from our portfolio, there’s no money in the bank, I have virtually no pension and I have 2 teenage children to support. All comments gratefully received!! Thanks Mary