Page 794 – Property118

Tenants and carpets?

30th June 2014

I would like to learn what to do when a property has been rented out whereby the keeping of clean carpets and relatively free of stains are of paramount importance and the tenants were informed of this. We lived in the property for two years and were very careful to maintain the carpets in a […]

With or without tenants?

30th June 2014

I have a small portfolio of 4 x modern apartments, in Leigh, Gtr Manchester. Each is 2 bed, first floor( of 3) and with balcony picturesque canal views to the rear. They have been great solid renters since purchase 2006 accruing 5.8% yield for me and with long standing tenants who wish to stay even […]

Landlord transfer?

30th June 2014

I have inherited a property which has a tenant who has been in there nearly 10 years now. I know when the tenant first moved in the contract was made by a letting agent. The same letting agent still holds the deposit but my father chose to deal with the the tenant direct removing the […]

Service charge deficit

30th June 2014

Hi, wondered if anyone has ever encountered this problem with a management company. I have received a letter from my management company with a section S20B notice saying they is a deficit amount of £3324 for the whole development and we will all be invoiced accordingly for this. Do I have to pay this, surely […]

Croydon yet another area to introduce Selective Licensing

27th June 2014

However, the term “selective licensing” is something of a misnomer in this instance, as the proposal is for it to be borough wide. The newly elected council’s objective seems not to be to tackle anti social behavior (and they can hardly claim lack of demand in a London borough with excellent transport links which is […]

Bank of England

Financial Stability Report caps future mortgage income multiples

26th June 2014

The Bank of England’s Governor, Mark Carney has today held a press conference to outline new plans to stabilise  the housing market under the Financial Stability Report. The housing market is the biggest single domestic risk to the UK’s economy, and the Bank of England is seeking to encourage long term price stability. Mr Carney […]

maisonette

Do I buy a freehold maisonette?

26th June 2014

I am a first time buyer looking to buy a property which is a first-floor, FREEHOLD maisonette. The property was first listed by the agent as freehold and they have since removed this part of the listing (suggesting to me that it is in-fact an issue). I have downloaded the Land Registry document which shows […]

Scottish Association of Landlords

Scottish Parliament passed Housing Bill

26th June 2014

The final Housing Bill debate (stage 3) has concluded in the Scottish Parliament this evening and the Bill was passed approx 19.15 hrs. Our policy team have been monitoring carefully and we are pleased to report good news for our members. Our work was praised during the debate this afternoon by parliamentarians including Housing Minister […]

ATED

Property held in companies – ATED tax

26th June 2014

I have just read that properties held in companies within the UK are subjected to ATED (Annual Tax on Enveloped Dwellings) charge. At the following rates 2 million levy 15000 every year 1 million levy 7500 every year from 2015 500.00 levy 3500 every year from 2016 I think this is when the one single […]

The NISA way to invest into buy to let

25th June 2014

The 2014 Budget saw a package of measures announced to help savers trying to build a nest egg. One of the most significant changes was the introduction of the new ISA (NISA) which comes into effect on Tuesday 1st July 2014. This will see ISA allowances both increase to £15,000 and become investable in any […]

1 in 20 UK homes changed hands in the last 12 months!

25th June 2014

The latest HMRC tax statistics show that more than one million properties in the UK has changed hands during the last year.  The monthly property statistics released yesterday shows that there were a total of 1,165,880 property transactions in the UK in the year to May 31st 2014. The 2011 Census showed there were 23.4 million homes in […]

Letscotland say proposed rent controls will cost tenants more!

25th June 2014

Letscotland, the largest letting agent representative body, says Labour move is well-meaning but will have unintended consequences  Letscotland, the industry representative arm of Lettingweb, has called on MSPs to reject Labour’s proposed amendments to the Housing Bill when they are debated at Holyrood later today. Labour’s amendments propose to introduce rent controls and to change […]

My rights to evict a lodger?

25th June 2014

I have a lodger who has been in arrears almost from the start, he now owes a months rent though he did pay a deposit of £150. He refuses to leave, saying he has nowhere else to go. I first gave him notice to leave on March 15th but he cajoled me into verbally agreeing to […]

House Price Advice

24th June 2014

I’m in the process of buying a property as my main residence and I’m getting jitters about the market. I’d be very interested in your views.  Dear Property118, I have a pressing question that I’d like your views on. When the market began to rise in Manchester I was ready to purchase with no onward […]

Offset mortgage facility withdrawn without notice

24th June 2014

I have a offset mortgage on my home which I use to buy other properties, it is with Clydesdale Bank.  It works by paying the funds back to them when a property is mortgaged with the ability to re-draw at any time. I have just phoned to re-draw funds and have been told that as of […]

Freeholders solicitor overcharged

24th June 2014

When I recently sold my flat in London the freeholders solicitor produced the management pack with bills for ground rent, insurance and service charges after I paid the fee for this. Some charges had been paid over the 3 years of ownership but there was a discrepancy of £400 as some cheques had not been […]

Tenant wants to move brother in

24th June 2014

I have a DSS tenant who lives in a two bed house with her young daughter ( 3yrs old). She has now asked if her 18 year old brother can move in.  My questions are; Is this allowable? Will it affect her benefits? If it’s allowable would I have to add him to the tenancy […]

Is renting when self employed a problem?

24th June 2014

I currently have a one bedroom maisonette in Peterborough which I own outright and I was hoping to start a property portfolio, but due to being made redundant again recently, I have no option but to sell it and then rent. I could do with more rooms anyway, so it’s not all negative 🙂  I have decided […]

landlord action

Landlord Action study of landlords notices

23rd June 2014

Our latest study reveals 62% of landlord notices are incorrect.  Landlord Action has carried out a study of the last 200 instructions received from landlords and letting agents that have served their own legal notices on tenants (Section 8 and Section 21). The findings reveal that 62% of these notices were deemed incorrect, which meant […]

Buy to let, no minimum income

21st June 2014

You may well be forgiven for thinking that the current climate has been quite tough for obtaining finance.  The Financial Conduct Authority’s (FCA) recent implementation of the Mortgage Market Review, which put new restrictions on lending, has now been quickly followed by talk of the Bank of England looking to raise interest rates sooner rather than […]