I look after a small property portfolio and going forward I will be handing it over to a managing agent. The main reason being I have a tenant who is harassing me constantly about three things:  Gas certfificate. This was due to be done last week, he refused entry to the gas man and my […]

I thought I would share a short case study of how I helped Max, a first time buyer, first time landlord, to get on the property ladder recently. Max is aged 21, and although he has managed to establish his own hairdressing business it’s still early years with his net profits currently below £15,000 pa. He […]

Apart from filling the paperwork in wrongly or getting the dates wrong can a section 21 be refused on any other grounds, i.e. when it goes back to the tenant to ‘make a defence’?  Thanks Claire  

Once upon a time there were only High Street Letting Agents, then the internet enabled on line entrepreneurs to offer a discounted service. The problem was that online agents were unable to offer a High Street service from a central location because they have no infrastructure to provide photos’, viewings and ongoing management and then […]

I’ve had tenants move out and there are lots of light-bulbs in downlights not working. They were in full working order when the tenants moved in.  Are landlord’s responsible for changing the bulbs in downlights? Thanks Kari

On the 7th May 2014 Nick Rynsfold MP for Labour proposed a bill regarding Fire Safety “The purpose of the Bill is to remedy that by making the installation of a working smoke alarm mandatory in all privately rented housing”  In the proposal the Labour MP also said “By a margin, the largest proportion of […]

I own one BTL property in my sole name. I am currently a non-tax payer and my husband is a higher rate tax payer. We are shortly to complete on a second BTL property, funded by an interest only BTL mortgage in joint names (my income is not sufficient to have the mortgage in my […]

Police broke into one of our tenants homes by smashing the door to get in but discovered no evidence and did not charge our tenant.  The tenant has said that they have done nothing and don’t know why the police raided them. The police say “the tenant has been mixing with the wrong people” is […]

We recently received a payment for loss of rent at a property after a fire made it uninhabitable. Should we declare it on the accounts as income?  Thanks Mike

I have recently separated from my husband and moved back into a house I owned before our marriage …. this is where I believe my nightmare begins!  We own two properties, one has been the matrimonial home for 20 years ( jointly owned) the other I have owned for 32 years ( husband is on […]

Would YOUR Estate Agent collude with their in-house mortgage broker to get paid more?  As you would expect, an Estate Agent receives more commission (and a very happy vendor) if they are able to increase your offer, the same applies to Mortgage Brokers if you take a bigger mortgage in order to pay more for […]

I have a small portfolio of four BTL’s and a few years ago I was unfortunate enough to have a buildings insurance claim on two of the BTL’s within the space of two years. Both claims were c.£800 and are through a specialist Landlord insurance provider.  When I came to renew the house insurance on […]

I first met Mark Edwards back in 2002 when he was a client of my former mortgage brokerage, and also an HMRC Tax Investigator.  I instantly recognised Mark’s ability to comprehend and break down complex problems and to research and present solutions effectively.  These are the hallmarks of a good finance broker. Within a few […]

For so many years I have heard people say (including many financial advisers) that life insurance to cover buy to let mortgages is not necessary because “the rent pays the mortgage and that’s how it can continue if the borrower dies and the surviving partner takes over the property(ies)”. Is that what most people think […]

  I know that the definition of a “hotel” is (very roughly) a place that rents rooms on a daily basis, so if rooms in a HMO were rented out on a daily basis could the HMO then be legally defined as a hotel? If not, what is the difference? Some hotels rent rooms on […]

After months of searching, we finally found a property deal which was exactly what we had been looking for and at £50,000 below the asking price as long as we exchanged within 28 days from our solicitor receiving the contract. The time frame was clearly set out in the agreement sent and I also stressed […]

The floor plan of my flat is not correct. The flat is a split level flat but the title plan in Land Registry says it is on one level. It is a pure mistake and there is no change of the structure at all. Is it possible to change the title plan by myself without […]

Should I report another landlord who refuses to get a CP12 certificate and if so, to whom?  Many thanks George  

Can a letting agent insist a vacating tenant has to provide invoices from professional cleaners when vacating a property even if the property is cleaned to a high standard and then deduct the cost of cleaning and carpet cleaning from the deposit?  The landlord is selling the property so it’s not like he needs to […]

If a landlord wants possession of a property held on an assured shorthold tenancy at the end of a fixed term or a periodic tenancy he must serve a valid notice. The tenant must receive it at least 2 months before the expiry of the tenancy (or in accordance with the rent period if longer).  That notice […]

I am having problems with a tenant that has Dyslexia. His mother is rather protective and wishes she be there to watch the signing but I’m getting nowhere despite several attempts of trying to contact her to arrange a signing! Excuses such as a new job and a grievance in the family are used. The […]