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

I know it’s difficult to predict the future of the housing market with any certainty but I’d still like to know your opinion, do you think the prices of flats in London about to fall and if so how is this affecting you buying strategy?  Thanks James  

Hello All, I will soon have to complete a Tax Return I believe as I now rent out a Property. I bought the house 12 years ago and lived in it until October last year. I had been Mortgage free for 2 years. I actually had no intention of moving at all, but a house […]

Our tenant had signed a 12 month contract until April 2015.  We rent out our house through an estate agents however due to my husband being a builder he maintains the property. Our tenant always let us know if something needed doing. One of the bedrooms started showing damp so he sorted what we believed […]

Posted in a discussion thread for inventory clerks is an interesting comment that “maybe quick, cheap and maybe enough is what landlords and agents want and deserve from their inventory reports …….”  This has a hit a chord after a long and protracted conversation with an agent regarding what a landlord really wants from a […]

We own our home in South East London with no debt and are fortunate to own a property in Portugal that we rent out over the summer to supplement our pension.  In 2013 we bought a buy to let flat with a 60% mortgage and following lots of great advice from Property 118 and the […]