Most buy to let products have a interest cover calculation which requires rents to be at least 125% of the monthly interest at a notional rate of 5%. To help simplify the calculation, the monthly rent can just  be multiplied by 192 to give the maximum loan.  This has been the position for some time, […]

Having embarked on property ventures last year after a health scare forced me to embrace self-employment, I certainly fall into the camp of novice investors. This site is a constant source of advice, inspiration (occasional entertainment, those jokes were good) and I have recently become an accredited landlord with a national association. It’s true: you […]

It was silly I know, to do informal business with a personal connection, but here is the story: My wife’s flat became available for rent, (previously rented to a friend for 5 years with no hassle at all). She put it on Facebook and 5 people immediately replied. She narrowed it down to 1 person, […]

Hi, I’m about to step onto the BTL ladder and would like some advice…  I’m buying a 2 bed flat which was being sold with a 99yr lease. We have since been informed that the lease term is in fact only 64 yrs! The vendor initially said he couldn’t extend the lease due to not […]

Hi all, can you please help me? I’ve a friend that is now a distressed landlord. I drew up a lease option to purchase the house but I’m having trouble with the calculations. I only have £6K to put down and I realise If I paid that in full I would have nothing for contingencies. […]

Has anyone utilised or had any experience with transferring assets within the year of separation to avoid CGT? I have read the HMRC helpsheet and it seems fairly ambiguous!  Thanks Elouise

Only 8 remaining with assured net returns of £56,682.50 (£2834 per quarter) over five years based on 7% of the purchase price £161,950. These Up-market Town houses are in a fantastic location near to Liverpool’s Albert Dock. Expertly managed by X1 Lettings High rental demand in Liverpool Located adjacent to Liverpool Marina Completion in September […]

I have a tricky property decision to make and would very much appreciate some advice. I have a central London flat, unencumbered by any mortgage, currently valued at £675,000. My husband and I currently have 1 salary of £50,000, and hope to have 2 salaries at about this level soon. We are looking to buy […]

Year on year profit before tax rose 31 per cent to £59m with total revenue increasing by 20% to £80m as Rightmove benefit from the rising housing market This is partly due to an increase of over 25% in users to 22 million for the first half of the year, and the average revenue per […]

I just had an angry tenant phone to say that £40 hidden in her bedroom has been stolen today (Tuesday). I was in her flat today by agreement, as was our cleaner and our valuer. I was not with the cleaner and the valuer all the time. I had told the tenant not to leave […]

I have been attempting to buy a Buy to Let property now for some time now (at least six months) but have hit an impasse. I and the vendor have agreed a price and I have had a 75% LTV buy-to-let mortgage application approved. However, the property needs renovating – new GCH, kitchen and bathroom […]

I would like to provided clarity over what constitutes a Revenge Eviction, and what is simply a landlord serving notice without giving a reason, after concerns have been raised that the term was being misused in the media, giving good landlords a bad name. The Citizens Advice Bureaux (CAB) recently revealed that twice as many […]

I own a flat in a block of six, all six owners have agreed to purchase the Freehold. The Freeholder was dissolved in 2002, our solicitor has contacted the Treasurys Solicitors Dept, who have replied to say that that companies assets are distributed to persons entitled, no interest was passed to the Crown as bona […]

I have been sub-renting a bedroom since February 2013. The couple who is sub-renting me the room have received a court order to evacuate the property on the 29th of July 2014. However, they only told me this on 25th of July at 11pm. I had a contract with them which was running for a […]

I will try and keep this to the point; Tenant moved in Christmas Eve, signed the tenancy agreement as a rolling one month. Not received rent for the last two months despite texting, phoning, writing several letters, but no response. Visited the property last week, all curtains and blinds closed, garden overgrown and was met […]

I have just received back my accounts from who I thought was a very good Chartered Accountant . I have been looking for ways to reduce my tax bill and came across Property118 advising ways to reduce liability. One of the ways was to distribute some of the rental profits around the family using your […]

I  would like some advice on purchasing a house with odd shaped garden, for Buy to Let purposes. The house is perfectly placed, in  good condition, but the garden is sort of “V” shaped, just 7 feet at the back. Open Garden area is still available overall around 25-30 feet. The area is in demand […]

As reported by Nearly Legal concerning section 21 rules the tenant in Spencer v Taylor has been refused permission to appeal in the Supreme Court, because of the lack of an arguable point of law. Therefore the Court of Appeal decision stands: “Where an assured Shorthold tenancy has had a fixed term and a statutory […]

We have a nice big modern rental property and from taking on board a thread on here I asked my agent to ask my new prospective tenants if I could visit them in their home. My agent was absolutely shocked and said this had never happened before but would ask the ‘tenant’. She got back […]

I am a landlord that has applied to the local county court for possession of my property. My tenant has received a letter :- “The request for a Possession Order is premature, being only 4 days after issue and the same day as deemed service” What should I do now as a landlord Thanks Jaz

Commenting on the reduction of Green Deal Home Improvement Funds (GDHIF) for solid wall insulation from £6000 to £4000, Richard Lambert, CEO at the National Landlords Association (NLA), said: “Just as the Green Deal looks like it will finally succeed, the Government seems determined to sabotage its own policy. “The NLA made a strong case […]