Page 822 – Property118

Amazing Halloween House Video 2013

23rd October 2013

Blurred lines? Well we are a property based website so I consider it to be appropriate to share this video as a bit of light entertainment. Over 8,500 lights and roughly 1066 channels of computer animation were used to produce this amazing Halloween House. This is a personal hobby of the creator and not a […]

£700 per room council tax!

23rd October 2013

I am trying to find out when council tax would become payable by the room instead of for the whole property. I am not getting a clear answer from the valuations agency who keep coming back with it all depends on the layouts and if its individual tenancies and what the tenancies actually say.  I […]

Calling all Wikipedians

23rd October 2013

Neither Property118 nor myself have a page on Wikipedia and that makes me 🙁 Can you help? I understand that other people have to compile the page and the more input the better?   If this is the case I suggest the following as a starting point. Property118 forum An online forum and news feed […]

Boiler Theft – Copper and Carpets Too!

23rd October 2013

I had a call about one of my properties in the Middlesbrough area that has gone downhill quite a way since I bought it 10 years ago. It was one of John Paul’s merry crew at Castledene who told me that the place has had its back door kicked in, all copper piping, cable, boiler […]

SEAL – South East Alliance of Landlords

23rd October 2013

Members of the South East Alliance of Landlords (SEAL) are putting together a bedsit task force to go Street to Street in Southend in a war on neighbours from hell. Judith Codarin, secretary of SEAL said: “We will choose sections of streets that are troublesome. We will find anyone who lives there and listen to […]

Letting a residential property to use as a detox retreat

22nd October 2013

Hello, I am looking to set up a holiday ‘detox retreat’ in the Cotswolds where people stay for a week at a time in individual rooms (similar to a holiday home but with individual rooms). I’m thinking of options but considering renting a large 4/5 bedroom property close to me (looking initially for a 6 […]

My tenants (a couple) have split up – Advice required

22nd October 2013

HELP! We took on a couple a year ago as tenants. A month before the end of the contract the man said he was leaving his partner and gave notice for himself, but she wanted to stay on. We have given her notice, but she has only paid £225 this month instead of the £825 […]

Deposit Dispute – ADR – Evidence viewing

22nd October 2013

I am currently going through ADR with DPS, and am just wondering is it at all possible that the lead tenant can request all the documentation that the landlord has submitted as evidence? The process is now with the independent adjudicator, so a decision is imminent, however, I was just wondering if either party is […]

Damage caused by leak from neighbouring flat

21st October 2013

My tenants reported a very serious leak from the water cylinder to my letting agents, who called in my plumber, who could find no trace of a leak from the water cylinder. When my tenants got home from work they found the next door neighbours pulling up carpets following a bad leak from their boiler […]

What is an amateur landlord?

19th October 2013

The phrase “amateur landlord” annoys me, I really wish people would stop using it. First off, if you were a tenant would you want to be dealing with an amateur landlord? I don’t recall ever seeing an advert on Rightmove or Zoopla which reads “Amateur landlord offers this stunning 3 bed ……” do you? Would […]

Thought provoking HMO and selective licensing question

18th October 2013

The importance of my question is that, depending on the answer, it may be a way for landlords to bypass requirements for HMO licensing,  selective licensing and the problems associated with article 4 restrictions. Yes it’s a simple question but with enormous consequences and to my knowledge the question has never previously been asked. Just […]

Should I raise rent in line with RPI or CPI?

18th October 2013

I have just read the latest survey about rent rises. We have several properties, but one, a townhouse, is coming up for review. In light of the latest RPI, and CPI which this month are aprox 2.7% and 3.3% respectively I am considering a rent increase. I was thinking of using these figures as a […]

Who is responsible for my tenants £400 water bill?

18th October 2013

I recently visited my tenant with a congratulations card as they had recently had a new baby. While I was there my tenant mentioned that the water pressure was very low from the bath tap and would my husband come round to have a look some time and that there was no rush (we manage […]

A well considered BuytoLet strategy is essential

18th October 2013

Provision for regular investment into rental properties needs a well considered BuytoLet strategy. A sensible Rainy Day fund is essential and prudent investors will factor this in when purchasing their rental investment and adopt an on-going approach to property upgrades. This is very much in keeping with Mark’s advise in the Basic fundamentals of a […]

Annual Inspection Certificates for HMOs – Am I on the right Track?

18th October 2013

I have a 6-bed HMO (2 storeys and unlicenced). I was inspected recently by the local authority and all was found to be pretty much in order, however I was unaware that I needed to produce annual inspection certificates for the smoke alarms, emergency lighting as well as an annual PAT cert. 1. Annual PAT […]

Home mover statistics which are a real eye opener

17th October 2013

When we first published this info-graphic article we were blown away by the response and positive comments on Twitter. Who would have thought statistics on house movers could be so interesting? When you think about it though, as landlords it is useful to know why, how and when people move mome. I think what’s caught […]

Rise in working families claiming benefits for housing

17th October 2013

As early as Christmas working households claiming support for private sector rent could outnumber those in which nobody works, says a new report published tomorrow (Friday 18 October) by London Councils. ‘Tracking Welfare Reform in London’ reveals that just under 50 per cent of households receiving benefit in private rented housing in the capital have […]

My tenant is trashing my house!!

17th October 2013

At Landlord Action we just don’t evict tenants for rent arrears or ending the tenancy because the landlord wants the property back.  We also get instructed by landlords that are worried about the condition of their property and how the tenants are treating (or mistreating) it.  If instances such as this are left to continue, […]

average house price

ONS report record average house price now £247,000

16th October 2013

The Office of National Statistics (ONS) have reported the average house price in Britain is now £247,000. This figure reported for August 2013 is 0.3% higher than the previous record in 2008. Year on year house price inflation increased from 3.3% in July to 3.8% in August this year However the Bank of England are […]

bridging dinance

Record levels of Bridging Finance used by Landlords

16th October 2013

In the last year Landlords borrowed £640 million on Bridging finance for the purposes of Buy to Let. The use of Bridging Finance by Landlords has increased significantly in the last few months with a record total for July and August alone coming to £194 million, which is an estimated 36% of all bridging loans […]

Rent to Rent Discussed on Radio 4 today in the next few minutes!

16th October 2013

This Broadcast was meant to be last Wednesday but is instead being run today  between 12pm-1pm. Paul Shamplina, Founder of Landlord Action will be taking to the airwaves on BBC4’s You and Yours show, to highlight the shocking risk to landlords of the latest money making strategy to sweep the property industry, “Rent to Rent”. […]