A chap from BBC News East Midlands just called me,  he has been reading my comments about the benefit cap on the thread I started here Property118.com  They want to talk to landlords with properties in Nottingham who have tenants affected by benefit cap. I’m not going on the TV, not my thing, but passed him […]

Hi everyone Are there any BTL lenders that lend against the property valuation rather than the lower purchase price? For example, if the valuation is £100K and the price paid is £90K, will any lenders lend against the £100K? Or is it a case of lending against whichever is lower? Interested to hear Howard Reuben’s […]

I have read lot’s of articles and listened to podcasts. I have also read through Mark’s account of interest vs. repayment mortgage; a lot of professional advice says interest only mortgage is best for property investment. However, going to property meetings you meet a range of people who do both and for no obvious reason […]

After months of data crunching, detailed analysis and the relentless colouring-in of graphs, we’re happy to announce that the second edition of our Little Blue Book is now out in the wild. Leading with the rather optimistic headline of ‘The recovery has taken hold’, the Little Blue Book is designed as a companion to the […]

Sponsored Article :- Recently named one of the ‘Top 3 cities to visit worldwide’, Liverpool Buy to Let property is a hot topic. Offering some of the highest yields in the country for Buy to Let investors, the city is the ideal location for both young professionals and students alike. The Courtyard at X1 The […]

Banks aren’t always the friendliest of places when it comes to borrowing money. All the “hoops” they expect you jump through, and even then you’ll be told what you can or cannot use the cash for! So it’s good know that you may have more options than you think. Let’s give you a working example:  […]

The big story in the Irish Newspapers this week is of a lodger who stabbed his landlord and then went on to devour his heart and lungs! In a story reminisce of Dr Hannibal “The Cannibal” Lecter of The Silence of the Lambs, 34 year old Sicillian ex-pat Saverio Bellante is alleged to have murdered then eaten […]

The Consumer Price index (CPI) inflation rate fell to 2% in December down from 2.1% in November finally hitting the Bank of England’s target medium term figure for inflation. CPI is the measure used by Government for targeting inflation and this is the first time since November 2009 the inflation has been at or below […]

I have been refused a licence from Newham due to association with a convicted criminal. I have been a landlord for over ten years and have had no problems. I have a managing agent but who would be the applicant as no company is willing to do this? Or do they? I have spoken to […]

Social Media is a great way to engage with people who think like you do and may even want to do business with you. It’s very different to advertising though. You wouldn’t walk into your local pub wearing a sandwich board and a megaphone advertising your business would you? However, if you get chatting to […]

I’m looking to better understand how fellow landlords have funded their portfolio. I’m very aware there is no single right answer here but would love to hear people’s stories and plans. I see three obvious options: 1) Fund from rental income 2) Fund from property price growth via re-financing 3) Fund from an external source […]

Any advise would be greatly received as we have a problem with a new roof being put on a council block where we lease a flat. The block is 1950’s build, we have had the flat 7 years and have always paid our service charge bill by return. We were advised in Autumn 2013 that […]

I am a tenant of a property with my partner. Since moving, we have had continuous problems with faults requiring repair. As soon as something is fixed, another problem arises. We’ve been here since March 2013. We renewed in October 2013 for 12 months as we didn’t fancy moving and also in the hope things […]

I am selling one of my properties to release some capital. The tenant is the daughter of one of my friends and moved in without a deposit and below market rent and has been a good tenant to date. Before I get estate agents involved I am offering the property to the tenant at a […]

Hi everyone, Happy New Year. With the Scottish referendum looming, I wanted to get people’s thoughts on what impact a YES vote may have on the Scottish residential property market. Should this be an area of concern for investors looking to build a BTL portfolio over the coming years and what considerations should be made […]

We have just recently bought a property and are renting it through a letting agent. They have possibly found us a tenant 🙂 She is currently renting in the area and wants to downsize but she wants to pay 6 months rent in advance. My feelings are that this is not a good idea. My […]

I was wondering what happens with leases when they reach the last year of the lease, the lease I am interested in is a 123 years lease on a 1 bed flat in London, the original lease was for 125 years so was recently granted? Obviously I will not be around at that time of […]

The management company of a development of apartments is trying to raise the service charges. The increase in the charge wasn’t on The AGM agenda as such, however it was discussed during the AGM and agreed. Unfortunately, I wasn’t able to attend the AGM (being one of the landlords). Interestingly, the only attendees for the […]

A study released by Secured Loan company Ocean Finance has revealed some of the main qualms that put potential property renters off. Here are some of the key issues revealed by the survey, and tips on how to address them in your own property: Noisy neighbours (55%) – More than half  of potential tenants are put […]

Kent based Landlord Mr Fergus Wilson reported to the press that he has served section 21 notices to more than 200 tenants on housing benefits asking them to leave after six months. Mr Wilson has a portfolio of over 1000 properties and has decided not to rent in the future to tenants claiming housing benefit […]

I am in a predicament and my accountant is confusing me even more. My husband and I have jointly owned a commercial property over 10 years of which ground floor has been let to retail business. The whole of the building is Vatable and we charge vat on the rent to the retail tenant. The […]