I had a tenant leave me with little notice, even though the agreement between us clearly stated that either party had to notify the other in writing at least a full month before terminating the agreement. They left within two weeks saying that they couldn’t contact me via my mobile phone even although they had […]

In this article I am going to share the common mistakes that landlords make when completing their tax returns. In no particular order and certainly not a definitive list:-  1) Treating the entire mortgage payment as an expense. You should only claim mortgage interest as an expense. If you have a repayment mortgage this is […]

We hear many commentators referencing “when” interest rates may rise. Just yesterday I heard late 2014 and previously first quarter 2015. Ben Bernanke has stated that US rates will stay low for some time, whatever that really means, but I’m assuming this to be for 2-3 years? Obviously the new guidance by the BOE and […]

I really had too much to say about the article offering “One to one consultancy with Mark Alexander” for a comment so I have decided to write an article of my own. I first met Mark in 2002, he has always been very open with advice and sharing his experience believing that what you give you […]

I have one property that I am currently renting out which has been tenanted for the past year (with no late rent payments) to a husband and wife and their two young children. At the beginning of the tenancy I took out rent guarantee insurance just in case they defaulted on their payments. That way […]

It can be a lot less expensive and stressful to learn from other peoples experience than to learn by making your own mistakes. Sharing is caring 🙂 I do not profess to have a monopoly on good ideas for landlords and I still learn something new about buy to let property investment every day. The […]

Over the last few years I have taken both tenants and their guarantors to court for both possession of my property and for outstanding rent arrears and additional charges. Over time my tenancy agreements have been modified to take account of the wheezes and get out attempts of the wayward tenants legal boffin’s. Time moves […]

I viewed a property which was up for auction on the 28th of November and did not sell. It was then put onto the market in a ‘modern auction’ which ends in 3 days time. There appears to be little interest in the online auction which I expect this is due to the £5,000 reservation […]

This is probably fairly simple but I cannot seem to get my head around it. My wife and I and my inlaws (mother and father) are going to buy a BTL property in the new year. I have 3 questions. I’m guessing we would need to be tenants in common each owning 25%? As some […]

Our management company has just increased the service charge for our flats by 23% starting January 2014 (excluding ground rent which is a separate charge.) Just 6 months ago, they sent us a bill of £2,000.00 each for redecorating, to be paid upfront in full. The property comprises of 6 flats in a block with […]

I know that due diligence is needed when buying Below Market Value “BMV” when the vendor is in financial difficulty. My understanding is that if the vendor is subsequently made bankrupt the sale can be overturned buy official receivers. However, if the buyer was to re-sell the property for a profit? Is the person who […]

It would appear that Mortgage Express are now operating a zero tolerance policy on buy to let mortgage accounts which fall two or months into arrears. In recent months I have heard of several landlords who feel hard done by. After just two months of mortgage arrears have accumulated Mortgage Express have called in their […]

I’m looking for some clarity on taking equity out of a BTL Property, and whether the interest on the loans is tax deductible. If I have a property with little or no mortgage and I’m in the process of re-mortgage it,  taking say £50,000.  Can I use this cash to buy a fast car and […]

And the winners of the Simply Business Landlord & Property Website Awards 2013 are …..  #1 Property118.com Simply Business said …. “Our number one pick for this edition of Landlord & Property Owners Awards is property118.com. The portal offers a remarkable number of tools and resources for landlords and property owners alike. It is simple […]

I own 6 BTL’s, all mortgaged, acquired over 12 years. They are all in my sole name. I employ local letting agents on a let only basis, managing the tenants myself. I now struggle to manage them as well as I like due to time constraints /work commitments. My question is this; could I employ […]

Back in 2009 I wrote a paper warning of the risks of associated with Lease Options to both vendors and tenants who decide to rent with a view to purchasing a property via a landlord using a sandwich lease option method to control ownership of property.  Originally published on 17th October 2011. Re-published on 12th […]

It is that time of year when we start to get a bit of time on our hands to review what are plans are for the next year. After getting to know and work closely with Tony and Chris at LettingSupermarket.com we did a small scale Victor Kiam (if you remember he liked the razor […]

My wife and myself jointly own a BTL which we let out. I am a higher rate tax payer but my wife is on the 20% rate. Ideally I would like to do a transfer of equity into her name to reduce our tax on rental income. I have contacted the mortgage company and there […]

Accidental landlords looking to sell and take advantage of tax breaks on former main residences are being advised of the importance of doing so before April 2014. The Chancellor George Osborne confirmed in his Autumn Statement that Capital Gains Tax relief on former homes will be halved from 36 to 18 months when the new […]

Being sold by current landlords to release funds for investment in a larger HMO. 4 bed multi let HMO producing rental income of £1,880 pcm. Gross Yield 9.6% based on £230,000 purchase price. Local Authority Fire Risk Assessed and professionally prepared.  End terrace house, PVCu double glazed windows, central heating and enclosed rear garden. Situated […]

I have been a landlord since 1989. In this series of articles I will explain how to become a landlord, how I built my property investment portfolio and some hints and tips I’ve learned along the way to make my own life and my tenants lives a lot easier. It can be a lot less […]