Great site! I’m a “small-time” landlord that owns a total of 3 properties – 2 rental flats and my own home – and I’m currently looking to grow my business further.  I have one small problem: access to capital! I currently have about 30k sitting in my own home, 10k sitting in one flat and […]

I am a Director of the management company of a development of fourteen flats. There are three other directors who are owner occupiers, I own a buy to let flat.  There are only four flats on the development which are rented out. An investor has bought one of the rented flats and we have found […]

To condense the issues here goes…  Tenant on AST which ran into periodic for some two months Tenant leaves no notice, just four page letter of complaints … staff …. other people… everything ! Worth noting at this point.. no complaints at all when in the property, just one boiler issue which was sorted asap […]

I am a higher rate tax payer and I want to expand my property portfolio further. I want to shelter the rental income from my income tax bracket as I wish to re-invest the money into buying more property. I do not need to draw money from the business.  I have read extensively and considering […]

I’m in the process of purchasing my first buy to let. I’m buying it through an agent, who also manages it for the current owner.  I’d like to keep the current tenants and they’d like to stay. However, I’d like to manage the tenants directly, without an estate agent being involved. In spite of this, […]

I own an apartment in Birmingham and for the last two years I have received a bill on top of the normal management fees.  Each year the management company claims it has had unexpected costs which they have needed to meet and which they can charge the leaseholders for. Is this right and what can be […]

When I married in 2009 I remortaged my house onto a buy to let to raise a deposit to buy our marital home. The marital home was then completely financed by me, and we are tenants in common.  My husband had a small house that he had mortgaged to 70% and a housing association owned […]

I have been having a catch up on my on-line reading over this weekend and I have just come across an article which, in my opinion is very ill-informed.  “Housing supply in many UK cities is being restricted by the conversion of family housing to student lets and local tenants are being prices out, according […]

I have just let a property through an agent I have never dealt with before, however because I always hold the deposits money I asked them to amend there tenancy agreement to accommodate this and they said no we cant amend our agreements you will have to let us keep the deposit or provide your […]

My free guide to finding the very best tenants is now available as a PDF download, just see the form at the bottom of this article.  In the PDF I explain what my family do to find the next perfect tenant, right from the day an existing tenant let’s us know that they want to […]

Not strictly an accurate title but I have heard novice landlords refer to people on Housing Benefit (provided by the council) as such so many times. So, should you accept tenants who claim benefits? No one can make that decision for you – but there are some risks to consider, and precautions you can take. […]

While fully acknowledging that I am not a financial specialist I do know the residential property market. I have a proven track record of making money from letting property for 40 years. In my first book, which I released just a few months ago, I venture to give my opinion of the criteria I would […]

The government wants the banks to clamp down on interest only mortgages. Obviously there are tax advantages for these mortgages with BTL properties but can someone explain this situation on our own home mortgages: I always change my home mortgage every 2 or 3 yrs to take advantage of low introductory rates. Now as I […]

Tributes from across the lettings industry have been flooding in following the death of Northwood Managing Director, Nick Cooper, who peacefully passed away on Thursday 22 August. Nick, aged 50, was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer nearly two years ago. He sadly leaves behind a wife and two children.  Nick’s career in the lettings industry spanned […]

I am considering to buy a but to let property in Ilford area with a deposit of £25k and I am looking for a 2 bed room flat valued around £150k.  My questions are:- 1) is Ilford a good area for investment in 5-10 years timeline? And beyond 2) what are the things I need […]

The Property Ombudsman (TPO) has now become the first property organisation to have a Code of Practice approved by The Trading Standard Institute (TSI) under their Consumer Code Approval Scheme. As a member of the UK’s largest property ombudsman scheme, Property118’s Your Property Concierge is one of 11,745 residential sales agents that have signed up […]

I am looking into buying cheap properties at auctions and updating them. The idea is to sell them on for a profitt hopefully.  What would be the best mortgage to apply for? I am a qualified joiner and plan to do most of the work myself. Would I have to take out house insurance while […]

Common sense tenant referencing was pretty much the only option available when I first became a landlord and started letting property in the late 1980’s.  In this article I am going to explain what my family do to find the next perfect tenant, right from the day an existing tenant let’s us know that they want […]

I am a new Landlord and the first tenant has left after she couldn’t pay her rent. Her partner left the house a month before and the new tenancy agreement was signed in her name only. Some damage had been caused to the property, gas meter changed without consent and was in rent arrears so […]

Since the credit crunch it has been extremely difficult for anyone without a perfect credit history to obtain a Buy to Let mortgage. Mainstream lenders have not been interested in entertaining any mortgage arrears, CCJs or defaults until now. Aldermore have changed their Buy to Let criteria  allowing a mortgage to be considered for customers who […]

Located in the picturesque waterfront area of Liverpool, X1 The Quarter is a fully tenanted apartment block, offering investors the opportunity to own a prime piece of real estate in one of the most sought-after locations in the city.  Phase 1 of the development is an existing building that contains 111 fully-furnished 1, 2 and […]