I own flats, bungalows and houses in Nottingham and specialise in renting to tenants in the benefits sector. It can be very management intensive at times though so I’m looking to go a bit upmarket and buy some posher properties to attract posher tenants for a lower yield and hopefully far less hassle. I’m just […]

I have an issue at the moment which is causing me a slight headache. On my tenanted end-of-terrace property, I received a contact request late summer from the new owner of the adjoining property via my managing agents. I duly made contact which revealed that he wanted to smarten up his new property and, as […]

I would like some clarification as to who is responsible for dealing with mice in the property please. The tenant has been in since September and in late January, she discovered mice droppings in her wardrobe. Mice have chewed through the bottom of her wardrobe and gained access. She said that she had chocolate and […]

No need to panic about interest rate rises as we are still in a bad place, but an improving place economically. Yes “Forward Guidance” is dead because the Bank of England got their unemployment prediction wrong, but we still don’t really know why. Unemployment dropped to 7.1% from 7.7% in three months making redundant the […]

My tenant wants some long term assurances of tenure I’ve been renting properties for several years and I always advertise that I’m looking for long term tenants. I reference my tenants properly and I always purchase rent guarantee insurance. Despite never having to claim on an RGI policy it does give me peace of mind. […]

I have a property which I really need to sell. The trouble is, it is tenanted to a Housing Benefit tenant and I know this will make it difficult. If I went down the traditional Estate Agent route, viewings would be impossible and it would be difficult to arrange a survey for a potential buyer.  […]

In an attempt to keep this brief, I have been renting my flat to my current tenants for almost 4 years. Last year I informed them that I will be needing the property. Their tenancy agreement was renewed but only for 6 months to which they agreed was enough time to sort out accommodation. The […]

Every so often we get offers from companies promising guaranteed yields for investment in overseas properties or property developments. These are usually for one or two years, whether the property is rented out or not. This can be the case with UK property developments as well. Sometimes they even guarantee further investors down the road when you […]

I am a 40% tax payer and rent out two properties. To minimize my tax bill I want to allocate some of the income from the properties to my wife who is currently not earning and so has her full tax free allowance. I have two residential mortgages on the properties as I previously lived […]

This Department for Communities and Local Government DCLG discussion document considers what more can be done and how best to tackle rogue landlords, without negatively impacting on the good ones. This is the first stage of the review and comments are invited before the 21st March. Please note these are not policy or legal changes […]

Hi all, I wonder if any of the more legally minded here could help… The house next door to one of my renters appears to be vacant, maybe going through probate I’m not sure.. Several roof slates have slipped from their roof at the rear and have lodged in the guttering pushing it away from […]

The background to the Tracker Rate Campaign is that at least two mortgage lenders have used ambiguities within consumer protection legislation to increase their profit margins on some of their tracker rate mortgage products for both homeowners and small buy to let landlords. For example:- 12,200 Bank of Ireland mortgage accounts whereby a mixture of […]

The RLA has recently received an email from Ipswich Borough Council confirming it has started to refund Landlord Licensing fees after the Westminster Court of Appeal sex shop case. The Court of Appeal found in favour of a European Services Directive which clamps down on purposes fees can be charged by local authorities for landlords […]

I have a property which was converted in to flats twenty years ago but the conversion stopped before any heating was put in. There isn’t any hot water or heating in either flat so is it possible to get a grant to install boilers, and would it also be possible to get a grant for […]

I spoke to someone on the NLA helpline this morning who told me that the law is unambiguous – landlords registering deposits later than one month after receipt are liable to be sued for three times the deposit amount. Looking online, I am unable to find definitive reference to this, and, most importantly, how are […]

Mark Harper the Immigration Minister who took the Immigration Bill through Parliament in autumn 2013 has resigned for continuing to employ his cleaner when she no longer had a right to reside in the country. The Immigration Bill which was hotly debated on Property118 requires Landlords to carry out reasonable checks and take copies of […]

In 2012, I bought my first house from Places for People – long story short, I am now looking to move in with my girlfriend to her house and rent my property out. Therein lies the problem. In my Title Deeds, Places for People have included a restriction that states that I may not rent […]

I have joint tenants who signed a 12 month assured shorthold tenancy agreement. They have been in the property nearly five months. They have always been late paying their rent and have not paid this months rent. A few days ago I had a call from a neighbour to say the Police had been there and arrested […]

According to SpareRoom.co.uk there are around 15 million spare rooms in the UK. Letting just 10% of these could go a long way towards solving the UK housing crisis. Against this backdrop I was delighted to read today that housing charity Shelter are supporting a campaign by SpareRoom.co.uk to increase the “Rent A Room” tax […]

How does the Data Protection Act apply when it comes to landlords and tenants details ? With regard to the utilities, I have always notified the gas, electric and water suppliers and council tax office to advise them I will no longer be responsible and I have new tenants. They have always asked who they are, and […]

Hello All, I’m hoping someone can maybe help me. I’ve recently moved to Brighton, where the property market is very buoyant. I am moving into a property next week with a Letting Agency. There are some (what I consider to be) very OTT clauses in the agreement, and I’m wondering if anyone knows if they […]