The Association of Independent Inventory Clerks (AIIC) is warning landlords that they are exposing themselves to a greater risk of deposit disputes if they carry out their own inventories. This is supported by recent research which shows that half of landlords have experienced a dispute over the return of the deposit when their tenant comes […]

Following last week’s article on setting up an HMO from scratch I’m reporting on the last week’s activities which were pretty much devoted to finding tenants. As promised I have also included pictures of the HMO post refurbishment at the bottom of this article. A second ad in the local paper has elicited some interesting […]

In the coming weeks and months we will be inviting PRS Centres of Influence to appear in “Spotlight Articles” and to engage with the Property118 community. Invitees will be at officer level position or above in Landlord Associations, housing charities, tenant groups, mortgage lenders, regulators and other key providers of products and services to the […]

Who runs The GOOD Landlords Campaign? At the moment the campaign is run by Mark Alexander, founder of Property118.com. In due course a committee of volunteers will be appointed to form a steering committee with a view to running the campaign as a not for profit organisation, probably as a company limited by guarantee. What […]

Housing Charity Shelter appear to want to build bridges with the PRS by “looking for solutions as well as problems”. Following a conversation between Shelter Policy Officer Robbie de Santos and Mark Alexander, founder of Property118, the housing charity very quickly produced an article on the Charities Policy Blog recognising The GOOD Landlords Campaign.

All GOOD Landlords want to differentiate themselves from the rogues and criminals which seem to get the lions share of media attention. Well now they can! The GOOD Landlords Campaign is officially launched. The GOOD Landlords Campaign is sure to be the talking point amongst all landlords and everybody associated with the lettings industry. So why […]

Like most landlords I have tenants who don’t open windows, dry their washing on radiators and cause mold and condensation problems. I give them a leaflet on how to prevent mould and condensation when they first move in and we also discuss the subject on move in day. Nevertheless, I, like most landlords, continue to […]

The Universal Credit, due to be introduced in October 2013, is a new scheme which aims to simplify the benefits system by combining all in-work benefits( jobseeker’s allowance, tax credits, income support, employment and support allowance) into a single monthly payment rather than combination of a number of benefit payments as is currently the case. […]

House shares with six or more bedrooms are the fastest-growing property type on the SpareRoom website as landlords react to increased demand for lower rents. But as the cost of living soars and demand for rooms in larger properties increases, the trend could lead to a growth in unlicensed ‘houses in multiple occupation’ (HMOs). Over […]

With the National Approved Letting Scheme “NALS” conference being held on Thursday 4th October, the recent offer from Ombudsman Services is certainly well timed. In a Press Release issued by Ombudsman Services today, Chief Ombudsman Lewis Shand Smith said “we are delighted to offer NALS firms access to our services at a very cost effective rate. […]

Richard Cubitt, a reader of Property118 has submitted the following summary of Private Rented Sector Licencing. In an email to the Editor or Property118 Richard said “All of this information is all in the public domain but I think that the wider implications are worth bringing to general attention. Thin edge of the wedge!! The application […]

So, I’m doing what I promised I’d never do – manage some else’s HMOs. Over the years I understood why lettings agents were sniffy about HMOs and the amount of time managing the house demanded in proportion to the 10% management fee. But I yielded after a friend decided to invest his inheritance and asked […]

As the number of renters rise year-on-year, the number of deposit squabbles increase. Though just two per cent of tenancies end in a dispute over rent deposit refunds.. However, “cleaning costs is the top reason why deposit money is withheld when a tenant moves out of a rented property” according to the Association of Independent […]

Housing Charity Shelter is proposing 5 year rental agreements but this is not viable as most landlords would be in breach of their buy to let mortgage conditions if they were to offer anything other than 6 or 12 month Assured Shorthold Tenancies. However, I believe I’ve found a solution. Some landlords want long term […]

At NPG, from time to time we get tenants calling about pest control. It can range from mice, to rats, ants, fleas, bed-bugs, cockroaches and even wasps nests. By the way, if you start scratching whilst you are reading this, don’t worry – it happens to me! There’s a lot of confusion as to who […]

I will get around to talking about legacy protection in this article but first I want to set the scene by sharing my very happy news with you. I’m getting married next month! I’m a very lucky, very happy man 🙂 The picture to the left is of my wife to be, Svetlana. It was […]

Guest article by Howard Reuben IFA A “snapshot of today” Priorities. Everyone has them, and as a Financial Adviser I work with my Clients to ensure that their own personal financial planning priorities are properly structured, reviewed and achieved. Over the years, my Clients have asked many times for me to assist with their medium […]

National Landlord Day, the major conference and exhibition from the Scottish Association of Landlords is now the largest landlord conference in the UK. The 2012 event will be the fifth year for this popular event, bigger and better than ever and taking place at Dynamic Earth, Edinburgh on 6 November 2012. Having been a sell […]

Are district judges staging an unspoken rebellion in possession cases? This article is largely based on possession claims brought by social landlords but I ask you, the PRS landlord reader, to think about the import of what this might mean for possible future repossessions in an environment where I just read today, the amount of […]

Sallie has written in to request advice from Property118 readers as she owns a property in which the cellar keeps filling up with water. Have any readers of Property118 had a similar problem or can you offer solutions please? Do we have any surveyors reading Property118 who can provide advice on “tanking” the cellar or […]

According to Francis Dolley who regularly leaves comments on this forum, “Rent 2 Rent” is being widely debated on various Facebook property groups as the latest strategy for landlords to expand their portfolio’s with minimal capital .Francis emailed me over the weekend asking me which “Rent 2 Rent” agreements I thought he should be using. I do […]