Countrywide, the UK’s largest property services Group, today launched its report addressing challenges in the UK Housing Market, urging Government to consider six solutions to help boost the ailing housing market:

Godiva, owned by the Coventry Building Society, have launched an aggressive new buy to let product range extending its loan to values to 75% and adding 5 year fixed rates with no early repayment charges. They have obviously secured funding and are hungry for market share with the 5 year flexible fixed at 5.75% and […]

Following our recent affiliation with Drewberry Insurance we have run a variety of articles on the topic of landlords insurance. Links to those articles, including a variety of case studies and discussion amongst landlords, can be found at the foot of this article. Paul Barrett, one of our regular contributors suggested in one of his […]

I thought I’d share with you how we manage to close so many of our tenant prospects. Our secret lies in understanding the barriers that most agents put in place to put off tenants! First, they require potential tenants to complete L O N G application forms (or duplicate/triplicate ones if multi applicants) which they must some how get […]

Cases of residential cannabis farming are still rising across the UK and, only this week, another Swindon rental property – in Durham Street – was found to have £160,000 worth of cannabis growing in it (see Swindon Advertiser lead story, 10th July 2012). With drug crime sometimes causing property damage running into tens of thousands […]

  An existing halls of residence in the heart of Sunderland, Dunn House has been identified as a prime location for private investment, due to the shortage of student accommodation in the area, in relation to the high number of students enrolled at the university. Student BuyToLet Properties in Sunderland – 10% yield Currently undergoing […]

ID checking website 192.com is urging awareness of rental fraud as a study finds landlords to be highly trusted when handing over money to them. Rental fraud happens when would-be tenants are tricked into paying an upfront fee to rent a property. In reality, the property does not exist or has been rented to multiple […]

“Landlords, Tenants, Dogs, Pets” is part 7 of my latest series of articles entitled “My first intentional property investment“ Ever since I was a kid I loved dogs, I didn’t even mind the ones that used to snap at my fingers and try to break the door down to rip me to pieces when I […]

Case study relating to an expat property investor interested in keeping a foot on the London property ladder. Two years ago a potential buyer, Andrew, a virgin expat property investor contacted us.  Andrew was in his early thirties, single, handsome, a first-time buyer and successfully worked in finance for a large corporation in Singapore. His […]

Details of the highly controversial Landlord Licencing Scheme boundaries have been released by Newham Council. As of January 2013 it seems likely that landlords within the catchment area could have to pay landlord licencing scheme fees of as much as £500 a year for each property they wish to let or risk fines of up […]

There are literally thousands of websites offering landlord resources but in this article I’m going to focus on the landlord resources which you can access and use without having to spend any money.

These buy to let apartments in Sheffield, Yorkshire are perfectly located in the cultural quarter of the city. Fully tenanted, producing NET yields of 8% annually and with prices starting from just £65,000 the remaining three of these fully-furnished one-bed apartments are sure to sell fast. They are available for 30% below the asking prices […]

I wrote an article a few weeks ago about a conversation I’d had with a financial advisor about what happens to mortgages when a landlord dies. I didn’t think it would be a very popular article as it’s quite a morbid subject and none of like to think too much about death do we? I […]

By guest author Taj Kang- an Associate Director at specialist contractor mortgage broker Anyone in their early fifties is going to have to face working longer and for women that means another six years after 60. Therefore if, for example, you are 52 state pension won’t arrive until 2026, seemingly a lifetime away. We are […]

In today’s Monetary Policy Committee meeting The Bank of England have decided to increase the stimulus into the economy on top of recently announced plans. The Bank Base Rate will remain at 0.5% where it has been for the last three years and the Bank of England will try to pump more liquidity into the system […]

A landlord in Edinburgh is the first in the city to be banned from letting out properties after failing to declare previous convictions and to licence his HMO. The landlord, Yousef Mohammed, had previously been hit with a £1000 fine for failing to licence an HMO. He has subsequently been deemed not to meet the […]

The number of tenants in severe arrears has risen to a massive 100,400 as rents continue to rise while the economy and jobs falter. The latest figure is 24% higher than the same period last year. According to the Tenant Arrears Tracker by Templeton LPA, part of LSL Property Services, the first quarter of 2012 […]

It is not an exaggeration to say that every day we are asked the question “can you arrange a buy to let mortgage for me on an auction property I am interested in purchasing”. My next question is when and the answer normally ranges from next day to next week. If you are not a […]

With landlords continuing to come off on the wrong side of tenant deposit disputes, the Association of Independent Inventory Clerks have told landlords to shore up their claims. During the fifth year of the Deposit Protection Service, only 16% of claims were given in the landlord’s favour. The AIIC believe this would change if landlords […]

We have received an anonymous tip off that could cause yet another HMO outrage and could be a disaster for both landlords and tenant groups if the rumours are indeed true and are implemented. Allegedly, Torbay Council collated data of all HMOs in their area two weeks ago and are intending to charge Council Tax based on each […]

“I need to use grass cutting machine” said my Polish tenant when he called me one Saturday afternoon. You mean a lawnmower I said, don’t you have one? “My friend say that you must provide” he replied. Was he right? I’d let the house unfurnished, surely he should buy his own lawnmower? None of my […]