Plush Kensington and Chelsea is the streets ahead as the most expensive place to buy a home in Britain – with average house prices of nearly £2 million. Buying a house in Kensington costs around £1.87 million and is £90,850 (5%) up on last year’s prices, according to online property portal Zoopla.

Rents are still rising and are unlikely to drop anytime soon, according to one of the UK’s leading letting agents. Average rents in England and Wales edged up by 0.4% in May to £712 a month in May – increasing for the second month in a row as the market settled after the end of […]

The number of buy to let homes to rent may soon outstrip the number of homes coming to the market for sale. Research by Experian shows the number of private homes to rent coming to the market in the first three months of 2012 increased by 6.34%, while the number of homes put up for […]

Students living at universities in London and Manchester face the worst crime rates – according to a survey of offences reported to police over the last year. The figures were compiled by The Complete University Guide for the year to May 2012. They list 103 further learning institutions by numbers of burglary, robbery and violent […]

My first intentional property investment part 4 – “My first Property Management Checklist“ In the last instalment of the story of my first intentional property investment I promised to share with you the first property management check list I put together, it wasn’t perfect but it was a lot better than nothing. If you want to catch up on […]

Homes selling at auction in May sold for around 80% of the price of an average home. The latest figures from auction monitor EI Group show 2,034 properties changed hands for an average price of £128,466 in May 2012.

Many landlords run a property business from a home office but are scared to claim business expenses because they are worried about triggering a capital gains tax bill when they move house. The myth is claiming tax relief for working from home makes part of the property business premises which is liable to capital gains […]

We are always very pleased to hear from Sales and Letting Agents up and down the country about what they believe are the Buy to Let Property Hotspots in their area and why. This is the perfect opportunity for agents to share their local knowledge and experience with literally thousands of landlords who may never otherwise hear […]

Tenants, utility suppliers, landlords and change don’t often mix too well. I wanted to share a problem that I have had with a utility company charging on disputed meter readings and standing charges and the impact of the law relating to deemed contracts when a property is void. Happily I have resolved this after much […]

This weekend I came across a person who could become to landlordism what the legendary Roy Brooks was to the world of Estate Agency. His name is Mick Roberts and he operates in the Nottingham area under the brand of Advance Properties. I’ve not met Mick yet, in fact I’ve not even spoken to him […]

Letting agents regularly go bust amid claims of owing landlords and tenants thousands of pounds, so here’s a quick guide to what to look for to safeguard your money. Letting agents are not regulated, which means anyone can open and trade as a letting agent without any qualifications or licence.

Target markets where demand for student housing is growing are highlighted in a new specialist property report. Cities where demand is at the highest are in Lancashire and Scotland, according to analysis by property consultants Savills.

The Property Ombudsman wants views from letting agents about setting up client money protection insurance to safeguard rents and deposits. Unlike estate agents, letting agents are not regulated and do not have to protect client money in separate bank accounts.

The average monthly cost of renting a buy to let home dropped by 1.3% to £760 in May, according to a new survey. Although rents slipped back across the UK, renters are still paying more in London as average rents climbed 0.8% to £1,187 a month, says the latest monthly letting report from specialist landlord […]

I had a really interesting discussion about life insurance yesterday with a lady I’ve respected for many years. I will not embarrass her by publishing her full name as she doesn’t know I’m writing this. Some people reading this (former clients of The Money Centre in particular) and the lady in question if she reads […]

Just two years after buying my first intentional property investment I owned 9 more. Buying that first one was like finding a magic lantern for my buy to let mortgage business. The Genie that popped out to grant me my wish gave me the confidence I needed to share with other prospective landlords how I got […]

I remember several years back meeting an old farmer boy type landlord in the car park on my way into a Landlord Association meeting. He fit all of the stereotypes I mention in my blog about my first intentional property investment; you know, old, grumpy, HMO landlord, wearing a tweed jacket. Anyhow, he looked even grumpier […]

Students are more likely to rent good quality homes while away at university than worry as much about price or location, according to a new study. Nevertheless, around two-thirds consider landlords are still charging them too much for accommodation, says the research by student housing provider FreshStart Living.

Falling prices and relaxed buy to let finance lending has let landlords swoop to add properties to their portfolios. The average professional property business portfolio increased to 14.1 during the last three months, according to a poll by landlord lender Paragon Mortgages.

A buy to let mortgage in lending terms is very similar to a residential mortgage regulated by FSA rules, but just because something looks like a duck and sounds like a duck doesn’t always mean it is a duck. Buy to Let is still in most circumstances considered to be a commercial loan, and borrowers […]

Shared accommodation rates have grown much faster in the more mature age groups since the credit crisis, as revealed in a census of 10,000 individuals living in shared accommodation by SpareRoom.co.uk. The growth for over 45s in such a short space of time is startling, and the statistics below for the demographic of over 40s […]