The Loan Directory is a regular feature publishing examples of the most competitive and frequently used products in the commercial market to help readers identify possible funding facilities for their own projects. In this latest update we provide a selection of the most competitive deals on offer in respect of Commercial Finance for Investment and […]

EDITORS UPDATE 2017 – please note the ‘Rent A Room’ allowance is now £7,500 per annum If you’re renting out a room or rooms in your own home, there’s a tax benefit that’s really worth investigating. It’s called the Rent a Room Scheme and offers live-in-landlords the chance to earn £4,250 in rent and services […]

The Dispute Service “TDS” recently posted on this website “TDS members need to log in to their account online and tick a box updating it to statutory periodic ( instructions are available in the Website User Manual). If you do not do this protection will end on the original end date of the agreement. We […]

Popular feedback from our landlords survey was to create a “Guide to Buying At Auction”. We contacted our friends at Essential Information Group “EIG” who monitor the sales prices of over 35,000 properties sold every year at auction in over 1,700 auctions for their help. As it turns out, EIG have already produced a comprehensive […]

Renting by the room has seen a surge in popularity in recent years, as savvy landlords realise that yields for this type of tenancy are much higher than for plain vanilla lets. With the current housing crisis, and the dearth of lending for first time buyers, young people are priced out of purchasing their first […]

I have been told that I need to issue another Deposit Protection Certificate when my fixed term Assured Shorthold Tenancy agreement “AST” reverts to a Statutory Periodic Tenancy “SPT”. Is this correct and if so, do I need to pay to re-protect the deposit with the insurance backed schemes such as My Deposits, The Dispute […]

Huw has received a strange “Demand for Payment” of Ground rent and would like to raise this topic with the Property118 community. “In Jan’2007 I purchased a leasehold terraced property in Wales from a mortgage company following a previous repossession.  At the time neither myself, my solicitor nor the mortgage company could locate the Freeholder.  […]

Last week’s release of the Census data has revealed the extent of the immigrant population in London. People classifying themselves as ‘White Britons’ are now a minority in the capital, making up just 45% of the population. Whilst the Government needs to address the issue of immigration, they must avoid implementing blanket policies which catch […]

Recently I’ve experienced two instances of tenants not completing 6 months tenancy period and leaving after just 3 months. These tenants happened to be from India on temporary contract to the UK in the IT sector. The excuse was that their project ended sooner than expected. They did not get their deposit back but this […]

Rightmove have released their December House Price Index and along with that have made some bold predictions for property prices in 2013. What are your predictions on house prices for 2013 we wonder? Why not leave a comment below this article and this time next year we will see who got the closest.

Extracts from an intriguing Readers Letter from PR agent Ally Whicher of Woodthorpe Comms asking; “does reality TV affect property prices?” According to Ally, Rightmove UK recently commented; “The locations of reality TV series’ such as Made In Chelsea and The Only Way Is Essex are becoming ‘reality chequered’ by their respective shows, as the British […]

Gina Blomefield of GB Property Management London I have been a landlord in Wandsworth/Clapham for over fifteen years during which time I have developed good working relationships with my letting agent, tenants, local authorities, builders and repair people. My aim is to provide comfortable housing at a reasonable rent and wherever possible make sure my […]

Paul Forsey FNAEA (Honoured) MARLA of Reads Davies Paignton I have personally been involved with the valuation, sale, letting and management of properties of all kinds since the 1960s and my office in the centre of Paignton was established in the mid 1950s. We remain a small independent family own and run business and everyone […]

Knowing that over 95% of people view properties online (with the majority using Rightmove),you may be interested in tips on optimising your Rightmove adverts. The secret is understanding Rightmove’s marketing analysis tools. Each agent can run reports which show how many times a property has been viewed online, printed off, had more details requested etc.

In my article introducing Advanced Rent Limited I outlined their innovative solution to remove risk to Landlords by enabling them to bank their next six months rent today. Advanced Rent Limited have since updated me on how Property 118 subscribers have been getting on with the service – which acts as a a hybrid between […]

More than 1,000 of our readers have now completed our Landlords Poll and we hope to release the full survey results between Christmas and the New Year. In the meantime we have been looking through the suggestions you have made and begun acting upon them. You may have already noticed quite a few changes.

The surge in private rental sector (PRS) tenants reported in the latest census highlights the need for immediate government regulation, according to the Association of Residential Letting Agents (ARLA). Alongside reports of a drop in the number of UK owner-occupiers, to 64%, the number of tenants renting privately has increased from 9% to 15%*. With […]

The number of homeowners taking in lodgers (“live-in landlords”) has risen for the seventh consecutive year and rose by more than a quarter (25.4%) between 2011 and 2012, having risen by 18.4% between 2010 and 2011. Worryingly, 37% of homeowners who take in lodgers may not be properly insured. A third (33%) of live-in landlords don’t realise […]

Hello Mark, I wonder how you and others feel about my quandry regarding the gas installation at my rental property. I have an end of terrace, 1920s built house which I rent out through my local council. The heating and hot water are supplied via a back boiler with gas fire in front and a hot water cylinder. During a […]

Cheval’s caption “stress free bridging” could not be further from the truth today. Cheval is closing its doors to bridging finance after 17 years and intermediaries are reporting concerns about offers not being honoured.

Being a landlord can sometimes be a lonely business. The more properties you own, the more problems you encounter. Unless you mix regularly with other landlords it is sometimes difficult to know who to talk to about the challenges you face and what to do for the best isn’t it?