Page 885 – Property118

Legendary Roy Brooks Agency – is rude still vogue?

13th March 2012

“How We Recruited Our Property Manager” Roy Brooks was probably the most famous British estate agent ever. He was famous for being so honest when describing the properties he was flogging (and often their corresponding owners), that he was hilariously rude. People adored him for it, but that was in the good old days. If […]

Landlords conned out of £100,000 in subletting scam

13th March 2012

Fraudster Rose Chimuka conned landlords of out of more than £100,000 by posing as a mum to rent their homes and then sub-letting them to dozens of tenants. She was jailed for four years and three months at Croydon Crown Court after admitting 11 fraud charges. The court was told Chimuka, 32, posed as a […]

John Paul - The LHA Expert

Property118 Landlord Newsletter – Issue 102

12th March 2012

Buy to let mortgage news dominates the headlines in this edition as we report on how lenders increasing their standard variable rates despite the Bank Base Rate staying at 0.5% will affect landlords in several of our news articles below. John Paul, also known as The LHA Expert, brings us his second instalment of his […]

Renting rules for long-distance landlords

9th March 2012

Letting agents are urging long-distance landlords to make sure they follow six basic renting rules to avoid hassle with tenants. The tips follow a survey by the Association of Residential Letting Agents (ARLA) which revealed up to two-thirds of property investors letting homes in London live outside the capital.

Mortgage interest rate FAQ

9th March 2012

Headlines screaming out about rising mortgage interest rates are filling the news, so some facts and figures about the buy to let and home loans market should shine a light on what’s really happening. Here is some information explaining some frequently asked questions about mortgage interest rates compiled with the help of the Council of […]

Vital Contacts for LHA Landlords

9th March 2012

LHA Top Tips for landlords. Article 2 in a series of 8 Inform yourself. If you don’t know all the rules about being a landlord for Local Housing Allowance tenants, at the very least be sure you know where to look when you need information fast.

Lettings super search engine set to take on Rightmove

8th March 2012

Landlords and letting agents could see Rightmove’s crown slip in the rental market as a new pretender steps up – if a proposed merger is allowed to go ahead. Digital Property Group – owned by the company behind the Daily Mail – and Zoopla want to join forces to tackle the undisputed property portal king […]

Landlords safe from Bank of Ireland mortgage rate hike for now

8th March 2012

Landlords with Bank of Ireland buy to let loans can breathe a sigh of relief as mortgage interest rates are hiked by new owner the Nationwide. The bank’s standard variable rates for residential mortgage borrowers are set to rise from 2.99%, to 3.99% in June and then to 4.49% in September, affecting around 100,000 customers.

Property118 News Hits a Century

8th March 2012

Property118.com, the UK’s most popular online community for landlords and property investors* has just released its 100th Newsletter featuring updates on legislation, best practice, financial information and commentary relating to the buy to let industry. Launched in January 2011 Property118 now has over 183,000 subscribers to its e-newsletter which is aggregated by News Now and […]

A fisherman’s tale?

7th March 2012

Two of my favourite authors write all of their important philosophies in parable style, this is mine. Once upon a time, a fisherman decided that he no longer wanted to be a wage slave to a trawler captain so he went off to do his own thing.  He made a rod and caught and sold […]

Third illegal eviction costs landlord £4,500

7th March 2012

Landlord Mohammed Khubaib needs to change his ways and stop illegally evicting tenants or he’ll end up in jail – according to his lawyer. The warning was voiced to Peterborough magistrates hearing Khubaib’s third case of illegally evicting a tenant.

Reluctant landlords pay more for mortgage deals

7th March 2012

Let to buy mortgage lenders are inflicting stinging interest rates on reluctant landlords who have to rent out their homes to move. Brokers and lenders say they are handling more applications from homeowners who are desperate to move because of personal or work commitments. Reluctant landlords have a choice – either asking their lender for […]

Rogue Landlords II – A Definitive List

7th March 2012

Before I got sucked into housing I trained in Cognitive Linguistics, the study of how language can be used to show how we make sense of the world, our beliefs and interpretations of a larger reality. One of the leading Cognitive Linguists of the 20th Century is a towering intellectual of a man called Noam […]

I need to say sorry to landlords who let in Birmingham

7th March 2012

I have organised this important meeting and I forgot to ask NLA to mail out to members to let you know.  This is entirely my fault and I am sorry to have let you down.  I know that it is short notice but I do hope that you can join us LANDLORDS IF YOU LET […]

John Paul - The LHA Expert

Property118 Landlord Newsletter – Issue 101

7th March 2012

Today’s newsletter highlights alternative options and strategies for landlords both in the news and by our guest columnists. The first instalment in a series of eight from John Paul, also known as @TheLHAexpert, introduces his top tips to renting property to LHA tenants, Mary Latham looks in to whether tax avoidance is a reason why […]

Flood dispute could make commercial landlords suffer

7th March 2012

Commercial landlords could find their properties are without insurance in a few months if the Government fails to provide the flood protection insurance companies expect. The current agreement runs until July, and the Government’s cuts are hitting flood defences. As a result, premiums will increase and some properties are being quoted with insurance of £20,000 […]

Chancellor urged to boost tax relief for landlords

6th March 2012

Chancellor George Osborne is coming under more pressure from landlord and letting agent lobbies to ease buy to let tax in the forthcoming Budget. The Association of Residential Letting Agents (ARLA) is urging the chancellor to scrap capital gains tax on investment properties and ripping up stamp duty rules to make the tax fairer for […]

Rents are cooling – but tenants still expect to pay more

6th March 2012

Buy to let rent increases are slowing down – but 60% of tenants still expect to pay more to landlords by the end of the year. More than 70% believe the current letting market favours landlords, while 55% of tenants say they are ‘trapped renters’ who would like to buy but can’t afford a home, […]

Fair wear and tear – downside of longer tenancies?

6th March 2012

The good news for landlords that tenancies are getting longer, may well be tempered by the warning from the Association of Independent Inventory Clerks that it create an increase in fair wear and tear disputes. The average length of a tenancy has crept up by one month every year for the past three years and […]

Holding your umbrella upside down will not keep off the reign of the taxman

6th March 2012

-By Guest Columnist Mary Latham- Landlords may be invisible but their properties are not and neither are their tenants, especially if they are among the increasing number who rely on benefits to pay their rent. Following a meeting of the Homestamp consortium this week, I was standing on a busy street outside of a small […]