Page 899 – Property118

50 new buy to let products from the Paragon Group

5th January 2012

Landlord mortgage lender has changed borrowing criteria and released 50 new loan products – although most are just variations on fixed rates and terms. The main changes to interest buy to let landlords are revised rent and income criteria that bring more purchase and remortgage deals in to the scope of loans Paragon underwriters can […]

Fee Free Property Letting

5th January 2012

Would you be sceptical of an advert for fee free letting? Being a landlord for over 20 years has made me a bit sceptical so when I first heard about a fee free property letting offer my gut reaction was “what’s the catch?”

Sell your Property – On Facebook?

5th January 2012

News Sourced by Property118 A new property platform has launched that allows property hunters to search for and sell their house while they’re on Facebook. Property Place is the only “fully embedded on Facebook” property portal, and has over 500,000 properties listed for the millions of UK Facebook users to search.

A Tale of Two Toilets

5th January 2012

A strange case came my way today and I thought it a grand example of the sort of world I move in and an insight into the Kafkaesque madness that is the stock in trade of my day.

My review of a free landlords ebook

5th January 2012

Yesterday afternoon I spotted a Tweet recommending a free landlords ebook. There are quite a few around but this is the first I’ve decided to review independently.

Cleaning Tips for Students

5th January 2012

Tips for keeping the house looking its best Here are some quick and simple tips to help keep the house and furniture looking its best, follow these to help save money from your damage and cleaning deposit. It is worth spending a bit now to save a lot later!

The UK’s best Property, Lettings, Housing and Landlord Blogs

5th January 2012

Calling UK Property and Landlord Bloggers I’m keen to work with other blog owners focusing on property. I’ve been a buy to let landlord since 1989 and will be happy to write for you, or comment on your blog articles, free of charge. Why am I making this offer?

Is Your Letting Agent in Our Directory?

4th January 2012

Does your Letting Agent provide a good service? If so, please share what you like most about them. I fully appreciate that some landlords prefer to be hands on. I used to think that way but now I prefer to focus my efforts onto other things. My brother is also a landlord and we have […]

Fears for Arrears as Tenants Borrow to Pay Rents

4th January 2012

Landlords should brace themselves for a massive jump in rent arrears with the news that millions are seeking payday loans and other credit to pay rents after overspending during the festive season. Homeless charity Shelter is warning a million homeowners and tenants are looking for payday loans that charge interest at rates of up to […]

Benefit Cuts Price Poor Families Out of Buy to Let

4th January 2012

Rents of around a third of private rented homes in Britain are beyond the financial reach of the poorest families as government welfare cuts start to bite. More than 800,000 buy to let homes are now too expensive for housing benefit claimants and many face a stark choice – cut living costs to pay rents […]

Council Inspector Trapped by Defective HMO Locks

4th January 2012

A council housing inspector was locked in shared flats by a defective lock while inspecting fire safety precautions at the property. Magistrates heard the incident happened after Wyre Council had received complaints about the flats in Windsor Terrace, Fleetwood, Lancashire.

Property118 Landlords Newsletter – Issue 83

4th January 2012

The latest news and views from the property market and private rented sector along with guest articles from Ben Reeve-Lewis and the Property Maverick covering Tenancy Deposit Schemes, landlords insurance, Section 21s and the key to property investment. Mark Alexander adds two new articles to his Landlords Log enticing comment and debate.

The Great Landlord Receipts Rip-off is Underway

4th January 2012

The great landlord receipt rip off is underway again as property investors scurry around to find expenses to off set against their rental profits. The common scenario is probably being repeated in homes and up and down the country.

Must Read Books for Landlords and Property Investors

4th January 2012

I’ve just been looking around Amazon and noticed that Robert Kiyosaki, author of the best selling book “Rich Dad, Poor Dad” (a must read for all property investors) has released a software based version of his Cashflow Quadrant game. I’d be interested to know if any readers of property118.com have purchased this and what they […]

Best floor coverings for bathrooms, kitchens and hallways?

4th January 2012

The subject of the best floor coverings is a popular debate amongst landlords. Regular readers of my blogs will know that I’m a big fan of a certain type of carpet and underlay in lounges and bedrooms. Feedback has taught me that my tenants prefer it as it’s warmer under foot. I have found the […]

‘Rescue Schemes’ Closed

3rd January 2012

Nine Leeds-based companies have been shutdown after they preyed on investors already duped by landbanking scams. Each company claimed to be able to return some of the money lost on specific plots of land and investors bought shares. They were found to receive no influence in return; instead the money was used to pay salaries, […]

Localism and Tenancy Deposits

3rd January 2012

As regular readers of P118 will know, the rocky road of tenancy deposits was pretty much a farce from its introduction in 2007 and has been right up to the present day. I’ve been involved in housing law for most of my working life and I have to say I have never seen anything quite […]

The Property118 Christmas Cracker – Part Two

31st December 2011

The second installment of our special Christmas Cracker Newsletter carries more of the best read and most commented upon news articles and guest columns during 2011. May we take this opportunity to wish you, your family and your business a healthy, happy and prosperous year to come in 2012. Our regular Newsletters will re-commence on […]

How minor criminal convictions can invalidate a landlords insurance

30th December 2011

I have been liaising a lot recently with someone I know whose job it is to find accommodation for people being released from prison. I wouldn’t go so far as to call them meetings, although that’s how we book them in our work diaries. In actuality we get together in the pub late afternoon, get […]

Don’t Shoot the Messenger # 8

30th December 2011

When a tenant has a beef with their landlord, I’m the guy they go to. My job is to either negotiate or prosecute, depending on the circumstances. This occasional and random series aims to let landlords know the common complaints that are made about them, the laws that cover them and how to deal with […]

The Property118 Christmas Cracker – Part One

28th December 2011

We all like a late Christmas present so try and guess how many companies are in the directory to win £100 of B&Q vouchers. If champagne’s more your thing, there’s still time for you to tell us about your good tenants with the best story winning two bottles. Or better still, why not enter both?