When it comes to being a Landlord, whether you self-manage or have a fully managed service, tenant referencing is a major priority and never a task to underestimate the importance of. A “bad” tenant should be avoided at all costs. They can stop paying the rent, damage your property, and their anti-social behaviour can cause […]

In this open letter to Tony Robbins I am proposing a no win no fee deal to massively improve his online popularity on an independently measured basis.

A Connecticut Yankee in the Court of King Arthur – or if you prefer, A Tenancy Relations Officer at a Property Investor’s Show. Around 120 years ago Mark Twain wrote the classic fish out of water tale about a modern American transplanted to mediaeval Britain. Today I participated in my own version by delivering a […]

Whilst there were only 50 delegates at the event the speakers were all very high profile. The debating panel included CEO’s from ARLA, the NLA, The Property Ombudsman and Sir Robin Wales, the Mayor of Newham who sparked off controversial debates surrounding his plans to introduce compulsory licencing for Newham landlords (read my thoughts below the video). […]

Landlords who have switched personal property investments into a company cannot claim capital gains tax reliefs on the transfers, according to a landmark tax tribunal case. Traders have claimed incorporation relief on their business properties and assets for many years when changing their status from a partnership or sole trader to a limited company.

Tenants are facing a financial struggle to pay their rents, according to the latest survey by the Association of Residential Letting Agents (ARLA). Around 40% of letting agents told their trade body that the number of tenants late with rents has increased over the past six months.

Principality has revised one of its two buy to let products upwards. The new rate at 4.99% has a low fixed product fee of £999 and includes a free valuation and remortgage service, reducing upfront costs for larger loan amounts up to a maximum of 70% Loan to Value.

Deposit protection keeper Steve Harriott is promoting a love-in between landlords and tenants over the myth that they are constantly at war over money. After five years of tenancy deposit protection laws, only 1% of tenancies have issues over the return of deposits at the end of an agreement, revealed Harriott, chief executive of The […]

HMRC is getting tougher with landlords who have ignored appeals to file their tax returns on time. From May 1st, late filers will have to pay £10 a day for up to 90 days on top of the £100 fine already imposed – making a possible maximum fine of £1,000.

Our most popular article to date in terms of both debate a viewers was the prospect of the EU regulation of buy to let and how it would affect the UK markets. The whole issue of buy to let regulation has been hot news over the last few days with Nationwide specialist lending arm “The […]

The average UK rent increased by 2.6% in March to £764 a month, according to the latest survey by specialist landlord insurers Homelet. London rents are still defying gravity and average £1,156 a month.

More landlords are expanding than reducing their portfolios in the current climate, but selling needs just as much care. And selling your home in today’s financial climate is no small feat. With so much competition even the smallest detail can mean the difference between months of waiting and getting on with your move. Often the […]

The Bank of England has released its Agents’ summary of business conditions April 2012, and they believe the housing market to be experiencing mixed fortunes. Buy to let demand has grown due to growth increases, this has “helped to put a floor under prices.” Asking prices have supposedly been more realistic and new-build has seen […]

Well think again, but before I tell you what really caused the credit crunch, I must first explain why I wrote this article. Recently after reading several books on property investment, each offering up their own reasons for what caused the credit crunch/ property crash it was clear that the real reason was being missed. […]

The first issue of UK house price data from the Office of National Statistics signals the start of a shift towards an official national house price index. The average house price in the UK for February was £224,473 – down on January’s average of £228,064 but up from £211,960 a year earlier.

Godiva 3.65% two year Bank Base Rate Tracker for buy to let. Godiva has an attractive looking Tracker product with fixed arrangement fees instead of a percentage of the loan amount, making it especially competitive for higher value loan amounts up to a maximum of 65% Loan to Value.

The great rental divide is splitting the UK as tenants in London pay double the amount for a comparable property elsewhere. New research shows two distinct rental markets – the capital and the rest. According to property analysts Hometrack.

Imagine the scenario. You are being threatened or assaulted in the street, your home has been burgled, your car has been stolen. Who ya gonna call? The cops of course, because they know their stuff, act appropriately and sort it out for you right? They ARE the law. But what happens when the actions of […]

The tax man is urging landlords to keep better financial records with the help of apps on their mobile phones. A list of several providers offering mostly free apps for a range of mobile operating systems, like Android, Windows and Apple is on the HM revenue and Customs website.

Buy to let mortgage brokers are celebrating a buoyant first quarter of business as landlord demand for loans increased. Almost 80% of mortgage brokers expect buy to let to continue growing for the rest of the year, according to the findings of a buy to let broker sentiment survey by Paragon Mortgages.

Today I received a very sad telephone call to say that my tenant has died. Having been a landlord since 1989 and built a decent sized property portfolio you might be surprised to hear that this is a first for me. You may also be a bit shocked that I really don’t know what to […]