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 […]

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.

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 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.

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 […]

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 […]

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, […]

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 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 […]

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 […]

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 […]

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?

Mortgage brokers have come under fire from consumer watchdogs for failing to advise customers about the risks of short-term borrowing to earn huge commissions. After a mini-boom in lending over the year reported by bridging lenders, the Financial Services Authority (FSA) has warned that some brokers are doubling or trebling their fees by recommending bridging […]

House prices are likely to drop by an average 3% over the coming year, predict estate agents. The number of homes sold may climb, but wider economic problems and the fear of losing jobs will keep the market flat, says the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors.

Mark Alexander Mark and his family have been investing in property since 1989, initially in the Norwich area but more recently across the length and breadth of England. Mark created Property118.com as a social network for landlords with a vision of becoming the UK’s largest online property investor directory. Mark’s experiences and strategies as a […]

The rent gap between London and the rest of the country means tenants are paying an average 80% more to let a home in the capital. Rents in London hit an average £1,177 per month in November – while average rents elsewhere were £653 a month, according to a report from buy to let insurer […]

An eye-watering £131 billion has been wiped off the value of homes in the UK over the past five years, according to government statistics. Property wealth has tumbled by 3.7% to £3,375 billion since 2006, says the Office of National Statistics.

The latest news and views from the property market and private rented sector. Ben Reeve-Lewis and Mark Alexander tackle the LHA changes that are to come in in the New Year, there’s an update on the EU mortgage regulation petition and there’s news of the Bank of England’s business summary for December.

The Bank of England Agents’ summary of business conditions December 2011 has been released, reporting a “softening housing market”. First time buyers remain held back due to deposit requirements and home-owners are still wary to trade up due to market conditions. Buy to let investors on the other hand are providing “a source of demand […]

Three more landbanking scams have been uncovered and moved into liquidation by the Company Investigations (CI) of the Insolvency Service. The three companies were found to be linked to 11 other landbanking scams that had already been shutdown. Theydon Land Developments Limited, Emerging Property Partnership Limited and Franklin Knight Ltd had mis-sold plots in Essex […]

Now you might be forgiven for thinking this is an over sensationalised headline to grab your attention. Well I’m sorry to burst your bubble because it isn’t! This evening I read the PDF Fact Sheet which is linked from Ben Reeve-Lewis’ article entitled “Housing Benefit Newsflash”.