“I need to use grass cutting machine” said my Polish tenant when he called me one Saturday afternoon. You mean a lawnmower I said, don’t you have one? “My friend say that you must provide” he replied. Was he right? I’d let the house unfurnished, surely he should buy his own lawnmower? None of my […]

Situated on the banks of Salford Quays and generating 8% gross rental yields these sumptuous 2-bed luxury buy-to-let apartments could be the perfect investment opportunity for your property portfolio. They are priced at just £115,000 and come with secure car parking and even a concierge service. A vibrant, exciting place to live, Salford Quays is the new […]

I spent all day yesterday updating the mortgage calculator making sure all the usual little lenders’ tweaks had been uploaded and any interesting new products were included, when I ran across what I think is the Yorkshire tea, or a sliced white loaf of a the buy to let product market. It is nothing spectacular […]

With more and more commercial property sitting empty, an important judgement in Cardiff could have major ramifications for empty property rate relief. Due to dubious claims of the property being re-occupied for over 6 weeks and vacant again, councils have taken a harder approach. The appeal against Vale of Glamorgan Council could mean each request […]

Council Tax can be a deciding factor to some tenants. When you rent out a property, tenants often ask what the council tax band is. They also want to know much they will have to pay. There can be a big difference between say a Band A, or Band D property. There are a couple […]

Whilst a bungalow isn’t likely to provide you with the highest possible rental yield, bungalows should not be overlooked as property investment opportunities, especially by investors with with good refurbishment skills or a good team of tradesmen.

The National Association for Estate Agents is calling for more support for first time buyers as the property market continues to struggle. They believe the boost from below will ripple upwards, stimulating the whole market. Mark Hayward, President of the NAEA, said: “Assisting those seeking property at the start of the ladder could help to […]

If you’ve been reading my blog posts or run an HMO yourself, you’ll already know that the quest for affordable rooms is on the up.  This is partly due to the changes this year in LHA for people aged 25-35 whereby councils will only pay for a room in a shared house and, over 35 […]

Bank tariffs are increasing amidst fears of the Euro zone instability and the resulting increase in funding costs. There is no doubt that rates will continue to increase, which is why fixed rate deals are particularly attractive. Protecting your business against future interest rate shocks and having peace of mind of a fixed payment term […]

By 1999 I had realised that I needed to put money aside for maintenance. Tenants were moving in and out all the time and I was bleeding money on carpet cleaning, magnolia paint and replacement carpets at an unbelievable rate. I’d started investing into bigger houses and renting them to people with children and groups […]

The commercial property market is still struggling due to the difficulties in the economy, according to Jones Lang LaSalle. Their latest forecast cites returns down at 2%, although office rentals in the West End should perform well. Elsewhere across the country will not experience the same though, with Jones Lang LaSalle expecting rental falls.

Thanks to Don Holmes of Go Direct Lettings for providing us with details of a recently completed deal in Liverpool L4, about 3 miles outside the City Centre, an area which Don believes is one of the UK’s Buy to let Hotspots. This particular property produces a gross yield of 13.9% and here’s how…..

The buy to let market has been very quiet for the last few weeks with little to report on rate changes, but the first lender to make their move appears to be the state owned Northern Rock. The Northern Rock have reduced their rates by up to 0.36% and continue to offer a £500 Cashback […]

Every Town and City in the UK has its own unique set of dynamics when it comes to property values and rental yields. For example, I know that in Norwich, one the most established areas for letting is known as the Golden Triangle because it’s very close to the University, the Hospital and within easy access of the […]

Plush Kensington and Chelsea is the streets ahead as the most expensive place to buy a home in Britain – with average house prices of nearly £2 million. Buying a house in Kensington costs around £1.87 million and is £90,850 (5%) up on last year’s prices, according to online property portal Zoopla.

Rents are still rising and are unlikely to drop anytime soon, according to one of the UK’s leading letting agents. Average rents in England and Wales edged up by 0.4% in May to £712 a month in May – increasing for the second month in a row as the market settled after the end of […]

The number of buy to let homes to rent may soon outstrip the number of homes coming to the market for sale. Research by Experian shows the number of private homes to rent coming to the market in the first three months of 2012 increased by 6.34%, while the number of homes put up for […]

Students living at universities in London and Manchester face the worst crime rates – according to a survey of offences reported to police over the last year. The figures were compiled by The Complete University Guide for the year to May 2012. They list 103 further learning institutions by numbers of burglary, robbery and violent […]

My first intentional property investment part 4 – “My first Property Management Checklist“ In the last instalment of the story of my first intentional property investment I promised to share with you the first property management check list I put together, it wasn’t perfect but it was a lot better than nothing. If you want to catch up on […]

Homes selling at auction in May sold for around 80% of the price of an average home. The latest figures from auction monitor EI Group show 2,034 properties changed hands for an average price of £128,466 in May 2012.

Many landlords run a property business from a home office but are scared to claim business expenses because they are worried about triggering a capital gains tax bill when they move house. The myth is claiming tax relief for working from home makes part of the property business premises which is liable to capital gains […]