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 […]

This week’s edition features a round up of all the week’s articles. Neil runs through how to assess a mortgage product based purely on price and two 80% buy to let deals. Mary reacts to human rights, Ally has interior tips for landlords and tennants, Ben attempts to unite the PRS and there is lots […]

Mark Alexander has been campaigning to make it compulsory for letting agents to have professional indemnity insurance and bonding for client monies. The Property Business Show has invited Mark (founder of Property118) to attend a debate on the topic of Private Rented Sector licencing at The Property Business Show on Thursday 19th April 2012 at […]

Landlords may have to clear minor repairs with council building inspectors who could force them to carry out extra energy efficiency improvements under controversial proposals drafted by the government. Under the plan, maintenance like changing a boiler or fitting a new front door will trigger a visit from the council – and demands for other […]

Accounting for spending on letting property before the first tenant moves in often confuses landlords – and their accountants. Countless landlords miss out on potential tax savings because their financial advisers wrongly claim pre-letting expenses are not allowed by HM Revenue & Customs.

Having read Mary Latham’s article about landlord’s not being able to evict due to human rights law, I have been giving some thought to the speculation. I have worked for the public sector for over 25 years and during that time I have been heavily involved in considering human rights in everything I do. Therefore, I […]

Norwich based HMO Landlords are today celebrating a victory of the Eastern Landlords Association “ELA” in terms of persuading Norwich City Council that their 660% increase in HMO licencing fees was totally unreasonable. Last year Norwich City Council increased the Licence fee for Houses of Multiple Occupation from £270 to £1900,

Fifteen people were found living in an overcrowded and unlicensed house in multiple occupation raised by a team of police and housing officers after a tip from the UK Border Agency. They found the three-storey flat in Balham, South London, had no fire safety precautions and furniture, rubbish and clothing was strewn over communal stairs; […]

Tenants are trying to exploit human rights laws to stop paying rent and block evictions, warns the Residential Landlords Association. The RLA is concerned that a case waiting to go before the Appeal Court will leave landlords unable to reclaim their buy to let properties if renters breach tenancy agreements.

The biggest problem for tenants is trying to make a rented property feel like home. You want them to avoid painting the walls purple and blue; but whether they are renting for 3 months, a year or longer – for that time you want them to feel that they “own” the property. For the benefit […]

Two similar products – look at the detail. This is an example of the terms, criteria and costs I would consider for Landlords looking to borrow 80% Loan to Value and minimise the capital required to purchase a property, or maximise the amount of equity that can be released. Below are two very similarly priced […]

Rows of unsightly “To Let’ boards outside buy to let homes could be banned if MPs vote in favour of a proposed new law. Some cities already have local planning rules limiting the size, colour and number of boards, but Newcastle East MP Nick Brown wants to extend the law nationwide.

Buy to let really did boom in 2011 – with the total up 12% on the previous year as 692,766 homes were rented out. As buy to let rampaged to a new high, home sales dropped back by 12,000 in the year to 769,077. The trend was for buy to let to increase each quarter […]