Page 939 – Property118

Sell or hold after completing a refurbishment?

3rd January 2011

This question was recently asked on a property forum and inspired me to write this post. A spreadsheet could be written to crunch the numbers and I will explain how I do this further into this post.

Suggested New Years Resolutions for Landlords

27th December 2010

  1)  Create or update property schedule 2) Consider impact of higher interest rates 3) Look at ways to reduce cost (e.g. insurance, accounting, advertising costs) 4) Make/update Will

The roots of my Property Investment Strategy

17th December 2010

“I measure my business related success by how much I improve my cashflow and my bank balance every year.” The beginning of my career was spent working in financial rescue and the underwriting of risk.  It was the late 1980’s, property values had plummeted and interest rates had soared to 15%. Property investors who faced […]

An introduction to Tepilo by Sarah Beeny

13th December 2010

The number of property related queries on Google is believed to have grown by 35 per cent in the last year and more people are using the internet to search for properties to rent or buy than ever before. Marketing your own property is now rapidly growing in popularity – which is one of the […]

The next generation of property investors

13th December 2010

By Mark Alexander. The next generation of property investors will: Have good jobs and surplus income Have plenty of equity in their homes Be unhappy with returns on other forms of investment Be internet and social media savvy Have access to far more information than the last generation

Keeping your property business cash flowing

13th December 2010

Buy to let may be booming now – but many full time property investors are still feeling the pinch from the credit crisis. Cash flow is the key to a successful business – not the value of a property portfolio. Many businesses go to the wall because they are poorly managed and run out of […]

Mark Alexander

Are Property Investors interested in ways to reduce IHT?

13th December 2010

I’ve raised this question is that it’s important to me. Am I in the minority though? I’ve insured my life and written the policy into trust to pay IHT without attracting further IHT.  However, this is going to get more and more expensive as I get older and my wealth grows.  I’ve also investigated various other […]

Landlords running out of time to beat tax deadline

13th December 2010

Landlords who need to file an online tax return to meet the January 31 deadline are running out of time. Only 25 working days are left if the landlord needs help or advice from an accountant – and this could shrink to a lot less time if the taxpayer has to set up online filing […]

Stubborn mortgage lenders hold property market hostage for profit

13th December 2010

Estate agents have slammed stubborn and self-serving mortgage lenders for holding homeowners and homebuyers hostage for the sake of their own profits. Peter Bolton King, head of the 10,000-strong National Association of Estate Agents accused banks and building societies of manipulating the market by failing to grant more loans.

More landlords can expect to pay 40% tax

13th December 2010

More landlords can expect to pay higher rate tax from next April thanks to new income tax rates published with little publicity by the Treasury. In previous years, the Chancellor has announced changes to tax rates and thresholds in an autumn pre-budget statement, but this was cancelled following the new coalition emergency budget in June.

HMO consultation is a sham to avoid compensation claims

13th December 2010

An internal report from town hall advisers confirms consultation over extending house in multiple occupation (HMO) powers is a sham aimed at avoiding compensation claims. The report – to councillors in Milton Keynes – suggests Housing Minister Grant Shapps is urging councils to take on controversial planning powers to curb the spread of shared houses […]

Treasury crackdown to tackle £2 billion tax cheats

13th December 2010

The Treasury announced new tax avoidance measures aimed at raising at extra £2 billion in tax over the next four years today. The announcement is the first step of the government’s much-vaunted tax avoidance blitz on individuals and companies – and more will soon follow promises the Treasury.

A guide to offsetting training expenses against rental income

13th December 2010

Improving knowledge and skills to make more money is one of the common traits of buy to let investors who queue up to attend seminars, courses, and conferences. Some of these events cost thousands of pounds to attend – and investors often try to claim the cost back through their property business only to find […]

Flood spending cuts leave homeowners high and dry

13th December 2010

Millions of homeowners and businesses may find buying buildings and contents insurance harder to obtain as a result of cuts to government spending on flood protection. Government figures show about 5.2 million homes are at risk from flooding – and that’s about 25% of the total homes in the UK.