Property investors innocently switching homes or renting them out may fall foul of new measures to combat fraud. Two new schemes have started this month aimed at fighting buy to let fraud – but may trap landlords maximising returns and tax reliefs for their properties.

An effort by the taxman to simplify inheritance tax valuations and forms has resulted in the publication of 80 pages of guidance notes. Solicitors and estate planners specialising in IHT have seen a number of changes from HM Revenue and Customs in recent months – including a new online self-assessment system for dealing with tax […]

Buy to let landlords should ignore the myths about insurance and make sure they have the best cover at the best price, says the Association of British Insurers (ABI). Property investors and homeowners spend billions every year or buildings and contents cover, often without understanding the terms and conditions of their polices.

The banks continue to put a brave face on restricted lending by claiming mortgage approvals are up year-on-year – but any property investor or buyer trying to raise a loan to buy a home will probably tell a different story. Lending figures issued by the banks, building societies and other financial sector groups are now […]

Rents are edging back to highest ever levels as the average UK buy to let rent hit £676, according to monthly data from one of the UK’s largest letting agents, LSL Property Services. The cost of renting a private home rose 0.5% in July – the sixth monthly increase in a row and a 1.4% […]

Low house prices and interest rates have sparked a holiday home boom as investors swoop property at popular tourist locations all over England. An estimated 245,384 investors now own a second home in England – and the figure’s likely to go up, says a survey by top people’s estate and letting agent Knight Frank.

Most landlords look at reducing council tax and business rates while letting property is unoccupied but don’t realise they may have voided their buildings insurance if they make a claim while the property is empty. Thousands of homes stand empty at any one time – the latest figures for England show 650,000 homes were vacant […]

Second home and holiday let owners are set to lose lucrative tax breaks worth thousands of pounds in a proposed change in the law to bring the UK in to line with European rules. The tax landscape for furnished holiday let owners has suffered from uncertainty from the government for some time.

The heat is on property owners to show energy efficiency ratings for homes for rent. Letting agents and landlords may have to show the stats to comply with a new European Union directive requiring energy ratings are available before property marketing starts that is due for introduction in 2012.

Thousands of property tax exiles could face huge bills if a billionaire businessman loses his long-running tax battle with HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) at the Supreme Court. Robert Gaines-Cooper has fought for years against claims for tax dating back to 1982 and lost his case on appeal earlier this year.

Property owners in university towns and cities are seeing house prices soar up 65% higher than those of similar homes in the surrounding area due to demand for student housing. The biggest price increases are in smaller cities and towns that have had a huge growth in student numbers.

Buy to let mortgage advice Many investors have become cashflow beneficiaries of the ‘Credit Crunch’ due to the lowest interest rates in history. A question I am often asked is, “Should I use the extra cashflow to reduce my mortgage balances?” I appreciate that one day interest rates will go back up again and the […]

Almost 50% of tenants evicted by private landlords find themselves on the street because they do not pay their rent. The other main cause of friction between landlords and tenants is antisocial behaviour, with 23% of landlords reporting this as a cause for eviction. The figures come from two sets of recent research by the […]

Mortgage lending for buying and refinancing homes was up 5% in July – an increase from £12.9 billion in June 2010 to £13.6 billion in July but a disappointing £0.4 billion down on July 2009. Effectively, despite the Bank of England’s making billions available with a quantative easing policy to provide funds to encourage banks […]

The taxman has lost a protracted inheritance tax (IHT) test case that confirms estates letting land and residential property to third parties qualify for business property relief. The ruling is key to property owners and estate planners as the ruling means these properties are exempt from IHT.

Buying a home is a dream beyond the reach of millions trapped in financial limbo, says the Chartered Institute of Housing (CIH). The CIH has identified more than 3 million tenants renting private homes who are too poor to qualify for state help and not rich enough to buy their own home even though they […]

For all tenancy agreements that started on or after 6th April 2007 landlords are required to protect their tenant’s deposit using one of the Government authorised schemes. Within fourteen days of receiving the deposit, the landlord is required to inform the tenant of how it is protected. There are three schemes: Two which are Insurance […]

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