Lettings firm Belvoir intends to join the City’s Alternative Investment Market to raise capital for further expansion. The specialist lettings agency runs 142 franchised offices – and wants to raise up to £8 million from floating on AIM.

A buy to let lender was slammed for a landlord mortgage of £166,500 without carrying out proper income checks in a negligence case at the High Court. GMAC-RFC – now trading as Paratus-AMC – agreed the 90% loan-to-value advance on a £185,000 property valuation from Countrywide in 2004.

Having written my article on the predicted downside of renting during the Olympics I thought I had better provide a bit of guidance for landlords on how to avoid getting ripped off. Foreign sports tourists are also open to abuse simply because they don’t know London or the way things work in the UK. Already […]

The latest news and views from the property market and private rented sector.  Ben Reeve-Lewis and Mary Latham highlight some very important issues all landlords looking to take advantage of the Olympic frenzy should consider, Mark Alexander reviews a free eBook in his Landlords Log and we would like to welcome our new guest columnist Helen […]

People who are thinking of letting during the Olympics should be aware that it is a criminal offence to let a London property for less than 90 Days without permission. Landlords will risk fines of up to £20,000 and a criminal record if they do not get planning permission to let during the Olympics. Following […]

You can’t be involved in housing and not be aware of the upcoming rent-fest that is going to be the 2012 Olympics, and not just for London landlords either as Weymouth on the South Coast is hosting the Yachting events. There are now a plethora of websites set up specifically to help landlords make a […]

The New Year countdown for filing tax returns has started – with a timely reminder from HM Revenue and Customs not to be late. Individuals and partnerships must submit their tax return for the year ending April 5, 2011, on or before January 31 – and pay any tax due.

Frustrated sellers are turning into reluctant landlords as the stagnating housing market in some areas has driven buyers away. Around half of letting agents report a rising number of unintended lets as homeowners either cannot sell or are holding off accepting offers until property values increase.

Green, orange, black…… The wonderful colours of mould that you may spot in your house! Damp can be a major problem in student houses. It can cause mould on the walls and furniture, and make timber window frames rot. It encourages mites and can increase the risk of respiratory illness and quite frankly, it is […]

Landlord mortgage lender has changed borrowing criteria and released 50 new loan products – although most are just variations on fixed rates and terms. The main changes to interest buy to let landlords are revised rent and income criteria that bring more purchase and remortgage deals in to the scope of loans Paragon underwriters can […]

Would you be sceptical of an advert for fee free letting? Being a landlord for over 20 years has made me a bit sceptical so when I first heard about a fee free property letting offer my gut reaction was “what’s the catch?”

News Sourced by Property118 A new property platform has launched that allows property hunters to search for and sell their house while they’re on Facebook. Property Place is the only “fully embedded on Facebook” property portal, and has over 500,000 properties listed for the millions of UK Facebook users to search.

A strange case came my way today and I thought it a grand example of the sort of world I move in and an insight into the Kafkaesque madness that is the stock in trade of my day.

Yesterday afternoon I spotted a Tweet recommending a free landlords ebook. There are quite a few around but this is the first I’ve decided to review independently.

Tips for keeping the house looking its best Here are some quick and simple tips to help keep the house and furniture looking its best, follow these to help save money from your damage and cleaning deposit. It is worth spending a bit now to save a lot later!

Calling UK Property and Landlord Bloggers I’m keen to work with other blog owners focusing on property. I’ve been a buy to let landlord since 1989 and will be happy to write for you, or comment on your blog articles, free of charge. Why am I making this offer?

Does your Letting Agent provide a good service? If so, please share what you like most about them. I fully appreciate that some landlords prefer to be hands on. I used to think that way but now I prefer to focus my efforts onto other things. My brother is also a landlord and we have […]

Landlords should brace themselves for a massive jump in rent arrears with the news that millions are seeking payday loans and other credit to pay rents after overspending during the festive season. Homeless charity Shelter is warning a million homeowners and tenants are looking for payday loans that charge interest at rates of up to […]

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.