R.I.P. David Knox – A.K.A. “Appalled Landlord”

R.I.P. David Knox – A.K.A. “Appalled Landlord”

6:00 AM, 7th February 2020, About 4 years ago 33

Text Size

Our dear friend, David Knox – A.K.A. “Appalled Landlord” passed away on 21st January 2020.

He was probably best known by Property118 readers for publishing his investigative work and critique of the ‘so called’ housing charity Shelter, the lack morals and underhand practices of which he despised.

He published 50 articles on Property118 over a number of years under his pseudonym “Appalled Landlord” and we have collated these into a library via the link below.

https://www.property118.com/author/appalled-landlord/

David was always a very private man during his life and preferred to post under the pseudonym of Appalled Landlord. However, his wife (Ludmilla) sent us the embedded picture and given us permission to publish this article and reveal his true identity. She will also be reading any comments that you may wish to post.

David was also stalwart campaigner against the Section 24 restrictions on finance cost relief. Being a retired Chartered Accountant he was a key member of the team that built the Property118 software to help landlords compare their post Section 24 financial position as individuals or partnerships vs the costs and outcomes of transferring their property rental businesses into a Limited Company.

I first met David in person at the High Court hearing in my representative action case against the West Brom  Mortgage Company. We met again at the Court of Appeal, where we won the case. During that entire two and a half year campaign David was massively supportive.

We became close fiends when he and Ludmilla came to live in Malta and we also visited them in Portugal after they subsequently decided to relocate to Villamoura in the Algarve to take advantage of NHR tax status.

I am also aware that David met several other landlords who he befriended through Propery118 and we invite those friends to leave comments below.

His passing shocked us all, because he died a matter of just a few days after being diagnosed with cancer of the liver and gall bladder. I spoke to him on the day he was diagnosed and the day before his passing and he was still in surprisingly good spirit. Thankfully, he did not suffer for too long.

We mourn the loss of a very good man.

RIP David Knox – A.K.A. “Appalled Landlord”


Share This Article


Comments

MoodyMolls

11:25 AM, 7th February 2020, About 4 years ago

It is so very sad to lose a core fighter for justice for all landlords.
He particularly contributed so much in the fight against S24.
He will be greatly missed by all of us.
Condolences to his wife and family.

Heather G.

11:37 AM, 7th February 2020, About 4 years ago

This is sad news. I was always impressed with his level of knowledge and detail regarding the property market and on many occasions have used his wisdom in my own campaigns & arguments. His research was thorough, insightful and incredibly helpful and I'm sure we will continue to refer to it in the future. (Thanks P118 for curating his posts for us). I would also like to extend my condolences to Ludmilla and his family in their sudden loss. RIP David.

Mike

11:52 AM, 7th February 2020, About 4 years ago

very shocking and sad, will miss his contribution to the cause and pain landlords suffer from unjust and biased housing laws, my condolences to his wife and family. will miss his posts. may he rest in peace.

Dr Rosalind Beck

12:18 PM, 7th February 2020, About 4 years ago

Those of us who have worked closely with David over the years were stunned to hear of his sad passing. He was such a brilliant advocate for landlords and took on the likes of Shelter with forensic skill and passion. Everything he did could be trusted for its 100% accuracy.

He helped me enormously over the years in my work against the Government’s and others’ war on landlords – helping me to get the precise definitions of what Section 24 means and more recently in December helping loads with an article I did about how Labour were lying about the impact of their tax plans.

https://capx.co/labours-tax-raid-on-the-self-employed/

He provided all the calculations which are in the graph. This was a very widely-read article – one of the most successful on CapX in the entire year. When I had to ask for some urgent assistance on it one evening, he quickly got back to me inbetween dance classes! He always had the answers, being an extremely intelligent and talented person.

People often say that no-one is indispensable, but David was. He was a one-off, can never be replaced and will be sorely missed. My thoughts are with his family. Rest in peace, David.

Antony Antoniou

12:23 PM, 7th February 2020, About 4 years ago

I am very sad to hear that and offer the most sincere condolences
So sad to hear of your loss and I offer my deepest sincere condolences, despite not knowing him personally I always came away after reading his post with a sense of hope and understanding, RIP a very good man

Alex

13:21 PM, 7th February 2020, About 4 years ago

I was so very sad to hear of David passing so suddenly. I will fondly remember working with him on the Property 118 tax planning software, which gave us both more grey hairs! David will be sadly missed by our landlord community for his hard work and support. I wish Ludmilla and all David's family and friends my most heartfelt condolences. Rest in peace, David, you were one of the best.

Question Everything

13:40 PM, 7th February 2020, About 4 years ago

I feel privileged for his insight and critique

David Dorset

14:34 PM, 7th February 2020, About 4 years ago

Reply to the comment left by Neil Patterson at 07/02/2020 - 08:32
Very sad to read this. I didn't know this man personally but i read the Appalled Landlord articles. They were well written and passionate and from someone willing to share their wealth of knowledge with others. Very very sad for his family and friends and one can only be thankful that he did not suffer. A loss to all that knew him and also indeed to all that didn't know him! RIP XX

Anthony Endsor

19:39 PM, 7th February 2020, About 4 years ago

I didn't know David personally, but I offer my sincere condolences to his family and friends at this time.
During times when all landlords had good reason to be appalled, David stood up against those who try to bring us down. His legacy will serve us all well in the future I'm sure.

BTL INVESTOR SCOTLAND

8:25 AM, 8th February 2020, About 4 years ago

Very sad news. David put in a lot of effort to campaign against section 24. His knowledge on the matter was second to none.

Leave Comments

In order to post comments you will need to Sign In or Sign Up for a FREE Membership

or

Don't have an account? Sign Up

Landlord Tax Planning Book Now