How private landlords can beat the rent arrears problem

Rent arrears are every landlords worst nightmare.

One bad tenant can leave you unable to pay your mortgage with prospects of losing your property and possibly bankruptcy. Worse still the court system can take well over 6 months to achieve eviction! read on

Landlord Regulation is NOT the Answer

There is no doubt that our sector is attracting the criminal elements, however, landlord regulation is not the answer.

Why would any person in their right mind choose to live in a bed in a shed, or a mouldy, over-crowded wreck of a property?

The answer is simple, they need a roof over their head and there is no other choice. read on

Landlord registration is costing £400,000 per rogue

A multi-million pound scheme introduced to crack down on rogue landlords has resulted in only 11 people being reported to the procurator fiscal in two years.

The Landlord Registration Scheme has so far cost landlords and the taxpayer nearly £18 million since 2006, figures obtained by the Scottish Conservatives have revealed.

That breakdown revealed responsible landlords have paid £11.2 million in fees, while the start-up Scottish Government grant for the scheme was £5.2 million. Annual running fees for the website since 2006 are estimated to be just under £300,000. read on

Call for CGT roll-over to apply to Buy to Let landlords

It seems to me to be very unfair that one can sell almost any other business asset and reinvest the money without having to pay CGT but NOT a Buy to Let!

Should we start a campaign for a legal change?!

I am sharing this story to warn people not to make the mistake I just did. read on

Is rent hiking a good business model?

By Guest Columnist Ben Reeve-Lewis

It’s been a while since I wrote anything in my ‘Don’t shoot the messenger’ series. Mainly because I kept getting shot ha-ha.

But I have a tough skin.

This article is an open letter to all you P118 landlords but probably more the London crew, because it is about rent increases and London is a different animal to the rest of the UK. I see properties for rent in different parts of Britain where the rents seem reasonable. London is off the scale though. read on

The House Crowd Raises £1 Million in Crowdfunding Success

The House Crowd has now raised over £1 million of crowdfunded investment which has allowed for the revival of 15 properties in some of the North West’s most forgotten communities.

The Manchester-based company is well underway breathing life into the distressed and uninhabitable properties already in its portfolio, purchasing and refurbishing them to a high standard before renting at fair prices to those most in need of housing. read on

White Goods Rental for Landlords – does it make sense?

Most of my properties have integrated appliances and where they don’t I’ve always purchased white goods outright as opposed to renting them. I treat white goods as part and parcel of the rental package I provide for tenants whether the property is advertised as furnished or not.

It has been interesting to read on this forum that some landlords don’t provide white goods at all. I’ve read a readers question about whether it’s the law to provide a cooker and another with lots of landlords debating whether it’s a good idea to provide a washer dryer. read on

Should I purchase a dryer in a shared house ?

I have a shared house where the tenants are respectful and love this refurbished property as their home. The only thing they are requesting is proper drying facilities so they no longer need to use clothes racks or hanging stuff outside in the winter months

What do I do ?

The tenants would be happy to purchase tokens off me for its running cost if I purchased a token/coin operated timer equipment controlling a standard dryer. read on

Ten percent yield for 1 in 10 buy to let properties

One in ten properties in the UK are delivering gross rental yields of 10% or more, according to Countrywide’s 2012 Lettings Index.

Rising rents and stabilising house prices are making rental yields highly attractive to buy to let investors, with an average yield of 6.2%.

The largest lettings network in the UK found that of all properties purchased and rented through Countrywide in 2012, approximately half achieved gross rental yields of more than 7%. read on

Seller numbers jump by 22% and Rightmove traffic swells by 27%

Rightmove have released their House Price index for January which reveals some very interesting trends summarised below.

A copy of the full report can be downloaded by completing the form at the foot of this article. read on

Tenants Deposit Protection – what are the alternatives?

I find the current tenants deposit protection schemes very time consuming and a waste of money, which all tenants sadly ultimately pay for through their rents.

I fully appreciate that a few tenants and a few landlords do give the other side a tough time hence understand why deposits need to be regulated if they are taken.

However, is there a better way to manage this area? How else can landlords get protection against tenants not paying their rent or damaging their property? read on

Lending Merry-go-round – READERS QUESTION

I wonder if any of ‘s readers have experienced the same problems as I have in arranging a mortgage for a flat which is already occupied on a short term assured tenancy agreement.

Everything is in place and we had an offer from The Mortgage Works , then the problems started.

The Mortgage works offer is conditional on the tenants signing a new assured tenancy agreement The vendors won’t let us approach the existing tenants . read on

Landlords Question about a Section 21 notice

I have issued a section 21 to one of my tenants because he fell behind with his rent.

He has promised to pay the arrears and keep up with the rent and asked me if I would cancel the notice. My question is this, If I dont cancel the notice but let him stay, can I hold it over him for future use or do they expire after so long?

You can use this in your excellent news letter if you wish. read on

Readers question for building contacts and advice

We are a Manchester based property company and are in the process of building a small two bedroom two bathroom house, which we would like to sell or let when completed.

Where can I find authoritative information, preferably free, regarding the cost differences between :

(1) 12.5 mm dot and dab plasterboard and skim and 13 mm 2 coat wet plaster finish.

(2) 22 mm t & G flooring grade chipboard and 22 mm timber t & G boarding. read on

Tenancy Deposit Question from a Tenant

We have been renting a house and our landlady used a local estate agent for the process.

We are due to renew our tenancy and our landlady, after seeing all the charges for renewing to us from the estate agents, has said she was happy to do a private agreement between us. We get on very well and are good tenants.

The estate agents are now saying I can’t get my deposit back, surely if she is dispensing of their duties, I am entitled to it back? read on

Property Auctions – Download their catalogues FREE

	Parsons Son & Basley Property Auction East Sussex – 21/02/2013 Parsons Son & Basley are auctioning 10 properties at the Banqueting Suite, Hove Town Hall, Norton Road, Hove BN3 3BQ Thursday 21 February 2013 at 3pm. To download a copy of the catalogue please complete the form below. read on
	Nottingham Property Auction – 13th Feb 2013 HEB Chartered Surveyors are holding their first Nottingham property auction of the year on 13th February 2013. There are 17 properties going under the hammer with guide prices from £20,000. read on
	Louis Taylor Property Auction Stoke on Trent 12/02/2013 Louis Taylor are holding a property auction consisting of 12 lots with guide prices from as little as £35,000 at 7pm on 12 February 2012. The venue for the auction is 66 Trinity Street, Hanley, Stoke-on-Trent, Staffordshire ST1 5NB read on
	Clive Emson Auctioneers – Property Auctions 4th to 7th February 2013 Clive Emson Auctioneers are holding their first auctions of the New Year on 4th-7th February offering 116 Lots. Download their auction catalogue by completing the form below. The four auctions cover land, commercial and residential properties across southern England, from Kent to Cornwall and to the M4 corridor. read on
	AWA All Wales Property Auction 4th to 7th Feb 2013 Download the AWA auction catalogue for the national public auction of residential, commercial, agricultural property and land. read on
	Dafydd Hardy Property Auction – 31/01/2013 Dafydd Hardy are holding a property auction on Thursday 31 January 2013 at the Anglesey Arms Hotel, Menai Bridge – 5:30PM. To download the auction catalogue please complete the short form below. read on
	Athawes Son & Co National Property Auction 29.01.2012 Download the auction catalogue for the Athawes Son & Co National Property Auction Sale. Date: Tuesday 29th January 2013 commencing at 1pm. Venue: The Grand Connaught Rooms, 61-65 Great Queen Street, Kingsway, London WC2. read on