Private Rented Sector Buy to Let Consultants
I make no apology about visiting the issue of Energy Performance Certificates (EPCs) once again. This time, looking also at mortgages. MORTGAGES AND ENERGY PERFOMANCE CERTIFICATES EPCS This is one we really must watch. (I am not going to repeat the points raised in previous posts – to read these please see the links at the end). There can be […]
Read moreDATA PROTECTION ISSUES FOR PRIVATE LANDLORDS This article looks at data protection issues for private landlords. Us landlords hold a lot of data – at the very least, tenant information such as names and addresses, financial data, and payment history. It must be looked after carefully. In most cases landlords need to register with the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO), the […]
Read moreThe British middle class seem to give this particular landlord the run around when it comes to time-wasting when we are trying to secure a new tenancy, says David Lawrenson of LettingFocus, but I still try to give them a fair shout at letting one of our properties. I am getting many calls for a property we are letting right […]
Read moreMichael Gove, and the Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, have followed up on the Queen’s speech with their intentions in the Renters Reform Bill. He refers to the fact that 22% of tenants did not end their tenancy by choice”. Of course, the reality is that landlords use the Section 21 Notice so-called “No Fault” or “Accelerated” route […]
Read moreIt is all coming together. For the following reasons I am sure the events I describe here will happen sooner rather than later and most likely in the Autumn. First, the global lockstep rolling out of laws to silence free speech. In the UK, this is planned to be enforced by the so-called Online Safety Bill. This would give power […]
Read moreHMOs and Council Tax Valuations Lots of landlords we consult with are reporting that their houses in multiple occupation are being increasingly targeted for what is sometimes called “disaggregation”. This is where the rooms are separated into multiple separate individual council tax bands by the Valuation Office Agency (VOA). This is not good news as it raises the costs to […]
Read moreThis article is about the ongoing growth of purpose-built student accommodation (PBSA). Purpose Built Student Accommodation (PBSA) and Institutional Investment – the Background Some time ago, probably in the late 80s, there was probably a meeting somewhere at Westminster or one of those City clubs where some heads of big pensions funds were moaning to government ministers about the strong […]
Read morePREVENTING CONDENSATION AND DAMP IN RENTED PROPERTY One of the biggest sources of lost deposits for tenants in the private rented sector is rot and mould which is caused by damp, which is in turn caused by condensation. Rot and mould can be very expensive. We think it is so important to get this right (and prevent it) that we […]
Read moreThere has been a lot of comment in the personal finance pages of the press about where house prices and rents might be heading in the next year or so. House Prices, Rents and Inflation The big worry, is of course, inflation – and its effect on everything as a dampener of demand and hence of a dampener too on […]
Read moreRent Increases Should be Little and Often I was reading a very good piece by Mary Latham, in “Your Property Network News (You)” magazine. She is an experienced and long-time landlord who I once met. She was discussing rent increases and how often should you do them. I agree with every word she said. I meet a lot of landlords […]
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