Many property landlords feel that the amount of legislation that they are obliged to comply with has increased manifestly over the last few years. Others think that some of legislative decisions are inconsistent, such as requiring a landlord to produce a Gas Safety Certificate at the start of the tenancy but not requiring the landlord […]
When I first started in lettings, aside from a tenancy agreement, a gas safety certificate and perhaps a brief inventory, there was little that was required for a tenancy to get set up! As the years rolled on we have seen the introduction of the Housing Act 2004, Deregulation Act 2015, Energy Performance of Buildings […]
As 2017 draws to a close I thought I would reflect on the various events of 2017 from a property investors point of view. Perhaps it will allow us to learn some lessons which will enable us to improve our business or perhaps it will show a pattern to enable us to more accurately judge […]
Many letting agencies are started by those who began as Buy to Let Investors. There is nothing wrong with that, in fact it is understandable that a landlord does a fantastic job with their own properties and feels that they can provide that level of service to others. The reality is often very different. It […]
Now that the Summer is over many investors will be looking for that Autumn project to keep them busy until the Christmas countdown commences. Therefore this month we are going to look at how best to work with Estate Agents to ensure that you get access to the properties that you want. As an ex […]
The 2004 Housing Act introduced a raft of new legislative frameworks and was arguably one of the most significant measures of Housing law of recent time. One of the more significant matters to emerge from the Act was the introduction of Selective Licensing schemes which were enabled from April 2006. Government research had identified that […]
With the relaxation of planning regulations by way of prior notification and permitted development, together with the escalating prices of existing properties, many of us property folk have turned to the development of sites, refurbishment of property or the conversion of existing buildings to secure that elusive profit or to obtain a reasonable yield. This […]
The subdivision of buildings retains its popularity amongst developers either through the creation of apartments, HMOs or in certain circumstances the creation of terraced housing through the subdivision of a detached building. The rewards can be significant. The rental return of the parts is likely to significantly exceed that of one larger unit and the […]
I have recently been involved with a case where a landlord unlawfully evicted their tenant. The tenant had been in the property for three months. The second months rent was overdue and the third month about to fall due. Instead of waiting for the third month to be unpaid and then serve a Section 8 […]
Living by the Coast I have been thoroughly enjoying the recent spell of sunshine and seeing all the visitors who are heading to our town to enjoy the beach and all the East Kent Coast has to offer. We have recently seen the reopening of a theme park in our area and have subsequently seen […]
This month we are going to look at keeping our tenants happy and ensuring the longevity of a tenancy. As landlords we must agree that the worst thing for us is vacant properties producing no income. Actually that is probably the second worse thing – the worse being occupied properties producing no income! Initially let […]
As property investors we have had to undergo significant change to our business model over the last ten years to adapt to the raft of changing legislation. We have seen the introduction of the tenancy deposit schemes, energy performance certificates, right to rent, as well as new measures to deal with identity fraud and money […]
Most of us will at some stage want to progress to bigger or more complicated developments. It’s all part of our personal development throughout our property journey. This month I am going to share with you a cautionary tale of a developer who had undertaken a couple of property conversions and developments and who subsequently […]
It is beyond argument that on our own we are unlikely to possess all the knowledge and skills necessary in order to progress in our property journey. To that end we all seek to assemble a so called “power team” to plug the gaps in our skillset, allow us to maximise the use of our […]
This months focus is on buildings insurance and why you should review your existing cover. A critical issue is to ensure that the insurer is aware of all of the details of your property including its build date, type, any areas of flat roof, construction method and the terms of its occupation. I am concerned […]